In Allison Brennan's latest book, US Marshal Regan Merritt never believed the FBI’s theory that her ten-year-old son’s murder was tied to her job. Though leads went cold, Regan had to walk away from the marshals, the case and her now ex-husband, Grant, who blamed her for Chase’s death. After Regan receives a chilling voice mail from her former boss, Tommy, claiming new information about her son's murder, she can no longer stay away from her pain-filled past. This is especially true when Tommy is murdered before she can return his call.
Regan is now more determined than ever to find the truth, but the more she digs, the more evidence points to her ex husband as the killer’s true target. As she tries to talk to her ex, Regan discovers something much bigger and far more sinister is at play.

I had always wanted to read an Allison Brennan book, but for some reason I just never found the time. This opportunity arose to read Don’t Open the Door and I took it. As a fan of Lisa Gardner, I had high hopes for this detective/cop led mystery/thriller.

The story follows Reagan, who lost her son under a year before and then her friend who is looking into it is killed. She comes back to her old stomping ground to finish his investigation, not only to learn about her sons murder, but also to find closure for her friend’s investigation and honor him. I instantly like Reagan. She reminds me a lot of myself. I can people, but I don’t always want to people and I am really good at digging deep into things to get the information I need. I should have been a detective. Who knew?

Reagan is a great, strong leading female character that really pulls the story towards her and keeps you interested. I was invested in her journey to discover the truth and loved her power she exuded when talking to people and holding her own in a world surrounded by men. I also really liked Charlie and some of the other people helping her in this journey. I did not, however, like Grant. While I know he was not the antagonist per se, I felt he was. He was so infuriating and really made things go a way it did not have to go. I know he was scared, but he definitely made everything worse for everyone. The writing was smooth and the story flowed nicely as we crept closer to who the bad guy(s) was.

Oddly, I loved the ending of this book. I know that may see weird to some because its not exactly a happy ending. While everything was figured out and solved, it likely wasn’t a happily ever after for the characters. I felt this made it more realistic because not everything ties up in a happy little bow in the end. I am definitely a big fan of Allison Brennan now and can’t wait to see more of Reagan Merritt and other novels as well. Everyone should check these out. Phenomenal reading!

Truth and lies are woven together in this new thriller from Allison Brennan.

Book 2 in the Regan Merritt Series brings more heart wrenching truth about Regan's son's murder after she receives a cryptic voicemail from her former boss, Tommy. Unfortunately, Tommy is gunned down and all the evidence he has collected about the case is missing. As Regan races to put the clues together, danger surrounds her.

This book was riveting in its suspenseful scenes. Brennan did a pheromonal job taking the reader through highs and lows.

Don’t Open the Door is an interesting read with rich characters. The pace is a steady build to a satisfying conclusion. Brennan does an excellent job in giving the reader lots to work with as they sort through all the possibilities and try to solve the case. I appreciate the detail. It isn’t so heavy as it bogs you down but rather just the right amount to put the reader at the scene.

I highly recommend reading Don’t Open the Door. I look forward to what’s next for Regan Merritt.

I love reading thrillers by Allison Brennan. The characters she writes are deep and thought out. The plot keeps me reading and I'm able to speed through the book.

This was one of the books I couldn't put down. 2 days later and I was done. I highly recommend it for anyone who's looking for a fast-paced thriller.

Unfortunately, I did not love this book so I will not be writing a comprehensive review to post on my social media account. I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but this book did not compare. I wish it focused more on Chase's murder, rather than a whole new plot line.

I have been provided with a review copy of Don't open the Door from NetGalley for an impartial review. I was just drawn into this wonderful story and I just couldn’t get enough of it. It was just so easy to get lost in this great story. I just didn’t want it to end. I just lost myself in and I just couldn’t get enough of these interesting characters. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

After reading “Don’t Open the Door” I can assure you, I won’t be opening my door to anyone anytime soon. Brennan has achieve something that not many can for me and that is write a police detective POV that I actually like.

This is the second story I read featuring Regan Merritt and was glad to catch up with this strong and clever character.
Allison Brennan writes solid thriller, fast paced and action packed.
This one kept me guessing and surprising. I loved it and thoroughly enjoyed this gripping story.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Second in a series about Marshall Regan Merritt. I did not read the first, but this was fine as a stand-alone. A tragic tale about a woman whose son was murdered, resulting in her divorce, who investigates in efforts to identify her sins murderer. Things are not as they seem in this one. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns.

This is the second in a series but can be read alone. . This is a gripping thriller about a 10 year old that goes missing and his mothers quest to find him. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC

Former US Marshal Regan has left Virginia to return home and heal after the devastating loss of her son. Her good friend fellow US Marshall Tommy has uncovered new evidence that would bring it all up again. She doesn't want to be involved. But when Tommy is killed while bringing evidence to reopen the case she realizes she owes him and returns to solve his murder, never realizing she will get to the truth of what really happened and why. A good second installment in this series.

I was such a fan of Max Revere and I think that’s the reason it has taken me two books to warm up to Regan Merritt. I don’t want to be too invested in the main character of a short series. But alas it has happened and I am not sure if this was the end book since it does wrap up the main running story and the main character has no plans to go back to the Marshall’s department.

She is an interesting character. Very disciplined and methodical, two things I am not. Of course I have not lost a child. I was so disappointed that the book opens with Tommy’s death, but enjoyed the complex plot that unwound what happened the night Regan’s son was killed. While this one isn’t filled with twists and turns, it is a solid conclusion to what started in The Sorority Murder. I don’t think this one works as a stand alone as it really does rely on the plot of book one.

If you like strong female characters kicking butt and solving crimes, then you should be reading this series.

Suspenseful and emotional, this book had me flying through the pages to get to the end. I enjoyed reading it and was sad when it was over.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about former US Marshall Regan Merritt. After losing her son & divorcing her husband, Regan moved to Arizona to live with her dad. But she returns upon learning of her former boss’ murder after he was investigating her son’s murder while on leave from his job. She quickly learns that nothing is as she thought and there’s lots of moving parts to this puzzle.

I will read everything Allison Brennan publishes and I will love each book.

While this was book two in the series, you can definitely read it as a stand alone. Personally, I’m not sure Regan Merritt is my favorite of the characters Brennan has created, but I do find her intriguing and I’m eager to learn more about her as the series continues to develop.

While the last book focused on Merritt helping someone else despite her own trauma, this book primarily focuses on her past while she tries to figure out why someone killed her best friend while he was investigating Merritt’s son’s murder. And as the secrets are divulged, more people’s lives seem to be at risk.

If you’re looking for a good mystery author, Allison Brennan is the one you should pick up. With numerous series to pick from, she has a bit of everything for everyone and you won’t be sorry.

Another gem by Brennan! When I saw that Merritt’s story will continue, especially focusing on the death of her son and her background, I was so stoked and am so excited to have been able to read the book.

The story uncovers the details of the death of Reagan’s son, Chase; it opens up with the death of Tommy, her mentor and friend who had been looking into Chase’s death.

What I love about this book is the weaving of the story lines between the characters, the emotional and complicated fallout of a relationship especially after the death of a child, and most of all, I love seeing how strong of a character Reagan is. It was a book that was hard to put down, with interesting characters, and a story line that you can get lost in!

Don't Open the Door by Allison Brennan is the second book in the Regan Merritt series.
This is a fantastic mystery suspense novel.

I really enjoyed this fast-paced mystery that was filled with twists.

Regan Meritt is a fantastic character that is bold and tenacious.

This is such a great series. This can be read as a stand alone , but definitely recommend the first book in the series as well.

Though it doesn't have the same tone as the first book, it was still enjoyable and wraps up some loose ends from things you find out about Regan's family in the first book. I like Regan as a character and hope to see more from her in the future, but this also did nicely to wrap up things if there wasn't more in the series. Very enjoyable and curious what Regan will do next.

I have now read 3 Allison Brennan books in the last 6 months and don't plan on stopping, I love her writing style - her chapters are on the shorter side which I like and very effective use of alternating POVs. While I would label this series as a mystery thriller, the main character, Regan Merritt, is a former US Marshal so we get a law enforcement style perspective which I really like.

While I didn't enjoy Don't Open the Door as much as I liked The Sorority Murders, I do plan on continuing the series. This book dived into Regan's backstory as she works towards untangling the events and circumstances that ultimately led to her son's murder, something that never felt complete to her even though a man was arrested and charged. As the story unraveled there was more bureaucratic vibes than I normally like which I think is why I didn't enjoy it as much as The Sorority Murders. As much as I enjoy reading about the investigative process from law enforcement characters, I prefer more of a psychological thriller.

This story does not contain spoilers for the previous book but because the entire premise is going into Regan's backstory, I do think it's beneficial to read The Sorority Murders first to have an introduction to her as a character and gain some context.

Thank you to Netgalley and MIRA Books for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.