The Devil You Know by PJ Tracy

294 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books
Release Date: January 17, 2023

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Police Procedural

Kira hears a noise and finds a very dead naked man. She was not supposed to be there and now someone knows she was there. Evan Hobbes is a Disney star but once an obscene video comes out, his credibility is gone. The video was a fake, but it was too good. Seth Lehman is a talent agent. He and his girlfriend Amber are arguing again. He is always on demand with Ethan and Amber is tired of him being gone all the time. Seth’s boss, Rebecca, is on him every minute of the day. She is one woman who cannot be satisfied. Daphna Love is a superstar actress and once Seth’s girlfriend. Seth threatened to leave Rebecca’s firm and sign Daphna to a contract.

Melody and Sam are back. She is playing music again and Sam has a letter written by a distant ancestor. Detective Margaret Nolan has finally acknowledged her relationship with Remy Beaudreau. When Evan’s body is found in rubble after an earthquake, Margaret is called in to investigate whether it was a suicide, accident, or murder.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are well developed and complex, and it is written in the third person point of view. Margaret is a strong woman and has grown in strength since the first book. If you like police procedurals, a whodunit with a couple of twists, you will enjoy this book.

This is the third in the series with Margaret Nolan. You don't have to have read the other books to enjoy.
There is a murder or not, The wild and crazy world of Hollywood.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Minotaur Books.

As the third book in series, I feel that one should have read the first two books in order to sort out all the relationships between these well developed intriguing characters. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this well written detective novel and Detective Margaret Nolan's approach to solving crime in the depths of the city of Los Angeles.

This is a good police procedure mystery that delves into the murky world of Hollywood. The murder plot is complex with a number of suspects. Nolan is a suitable police investigator although her partner seems to be needed to keep her on task from time to time. This is the third novel featuring her and, while this one read relatively well on its own, it is apparent much of her current character is based on events in previous novels.

Tracy's writing style is quite poetic. She takes time working up to the focus of a scene. One I got used to that, I did like it. Some may think the prose a bit much for a murder mystery. There are many characters (and POVs) and some I felt were more distracting than essential. Sam is one. Perhaps he's from another novel and will have a more essential role in a future one.

I did like the novel and the dive into the dark world of Hollywood and its characters. I especially liked the surprising twist at the very end.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

The Devil You Know by PJ Tracy is an interesting minor premise wherein a letter from a soldier’s family had taken over his life. The soldier was from the Civil War and had what is now known as PTSD to such an extent that his family kept him chained in the attic. It was tragic and it grabbed me despite the fact it was a minor part of the story. Detective Margaret Nolan, Maggie, was Sam’s friend after an encounter earlier that solved a crime. She had PTSD, too, as did he. Now she’d been called to a high profile case involving media stars. It started with a body discovered as part of an avalanche caused by an earthquake. It was part of a back yard of a high-end home that fell to the road below. The deceased was a star and had been in the news lately because of a video that had leaked. It was of the deceased and underage girls. They insisted it was a fake. It didn’t really matter. The damage was done. There are so many parts to this whole; it is overwhelming to think of what police detectives had to do to solve a crime. And sadly, the killing wasn’t over yet.

This was a decent police procedural. It involved many people, not sure how many suspects, as people kept dying. The characters were interesting and different from one another. The investigation was a good one, although mistakes were made. People were misread. Not all the murders were solved. The plot was good if a little disconcerting, but then murder often is. It usually doesn’t involve underaged girls. Maggie is a good cop and an interesting character. We don’t see much of her current “love,” but he seems like a good guy. Her partner is older and wiser and street smart and he plays off her well. The over arc was a good one, probably relatively true, although it doesn’t usually end in multiple murders. It was a good book. Can’t wait until the next one.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of The Devil You Know by St Martin’s Press, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #Netgalley #StMartinsPress #PJTracy #TheDevilYouKnow

I enjoyed the story, but at the first I felt a little lost with the characters. The interaction between Nolan and her partner was entertaining. I liked the dynamic between them. The bodies are piling up. When a beloved star is found dead, they can't decide if it was an accident, murder or suicide. Then a friend of the victim is found dead along with a young girl. Just when the police think they might know what happened, another person is dead. It really is a good mystery. I did not see that end coming.

This mystery novel had a bunch of characters but the story focused on 8 of them -although 4 died.
The characters are sketched with their attributes, and connections to Hollywood's film industry, which is really at the center of the story.
The first crisis comes when a handsome Disney actor's (Evan) career is destroyed by a deepfake porn video of him with an underage actor. His agent (Seth) advocates for him and records the conversation with his boss Becca (who is unreliable and a little crazy), - whose company is on the verge of bankruptcy.
That night, both men attend a Hollywood A-lister party at Seth's sister's home. However an earthquake hits and Evan' body is found among the debris. LAPD detective Maggie Nolan - is on the scene to help determine is Evan's death was a suicide, murder or an accident. And we are off...
The same day, the party host -a Hollywood director is found dead and once again the LAPD are immersed in solving another death.
The body count adds us and we have 4 deaths within 3 days. LAPD taps various resources to determine the validity of the video, and of course, the autopsy results.
The book was full of plot twists, sleeping around, lies and cheating. The individual suspects are all pretty obnoxious and self absorbed. However, by the 4th victim, I guessed who did it - but not the why- and it added up to a very interesting story.
I thought there were some extraneous characters - like Sam and Melody- who had no part in the murders, the investigation, or the Hollywood glitterati - and they could have been left out of the book entirely.
I received this eARC from NetGalley and the publisher and am leaving this review entirely on my own.

Evans Hobbs is a child actor trying to jump into adult roles. When a deepfake video of him doing disgusting things goes viral, his adult career appears to be over before it really began. But worse is in store for Evan. He is soon found dead in a Malibu rockslide. Was it a simple car accident, an inventive suicide, or a grim murder? LAPD detective, Margaret Nolan, must find out in The Devil You Know.

I read the first book in this series, Deep Into the Dark, and liked the writing style much more than the plot. Luckily, The Devil You Know, the third series entry, has a more intriguing mystery. It also contains a trendy (hopefully fictional) look into the seedy side of the rich and famous Hollywood elite. 4 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

This is the third novel in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. The Devil You Know is a well written, fast paced, entertaining crime thriller. I loved that our protagonist is a likable, intelligent, strong, and capable Female Detective.

The body of actor Evan Hobbes is found in the debris, after a Malibu landslide. The day before the landslide Evan was threatened with a video that shows him in compromising acts. Evan knows that this is a deep fake, yet he knows this could ruin his career.

Was it an accident, suicide, or Murder. Detective Nolan must solve this, all the while the body count continues to rise.

There were a lot of moving parts and characters to keep up with, but I really enjoyed the twists and turns that I did not see coming. I think that this was the best book in the series. (#1 Deep Into The Dark #2 Desolation Canyon)

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and author, P.J Tracy for providing me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book.

Thank you kindly to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for the gifted copies!

This is book 3 of the Detective Margaret Nolan series, and unfortunately I didn’t read the first 2 books prior to diving into this one, which made it a little tough to follow given the cast of characters.

That said, the storyline was good. A bit slow in pacing, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Read if you love:
* Short chapters
* Descriptive prose
* Character-driven police procedurals

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦:
“Don’t ever apologize for making a difference in somebody’s life.”

This police procedural takes the reader to glamourous and glitzy world of film and tv stars, it- girls, their agents and producers - parties and beach houses, as well as caviar breakfasts.
However, all that glitters is not gold. Under the veneer of flamboyance, something dark is lurking. An earthquake Leads to the discovery of a body and from there on several more are discovered - Detective Maggie Nolan does not believe in accidents or suicides, she suspects foul play. But there are so many potential suspects all with their own grievances and motives - everyone had opportunities, there was a big party …

The Devil You Know is a well written procedural - it’s the third book in the Maggie Nolan series but it can easily be read as a standalone. The short chapters keep the action moving along quickly and the plot is suspenseful and interesting. The writing was very descriptive. The complex characters added to the narrative as clues are dispersed along the way, highly entertaining ! I was reminded of Lee Goldberg’s Eve Ronin series - if you like those, you’ll love this one as well !

This story is about California's 'beautiful people', those we as movie and tv show watchers are in awe of and some 'in love' with. This shows us the darker side no one is supposed to see and the damage it can cost, the price some pays. I thought I had part of it figured out and I did- but for the wrong reason. the other part I wasn't even in the ballpark. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.

Hollywood actor Evan Hobbes' career is in shambles after a deepfake video is released. While Evan's agent Seth is trying on damage control, Seth is thwarted by his psychotic boss & an angry ex-girlfriend. When Evan's body is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide near the home of Essie Baum, it's not clear to LAPD Homicide Detective Margaret Nolan if his death was an accident, a suicide, or a murder. Another double-murder rocks Hollywood. Are these deaths connected to Evan? Nolan & her partner Al has to navigate through the world of Hollywood celebrity, power & scandal to find the truth.

This book just didn't work for me. I had little interest in the characters, the detectives or the investigation.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Minotaur Books. All opinions are my own.

Thid book was disturbing (PTSD in the Revolutionary War) & confusing from the getgo. It assumed the reader had read the 1st book in the series, which I had not. Characters were talked about and introduced with shocking simplicity. There were thin explanations of who they were & how they related to each other. The author also shifted from first names to last names & back again. Very confusing.

By 8% I'd had enough. I DNF this book because of the confusing characters & shifting names,, but also because the storyline didn't interest me.

I thank the publisher & #Netgalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased opinion.

Actor, Evan Hobbs plunges to his death after going viral for all the wrong reasons. At the same time his agent is going full-force at damage control. As people in Evans circle start to die more questions than answers arise.

The Devil You Know is the third in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. I hadn't read the first two but hopped in after the publisher kindly contacted me for a review. I really enjoyed this plot line but found some of the authors writing hard to digest. It seemed like the author was intentionally using more advanced or uncommon words that took a bit more time to process.

This is the third book in the LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan series, and it might be better to start at the beginning instead of jumping in like I did with this one. It’s not just that there are a lot of characters introduced superficially and in quick succession; it’s that the story didn’t compel my attention enough for me to to get everyone straight. It’s a little disorienting that the author refers to almost everyone by first name but then uses last-name-only for the detectives. (In the early chapters, I kept momentarily wondering who this new guy Nolan was.) A mystery set in Hollywood has so much potential for crazy goings-on: insecure people obsessed with image, an industry in which everyone is fighting for relevance and recognition, not to mention huge sums of money. Things start slowly but juicily, with actors and agents all scheming and falling into and out of bed with one another. The plot chugs along, and plenty of dastardly deeds happen, but the ingredients somehow don’t live up to the potential of the setting, in the sense that I wasn’t terribly interested in what was going to happen next. Certain possibilities are overlooked or quickly dismissed by the detectives, but of course that has the perverse effect of calling the reader’s attention to the bad guy. That’s OK if the story is otherwise compelling, but for me that was unfortunately not the case. It’s possible that someone with the perspective of having read the first two books would be more invested in the detectives and in their progress investigating these linked crimes.

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for a digital advance review copy.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

This is the third in a series of books featuring LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan, and I really wished I had read the previous books before this one. It would have helped greatly in keeping all the characters straight. There are a LOT of characters and the author has the odd habit of referring to them by either their first or last names, with no pattern, which made it even harder for me to keep track of who was who. And there are a few characters who seem to just pop up in a tangential way, not really contributing to the story, but having something to do with Margaret (Maggie, Mags) Nolan's life.

The story begins with murder, or rather a series of murders, which have no seeming connection to anything else. The second chapter is about a man reading a letter about an ancestor, again, no connection to the story? FINALLY, in the third chapter, we meet Margaret Nolan, who is playing golf, which she hates. The fourth chapter introduces Daphna Love, who we don't see again until a good deal further into the book, and have no idea why we met her.

There seems to be a total of five (or six?) murders, some related, some maybe related, that are finally solved by Detective Nolan, with the help of colleagues and friends.

I did like that I never guessed the murder before the end, but it was so confusing I don't know whether I would have anyway. Truthfully, I lost interest about halfway through and had to force myself to finish reading the book, as there were really NO sympathetic characters that I even cared about.

It is really not very often that I dislike characters as much as in this book. I not only disliked the characters, I disliked what the characters seemed to be saying about the author. Who could write people this badly?

I am disappointed because I have liked other books from this author and in this series. My mind constantly wandered throughout this entire thing whether I was listening to the audio book or reading the ARC. I had to force myself to finish. I hate forcing myself to finish.

This book is the 3rd in the Detective Margaret Nolan series and takes us along on another murder mystery, this time filled with the characters of the "rich and famous" LA actors and their lifestyles. A deep-fake video surfaces of a much-beloved actor that threatens to ruin his career. That actor, Evan Hobbes, is then found dead in earthquake rubble....but the detective discovers the actor was dead before the rubble took him down the side of a hill. Following along with Detective Nolan and her co-horts as they follow their leads brings forth both personal and professional drama as we are huystled through to the conclusion. As I have read both previous books of the series, I would have liked more interactions with Sam Easton, war veteran with PTSD, as he always adds another dimension to the story as well as to Maggie's personal side. However, this story was quite a journey through a multitude of characters, both main and fringe, who played a part in solving the murder of Ethan Hobbes. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #TheDevilYouKnow

There was some potential here with this book, but ultimately it felt a little like a wordfest and I had a hard time connecting with any of the characters. I usually connect with the lead, in this case, Margaret Nolan, the detective on the case. I love imagining that I'm with the detective following in the footsteps of a killer and I sort I put myself in their shoes (or in their significant other, sibling, parent, friend, etc. at times: see Kate Burkholder) and I just didn't feel like Margaret Nolan and I had much to share. There is a cool mystery and some thrilling moments and if that's your thing, go for it, but I was bogged down with the wordplay. I also think, since I haven't read the other books in the series, that I was maybe outside looking in since I hadn't delved into Nolan's world previously. That's on me, I suppose. Perhaps I'll go back and give 'em all a read.