This is the 4th book in a series that I haven’t read. When I was given the book, I was told it was a “standalone installment” so I accepted it. I need to be upfront and tell you that I disagree with that and only recommend this book if you have read the other books in the series. Whereas I thought the storyline and mystery were good, without all the backstories that were alluded to, it’s easy to feel a little lost while reading. I also had an issue keeping all the characters straight. I felt like everyone had at least 2 names they went by – sometimes it was just their first name, sometimes it was their last name, and other times it was a nickname. Maybe if I’d read the other 3 books I would know the characters better to more easily go from one name to another but as a person thrown into an existing series with many characters, it was hard to keep track. These are the issues that make it only an OK read rather than a really good read for me personally. I’m sure others that have been following the series have much higher praise because again, the storyline and mystery were good. It’s piqued my interest enough that I will be putting the 1st in the series on my TBR to give the series a proper try.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy of this book. As always, the opinions expressed within this review are completely my own.

I thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this advanced copy. I, unfortunately could not get thru this book. I may have enjoyed it more if I had read the first couple books and got to know the characters.

A quick and entertaining read, a thrilling addition to the Detective Margaret Nolan series. On the eve of a big financial deal to sell his company, the CEO of a successful pet food company is found dead in his car in a rough part of LA. Why was he there? Drugs? Sex? Then his former partner's wife is kidnapped. Just a coincidence? Not likely.

Nice combination of drama and humor. I enjoyed these characters and their personal relationships. Looking forward to seeing where the author takes her characters next. Big changes in store?

Many thanks to author and publisher for the invitation to read an arc of this new book in a mystery series I've enjoyed from book one. The ebook arc was provided to me via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

I was a big fan of the Monkeewrench series by P. J. Tracy from the beginning, but I had not read a book by this author for a few years and can't really give a reason for that. When I saw that City of Secret was available, I was excited to revisit a nostalgic favorite, and I am happy to say I was impressed again with the writing and thrills. While half of the original writing team has passed away, the daughter, Traci, is continuing writing under the name, with continued success.

City of Secrets is a complicated detective novel, and like many of my favorites features a strong, intelligent woman as the lead character. There is a murder which gets Nolan involved, and a kidnapping which may or may not be related. Some possibly shady business dealings might also be part of the crime as well as drug dealing. I struggled a little throughout the book to keep characters straight, as there are a considerable number of people both criminals and crime fighters that play a role in this story. The romantic interest in the Margaret Nolan series keeps her human and grounded, and I am rooting for them to continue the relationship in future books, as well.

Reading City of Secrets has made me want to reread the earlier books and to catch up on the ones I have missed in the last few years. Readers of Melinda Leigh or Kendra Elliott's detective novels will also enjoy P. J. Tracy. Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the digital ARC of City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy. The opinions in this review are my own.

This was a great police/crime procedure book and I enjoyed reading how they solved the crimes in this book. However, this is part of a series and I haven't read any of the other books in this series and was lost trying to figure out characters for the first couple of chapters. One would definitely benefit from reading past books in this series before reading.

I loved this series almost, but not quite as much as the Monkeywrench books. The includes Marg Nolan & Remy. Th story was very confusing at times and am not entirely sure who did what to whom, but it involved murder, & kidnapping, and trying to tie the two together. It was interesting. I’d recommend to anyone who has enjoyed pj Tracey’s other books.

I've read three other books in this series and looked forward to this, the fourth. But although I admit to staying up later than my regular bedtime to finish this one, it's not my favorite of the bunch. Oh sure, I still love LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and her crew, but there are just too many characters in too many different places for an aging brain like mine to keep straight. Otherwise, though, it's business as usual - and that usually means plenty of action.

This one begins with the discovery of a body in what seems to have been a car-jacking; the suspicions of Nolan and her partner Al Crawford are aroused, though, when it's discovered that the victim is the founder of a pet supply company that's grown by leaps and bounds and, as a result, about to be scarfed up by an even larger company for a paltry $100 million.

Top company employees deny any notion of fraud or foul play at the business - one of them even conducted a thorough audit in recent months. And the plot thickens when the murdered man's wife is kidnapped - with zero indication of ransom or other conditions that must be met for her safe return.

After that, things tend to get wild and crazy, with characters coming from all over the map. And while all this is going on, Margaret's infatuation with fellow detective Remy Beaudreau (and his with her) is heating up amid questions about where it should go - if anywhere. More kidnappings and close calls happen all the way up to the end, when most of the situations are resolved (with one biggie left wide open for, I hope, the next installment. I'll be waiting - and meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read a pre-release copy of this one.

In this 4th Detective Margaret (Maggie) Nolan police procedural the author gives us multiple threads and then flawlessly sews them together. Maggie and her partner, Detective Al Crawford, are called put to a fatal car jacking. It turns out the victim, Bruce Messane, the co-founder of Peppy Pets, was supposed to be at a meeting to sell his 100 million dollar company. His death does not bode well for his partners. In less than 24 hours, Nicole Bechtold, wife of Messane's former partner, is kidnapped. There is no ransom demand.

Maggie knows these two events are connected. There are indications that Messane has been helping himself to the company's money. As an added complication, it looks like the Los Zetas mob is involved.

Maggie is a tenacious officer, she keeps digging until she finds the truth. The supporting characters are all well developed characters that we have gotten to know from the previous books. This can be read as a stand-alone, but I recommend reading the other installments to get to know Maggie, Al, Remy (her love interest?) and Sam Easton all the better.

This is a fast paced read, with action and twists that keep us turning the pages. I look forward to the next book in this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Minotaur Books, for an ARC. The review is my own.

A quick read with plenty of twists and turns. I enjoyed the relationship development between Nolan and Remy, and the development of Sam as a character. I was glad to see that this time Sam felt more a part of what was going on, and key to solving the mystery in the end.

As a big fan of this series, I am excited that LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and other series regulars, including Sam Easton, are back!
When a middle-of-the-night call ends in murder, Nolan and her partner Al Crawford find themselves on a case that turns out to be anything but straightforward as they work to find the killer. A clever page-turner with relatable, multidimensional characters that feel like old friends, City of Secrets explores the dichotomy of LA, from the seedy side of Culver City to spectacular Malibu Beach, cartel gangs to mega-business deals, murder to love. While this book could be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the series from the start to more fully enjoy the parts of the book that deal with the personal lives of the characters.

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is back. The scene of a fatal carjacking looks just like what it is, but as they dig deeper, they realize there is much more to this story, a whole lot more.

This is another thrilling installment starring Detective Margaret Nolan. It is fast-paced, mysterious and intriguing. Detective Nolan is a very likeable character, who is quick-witted and high capable. If you are living a life of a crime, you do not want Detective Nolan on your tail. The short chapters are a plus as well.

For those who enjoy a good crime procedural, you will love it.

Thank you o St. Martins Press and NetGalley for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I had a hard time getting invested in this story. While I think the mystery was good, so many characters were introduced in the first half that seemingly had no reason to be introduced. There was one guy, Sam, who I liked, but I didn't feel his POV or scenes needed to be in the book. By the time we stopped getting new characters, I wasn't interested in what was happening. I did enjoy the previous book in this series, so I will check out the next one. This one just didn't work for me.

Interesting mystery! A CEO is murdered the day before selling his company and found in a bad part of town. Maggie and her partner try to find his killer while another crew works the kidnapping of the wife of the ex-partner who will inherit the company.

A lot of twists and turns. Some of the answers seemed obvious, but there was still a couple of surprises at the end. This is the first I’ve read in this series and while the storyline was easy to follow, it was hard to keep track of all the different characters and there’s obviously a lot of backstory I didn’t understand not having read the others. That said, I enjoyed this book enough that I want to go back and read the others.

Thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Detective Nolan and her partner Remy investigate the murder of Bruce Messane who was the owner of a popular pet food franchise and a rich sex addict.
This was a great read with multiple story lines that had me glued to the pages. Thanks NetGalley and St. Martins Press for this eARC that will be released August 20, 2024!

City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy is a highly recommended investigative mystery and the fourth book in the Detective Margaret (Maggie) Nolan series.

Los Angeles Police Detective Maggie Nolan and her partner Detective Al Crawford are called in to investigate a man found dead in his car in what appears to have been a car jacking. During the same time Bruce Messane, the co-founder of Peppy Pets, misses the meeting for the sale of his company for $100 million. Chief financial officer of Peppy Pets, Cynthia Jackson, tries to reach Messane to no avail. Then the dead man in the car is identified as Messane. Retired veterinarian Rome Bechtold, Messane’s former partner, has no current involvement with the company, but shortly after Messane's death Bechtold's wife, Nicole, is kidnapped. The complications multiply after this.

Clearly the case is much more convoluted and perplexing than just a murder case and Nolan has her work cut out for her. The enjoyment is found in trying to put together the pieces of the intricate investigative puzzle as each new piece is uncovered. The tension remains high and readers will be engaged in the narrative throughout the novel. There include some twists and surprises along the way.

As the fourth book in a series character development is ongoing. I've read books three and four now and felt enough background is provided to enjoy the series, although the complexities of the investigation rather than the personal situations are more my focus when reading procedurals. The members of the team work do well together. I think readers who are interested in complex investigation, especially with a strong female lead, can enjoy this as a standalone novel.

City of Secrets is a great choice for those who enjoy complicated investigative mysteries and procedurals. Thanks to Minotaur Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.

The review will be published on Edelweiss, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

In this 4th installment to author P.J. Tracy’s Detective Margaret Nolan series, “City of Secrets” takes the reader on a very complex, intricately-woven suspenseful journey. Though, perhaps a little too complex, as the reader is introduced to a large cast of players and multiple story threads that can be a bit challenging to keep straight. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, well-written crime drama from start to finish and all of its twists and turns along the way. This isn’t my first book by P.J. Tracy, and it certainly won’t be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book.

Reading this, you might think that every crime in LA is connected, but in this one they really do seem to cover a lot of territory!

When LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan is called out to what seems at first to be a carjacking turned murder, she can't figure out what the wealthy owner of a pet food conglomerate was doing in this seedy part of LA to begin with. And who would know he was there so he could be killed? But when an eyewitness tells them he was killed and only THEN did a mysterious woman show up to laugh and take his keys and other possessions, it REALLY gets bizarre. The eyewitness then stole the wheels off the car, which led to his arrest and this story.

The victim, Bruce Messane, was in the midst of selling his company and his disappearance and subsequent death ends that purchase, and the hopes of everyone who owned a part of the company. Further investigation finds that there is something fishy going on with the books of the company, and even the CFO has missed the clues.

The neighborhood where Messane was killed has recently been taken over by a new drug cartel that is scaring everyone into not talking to the police, but one man does give them some clues, before he, too, is murdered. Then Messane's ex-partner's wife is kidnapped. And then the ex-partner, Rome Bechtold is also kidnapped, right under the nose of the police helping with his wife's kidnapping!!

What in the world is going on? Well, Maggie and her partner dig a lot and call in a lot of favors and FINALLY get to the bottom of what is going on, although not before a few more murders. But in the end, Maggie and her lover Remy turn out OK.

P.J. Tracy (pseudonym of Traci Lambrecht) returns with the fourth police procedural crime novel featuring Los Angeles Homicide Detective Margaret “Maggie” Nolen. The complex and multi-layered plot has several threads that must be connected to solve the case. Can Maggie and her partner, Detective Al Crawford, put the pieces together?

Maggie is competitive, hates to lose, likes to be in control, loves her job, and has a temper. While she’s dedicated to her work, she and Detective Remy Beaudreau are also trying to determine where they want their relationship to go. Connecting with Maggie was effortless. She’s relatable and the secondary characters were very well developed. However, due to the number of them, it might be easier to assimilate if one has read the first three books in the series as some are reoccurring characters.

The book starts with three seemingly unrelated chapters. How the author weaves them into the story and builds the connections kept me engaged throughout. She balances the crime portion of the novel with a look at the developments in the personal lives of some of the main and secondary characters. This added another dimension to the story as well as helping readers relate more to the characters.

Filled with suspense, action, and various investigations, this novel has something for everyone who enjoys crime novels and police procedurals. The tension level stayed high throughout the story as I tried to put the pieces together along with Maggie and Al. Several of the last few chapters had surprises in them along with the action. This added depth to the story as well as helped to connect more of the facets of the investigation. The intriguing plot unfolded at a moderately fast pace and the world-building transported me to Los Angeles. There was always something new going on that kept me engaged. While the investigation threads were resolved, there were a couple of open items on the personal side for which I wanted more closure. Themes include murder, abductions, gangs, greed, friendship, family, and much more.

Overall, this compelling and gripping novel was a page turner with great characterization and a complex plot. While this series is best read in order, enough background is provided to allow this to be a standalone novel as well. Those who enjoy police procedurals and crime thrillers with a strong female lead will likely enjoy the series. I can’t wait to see where the author takes the next book in the series.

St. Martin’s Press – Minotaur Books and P.J. Tracy provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for August 20 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an "Angel of Death" are beginning to surface. Another outstanding outing in this series. If you aren't reading this series you should be.

This book was a miss for me. And it wasn’t because the mystery was not good. It honestly had to do with too many characters and jumping around too much. I really dislike it when authors do this and add so many characters that pop up once then it takes multiple chapters to come back to them, if they even reappear. I get this is a much more realistic view of how an investigation might go but as a reader it is not something I enjoy. This is 100% a personal preference. If you enjoy that type of story telling you might really enjoy this book. Jumping around that much just takes me out of the story.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.