Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this early release copy.
My first mistake with this book was not realizing that it was the fourth in a series. While a lot of books can be good standalones without having read the rest of the series, I did not find this one to be. I mean sure, the crimes they were solving were their own story that worked on its own, However the characters and their relationships were just not relatable to me. Often books will help you gain insight into the character's relationships and who they are as people with quick descriptions. If that was done at all in this book, it wasn't helpful. The characters felt like strangers to me and I did not understand their dynamic or find any of them likeable. That being said, maybe if I had read the rest of the series I would have enjoyed this book more with a better understanding of the characters and their relationships.

Margaret Nolan and her colleagues on the Los Angeles Police Department are back with another case. When a man is found dead in his car, Nolan begins to investigate. But there are more twists and turns awaiting the team and it will take everyone on the team to try to unravel and solve this case.

This one had a lot going on and it was sometimes hard to keep everything straight. But the story was solid and all came together. Nolan and partner Al Crawford have a fun banter that keeps their investigations fun, even when the crime is not. Nolan and Remy are still trying to keep their relationship a secret, but I guess when you work with a bunch of cops, it's probably hard to keep secrets lol.

There are a lot of characters to get to know in the beginning so it moves a little slow at first, but then it picks up quick.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Publishing for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Available August 20, 2024.

If you like a neat and tidy finished story you will be disappointed. However, if you enjoy plot twists and dramatic turns, you will be delighted as you read this story. P. J. Tracy brings back the detectives from LA’s famed Glass Palace to solve a puzzle of a crime. While doing so she shows their human side as they also struggle with their own personal issues. It is masterful piece of writing with characters that will anger and those that will pull at the heart strings.

4.25/5 stars

Fourth in the Detective Margaret Nolan series, this one finds Maggie investigating the death of a wealthy businessman found in his car in a seedy part of LA. With basically nothing to go on, the strange kidnapping of his former business partner and his wife add to the perplexing mix. As Maggie and cohorts begin their deep dive into backgrounds and motivations, they discover addiction, drug cartel involvement and just plain greed. But who actually pulled the trigger and for what reason? And how does the ex-business partner and his wife fit into the puzzle?

Meanwhile, Sam Easton, a soldier home from Afghanistan who has suffered from PTSD, begins to take back his life as he decides to join the SWAT team.

And on the personal front, both Maggie and Sam move forward in major ways with their significant others and lead the reader to wonder, where do they go from here?

I'm enjoying this series more and more as it goes along. It sometimes gets a bit distracting having both Maggie AND Sam as seemingly main leads (when they're not together the majority of the time and linked only by the beginning of a friendship), but I'm adjusting to that and am interested to see where the author goes with these characters. The plotlines are entertaining, the characters funny and dedicated.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for providing the free early arc of City of Secrets for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Murder. Kidnapping. Angel of Death. All three are mysteries Detective Margaret Nolan must solve before the body count goes any higher.

I told myself I would stop reading at the 25% mark. That changed to the 50% mark. But the pull of City of Secrets kept me reading until I finished the entire book. Tracy’s writing immersed me into the underworld of LA, while multiple plot lines kept me so engaged I couldn’t put it down until I was done.

Margaret Nolan is an up-and-coming detective in LAPD’s Homicide Special Section. Her job involves the worst of humanity, yet Dolan isn’t a hardened detective. She’s still mourning the loss of her brother in Afghanistan and dedicated to solving the cases that come her way. Her emotions regarding Remy Beaudreau, a fellow detective, and their relationship keep her off kilter when he’s around. Their nebulous relationship is also a forbidden one, according to work rules. If the captain finds out one of the two of them will have to leave, a negative career move. And those personal conflicts, inner and outer, are key to keeping the characters interesting and growing. All the characters have them, to one degree or another. And those conflicts kept me reading.

What also kept me reading was the plot. So many twists and turns. A murder. A kidnapping. Are they tied together? If so, how? I figured out some bits and pieces here and there, but everything didn’t come together until the end. It’s a plot that starts out with the murder of a successful businessman in a part of town he shouldn’t be in and expands out to international crime.

City of Secrets is the fourth book in the Detective Margaret Dolan series. Read the earlier books to have a better understanding of what is going on in the series overall. This book also references events in earlier books.

The only problem I had was keeping all the characters straight. City of Secrets has a large cast; some of them recurring characters throughout the series, and others exclusive to this novel. At times I had to stop and think about a particular character and how they fit into the story, but never enough to pull me out of the novel.

With a solid cast of characters and a plot that twists and turns, Tracy’s writing in City of Secrets pulled me in from the beginning and kept me turning the pages until the satisfying conclusion. If a tightly woven mystery with a compelling cast of characters, gritty atmosphere, sprinkled with hope and humor appeals, then give City of Secrets a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for a copy of the e-book. All opinions are my own.

City of Secrets is the fourth entry in the Detective Margaret Nolan series. I will admit, I have not read the other three, but that did not tarnish the enjoyment I received from reading this book. It was easy to follow along every twist and turn that was thrown at me. The story opens with a murdered man found in his car in a seedy part of LA. Then a kidnapping occurs that is linked to him. So Detectives Nolan and Crawford embark on solving the mystery.

I was thankful that the story was not overly violent or gory. Each character is given a voice and it worked great. There was no confusion jumping from one POV to the next. There are quite a few characters that I am sure are more developed in the first three novels, but this worked without having read them. I will go back and read them now!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

City of Secrets by P.J. Tracy is the fourth A Margaret Nolan Mystery. As I discovered, City of Secrets is not a standalone book. City of Secrets is a slow starter. A host of characters are introduced in the beginning. It is confusing. It did not help that Detective Margaret Nolan is called different names (Maggie, Mags, Margaret, Nolan, and Detective Nolan). I wish back stories had been provided for the main characters. In addition to the large cast of characters, it jumps from one scene to scene another. This did not encourage me to keep reading (but I did). The pacing picks up in the latter half of the story when there is more action. The whodunit keeps the detectives on their toes. I wish it had kept me guessing as well. I found it to be predictable (I was not shocked as one character was at the end). The case details are repetitive (an example is the medical examiner gives information to a detective, the detective tells her partner, and so on). I did not like that there was a dognapping, and I was very upset by the poor emaciated street dog (and what was going to happen to poor creature). The story has a significant amount of foul language. The not-so-secret romance between Margaret and Remy was unneeded addition as well as some other substories. I was happy when I turned the last page of City of Secrets. City of Secrets was not my cup of tea, but I encourage you to download a sample to see if it suits you.

I received an ARC through "NetGalley" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

This story begins with Maggie and Al being called to a scene which is thought to be a carjacking. Once they arrive, they determine it is a homicide. There was no identification with the body, but following up regarding the vehicle registration, they determined that body was Bruce Messane, a company owner who was selling his company for $100 million. It seems that the buyer was at a meeting at Bruce's hdqtrs. and waiting for Bruce to close the deal. After attempting to contact him ans d not having any luck, the meeting was called off. Later, Cynthia, a company officer, went to check out Bruce's house and discovered that there was a possible intruder there. She contacted the police and it was then she learned of Bruce's death.

Another incident happened around the same time and Rome's wife, Nicole, was kidnapped and Rome was told not to contact the police. The kidnapping was learned when Al and Maggie went to interview Rome for information relating to Bruce. Because the police became aware of the kidnapping, Rome wound up being abducted as well.

To top matters off Remy, Maggie's boyfriend, was working on a case which indirectly related to Bruce's death, the abductions as well. As the team by further searches identified a suspect that was associated with all of the events.

To learn what reason Bruce was killed, why Rome and Nicole were abducted and how Remy's case came into the picture, then you need the book. The ending will answer all questions.

Trying to guess ahead of time who the villain was is not easy, I know I didn't have any idea until it was revealed at the end. This is definitely a book you don't want to miss

This series featuring Detective Maggie Nolan is one I look forward to! The cast of familiar characters adds to the crime story that takes place in the pages of the book. While this could definitely be a stand-alone book --- why not read the others too! This story has some complexities to it that keep the reader trying to put it all together ahead of the police work.....which keeps the pages turning for a quick and satisfying read. The interactions of the familiar characters in both their personal and professional lives gives a sense of investment to both the characters and the outcome of the storyline. Again - this book has a few things going on at once as members of LAPD work together to put all the pieces together to solve murders, kidnapping and drug crimes! As it winds down into an ending that is both surprising and satisfying...I look forward to see what happens in the next book! Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press - Minotaur Books for the opportunity to read and review this advance reader copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. #NetGalley #CityofSecrets

City of Secrets starts with several familiar characters in short chapters, each seemingly unrelated to the next. First Bruce Messane gets a call from Mimi. Next, Detectives Maggie Nolan and her partner Al Crawford are called to a new case; also, there’s Detective Remy Beaudreau and the Kang case he’s working on involving fentanyl. Third: Sam Easton learns of the possibility of consulting for SWAT. Fourth, Officer Gonzales is outside of Poppy’s Body Shop investigating an unidentified dead body shot inside a BMW. Chapter Five introduces several additional new characters: Cynthia Jackson, CFO of Bruce Messane’s company at a meeting with Wilder and his attorney, Montserrat De Leon. Finally, in Chapter Six, Maggie and Al identify the dead body as Bruce Messane, President and CEO of Peppy Pets. And slowly, from that point on, the pieces start to fall into place and somehow the murder, the Kang case, the SWAT team’s investigation, and a subsequent kidnapping are all connected somehow, each one providing clues as to the big picture. However, the novel ends with several key pieces of evidence unaccounted for and a few other significant loose ends, leaving an opening for a fifth novel.

City of Secrets kept my attention throughout as well as fueling my curiosity as to what was going to occur next. As the reader, we have the benefit of information that the detectives are lacking. Ultimately, how everything will play out will have to wait until Book #5. I’m looking forward to reading more novels in this series by PJ Tracy.

4.5 stars / This review will be posted on bookwormishme.com and goodreads.com today.

Whoa this was a wild story. So many threads to be brought together to solve a mystery. Loved it. Spent way too much time reading because I couldn’t put it down!

Maggie Nolan is a homicide detective in Los Angeles. When a body is found in a shady part of Culver City, Maggie and her partner Al are called to investigate. Who they find should not be in this part of town, in a very expensive car, now missing all four wheels. Was the driver killed for his wheels? Or was it something more sinister?

Wrapped up in this story is an attorney from Spain who has noble blood. A retired veterinarian with something to lose, and gain. Maggie’s paramour, Remy, another detective who comes from very old money. Sam, a former soldier with PTSD, now interviewing for a position with SWAT. There are a lot of storylines to follow, which truly makes you wonder how this is all going to come together at the end.

But it definitely does come together in this page turner that kept me engaged and riveted. The characters are real and have flaws. The individual storylines are interesting. While I probably would have liked reading the first 3 books to have some background, I didn’t need it. This novel can be read as a standalone (though it was so good, I will go back and read the first 3.)

A terrific crime thriller set in LA. This is the first I have read in the series, but it won’t be my last. City of Secrets kept me entertained throughout the book.

4 out of 5 stars

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Maggie Nolan and her partner are called in to investigate the apparent carjacking and murder of multi-millionaire Bruce Messane and the subsequent abduction of his partner's wife. Their investigation into his life led them to a world of violent sex and questionable business practices. At the time of his murder, he had been in negotiations to sell the company he had founded for millions of dollars. Maggie and her partner, no strangers to cases surrounded by darkness and intrigue, find themselves involved in an investigation filled with lies and deceit they never could have imagined.

So how does the successful CEO of a company end up in the seedier part of LA with a bullet hole between his eyes? That’s the question Margaret Nolan and her partner, Al Crawford ask themselves as they are caught up in a twisted plot that includes everyday criminals, gangs and a crime syndicate.
I found it hard to keep up at first with all the characters and twists. But the author tied the book up nicely and I imagine the next in this series to be just as interesting. Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur for the arc. This review is my honest opinion.

These characters have so much depth. Nolan is dogged and I felt like I was unraveling the case right alongside her. It kept me guessing. I'm a big Remy fan so I enjoyed that aspect as well. And then we see more of Sam. It's interesting to see how the cases and characters intertwine. Another great read!

City of Secrets by P. J. Tracy is another great fast paced thriller. Margaret Nolan and her team are working to solve a crime that has far reaching tentacles. I really like how Tracy includes past characters like Sam.

Another great and exciting installment in the series! The plot is trickier and twistier than ever and the characters we have grown to love continue to delight as they grow and evolve. I can’t wait to find out what’s next!

Review from Fantastic Fiction:
LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in P. J. Tracy’s City of Secrets, the next book in the series praised by the New York Times Book Review: “Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.”

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.

One of today's finest crime writers, P. J. Tracy has created a series that is a rich and authentic portrait of LA, filled with the tragedy and optimism of her multi-layered characters and a story guaranteed to keep readers enthralled.
I have read an enjoyed all this Author’s books.

I just absolutely had so much fun getting to go along on these characters journey. I was just swept away and I just absolutely can’t get enough of this series or its wonderful characters. This author just has away of drawing you in with her wonderful stories and you just can’t get enough of them. I can’t wait to see what’s next from this author.

City of Secrets (Detective Margaret Nolan #4)
by P. J. Tracy

I'm really getting attached to these characters after four books. LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner Detective Al Crawford are a great match. They are nothing alike with Margaret young and fit and Al, not those things at all. It seems Margaret has decided to stop nagging Al about his eating so much and is actually using food to get what she wants out of her coworkers...great coffee and pastries are the way to the heart and getting far in life. This series makes great use of recurring characters and I hope to see them again in the future.

A fatal carjacking leads to so much more and turns out to be connected to cases Margaret's coworkers are handling. What might have been a simple murder of a guy in the wrong place at a wrong time leads to a much darker world. People delving into things that are better left alone, powerful good and bad guys and gals, and the downtrodden not being able to escape the evil trying to control everyone and everything.

It get confusing at times because even though I might have known more than the characters since I was able to see more POVs than they saw, I really needed things explained towards the end. I got the explanations and help to understand what had happened. Things are not as they seem, people are not black and white, and some people have to chose whether their conscience will allow them to live with gray areas in their life. I liked that in this book Margaret was able to do her job without super hero heroics unlike earlier books. Other departments are allowed to do their jobs and it was interesting watching how all the groups worked together.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.