This is my unbiased review of an advanced reader copy of City of Secrets by P.J. Tracy thanks to Negalley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this ARC

In City of Secrets Detective Margaret Nolan is back with another LA based mystery thriller. This time something so simple as a homicide for a founder of a pet food company becomes so much more than it seems. As Nolan and her partner investigate and delve deeper into the carjacking and homicide more secrets become exposed and unraveled leaving the team to question everything.

City of Secrets doesn't just focus on the crime but all parties involved and some characters that while only side characters the reader can't help but appreciate and become fond of. I was especially drawn to the side story involving Sam and Melodie considering the reader gets to see how a recovering addict and a veteran dealing with PTSD can come together to learn what it is to love and survive.

The story while primarily focused on the main crime of the founder of Peppy Pets being murdered in a staged car jacking did have other pieces of crime to be solved.

All together it was an enjoyable read with lovable and relatable characters. The detectives and their team are bright and funny and share some great moments of banter and wit. While I have not read the prior books in the Nolan series I would recommend reading those first. While City of Secrets could be a standalone read it would make more sense to the readers to know the characters involved beforehand. Until next time, happy reading!

A thrilling addition to the Detective Margaret Nolan series. There are multiple layers to the mystery and Tracy weaves them into a fine tapestry in her storytelling.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Oh my goodness! This was a mystery wrapped up in so much more. What starts off as a murder and then a kidnapping and they do not seem related but they have to be. So many twists and turns and red herrings that kept me guessing. I loved it! How did I miss the beginning of this series and jump in at #4. No fear, my library has the first on audio and already on my phone ready for me to listen to.

This book is rife with crime and conspiracy. While I found the beginning interesting, overall, I found the story and the characters to be a bit disjointed to me. This may be because I came in later in the series and should have started with the 1st book to get the flow of the characters and storyline.

Margaret Nolan and her partner are detectives who work very well together and have solved so many cases together. When they are called to what was set up to look like a carjacking gone wrong with a fatality they slowly start to investigate. The victim is a CEO who is very good at what he does with his career, and he is in the middle of a large company sale and a divorce. Slowly they start to investigate the death and they start asking questions then an older man who talked to the police was killed the investigation deepens. While investigating the murders there is a kidnapping of the first victim's business partner's wife and while they are trying to figure out how they are all connected they realize that everything is not as it seems and they can find who is really behind it all.
This was my first book by the author but knowing now that it is part of a series I am going to pick up the beginning of the series. Even without the knowledge in the first three books I was able to follow along easily so this one could be read as a standalone. I enjoyed this one immensely and I loved the mystery and how everything was connected in the end! If you love a good mystery with a splash of police work mixed in and a forbidden romance then this should be your next read!
Thank you Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the exciting opportunity to read and review this one!

This is 4th in a mystery series starring LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan. Fellow leads are damaged veteran Sam Easton; his close friend, musician Melody Traeger; and Margaret's wealthy colleague Remy Beaudreau.

After wealthy sex addict Bruce Messane is called to meet psychopathic Mimi, Maggie is called to the scene of his body in a car.

A day later, Messane's old partner's wife is abducted and the husband pressured to comply with the kidnappers' demands. The victims are old family friends of Sam's, pulling him into the investigation.

As this evolves, Remy's drug trade informant talks of an 'angel of death'. Turns out she's daughter of 'the most powerful underworld figure' in Europe.

As expected, Maggie et al pull all these threads together and find the answers they seek in a series that's always worth reading.

i've enjoyed this series but for me, this was my least favorite.

the pacing was not quite a good, the plot a little implausible and the romantic storylines a bit heavy handed.

that said, it was still a decent read.

Book four in the series and I was thrilled to get my hands on the newest installment! This one was entertaining and suspenseful from the beginning. There were so many moving pieces to this one and it came together brilliantly. I highly enjoyed this installment and look forward to more in the series!

This is book four of the Detective Margaret Nolan series. It reads as a standalone very well. Mags is a detective for the LAPD. Murder abounds in this tale. Are they connected? A crime thriller worth enjoying. Kidnapping and relationships are included in this journey.

I have been reading P.J. Tracey since the very first Monkeewrench book came out. The author and I have both been through a lot since then! One thing that hasn’t changed is how much I enjoy her books!

City of Secrets continues the story of Detective Margaret Nolan and her group of friends and colleagues in and out of the LAPD. One of the similarities to the Monkeewrench books that I really enjoy is this growing group surrounding Margaret. This isn’t about a lone wolf detective, but about a team effort. I especially like that the team is made up of competent and good people who want justice for the victims.
In this book, justice is for a wealthy pet food businessman, who is killed in what looks like a car-jacking. But then his wife and partner are kidnapped. Margaret, her partner Al, and the team around them keep digging and finding more and more dirty secrets. “Whodunit” is well disguised, although the clues are all there for the reader.

The book is written in multiple points of view, which is ultimately a good thing. However, at the beginning it takes a while to get used to the different voices and the different perspectives. The changing points of view help drive the story and the development of the characters, but be prepared if you are just starting the series!

City of Secrets is another great entry into the Margarat Nolan series, and I can’t wait for installment #5!

City of Secrets is the 4th installment of the Maggie Nolan, LA Detective series. I really enjoyed this convoluted case and kept me guessing until the end. I feel that you can jump in on this book without reading the others first but reading the back list will really add more to seeing the relationship growth of many of the characters. I look forward to more in this series.

City of Secrets is the fourth title in the Detective Margaret Nolan series that takes place in L.A. This new case involves a carjacking, lots of money, an abduction and even more dark events.

This book will be enjoyed by those who like more gritty mysteries and those who are already fans of this series. The complex part will intrigue readers who will then be eager for the next work by the author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this title. All opinions are my own.

City of Secrets by P.J. Tracy is the perfect novel for fans of Blue Bloods or Law and Order. It's an enjoyable read that feels exactly like a 60 minute police procedural drama. Readers should note however it is the fourth book in the Margaret Nolan detective series, so there is a bit of back story that first time readers can follow but might not understand the full plot.

There were numerous characters and plot lines at the beginning of the novel, but just like in a tv series the story angles start to weave together roughly 1/2 way through the book and come together nicely at the conclusion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Publishing for the opportunity to read this novel.

I wasn't really in the mood for a police procedural when I read this so it probably has colored my review somewhat. Saying that, I did find the characters compelling and the story well written. The author has interwoven several crimes that did not seem connected at first into a coherent storyline by the end. And the story does not just focus on mystery but it also goes into the emotional lives of the characters that rises it above the somewhat depressing realties of crimes that is usually glossed over in cozies. You do not walk away with warm fuzzies but it is not all bleak either.

The characters are definitely good enough for me to come back for another in this series. If you are looking for a strong, competent female police lead who is balanced between having a heart and the toughness necessary to be a police officer this is a good pick.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was a compelling story that held my interest until the end. The characters were well developed. I have read the previous books with these characters but I feel this could be a stand alone. The reason I gave four stars instead of five was I thought the ending was a little rushed. I would have liked a little more.

Every big city in America has its share of serious crime... but in a sprawling megalopolis like Los Angeles, there’s your run-of-the-mill crime, and then there’s your okay-that-went-crazy-really-effing-fast crime.

In the latest entry in P. J. Tracy’s Detective Margaret Nolan series, City of Secrets, Maggie—along with her stalwart partner, Al Crawford—are definitely ankle-boots-and-loafers-deep in the latter.


After arriving on the scene of what—at first glance—almost certainly appears to be “just” another fatal car-jacking, Maggie and Al soon realize that the dead guy in the fancy car was actually the owner of a premium pet-food company worth millions... which he just so happened to be in the process of selling, for a huge profit. And that immediately puts a whole different spin on things.

Sure, in the part of town where things went down—one of those areas someone super-wealthy only goes with the idea of scoring something illegal, in mind—being rich and stupid go hand-in-hand. But the detectives know that anyone with that kind of money almost always has other people on the payroll to take care of such seediness for them.

Then, when the wife of the victim’s business partner is kidnapped the very next day—in broad daylight, from right off her luxuriously-manicured street—well... Maggie and Al’s joint Spidey senses tell them something else is most definitely going on.

But, the more leads they unearth and trails they follow, the bigger—and weirder—it all gets.

From drugs, sex, and gang activity, to shady big business dealings, to hints of a mythical “Angel of Death”, Maggie and Al have their hands full, trying to bring a tiny bit of justice in the midst of so much chaos in the City of Angels.


Besides Maggie and Al, Tracy once again brings back several supporting characters, who serve to flesh out both their work and personal lives.

In particular, Maggie’s on-the-DL relationship with fellow detective Remy Beaudreau is heating up... and putting them in ever more danger of being found out. Also back is Sam Easton, a wounded veteran suffering from PTSD, who once again lends the detectives his expertise and insight.

But by far the biggest supporting star in City of Secrets is the location, itself... L.A., an almost-unbelievably vast sprawl of desert, ocean, valleys, canyons, mountains, and endless freeways... a place where the “dens of iniquity” are as often to be found in the glitziest and costliest of mega-mansions, as in the downtrodden squalor of forgotten neighborhoods. (If you want an honest travelogue of present-day L.A., this book wouldn’t be a bad place to start.)

I really enjoyed City of Secrets. P. J. Tracy has gotten into a good groove with Maggie Nolan, et al, with each outing building on the previous books—but always fine to read as standalone works, as well.

If you’re a fan of police procedurals and modern police detective stories—and really enjoy well-done “local color”—this should find a place on your short list.

City of Secrets marks the fourth book in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. As is often the case with a series, it would have been beneficial to have read the earlier books, as there were numerous characters, making it a bit challenging to grasp their relationships and roles. However, after navigating through the first couple of chapters, the pace picked up and I found myself immersed in the storyline.

Although I wouldn’t classify police procedurals as one of my top genres, this book was quite enjoyable. Readers who favor this type of novel will want to check it out, as it is filled with unexpected twists and a diverse cast of characters that kept me on my toes.

My thanks to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for a copy of the ebook.

City of Secrets has plenty of great primary as well as secondary characters.

Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner, Detective Al Crawford, are brought into the very odd death of Bruce Messane, a man from the upscale, gated community of Malibu, who was murdered while loitering in his car in one of the worse gang neighborhoods in LA.  Bruce and his vehicle are clearly out of place in this neighborhood.  What brought him out to the neighborhood so late at night?   And it can't be a coincidence that on the Eve where his organic pet food company, Peppy Pets, is up for sale to a major competitor, his former partner, Veterinarian Dr. Rome Bechtold's wife has been kidnapped.  Is someone desperately trying to stop this merger or is something more sinister happening?

Maggie's friend Sam Easton  has been invited to spend an afternoon with the SWAT team.  He would love to make use of his military training and help the people of LA.  He is trying to determine if his PTSD will allow him to be around the possible volatile situations without him being triggered

On a personal note, Maggie has started dating Remy Beaudreau who is also a Detective in her Department.   They both know that this kind of fraternization is frowned upon and if Captain Mendoza finds out about them, their jobs could be at risk.  They are trying to keep their relationship on the down low for now so no one suspects but it is more and more apparent, that Maggie and Remy are the worst kept secret in the Department. I guess it is hard to fool a room full of trained Detectives.  Maggie is quickly trying to decide if the growing feelings she has for Remy is worth more than the job she has always wanted in Homicide.

THOUGHTS:
This is the fourth book in the series but I liked that I didn't feel left behind for not knowing the prior stories or connections between characters.  I liked that no matter how many other characters were presented, Maggie still felt like the main character of the series and I liked her.

There were also a LOT of POV changing in this story. There was Maggie, Remy, one of the other officers, who all took us through the investigation, while one of the witness, an officer from Bruce's company, someone from the merging company and Dr. Bechtold (the Vet) gave us all the necessary insider information on the merger. Sometimes I feel that too many POVs can leave the story feeling very jerky. In this story, I thought it was handled very well and the change of character was necessary to build this investigation to its final solution.

I also like that the author was setting Remy up to be the one to switch jobs and that his feelings for Maggie were stronger than his desire to stay in Homicide.  It was almost a non-issue to him and didn't require any forced "it's me or your job" falling out.  I think we all agree that it shouldn't be the woman in every relationship that has to sacrifice careers for romance.  

I would enjoy reading more of this series and seeing how things work out with Det. Maggie Nolan and her work family.

I’ve only read one other in the series and it took me a little bit to get a feel for everyone, without proper introduction. But I’m getting to know them and I’m more invested now.

There’s a lot of people and plots that come together. The different narratives can be a little bit much but the mystery itself is fun to untangle.

I don’t know if I’ll get around to reading the first two I skipped any time soon but I think I’ll keep going from here on out.

CITY OF SECRETS by P.J. TRACY

When I received the fourth book in the series, the premise sounded so interesting that I went back and read the first three books before I read this one.

The series is about Detective Margaret Nolan who works in Los Angeles.

I really enjoyed this series and I will definitely read anything that follows.

It is nice to see how the characters developed overtime. This is a really good series.

Thank you @minotaur_books and @pjtracyauthor for the gifted copy