"The Missing Witness" is an entertaining and action-packed romantic suspense/police procedural novel. Although it is the fifth book in the "Quinn & Costa" series, it works well as a standalone. Even without having read the rest of the series, I was able to quickly delve into the world of Los Angeles Detective Kara Quinn and FBI Special Agent Matt Costa. I really enjoyed the mystery and how the author addressed the real-life issues many cities are facing, including corruption in government and law enforcement. The characters were well-developed, and I loved that Detective Quinn was such a strong and capable protagonist. After reading this book, I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this story. The romance between Agent Costa and Detective Quinn, the lies, and deceit woven throughout the book. The character development was one of my favorites, especially seeing how Detective Quinn has evolved from previous books. The twists near the end were blindsiding and I loved them!

One of my favorite things about Allison Brennan is the amount of research she puts in to make her books as accurate as possible. The story of First Contact, the homeless, addiction, and corruption are some tough subjects. I've worked with the homeless in one of my previous jobs and to hear their stories and where they came from can be hard. There definitely needs to be more focus on how to really help the homeless, prevent homelessness, and make true affordable housing.

Absolutely love Quinn & Costa! I love everyone on their team.
The character build up in this series was great and makes the reader really like them.
I love the relationship between Kara and Michael and how they work together yet can be silly with each other.
This is definitely a series that will stay at the top of my list of best series I’ve read.

I found this piece to be exceptionally well-crafted, and I'm eagerly anticipating the opportunity to delve into more works by this author. Given its potential popularity among our library patrons, we're certainly looking forward to adding it to our collection

In Allison Brennan's latest Quinn and Costa book, Detective Quinn is back in Los Angeles to testify against a human trafficker. But when the accused is shot in broad daylight, the chaotic scene turns up few bystanders. The one witness who proabbly saw it all has disappeared.

When another person close to the case is killed, it is evident that anyone who knows too much is in danger. Quinn and Costa must tracki down the witness. But as information comes to light, Kara questions everything she thought she knew about the case, her colleagues and the life she left behind months ago.

Costa and Quinn must race to find the missing witness and get to the bottom of the what is going on with the LAPD before it's too late. I love the Quinn and Costa series. Aliison Brennan is one of my new favorite writers.

For the past four books, Detective Kara Quinn has been working for the FBI. Called back to California to testify against David Chen, a sweatshop owner and trafficker, someone leaks that Kara is back. A bounty is put on her head. Soon, Chen is found dead and Kara is the prime suspect. Her only hope is to find the missing witness who saw it all. Meanwhile, an FBI agent who got her former partner killed is gunning to prove that Kara is a dirty agent, someone in the FBI is corrupt and wanting her dead, and there’s a lot more going on then the case against Chen. Can Kara and her partner, Costa, figure out what’s really going on? Can they clear Kara’s name?

The plot is well-developed, engaging, and full of twists and turns. The characters are a little under developed, but draw the reader into the story. The world building is intriguing and well done. Fans of the series, mysteries, and thrillers will want to pick this one up. Recommended for most library collections

Please Note: A copy of this book was given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. No other compensation was received.

3 stars

This is the next in a series that I haven't read yet however it can be read as a standalone so when I started it I didn't feel like I was missing anything really. The story was fast paced and there were good twists and turns. Though to me it felt like the main character Kate while she was there she seemed like an afterthought in this book despite being the subject of the investigation for a period of time. I will probably read more from this author.

Thanks Mira and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic book in the series. It is fast paced and well written with some romance. Quinn and Costa work a difficult case that brings up lots of old memories for Quinn. Working together to get to the bottom of all the conspiracies going on within the LAPD and find the missing witness.

Another great Quinn and Costa story! Allison Brennan knows how to make the characters relatable and realistic. This story keeps you on the edge of your seat! 4 stars.

The author expertly weaves current issues in with the mystery, suspense of Quinn and Costa's case. Kara is back in LA to hopefully wrap up a case that has long been unfinished for her comfort. Just when she thinks it will be over and justice served. countless twists happen that have them questioning everything and everyone. Fast-paced, well plotted with a satisfying ending Looking forward to more in this series.

I loved the newest installment in this series! It was fun to reunite with the characters and the case in this installment was so twisty and fun to read. I don’t think it would work as a standalone, as it ties into other books in the series. I highly recommend reading this series from the beginning to get the full picture of the characters and cases. I absolutely love the series and the twists in this installment were incredibly shocking. I can’t wait for the next book to come out!

I thought this was well crafted, with unique characters and although it took me a little bit to get into it, it was a great read! One to add to your list.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.
I did not realize that this book is part of a series but it seems Ike the books can be read independently and the reader does not need to read the books in order to understand what is going on. While I have not read any of the previous books, the author made sure that the readers will still understand the characters in the story and learn about some of their background.
This story takes place in Los Angeles; since I have lived there for a long time, it seems very plausible for things to happen the way as they were happening in this story.
While it seems like a lot of people love this series, it did not grab me the way I thought it would and as it did others. I enjoyed the book but wouldn't call it my favorite and it doesn't entice me to go read the others. The characters didn't catch my attention the way some other books have.
Good story and good writing. I am sure people who loved the others in the series,.will love this one the same.

DNF around 31% in. After picking this up multiple times on my kindle and not being able to get into the story, I tried it on audio…that didn’t help. There were so many characters that I felt like I couldn’t keep up and it just never captured my attention.

I did read that this was part of a series so that could be a part of why I never got into this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the early reviewer copy in exchange for my honest review.

Like a few other readers, I didn’t realize that this book is part of a series when making the ARC request. I found myself confused trying to understand the storyline and I felt like this series definitely has to be started from book one. This is one story I'd like to revisit in the nearby future.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn & Costa book series by Allison Brennan. While this book can be read as a standalone, I recommend reading the books in order. This would help the reader gain a better understanding of the multiple characters involved in the story.

Unfortunately, I was not aware that this book was part of a series when I began reading it, which is personally irritated me going into this story, as I very much prefer to read a series in order. Although it's not impossible to understand this book without reading the previous four in the series, I think I would have appreciated it more had I read them. There are many characters involved in this story, each with unique background stories, and it's difficult to remember who is who.

However, this book would appeal to any fans of police/detective stories as this book reads like an investigative TV show. Readers who are invested in this story will enjoy unpuzzling the many intricacies in the murder/corruption investigations in the book. Unfortunately, there were too many layers to the plot and I was quickly lost. I prefer thrillers with short chapters and fairly straightforward plots rather than interrelated, complex twists and turns.

Read if you like:
👮‍♂️ Police and detective stories
🔎 Complex investigative plots
📚 Series with some badass characters
👀 Untrustworthy side characters
💵 A fair bit of corruption

🙏 Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the gifted electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review.

Matt Acosta and Kara Quinn are at it again. This time around Quinn is back in LA to stand trial and government testimony about Chan who trafficked women. Chan is part of something bigger than trafficking and it has to do with the funneling money that was meant for the homeless population in California. There are many players and after the DA is stabbed in front of Kara she is thrown into an undercover operation that has been months in the making and she finds out that she has been lied to by people that she trusted. As the DA is dying he tells Kara to find Violet and protect her and to trust Will who is the head of a group that helps the homeless. Violet is a whistleblower who works in the mayors office and realizes that when they arrested Chan files were erased from a server about the homeless people’s fund that is meant to help get people out of the streets. Violet’s mother is an addict that ends up dying and she trust Will and the DA until Kara finds her at her ex partners home. Kara finds out her partner that she believed was dead was actually alive and deep undercover. Turns out FBI Agent Rebecca is one of the people involved in the stealing of funds as well as a lawyer and a nonprofit organization head of board woman. There’s so much corruption but at least the bad guys get what’s coming to them in the end. Kara ends up being on permanent loan to the FBI and Matt and her finally say I love you.

A one wild ride right from the beginning to the last page. I am really hoping the author continues this series as it really is quite different from other FBI series I have read, and the characters continue to grow and learn with each book. The characters are what make this series such a wonderful entertaining read. They are flawed, complex people and the reader can't help but find yourself rooting for them. I really enjoy Kara's relationship with the FBI team as each book in the series kept it growing between them and the reader is shown how Kara is and why she is the way she was. If you are looking for an action-packed ride with compelling characters and a fast-paced storyline, then I highly recommend this series as a whole. I recommend reading from the beginning as each book builds upon the end and we get to see the growth of the main characters with each book.

The Missing Witness is the fifth book in Allison Brennan’s Quinn and Costa Series. This is another great police procedural addition to a fantastic series. A well written story that takes you on a fast paced, wild ride from the very start. The characters, as always, are well developed and continue to mature with each book. There are some hard topics for some readers to deal with…..homelessness, human trafficking, addiction and corruption are just a few but Ms. Brennan is such a talented author she handles it with such great care. The twist and turns are many and you will not see them coming. A book, like the others, can be read as a standalone but I recommend you start at the beginning to get the full effect!!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Mira and Allison Brennan for another fantastic addition to this series. I am hoping for a sixth book! As always, the opinions expressed are strictly my own.
#netgalley #harlequintradepublishing #mira #htpinfluencer #allisonbrennan. #themissingwitness #quinnandcosta5

The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan is the latest installment in the series and does not disappoint. I really like this series, which can be read as stand alones or part of the series. Great suspense and characters.