Thank you to Netgalley for a free audio version of We Don't Talk About Emma.

I gave this book 3 stars. While I did find it interesting, I had a hard time keeping all of the characters straight. There were a lot of different people who pop up throughout the book, and I had to keep going back to figure out who was who.

There were some good twists and unexpected turns, but the ending was definitely predictable. Overall I did like this book but wouldn't read it again.

I’m not really a detective fiction fan, but the premise of this book sounded interesting so I thought I would enjoy it. Turns out it was exactly what I was afraid of. The dialogue was very cringey and unrealistic and because of that the characters were unrelatable and unlikeable. I rolled my eyes several times while reading this and couldn’t get past how unnatural the discourse was between the detectives. It really took me out of the story, which I was disappointed about behind cause the beginning really hooked me.

The beginning was awesome. A woman was going to kill a man but finds out she’s been beaten to the punch. And the woman who was going to kill someone was a cop? Crazy! But the book definitely went downhill for me from there. It just didn’t hook me like the first 5 chapters did.

I love the writing style of j.d barker.
It’s fast pace, but i think it needed a little more background work. Nevertheless it was good.

This book held my attention throughout the whole story. It is a sensitive topic I had so much empathy for Emma. The book also invoked anger and a bit of a vigilante. I would recommend this book to anyone.

Thank you Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press and JD Barker, E J Findorff for the eArc of We Don't talk about Emma.

Having read a few of J D Barkers books, I was really interested in this collaboration with another author. We Don't Talk about Emma is a Cat and Mouse mystery thriller and poses a few questions at the beginning. Who is Emma? . Together, J D Barker and E J Findorff have combined their writing styles and come up with a good, engaging book with solid characters and a great plot line. I like the dynamics from the characters and it is exactly what's on the tin.

I did find though that this book, even though it was engaging, didn't have the psychological elements that Ive become so accustomed to when reading these type of books. Nonetheless, it was still an enjoyable read. I will be looking out for more from both authors.

I also listened to the audio version of this book in which Piper Goodeve does a great narration.

3.5 stars for Storygraph. 3 Stars for all other sites

Narrated by Piper Goodeve
Presented by RB Media

Can't say this one really did much for me.

A cop goes out to kill a man who got away with rape, only to discover he's already been bumped off. The main suspect is the girl he got away with raping, and she's fled into the belly of New Orleans.

The story gets pretty messy from here, and for some reason Nikki has zero concerns about the fact that she was at the crime scene. Instead, everyone just assumes Emma is the killer and ignores any kind of actual crime solving while they commence the manhunt. So the biggest pull this story had is immediately swept under the rug.

I'm gonna be honest - I didn't really like any of these characters. There's a lot between Nikki and Keith that makes it seem like this is a sequel, yet it's supposed to be a standalone. Not sure what's up with that. The romance between the two felt clunky and awkward and mostly pointless.

There's also a confusing cast of villains with similar personalities and the audio had most of the voices sounding the same so I found it difficult to keep straight who everyone was. I was getting names mixed up a lot and not sure where other characters were relevant.

Aside from that, there's just really not a lot to this story. It's mostly just cops chasing Emma, and a couple of creative deaths here and there to try and stay interesting.

The narration was okay, with enough inflection to keep the story clear, but as mentioned the voices all sounded the same to me so it was hard to tell people apart. I'd give this narrator another go, though, as I think it's more a fault of generic characters.

All in all, okay for a freebie but I wouldn't go out and buy it, and crime fans won't find anything special here.

With thanks to NetGalley for an audio ARC

Really liked the atmosphere the setting and the way the eerie mystery unfolded the narrator did a great job performing

I wasn't crazy about this, unfortunately. I think it had great potential. The plot was dark & intriguing, but there wasn't enough "meat" to the story. It felt like more food & location descriptions than anything exciting. It needed more going on - more to keep the reader's attention & keep them guessing. I guessed the twist, if you can call it that, by the 40% mark & things didn't pick up until the last 20% of the book, making for what was, sadly, a boring read.

Nikki has never killed anyone before, but that isn't going to stop her tonight. As Nikki is about to shoot Herman, she notices someone has already beat her to it. Herman is dead in his car with a slit throat and a knife to the groin. At that point, someone comes flying out of the backseat and all Nikki can do is utter, "Emma?" The figure stops for a moment before running off. Herman will not be the only victim of this mysterious person. It's up to Detective Nikki to figure out who killed Herman and the others.

I want to give this book 4 stars because the plot was interesting, but I was lost a few times. There seemed to be too many characters to follow. I understand the first two victims, and the potential fourth victim, but the third victim had me confused. I know we were introduced to him briefly at Herman's funeral, but that was all that I could remember of him before his murder.

There were a few times when I questioned details as a detective would. I am used to plot twists with thrillers, so I didn't take the obvious bait. I did guess correctly who the killer is, but it was still an exhilarating ride to actually discovering their identity.

One thing I thought shortly after starting was, "Man, this author really knows how to write despicable characters." Herman is a terrible man, then when we are introduced to Rot (?), he gave me the "eww" vibe. Warren really put the nail in the coffin, though. The author did a great job with making the readers hate these three men.

The narration was good for the most part. I couldn't tell whether the characters name was Rot, Rob, or Rat (with an accent). I chose to believe it was Rot because he is a rotten character. There was one issue with the audio recording, too. Chapter 37 at 5:08/5:09, there was a static noise, then seemed to jump ahead.

I am a huge J.D. Barker fan but this book was not one of my favs by him. This book is good but just not as good as some of his others. It starts out strong and I do like how it built the characters but there is a network of key players and it is hard to keep track sometimes. I did really like the character development with all of the characters. The narrator was very good and kept you engaged. The main characters, the two detectives were very likeable. Even some of the secondary characters were likeable even if you really weren't supposed to like them. I recommend it for anyone who does like thrillers.

3.75/5 stars

I am typically a huge fan of J.D. Barker’s books, but this one wasn’t my favourite. It didn’t have the same heart racing anticipation or psychological thriller twists as I’ve come to expect. I did enjoy the detective with a bond to a criminal aspect with a touch of romance and found family. I thought it was well written. I liked that there were many characters but found it somewhat predictable.

This was fantastic. I really enjoyed it and couldn’t stop listening. I was hooked from the first minute! The narration was wonderful. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

I'm a big fan of J.D. Barker and devour everything he writes. This book was the exception. It just didn't grab me like his books usually do. I enjoyed the dark secrets, lies and revenge storylines. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

I enjoyed this book. Huge J.D. Barker fan, so was excited to get this audiobook early. I got a little lost in the beginning, but the story came together. I enjoy police procedurals and following Nikki and Keith through their investigations. I loved that the book was set in New Orleans and the setting really played well into the story telling.
Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

You know I am looking forward to a book about killing a bunch of sex traffickers and rapists. Weirdly, it came off a little flat and lacked the passion I was hoping it would have. The anger was there but it wasn’t really. I didn’t think any of the characters were more than empty.sketches of real people. It lacked depth. It was, in the end, OK.

Oh. My. Goodness. The twist at the end of this book had me reeling. Did NOT see that coming. The writing was great and it had me guessing the whole time. This is my first J.D. Barker book and I will definitely read more from this author!

We Don’t Talk About Emma by J.D. Barker and E.J. Findorff ⚜️⚜️⚜️

I would like to thank NetGalley and Recorded Books for providing me with an advance copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review. Look for this book now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

I also won the Kindle edition of this book in a Goodreads giveaway, so I was able to consume it the way God intended: reading along while listening to the audiobook. 😉

I like police procedurals, but they’re not my favorite types of thrillers. I also liked this book, but I don’t think I will remember anything about it in a month or two. I don’t know, though. I may remember that the authors used the phrase “gutter punk” or just “punk” 71 times in this book. 😂 Gutter punks are unhoused or transient people who display specific lifestyle traits and characteristics that are often, but not always, associated with the punk subculture. These individuals are central to the plot, but using the same noun 71 times in one book feels excessive. 🤨😆

The audiobook was narrated by Piper Goodeve, and I enjoyed her narration.

“The next bookmarked article described the infiltration of gutter punks in New Orleans. It informed the reader of twenty-somethings scouring the Quarter, begging for food and alcohol, harassing tourists.”
— J.D. Barker/E.J. Findorff, We Don’t Talk About Emma

2.5 Stars ⭐️

I hate to say this, but this book just really didn't do it for me. I was given the opportunity to listen to the audio version of this ARC and I tried to go into this with an open mind. I've kind of had a mixed experience with one of the authors- J. D. Barker. I LOVED his 4MK Thriller Series but then wasn't sure what to think about some of the odd things that occurred with another of his books where some emails were sent out to ask female readers to send him actual pictures IRL...weird, right? But, I decided to give it another chance because this book was a partnership with an author that I have not read before - E.J. Findorff.

In terms of the narration, the best thing I can say about the narrator - Piper Goodeve - was that it was okay. Unfortunately, the book itself was also just....okay. I had the hardest time getting into it and as a person who tends to alternate between listening and reading, it made it more difficult only having the audio version and not a print version. There were several times I was just plain confused. I had to keep rewinding because I either didn't understand what was going on, or I all of a sudden realized that I had actually lost interest somewhere along the way and my mind had drifted. Neither of those things are good.

The plot summary sounded interesting. A female cop decides to take justice into her own hands and goes to the home of her victim, gets all the way to his garage with the murder weapon in her hand only to discover that someone has beat her to it and the man is already dead. Interesting, right?

Well, it wasn't. The pacing was so very inconsistent and for whatever reason, I just could not manage to feel ANYTHING for any of the characters. That is NEVER a good sign. The one thing that I am proud of is that I finished the book because around the 20% mark, I was seriously trying to talk myself out of DNF'ing. In a way, I wish I had.

The book was set in New Orleans and the team did a good job of creating the atmosphere of the city - the dichotomy of the dirty underbelly versus the drastically different high society. Other than that, it was a miss for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia | Recorded Books for the opportunity to listen to and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on February 04, 2025.

We Don't Talk About Emma is a complex thriller, full of unexpected twists! I couldn't put this book down. The storyline follows New Orleans detective Nikki and her partner in what starts as a the murder investigation of an accused pedophile. The investigation leads to further murders, corrupt authorities, personal conflicts and romance. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and RBmedia for this ARC of 'We Don't Talk About Emma.'

When is cold blooded murder justified?

Nikki Mayeaux, a New Orleans Detective is tasked with investigating the murder of a serial rapist, Herman Napleton, who is a corrupt hotel owner that got away with the gang rape of a sixteen year old runaway named Emma after evidence went missing. Nikki Mayeaux intended to kill Herman Napleton, but when she arrives at his house to kill him she finds that someone has beat her to it. He is found with his throat slit, and his lifeless body was left in the front seat of his car. What she uncovers is dark and dangerous. People in powerful positions want to keep their secrets while the New Orleans Police Department are digging to uncover the truth. Everyone believes that his killer is Emma, his most recent victim. The only problem is that Emma has disappeared into the French Quarter of New Orleans and the "gutter punks" look out for one another, making the investigation difficult.

This book was much more slow paced than most J.D. Barker books but I still thoroughly enjoyed it.