I love domestic thrillers so this was right up my street and it didn't disappoint. It's well written, the characters are brought to life well. It's a very quick and easy read and the chapters felt like they just flew by. Its told from multiple povs which switch each chapter so that also make the whole book feel really quick but that in no way mafe it any less engaging I flew through it and loved the twists

This is a well written debut novel with good characterisation and interesting plotting. I liked Rita, the detective but Molly slightly irritated me at times! It has a good, steady pace and flowed well, with a few surprises along the way and it kept me interested until the end. I really liked the ending and would recommend the read to lovers of mysteries. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Thank you NetGalley & Canelo for getting me access to this book before its kindle release!

Wow, this book shocked me in a good way. I had a bit of trouble picking it up due to not having read any good crime stories in a while and I was afraid that this one too would disappoint. But it really didn’t.

We follow Molly who finds her husband murdered after his birthday party and we also follow detective Rita who is tasked with solving his murder. As Rita starts to investigate the killing Mollys secrets will also come to light.

Chapters were short and usually changed point of view every chapter which made this story just feel extremely short even though it’s 300 pages. I really powered through this book in a few hours.

Usually you have an inkling on who the killer might be but this book really had me second guessing everyone. It felt like they all had something to hide and I LOVED it.

Will not get a full pot from be though due to how many characters were in it. Jesus Christ I had to really use my brain to remember who they all were. Sometimes they were mentioned with their first name and the next chapter I have to guess who they’re talking about because they’re using surnames. Anyhow.

I do really recommend this book if you’re looking to dip your toes into some crime thrillers and haven’t really read the genre before.

Lots of great plot twists. I loved both of the main characters and their development. Dropped to four stars though because the killer didn’t answer notice questions at the end and those were important details, including the link to the evidence. The author should have included that as it seemed incomplete without it.

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were great especially the main police officer ,and the plot was great. I love being surprised by twists and turns and this book had plenty of twists to keep me happy. It certainly kept me entertained and I have already recommended it to someone else.

This is a well written, gripping tale about a woman whose husband is murdered and the police detective working on the case.

Molly and Josh are happily married, so, when Josh is brutally murdered on his birthday, Molly’s life is under scrutiny as are all the party guests. Then, a secret from her past comes to the fore.

Rita is an experienced detective assigned to the case and the book is written in chapters from both the POV of each of these characters and it’s sooooo good.

As a recently bereaved widow, I found Molly’s story full of hope and courage.
The writing style is excellent and I was gripped throughout. Also, despite the murderer likely being one of the couples friends, I didn’t guess who, so, a clever, twisty murder mystery.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Hera Publishing for the opportunity to preview.

Molly throws her husband, Jay, a 40th birthday party with the closest friends in attendance. The next morning Molly wakes to find Jay dead in his office. Rita, a seasoned detective, comes in to solve the case and thinks it’s someone close to the couple. Molly is worried her past will come to light and may make her the next target.

This was a good debut for the author. I love a domestic thriller with a good plot and this had that. I did struggle a little with the pacing. It started up a bit slow, but then picked up. But in some parts would lag again.

It had two more things I really love in a book, short chapters and dual POVs. I also enjoyed the ending. I will definitely pick up another Parlato book. *3.5 stars*

Thanks to NetGalley and Hera for the copy of this book!

The moment I started reading this I could not put it down. I read it in one sitting. It’s one of those books that you need to know the answer asap. It was creepy and twisted. Told from Rita and Molly’s POV you really get immersed into the story. I recommend this book to anyone who like domesticated thrillers and a good whodunnit story. This is my first book I read from the author and I can’t wait to read her future work.

This book is a serious page turner. Right from the first page which pulled me in and kept me guessing. Also never saw the twists coming!

Told from two perspectives it builds up well and has a good narrative style. It keeps pacing up and makes sure you can't put it down. It also makes you feel for the characters. I liked the red herrings in this one and how it makes you second guess. Absolutely looking forward to more books by Terri Parlato!

The story of Molly, newly widowed, and Rita, a detective nearing retirement; alternate chapters told by each but very clear as to who the narrator is. Molly and husband are having a fancy birthday party with six friends, three couples. Friends depart, Molly goes to bed and husband goes to office, ex garage to work.. She finds him there in the morning, throat cut and papers scattered everywhere but laptop still present. Rita and team are brought in. With a very small pool of suspects the case should be quick. Nope. Each couple has something to hide, Molly is being stalked and has a history only known to her husband and sister. There are links to an old family home, missing girl, found necklace and then a second body turns up. Well-written and somewhat gritty at times but keeps the pace running nicely. Didn't guess the perpetrator which is always a good sign. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A quickly paced thriller/whodunit, alternating in the first person between Molly, whose husband was murdered in the hours after his own birthday party, and Rita, the detective trying to solve the murder.
It was an entertaining read, but didn’t quite to seem to have enough “heart” to it, especially considering the tragic circumstances of Molly’s past. The murderer and his motives were also a bit of a letdown.
However, I still enjoyed the book; while not great, it was still good enough to hold my interest!

Detective Rita Myers #1

Molly Bradley is making birthday preparations for her husband Jay‘s 40th and six friends duly gather one snowy January evening in New England to celebrate. Jay is Molly’s rock but she’s struggling to get in the party mood but does so for her much loved husband. Next morning, she wakes and knows immediately that something is wrong. She finds Jay in his office outside, cold and utterly lifeless. Detective Rita Myers formerly of Boston PD and a very experienced detective and her young partner Chase Fuller of the Graybridge PD make their way to the Bradley residence and begin examining the scene. Who would want psychologist Jay dead? Is it anything to do with the book he is researching and writing? Or, does it relate to Molly herself? Until she can figure that out, Molly has no idea who she can trust. The story is told alternately by Molly and Rita, which works really well with a flowing storyline that keeps you on your toes.

This is a really good debut in my opinion as the author leaves me wanting more. I really like character driven novels and this one has me gripped and keeps me guessing. I really like the measured pace which fits with a character based story as 100mph wouldn’t work here and is perfect for the scenarios that the author creates. The short snappy chapters and changing perspectives adds to the intrigue and my suspicion antenna twitches in several directions and miscalling it. I like that, don’t make it too easy for us readers! There are plenty of suspenseful moments too and palpable building tension between the characters.

However, the thing I enjoy the most is the character of Rita, and it’s great to have such a well portrayed central character who is not only gutsy, but an older woman who has no intention of hanging her badge up just yet. Oh no, she still got a ton of experience to offer. She’s really smart and intuitive and a really likeable human being. Although Chase is not as well developed as Rita (may be in the next book), he’s a very good sidekick and a modern cop with all the tech accoutrements versus the more old school Rita. They can learn from each other.

Molly’s point of view is a good contrast to the practical problem-solving Rita. You feel her fears and uncertainty, the clouds that hang over her and how her life has changed so dramatically. I would’ve been a tad more cautious than her though it wouldn’t have made for such a dramatic storyline! I love Sadie, the support dog, she rescues and fret not people, she emerges just fine.

Overall, I’m well and truly up for more Rita and hoping we don’t have to wait too long to see what life and cases are thrown at her next.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hera Books for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I was hooked from the start! A really good story and well told.
The characters were well drawn and their interactions were believeable. The story was developed by changing perspective from Molly to Rita, which broadened the interest and deepened the intregue.
A couple of the charcters were a bit stereotypical, but as they were not always what they seemed, this could be taken as part of their 'disguise'.
I'd definitely like to read more books featuring Rita Myers, as I found her character funny, clever and honest...just what you need in an otherwise dark tale.

Molly Bradley throws a 40th birthday party for her beloved husband, Jay. It is a small affair, with only their closest friends attending.
After the party, Jay goes to his home office to work, and Molly finds him with his throat slashed early the following morning.
Molly has a secret that she is keeping about her past, and someone starts threatening to expose it. Is this the murderer?

Detective Rita Myers suspects someone close to Molly and Jay, but each friend has their own secret to hide.

At last, an older female detective who has no intention of retiring, but who relies on good police work to solve cases. She has some cute quirks, like drawing in her police notebook.
I like Rita, she is a gritty, intelligent police detective with years of experience under her belt.
The book is well written, well paced and 'easy', not an action thriller, but there is enough in the book to keep one's attention.
One has to focus, because there are many characters, but because they have been fleshed out, so to speak, they are easy to keep track of.

I would definitely read the next Rita Myers book in this series.
4/5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read this book

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Molly has a seemingly perfect life. Great husband, lovely house and the best friends. She throws her husband Jay a 40th birthday party with their friends. Everyone has a great time. Then the next morning, Molly finds Jay murdered.

Oh my goodness! This book was everything. A murder with no evidence and no suspects, the wife with the unknown but definitely shifty past and the perfect friends.

The story is told from the point of view of Molly, alternating with Rita, the detective in charge of the case. We also get snapshots of the big and secret event in Molly’s past. I loved how everything was teased out. Slow enough to allow me time to think, but fast paced enough to keep me engaged. The characters were well written with just enough hints to cast suspicion on all the friends. Even when finding out ‘whodunnit’ the reasons were a mystery that were slowly revealed.

I loved this. It had me fully enthralled from the first chapter. The first ending was lovely and no loose ends were left.

100% recommend.

I've loved other hooks I've read by Terri Parlato and this one was just as gripping. It had me questioning who to trust and the build up of atmosphere and pace kept me in suspense.

This is an engaging psychological thriller which keeps you guessing. Molly and her beloved husband Jay have been unsuccessful in their attempts at IVF, but otherwise have a good marriage.

After an enjoyable evening celebrating Jay's 40th birthday with 6 close friends, Molly heads to bed, and Jay retires to his den in the garden shed to continue working on his book about criminal and deviant psychology. When Molly wakes up the next morning, she goes outside to his home office insearch of her husband, only to find that Jay has been murdered. But who would do such a thing?

The story is told from two perspectives - that of Molly, and the female detective on the case, Rita. I found Rita's character, in particular, very relatable.

The twist at the end is quite effective, and the book held my interest throughout. This is a strong debut which I think most thriller readers will enjoy. It gets 3.5 stars.

This twisty domestic thriller is a solid debut from Terri Parlato!

Molly and her husband Jay and six on their dearest friends are celebrating Jay’s 40th birthday at their home. Molly turns in early and Jay, a psychologist, stays up late to work on his book on Abnormal Psychological Behavior and Criminals. When she wakes in the morning Jay’s side of the bed is untouched and still cold and she doesn’t smell coffee, which is highly unusual. Molly heads out back to Jay’s office and finds him dead with his throat slashed. Did one of their friends do it or did a stranger break in and kill her husband?

Detective Rita Myers is a thirty year veteran with the Boston PD. She and her new partner, Chase Fuller, begin to investigate Jay’s murder. Rita likes to take notes by hand and doodles while she does so, while Chase likes to take his notes on his smartphone. It works. While they’re investigating Jay’s case another body turns up on the property that Jay and Molly own. Could there be more to this??

The chapters alternate between Molly and Rita, with Molly’s story being more in depth but I felt more drawn in to Rita. I hope Rita was not as fleshed out because we will see more of her in the future, because I REALLY liked Rita. Even though this seems to be a police procedural it is very character driven especially between the two women.
I thought I knew who the murderer was but boy was I wrong and that doesn’t happen often.

4 solid stars from me.

Thanks to NetGalley, Hera, and Terri Parlato for the early review copy!

Great book! Wow! What a storyline! This book had a bit of everything! It had high suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, kidnapping, serial killers, a fantastic who done it, great police work and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Interesting well-crafted novel.

It isn't always as important what happens to us in childhood as how the adults around the child react to whatever happened. This is how children learn to process a situation, and causes them to respond with either the strength of being glad they were a survivor versus, having shame about being a victim.

When one feels shame, It is as though there is something we must have done to cause what happened, which is a horrible lens with which to view past events.

Regardless, an excellent book by a talented author.