Took me a while to get into the book. But after 10 chapters I was gripped. It gave the vibe of a Netflix limited series mystery/thriller series mixed with true detective. I really enjoyed the friendship of the detectives and the different mysteries throughout. I enjoyed the story and the twist was definitely unexpected. 4-star read for me as it’s not my usual genre but I really enjoyed.

If there are no fans of Jess Lourey in the world, that must mean I have died because there is no one who loves her or her books more that I do. Just when I think that there is no way Jess can write one more book I will be hooked on, she does it. Can't wait for the next!

spooky, creepy vibes for sure!!!!! really liked this thriller quite a lot. it gave me chills at certain points. 4/5 stars

When I read this book, I did not realise that it was part of a series, but the author makes that a non-issue. Though I do have a hankering now to read the first one.

Harry Steinbeck and Van Reed are partners who investigate cold cases for the BCA. Each has their own secrets and troubled pasts, and each is very different from the other, though that only works for their benefit as they prop each other up without competing. They are assigned to a cold case where a family of four were killed in the 90's after a man was found killed in the same way one town over. Unfortunately, the crime from the 90's was already blamed on someone, and that someone is imprisoned in that same town. So what exactly is going on there?

This is a dark and twisty tale that leads our two main characters into a place that they have never seen the like before, which could result in the death of innocence. Highly recommended, now if you excuse me I am going to go find the first book.

Even though I hadn't read Jess Lourey's first Steinbeck & Reed thriller, I easily connected with "The Reaping" through two of the primary characters: Rannie, the odd boy who becomes a "man who never moved out of his parents' house", and Harry Steinbeck, whose personal demons challenge his professionalism in this case. Their personal storylines add a unique layer to a book that is already deliciously dark, a little creepy, and suspenseful, with a final twist that I found jarring - until I thought back and realized the bread crumbs were in plain sight. Lourey also creates an interesting, authentic setting thanks to the research she explains in her Author's Note, and she leaves us with a cliffhanger that has me itching to read the next book in the series.

From the moment I started reading, I was completely hooked. The story is incredibly gripping and full of suspense. The writing style is so descriptive and immersive, making it easy to visualize each scene and feel the tension building, the descriptions of the town was so so good, gave it a proper eerie feeling.

The characters in this book are so well-crafted and multidimensional. I found myself becoming invested in their journeys and couldn’t wait to see how everything would unfold. The book has major creepy vibes, in a good way! - especially the descriptions of the people in Alku. And the town of Alku itself is full of secrets and mystery.

One of the things I loved most about The Reaping is the way it keeps you guessing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, there’s some unexpected twists and turns that leave you questioning everything. I honestly thought I had it all figured out, I thought I was well smart and I was dead wrong😂

Overall, The Reaping is a masterfully crafted thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful and thought-provoking reads.

I've been waiting forever for this book! I loved The Taken Ones, which introduced us to Steinbeck and Reed for the first time. I wish I could say that I loved this book just as much, but I had a really hard time connecting with the story at times and the pacing was slower than I preferred. It was still enjoyable to read. I would definitely give it 5 stars for creep factor. These people were crazy! It was fun to have Van and Harry back together and to learn more about Harry and his past. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and can't wait to find out more about that cliffhanger of an ending.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for granting me digital access in exchange for my honest review!

Another amazing book by Jess Lourey. Admittedly, I'm biased. After reading her murder by month series, The Quarry Girls, Litani Bloodline and Unspeakable Things - I'd have a hard time giving any of her books less than 5 stars. I love that she is writing the Steinbeck and Reed series so we know there will be more to come for the characters, although the wait time in between books is never fun ;). If I had any self control, I would wait until the whole series was out to binge read the whole thing - but self control is not my strong suit when it comes to books. The Reaping was a little different than what I was expecting as it wasn't quite as "relatable" (for lack of a better word). Part way through the book, I was having mixed feelings. By the end, those feelings were resolved and everything came together for the story. Side note: the mentioning of the old Minnesota Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind in the author's notes will likely stick with me for a long time because I have a child who attends school at the current Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf and it is surreal/emotional to think about the history of that area.

I’ve been a big fan of Jess Lourey’s writing since reading The Quarry Girls, and bingeing on Litani, Unspeakable Things and Bloodline. Few authors write small town secrets as well.

I enjoyed The Taken Ones, (Steinbeck and Read Book 1), but I didn’t get the best out of it, coincidentally I was listening to an unrelated male and female investigative duo thriller at the same time and got both a bit muddled together. I was eager to read The Reaping.

Harry Steinbeck and Evangeline ‘Van’ Read are specialist cold case agents, brought in when recent crimes have echoes from the past.

There are plenty of small town secrets in Alku, a remote Minnesota town rich in the traditions of its Finnish settlers. Crimes committed twenty years ago are being copycatted, while the original perpetrator sits infirm in a prison cell.

Steinbeck and Read are my favourite thing about the book. The story is rather sprawling and takes a good while for the strands to start to come together. There are quite a few characters too. I should have kept a list.

It alls comes together in the end but I can’t say it was a favourite.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

I love Jess Lourey’s books especially being a native Minnesotan. I didn’t like parts of the plot for this one. The writing is spectacular and draws me immediately, keeping me wanting more.

The Reaping by Jess Lourey. This is the second book in the Steinbeck and Reed series. Steinbeck and Reed are detective partners who are very different from each other. Despite their differences they work very well together. The Reaping is a thriller where children begin disappearing from a very tight community in northern Minnesota. A cold case where an entire family was murdered is revisited after a similar murder is committed. There is a lot of action to keep you (me) reading long into the night so you (I) don't go to bed wondering who is committing these bizarre murders. I highly recommend you read The Reaping for yourself. I read every book Jess Lourey writes. Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Reaping by J. Loury, published by Thomas & Mercer, is the second book in the Steinbeck and Reed Series.
This book is not stand alone, I recommend to read the books in order. The previous book is The Taken Ones, the introduction to storyline, setting and characters.
But back to TR. This case leads partners Van Reed and Harry Steinbeck on a wild goose chase.
A thrilling masterpiece, literally unputdownable, twisty, angsty and full of unexpected twists and turns that had me guessing till the last page.
Blurb:
Forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck and BCA agent Van Reed must catch a cold-case killer who’s returned to abduct a small town’s children one by one in this heart-stopping novel.

In 1998 an Alku, Minnesota, family of five was murdered in their sleep. The event shook the community but, without any leads, was relegated to the cold case files, where it moldered for twenty-five years. Until today.
Agent Harry Steinbeck hoped never to return to the northland, a place that holds terrible memories. But when a recent case is connected to Alku’s murder, he and cold case agent Evangeline Reed have no choice but to investigate.
As an trail leads to a truth more sinister than either imagined, Harry knows there’s only one way to crack this he must finally face the secrets of his own past—even if doing so will cost him everything.

4/5: Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I absolutely loved the Taken Ones and have been waiting for book two with Steinbeck and Reed! The Reaping felt slow to start, but the second half was anything but slow with plenty of twits and turns all the way to the end!

The cliffhanger at the end has me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next book in the series! Keep them coming, Jess!

Obviously in the minority on this one, but just could not connect to this storyline at ALL. I enjoyed the first Steinbeck and Reed and was looking forward to watching the duo solve a new cold case, but I felt like the rollout of this mystery made little sense and it could not captivate my interest, no matter how hard I tried.

The pair is back in a small town after a gruesome murder seems to share some of the same characteristics of a fifteen year old unsolved family annihilator case. It seems like the close-knit community is closing ranks and deliberating avoiding helping the investigation -- and they need to figure out why before anyone else gets hurt. This case also hits a little too close to home for Steinbeck, who needs to return back to where he grew up -- and where his younger sister disappeared -- around the same time as the first murder case.

I stuck with it because of so many other good reviews, but there was something about this one that I just did not like. Honestly wasn't invested (or starting to understand the plot) until the last 15% of the book, which is never what you want. Will continue reading the series though and hope this one was just a miss for me!

I adored the first book in this series so much, so when I saw The Reaping on here… well, I acted quickly. And this one did not disappoint!

Jess Lourey really knows how to take elements from horror, thriller, and mystery genres and spin up a masterpiece.

The dynamic between Steinbeck and Reed is unique and so much fun to read. I definitely would love to continue exploring these two even further. I also appreciated the deeper dive into the backstory of Steinbeck’s missing sister.

The pacing on this one is a solid slow burn. But once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down. I’ll definitely be highly recommending this one)

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Reaping. I didn’t realize this is a book 2 in a series. This is a crime novel set against the backdrop of Minnesota. This is atmospheric and well written Two detectives with secrets and pasts come together to solve a mystery and crime against children. But they are up against sinister forces and their own trauma to solve these murders.
3 .5 stats

When I heard this a Read Now option on NetGalley, I immediately chose it as my next pick! After loving The Taken Ones, there was no question it would be my next read. The dumb thing is now I have to wait for the next book! *face palm*

I love Evangeline Reed and Harry Steinbeck. In The Taken Ones we find out about Van's traumatic history and how it affects her life as a detective. There is a fantastic cliffhanger causing readers to want more information about Harry. The Reaping gives us Harry's history while he partners with Van to work on a cold case near his home down of Duluth, MN.

Jess Lourey is the queen of dread-filled Minnesota towns. Especially since I just read Bloodline earlier this month, The Reaping felt familiar with the other-worldly small town setting and creepy, secretive residents. It's dark and weird, and I was into it. If you loved The Taken Ones, you'll know what I mean by dark and weird, and you'll likely enjoy this one too!

I'm not typically a series gal, but I love this crime-solving duo. They find one another mysterious, interesting, and sometimes baffling while recognizing the deep hurt each one holds from their pasts. There is something beautiful about how they are getting to know and respect one another.

I'll say it here now. I really hope their relationship doesn't get messy. Let the chaos stay within the cold cases, and let us readers have something good in this world!

Rating: I really liked it! (4)

"𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒖𝒕?" 𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒔𝒌𝒆𝒅.
"𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉, 𝒃𝒖𝒅𝒅𝒚," 𝑷𝒆𝒌𝒌𝒂 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅. "𝒀𝒆𝒂𝒉, 𝒊𝒕 𝒅𝒊𝒅."

Just as much a piece of folklore as it was a thriller, THE REAPING is the second installment featuring agent Evangeline "Van" Reed and forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck. I was hooked with their interesting dynamic and polar opposite personalities in the first book, so I was eager to see where this case took them.

The author created the perfect sinister, atmospheric Minnesota town of Alku, a village founded over a hundred years ago by seven families who were banished from Finland and call themselves the original settlers. The town is full of odd rituals, tales of the Veri Noita, or Blood Witch, and the startling look of the inhabitants, with their distinct craniofacial abnormality, long necks, and high foreheads suggesting...inbreeding?

While Van and Harry are in town investigating a brutal murder that has ties to a 25-year-old cold case, their pasts intertwine. Van carries around the pain of escaping from a cult when she was younger, and Harry laments the loss of his 10-year-old sister, who disappeared without a trace when he was a teenager. While this knowledge helps strengthen the bonds of their friendship, it will prove to do even more.

I thought I had become accustomed to the quiet revelations this author drops in her books, but there was one thing that just blindsided me and made me so eager for book 3!

Unsettling, odd, and deeply atmospheric, THE REAPING steps one toe firmly over the lines into horror. While this book can be read as a standalone, I highly suggest that you first read THE TAKEN ONES because there are some things about Evangeline that are important to know.

Thank you so much to the author for my place on her ARC team and for this early copy. THE REAPING will publish October 8, 2024.

I have to say, I have never read any books by this author before and boy, am I blown away! I'm normally a stickler for reading series in order. However, when I downloaded this book I had no idea it was #2 in a series. I devoured this book in two days and found it difficult to focus on anything but what happens next. I now want to back track and read the first. I fell in love with all of the characters and cannot wait to see more! I also enjoyed being able to jump right in and not feel as if I missed something.

This was a great book. I loved every paragraph, every sentence and every word of this masterpiece! I read it in 12 hours, which is a lot for me to do! It had everything and more laid out in the novel! I sure hope There is more to come from this author! I am totally hooked!