This book is well written, has excellent characters and an OK plot, but it's too slow for my liking.

A break neck speed had me flipping through the pages as I wanted to know the outcome. It's incredible how quickly I became invested.

Wow! A great thriller that I couldn't put down! Excellent story with decent writing. Definitely check it out.

The story was pretty interesting, the writing wasn't as good as the story, not terrible but overly long in parts and flat in others. A paralegal, who grew up in a rich family and works for the family firm, looking for her missing sister and trying to figure out the connection to her boss who was murdered. Social issues were explored some, but could have used more depth 3.5

How far would you go to find your sister? Beth is determined to locate her sister after she slips away from a murder and puts her phone into Beth's purse. The message is Don't Ask, Don't Follow. But of course she follows. What an amazing story. Who can she trust to help her? My heart was in my throat for much of the book. I thought for sure she would be killed. So many great twists and turns. Loved it!

This mystery brings us in the world of Beth Ralston, a paralegal in Portland, Oregon; she is one that prefers working rather than partying with office colleagues anytime. But she is forced to assist and after making an appearance Beth returns to her office to find that her boss who had left the party moments before murdered...waiting for the police she noticed her sister Lindsay phone’s was left behind with a text message displayed...Don’t ask. Don’t follow....What was Lindsay, an investigative journalist doing in her boss office. What happened here? Beth is set to find out the answers.

In a few words, my thoughts:

Murder, dark family secrets, and the bond of sisterhood

When it is well done the first person narrative brings you in the characters’ mind and slowly you will be following them through their heartaches and joys. This mystery starts out with a bang but slows down a bit as it went along, although it did not deter me from enjoying the story at its maximum. We have a few twists and turns keep the suspense going and push the drama forward and with its many great layers to follow, it is imperative to stay with it. I particularly loved how Beth retraced Lindsay’s steps into the adoption scheme. Trying to guess the outcome is almost impossible and what a surprise the author spring on us at the end. I made so many hypothesizes of course all of them wrong.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow”, has a unique theme with legal intricacies woven throughout and provides us with an engaging “who-done- it” plot played out by strong characters.

This is a pulse-pounding read I enjoy quite a bit.

This was such a good thriller! I was immediately hooked from the beginning, and kept in suspense the whole time. I love when I feel unable to put a book down, or I keep thinking about it throughout my day and this book did just that for me. I found it to be very entertaining. 4 stars from me!

Ooh, this is good.

Beth is a paralegal at her father’s lawfirm and would rather be working than socializing. But, when she leaves the company party to work, she stops to see her boss. Craig. And he’s dead! And OMG who is that running down the hallway? It looks like Lindsay, her sister. Beth chases Lindsay but loses her in the parking garage.

The police are called, and Beth is questioned. Beth finds Lindsay’s cell phone in her bag with the unsent text message: Don’t ask. Don’t follow.

The beginning was a little slow, but then about half way it picks up and won’t let go. I loved this! I can’t wait to read other titles from this author.

Thank you to Net Galley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

Let's talk covers!!! This is one of the reasons i requested this book!

Any book that is a cat and mouse theme i will read! The suspense and all the little clues that you read and follow during the story is awesome while you try to figure out what is going on. Once i thought i had it figured out nope i had to guess again. It was a slower start when you first read the book but omg to ride it turns into is amazing.

ADD THIS TO YOUR TBR!!!! It is worth it.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

What a game of cat and mouse this turned into. Leaving bread crumbs for you to follow. And when you think you have it figured out…guess again! This one was a little slower to start but when it picked up, what a ride it turned out to be. Add this to your TBR pile!

In Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow we meet Beth, who works at her fathers law firm. There is a murder and Beth’s sister is seen leaving the scene and becomes a prime suspect. The only problem is that no one knows where she is!

Told in the first person, Beth goes on a hunt to find her sister and figure out what it was that she was working on that may have got her into trouble. This was a fast paced read, moved quickly, never felt slow. Some of Beth’s decisions are unlikely, the story line is a little over the top and was mostly predictable early on however, the fast pace and writing style made up for that.

I had never read anything by Mary Kelikoa before, but I am going to try another one of her novels as I did enjoy the pacing of this one!

Thank-you to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC!

Review: I went into this book completely blind, and was automatically hooked in. It starts off strong with a lot of action right at the beginning. The story is told through the perspective of Beth, who is looking for her missing sister. That turns into a twisty web of lies, secrets, and deceit. Lindsey disappears mysteriously in the first chapter and it’s a race for Beth to find her.

The writing was really good and really helped me stay immersed in the story. Each chapter unveiled another layer of the mystery. I really loved the two main characters Beth and Lindsey. There was great character development and they felt so real. This character development is what kept me hooked. It was interesting following the mystery of what happened to Lindsay and all the clues she left behind for Beth to discover.

There is a specific mystery tied to Lindsey involving adoption agencies that I found fascinating. I really was interested in where that was going. Some thriller fans might find that this is too much of a slow burn and is missing really big twists, but for me it was great. There was enough action and intrigued that kept me hooked the entire time. I needed to know how to ended!

This book comes out June 4, 2024! Thank you Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Beth Ralston, a paralegal, has found her boss dead in his office on the night of an office party. Her older sister Lindsay is missing and she suspects she may be involved. Beth is determined to find out the truth behind her boss death and sister’s disappearance.

#DontaskDont follow was a suspenseful read. It is set in 1 POV filled with many family secrets and drama.

I enjoyed the read some pages are a little slow and mundane

#netgalley

Don't Ask Don't Follow is a story of two sisters. One who is determined to find the truth and one who needs the truth in order to be set free and understand who they are. The main character Beth is sent on a whirlwind hunt for her sister and her boss' murder, even though she is ill-equipped to handle the mess she has been thrown into in the pursuit of answers she never knew she wanted.
I did enjoy this book although there were many liberties taken with regards to making the plot work. The writing was good but the plot was slightly unbelievable at times that it was really dependant on the reader not to allow the immersion and interest in the story to be broken. What really kept me interested in the book was the characters of Beth and Lindsay. The writing really helped me care about them. I think the overall theme and plot was interesting. Some things were a little too obvious so there was no really big shockers for me. I think I would have really liked to see the story told from the Detective's POV, instead of Beth's but that is just me.
Overall I liked Don't Ask Don't Follow. I would recommend this to others to read looking for an interesting thriller/mystery.

Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow
By: Mary Keliikoa
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beth and Lindsay Ralston are sisters. Beth is a paralegal and discovers her boss dead in his office while a party is at the law firm. Lindsay is an investigative journalist and Beth sees her fleeing the scene.

Growing up they had shared the saying Don’t Ask, Don’t Follow as Lindsay would sneak out and Beth kept her secrets.

Lindsay comes up missing and Beth finds Lindsay’s cell phone in her purse with a message displaying g their secret message. No one else knows their code!!!!

This novel is full of family secrets, murder and corruption. Will Beth find Lindsay? Who killed her boss?

This was my first novel by this author and I will be looking for more. Thank you Thriller Book Lovers Promotions and Mary Keliikoa for this advanced copy. This novel is a MUST read and available June 4, 2024.

#dontaskdontfollow, #marykellikoa, #thrillerbookloverpromotions, #oceanviewpublishing, #suspense, #thriller, #booksconnectus, #bookstagram, #bookreview, #stamperlady50

Mary Keliikoa did it again. Thank you netgalley and publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

Beth is a paralegal working at her father's lawfirm. Trying to make her way through life without his help. At the Christmas party, she finds her boss murdered in his office and her whole life as she knows it is changed forever.

I just really enjoy Keliikoa's writing and story telling. There is good character development, great plot, and realistic twists throughout. Looking forward to her next installment.

📖 Don’t Ask. Don’t Follow.
✍🏼 Mary Keliikoa
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I’m a big thriller fan, I’ve read all different types of thrillers but this story was very different to anything I’ve read to date.

What caught my attention with this book is the title but what I didn’t realise was how addicting the book would be to read. I went in blind, not reading the synopsis or any other reviews, and within the first few pages I was hooked. The sisterly bond between Lindsay and Beth really pulled me in and played on my emotions, and driven more so by the fact Beth and myself had the same nickname growing up and the relationship between the sisters isn’t to dissimilar to the relationship and bond I share with mine.

Granted, it is a slow burn but there was lots of information to take in and whilst the twists weren’t jaw dropping, they were perfect for the story. Overall, the book is certainly a page turner, I was addicted and needed to know how the story would play out and the end certainly didn’t disappoint.

The premise really drew me in. Beth, a paralegal working at her fathers law firm, stumbles on a crime scene where her boss has been murdered. She sees her sister fleeing the scene, finding a message left for her saying, don't ask don't follow. With her sister being unreachable and nowhere to be found, she ignores her warnings and sets out to figure out what happened.

The story really grabbed a hold of me right from the start, and didn't let go. I really liked the mysterious undertone where everyone was a potential suspect. The bond between the two sisters and Beth's unwavering resilience in finding her sister was inspiring. The character development was good, with how Beth positively evolved throughout the story.

The ending was good although it didn't surprise me. I had actually figured out a couple of plot twists half way in, but that might be due to me having read so many thrillers before. It also didn't stop me from turning the pages and finishing the book so all in all I enjoyed it.

Beth works as a paralegal. Her sister Lindsay is an investigative reporter and is often away on assignment. When Beth spies someone who looks very similar to Lindsay running away from the scene of her boss's murder, she is unsure what to think. From young, Lindsay has always told Beth "Don't Ask, Don't Follow" but this time Beth takes the investigation into her own hands. Can she figure out what is going on?

This was a unique thriller. I really enjoyed the legal intricacies woven throughout the story. While the book started off with a bang, I do feel it did lose its momentum a bit towards the middle but then it picked up again towards the end with that cracker ending. I really felt for Beth as she pushed herself to uncover the truth. With lots of twists, this fast paced novel kept me turning those pages at rapid speed. 

This book will be out in early June.

I wish I could actually read the ARC but words are broken up across the page and paragraphs are just giant blocks of text.