The Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn & Costa series by Allison Brennan. In this installment of the hodgepodge FBI team, we find out more information about LAPD teammate, Detective Kara Quinn. The Los Angeles District Attorney is finally ready to bring a case against the human trafficker that derailed Quinn’s life. However, things go awry and it’s up to the FBI team to deliver justice. This book is filled with mystery and intrigue that weaves the past and present seamlessly. The reader learns how the LAPD developed the case against the human trafficker and stumbled into a corruption scandal going all the way up to the top brass at city hall.

Allison Brennan has the ability to bring the words on the page to life for me. She wrote a suspense-filled mystery that was almost unsolvable. Brennan’s extensive knowledge of police procedure came through in the story. Since this book was devoted to the character, Kara Quinn the reader learned much more about how life experiences shaped the detective. Quinn is multi-layered and angst-filled. She is so sharp when it comes to police work but decidedly stunted in her personal life. The dichotomy of Kara Quinn makes for an interesting character. I can’t help but to root for her.

If you’re looking for a new suspense series, I highly suggest the Quinn & Costa series by Allison Brennan. I recommend reading the books in order.

This story touches on homelessness, addiction, non-profit organizations, human trafficking, and slave labor intertwined with corrupt law enforcement and government agencies.

I love the dynamic between Detective Kara Quinn and FBI Special Agent Matt Costa, the protagonist duo. This was fast-paced and kept me engaged from start to finish with plenty of suspense and twists I did not see coming.

If you enjoy police procedural, I highly recommend this series!

Allison Brennan’s Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn & Costa series. Whether you are reading this as a stand alone, or part of the series, get ready for an exciting adventure with some truly entertaining twists and turns along the way.
As a fan of the Quinn & Costa season, I was excited to finally find the story on Quinn’s turf.
The story itself was perfectly paced, keeping me right at the edge of my seat and.desperate to keep reading because the action and suspense was off the charts.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book and am selfishly hoping there will be a sixth novel coming our way soon.

I didn't realize that this was book five in a series! But even though it's a part of the series, I was still able to read it as a standalone. There were some questions about continuity, but overall, I didn't find myself too confused. Though, I am going to start from book one!
I really enjoy Allison Brennan's writing. This was a fast-paced, exciting read. I found myself wanting to read during my lunch break and any time I had a few moments. I liked that the questions I had weren't answered immediately. It only encouraged me wanting to keep going. I enjoyed all the of characters, the writing, the setting. I highly recommend this one! and I can't wait to try more from her!

The Missing Witness is the fifth book in this author’s Quinn & Costa Thriller series. However, you can read it as a standalone title. I’ve only read one other book in this particular series and was able to fully enjoy the story with minimal questions regarding the backstories of all of the characters. Even though Ms. Brennan is a fairly new-to-me author, I enjoyed this suspense book enough to continue reading more of her future work and trying to catch up on her backlist. The action was pretty nonstop, the questions were more than plenty and not quickly answered until the story’s arc (an excellent thing), and the pace was on point. I can honestly say I had a hard time putting it down, even to sleep. Romantic suspense is my favorite genre, and while this was pretty light on the romance, it was a very entertaining read. Now, I really want to start this series from the beginning to see how each standalone title ties it all together. I have a feeling I’ll be even more blown away by this author’s talent when I do.

NICUnurse’s Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭑ (4.5)

Wowww this one kept me on my toes the whole way through! I love a good thriller/mystery and this one delivers!

I am not sure what it was about this book but I just could not get into it. There were a lot of relevant characters and it made it hard for me to follow. I did not realize that this was part of a series so that might be impacting my review. I have always found it hard to get into books that are a part of a series if I have not read the others. I just feel that you are jumping in in the middle of a movie and hoping to just figure out what happened in the beginning so that the end makes sense. I might go and read the first book to enjoy this one in the future I just could not follow what was happening in the story. I really wanted to enjoy this one I just could not get into it. There were a lot of references to things that clearly happened at other points in the series, which is normal for a book that falls in a series, I just was not able to understand the reference or why it was relevant. Hopefully, I can have a better experience with this book in the future.

The Missing Witness is the fifth book in the Quinn and Costa thriller series, and finally closes out a subplot that’s been running through since the first book. While I felt lukewarm towards the first couple of books, I’ve gradually warmed up to them, and I’m glad I stuck with it because I really liked the way this subplot was wrapped up. I wouldn’t say this was my favorite in the series, but I had a great time reading it.

In the first book, The Third to Die, the reader is introduced to Kara Quinn, an LAPD detective who has been placed on leave due to the fallout from her most recent case, as she gets tangled up with the newly created FBI’s Mobile Response Team, especially their leader Matt Costa. But it kicks off her time as a member of the team, something that now might be put into jeopardy as the trial she’s been waiting to testify during has finally arrived. Back in LA with two of her colleagues, Matt and colleague Michael, she finds herself faced with another crime scene when the defendant is shot, and the only witness, a whistleblower on a different matter, vanishes. Now Kara, Matt, and Michael race to find the witness and untangle a ball of corruption that might be at the heart of everything.

I adore Kara and Matt, and they’re the main reason why I keep reading this series. Their relationship has shifted from something casual to something with questions around it as they both want similar, yet different things. The emotions they have when they’re around each other and when they’re apart from each other suck me in every time as I continually wonder where they’re headed. I love how they’re drawn to each other, but are also a bit prickly as their end goals differ. But I also love how well they work together professionally. There’s so much trust between them, but it’s also fun to watch when they care a little more than they should about each other. I love how by the book Matt is, and it contrasts so well with how Kara can be more reckless, trusting her instincts. They work well together, though, bringing a much needed balance to each other and the team.

The Mobile Response Team is fantastic. I love most of them in different ways. They each have their own expertise, so they work well together. The Missing Witness, unlike the other books, only brings in a truncated team, with just Kara, Matt, and Michael on the ground in LA. I adore Michael. He’s steadfast and just so good at what he does. He’s probably my favorite member of the team, and he and Kara just work so seamlessly together. Watching him alone is fantastic, but I do love when he and Kara work together. And I think one of the reasons why I enjoyed this novel was because Catherine, the psychologist, didn’t really have a role to play. She and Kara don’t see eye to eye and, while the tension can be fun and amusing like in the third book, it really doesn’t paint Catherine in a positive light, so I always appreciate it when she isn’t a main player in the story. So I loved that this book really just brought in my favorite three members of the team.

The Missing Witness doesn’t just truncate the team; it also takes it out of its typical setting. The MRT was established to help small towns solve crimes, and the other four books do just that. The Missing Witness is the first that takes the team into a big city: Los Angeles. It gave the book a bit of a different feel because that small town feel was missing. This is a big city with a lot of space and a lot of people. While it sometimes felt a little small world since they were mostly in the circle of the court, the local FBI office, and the LAPD, it also offered a much bigger canvas for the characters to work with. With so many nooks and crannies, not to mention large open spaces, there are a lot of places to hide and, when you’re looking for one person, it’s not easy to find someone. So I appreciated that this one was a little different and took the team out of what they’re used to. It was fantastic to see them adjust, but also be able to showcase everything they do best.

But this book also made me a little cross-eyed. There’s so much corruption (which, as a resident of Los Angeles myself, makes me a little queasy to think about) it was practically impossible to get through all the layers and try to figure out what was going on. I got confused so many times, and then it spun away from the whole case Kara was in town to testify for that sometimes I felt like I just lost track of what was going on. At the same time, I do love this series because it’s always about something greater than what the team was brought in for. There’s always something bigger, and that was definitely true in this case. It was just really confusing and maybe a little too much. I like that it did made sense, what I could piece together, at least, but trying to keep track of everything felt a little taxing. I think I might be happy to get back to the small towns after this.

Finally, I really liked the way this book ended. There were choices that were going to have to be made, especially when information that was kept hidden from Kara came to light (and, really, that was kind of painful to read as she learned about it). I spent the entire book trying to figure out which choice she was eventually going to make, and I liked that she really didn’t deviate from who she was and who she had become.

The Missing Witness isn’t my favorite book in the series, but I really enjoyed it. It was often more confusing than I’m used to with these books, but it also felt really in-line with the whole series. I love that it wrapped up the story that was underlying the whole series, and I’m excited to see where it’ll go next.

Thank you to Justine Sha at MIRA for a review copy and the opportunity to take part in the book blog tour for The Missing Witness. All opinions expressed are my own.

I was originally interested in The Missing Witness after reading Allison Brennan's The Sorority Murder. What I didn't realize was this was the fifth book in a series! With that said I would have benefit from reading them all before but it wasn't necessary to enjoy the book.

Detective Kara Quinn returns to home to LA to testify in the case that took her former partner's life. The problem is the man is murdered in broad daylight and the only witness runs in fear. Quinn is desperate to solve this mystery but trusts no one. Corruption is suspected and she doesn't know who she can turn to. With the help of FBI agent Matt Costa, she will do whatever it takes to find the witness and solve the case.

The Missing Witness was so fast paced and interesting. I loved the crime solving aspect but the procedural side was more involved than I have read before and I truly enjoyed it. The twists were fun and kept me guessing where would we go next, which is a huge plus for me.

The Missing Witness, a Quinn & Costa Novel by Allison Brennan, offers a thrilling ride. As a newcomer to the characters, starting from the beginning of the series with book 1 might enhance the overall experience. Once settled, the intricate plot and dynamic characters make for an engaging read, showcasing Brennan's skill in crafting suspenseful narratives.

This was a really well done police procedural. I’m glad I could enjoy it as a stand-alone but I enjoyed it so much I want to read the others in the series. So many twists and turns I really had to focus to keep up with the plot.

This book can be looked back upon as what has been going on in Southern California.
There is a lot of language in the this read.
The suspense and twists and turns kept an interesting story line.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. My opinions are my own.

I started with book 1 of this series to prepare for this ARC and I am so glad I did! I love this series so much! I am totally here for the Quinn & Costa love! I love that she is a strong female that kicks ass but isn't just a total bitch to everyone. And is trying to work through her demons even though she also tries to push Costa away. He's on to her though! Can't wait to see what happens next to all the crew in this series!

#TheMissingWitness
#NetGalley

I didn’t realize going into this book that is part of a series. So it took me a while to catch up and understand the novel, but it worked as a standalone as well. Love the mystery and intrigue that this book provided

I adore this author and the plot and pace of this book was great. The main character is awesome! The story was a rollercoaster start to finish and kept me reading way too late. The ending was explosive. Overall this is a great must read if you like heart pounding suspense!
My one critique is there are WAY too many “main” characters and departments and trying to keep the who is who straight detracted from the story.
But over all great

Allison Brennan is a must-read author. Her books always pull me in and keep me turning pages. The Missing Witness is part of a series that does not have to be read in order, but I think you will get more out of the series if they are read in order. If you do read this as a stand alone and then go back to read the others, there will be spoilers in this book from the other ones.

This book focuses a lot on the homeless population in California and the misuse of funds. I felt like that part of the story was eye opening and I am curious just how much of her story is based on real life. I liked how real she kept it. She did not cover up how horrific it can be to be homeless and how they can be treated. It felt like she was living right there in the camp with the homeless.

Quinn and Costa is a series that I have read from the beginning. The Missing Witness ties up many of the loose ends and still sets the reader up for another book in the series.

Thank you Harlequin Trade Publishing for a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

excellent series and one of my favorites by Allison Brennan to the point that I'm planning to do a re read of this entire series this year , which says something because even though I love doing re reads I usually wait a while before doing them ,but not with this series , in fact I've been telling me friends they need to check out this series .

Another excellent title in this excellent series!!! Two excellents in one sentence must tell you I enjoyed this story. Book #6 in the Quinn and Costa series finds these two law enforcement officers working together again. This time they are trying to find a witness against a human trafficker. Allison Brennan sets her characters into a tense community of actions that will keep this story racing to keep any more people from dying and a criminal from going free. There's no slow chapters and there's clues around every corner but you'll have to wait as the detectives figure out which clues are real and which diversions. I thought I'd figured out the end, but no, Brennan fooled me again.

I had a hard time follower this book. It felt like I was dropped in the middle from the start. It just kept getting more and more confusing.

Brennan is a master storyteller and I really enjoyed this wrap up to the initial Quinn and Costa underlying storyline. The strength is always in the characters and this gave us new insights into both Kara and Matt. While this does stand alone, start at the beginning because there is a big reveal that needs to be worked up to.