I love how much Kate cares about the people she is interviewing. She wants to get the scope but does it in a respectful way. It was fast paced and I liked how involved Kate was with the investigation. The mix of sports and mystery is great even though I don’t follow tennis much. You don’t need to read the others to read this one but I liked knowing more of Kate’s background. It keeps you guessing and I love how everything is explained in the end. This is a great series.

Thank you @elisehartkipness @suzyapprovedbooktours for the gifted copy.

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
📚 love this series
💨 are looking for a quick read
🎾 like to play tennis
🕵🏻‍♀️ want to be a detective

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

With a hard-won Emmy now gracing her mantel, sports reporter and former Olympian Kate Green turns her energy to the action unfolding in Flushing Meadows. Working on a feature for her weekly TV show, she spotlights two of today’s biggest female tennis stars: the sunny up-and-comer and the brash veteran. But the project goes sideways when one turns up missing.

Following an interview with Kate, one player receives a sinister text with a disturbing photo of the other woman, bound and gagged. Kate calls on her estranged father, an NYPD detective, for help in launching a search. Although wary he’s hiding something, she’s not sure where else to turn.

Their investigation leads to the victim’s hometown—and a growing list of suspects. The kidnapper threatens to spill secrets that could destroy lives. Tangled up in a deadly web of deceit, Kate races to connect the dots and find the missing player…before it’s too late.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

Though I haven’t read the previous books in this series, it can be read as a standalone, which I always appreciate when coming into a new series. Kate is a reporter who works with her father to solve the crime, and I was invested every step of the way. There are so many twists and turns that you simply never see coming, which I love to see! The story is also fairly short, which makes for a nice quick read. I don’t see a lot of books that center around sports, so I enjoyed this new to me aspect. I will definitely be reading the previous books in this series!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of Close Call!

Close Call by Elise Hart Kipness is a fast paced sports thriller set against the high energy backdrop of the US Open.
Sports reporter and former Olympian Kate Green is preparing a feature on two tennis stars, veteran champion Lucy Bosco and rising teen Brynn Cole, when the story takes a dark turn: one of the players is kidnapped. With help from her NYPD detective father, Kate dives into a tense investigation full of secrets, suspects, and unexpected twists.
The mystery is gripping, and the tennis setting adds a fresh and exciting edge. I loved how the suspense kept me guessing right until the end; every character felt like a possible suspect. Even though it’s the third book in the Kate Green series, it works perfectly as a standalone.
It’s a quick and intriguing story that many readers will enjoy as much as I have enjoyed it.
Very grateful to the publisher for my copy through NetGalley, opinions are my own

This was an absolute page turner. I was sucked in from the start. I had no clue this was part of a series so I read it as a stand alone and was still able to truly enjoy it! Recommend to anyone who loves a good thriller and a sporty setting. Fun read! Thank you to netgalley and the publishing team for the ARC!

Just in time for the US Open, Kate Green is back and caffeinated as ever! The third in Kipness’s series about Kate, a sports reporter who is drawn to trouble, is a Grand Slam (technically a three-quarter slam, but the next installment will undoubtedly right that!)

The book opens with Kate preparing a television special covering two American tennis players who could win the US Open: Lucy Bosco, the favorite, a ten-time Grand Slam winner, who, rumors speculate, may retire; and Brynn Cole, a teenager with a lot of buzz surrounding her. But when one of the players withdraws and another player receives a texted photo of the withdrawn player bound and gagged with a ransom request, Kate turns to her previously estranged father, Liam, to help her find the kidnapped woman.

The plot is full of more twists in direction than the Steffi Graf/Monica Seles US Open Finals match, and the pacing is faster than a serve by Andy Roddick. If you love tennis, sports or, just coffee and thrillers, you will love Close Call. While it is part of a series, you can read it as a stand-alone. But if you do, you’ll be clicking “buy” on the first two installments, Lights Out and Dangerous Play.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read an advance review copy.

This novel was book 3 of the Kate Green series, although I haven’t read the others I enjoyed this one and would be interested in going back to read the others. Sport reporter Kate finds herself helping her NYPD detective father with the kidnapping of a famous US Open tennis player. It was face paced, easy to read with good suspense. I was back and forth like a tennis ball on who I thought was the kidnapper. It literally could have been anyone which had me not putting it down because I was eager to find out what happened. If you enjoy sport stories and thrillers, this one is for you!!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC copy.

I love this sports centered mystery with Kate Green who is a sports reporter in the center of the action.

This book is set at the US Open so tennis is the theme and a star is kidnapped.

I enjoy not only the central mystery Kate is involved with but also an ongoing mystery about her father.

I’m excited to see what sport is involved in Kate’s next mystery. So far it’s been tennis, soccer, and basketball. So I’m thinking football, baseball, volleyball or golf is up soon!

A tennis themed mystery! Kate's made a good post-sports life as a reporter and now she's got a real problem on her hands. One of the stars of the US Open has been kidnapped. Kate's determined to solve this one and she pulls in her dad to help (love her dad). No spoilers from me. This is the third in a series but entirely enjoyable as a standalone you can read in a gulp.

Another suspenseful thrill ride from Elise Hart Kipness, who deftly weaves her knowledge of sports into a tale of kidnapping and deceit that will leave you breathless until the last gripping pages. Sports reporter Kate Green is simply unputdownable in her third outing, as she races to find a tennis star who has been kidnapped in the middle of the US Open. Along the way, she teams up with her NYPD detective father, who has a few secrets of his own. suspects abound and the twists come hard and fast. While this book can be read as a standalone, it is the third in the Kate Green series, and there is a resolution to an overarching storyline that will make for a more satisfying read if you devour books on e and two first.
All in all, a thrilling read and a wonderful conclusion to Kate Green's story.

Another great one by Elise Hart Kipness. This is the third book in the series (I have read all), however, it could be read as a standalone book. The background story of Kate and her family is an ongoing theme throughout the series so it is helpful to read the books in order but not necessary.

If you’re a fan of thrillers packed with mystery, action, and a strong female lead, this is the series for you! I highly recommend it to all my fellow thriller lovers!

Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Elise Hart Kipness for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Be prepared to have your heart pounding and to be on the edge of your seat with this thriller read. If life didn’t interfere with read, this would have easily been a read in a single sitting book! I highly recommend this AMAZING thriller.

Yes it’s book 3 is the interconnected series but it can be read as a standalone, which is what I did! BUT… I can’t wait to read more of the books in this series.

If you like mystery/thrillers that have an arm chair detective vibe, you don’t want to miss this great thriller!

****Many thanks to Suzy’s Approved Book Tours, Elise Hart Kipness, and Amazon Publishing for my gifted copy.

It’s crazy because although I’m not really a series girl or sports fan, I absolutely LOVE this series! This is the third book and I have devoured all three. Kate Green is a badass - - former Olympic athlete, intuitive journalist, loving mom and daughter and so much more. It’s always fun to catch up with her personally and professionally. Once again I was consumed cover to cover and the twists and turns kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat.

Another strong outing in this sports mystery series. It’s tennis this time and it couldn’t be more timely of a read for me. I was reading this on the campus of the Cincinnati Open as I waited for my usher orientation to start.

You don’t need to be a tennis fan to enjoy this one. But it helps. Kate has stumbled into another case. This time a missing tennis player. Kate’s a journalist and former sports star turned amateur sleuth as she finds herself mixed up with the missing girl.

It’s fast paced and there isn’t a shortage of suspects. While I can’t say I like a lot of the characters in the book, I really like Kate and her father. They’re smart, relatable and practical. She’s tenacious as she works to solve the case.

It’s a smart mystery that kept me guessing.

I'm really falling in love with the sport of tennis through books and this is my first tennis themed mystery. Elise writes suspense spectacularly and I loved trying to figure out who kidnapped the tennis star. With Kate Green on the case, teamed up with her father, I knew I would have all the answers by the very satisfying conclusion. If you haven't read this series yet, they can be read as standalones, and what are you waiting for??

This my third Elise Hart Kipness book, all featuring Kate Green, a sports reporter who, in Close Call, finds herself in the middle of the kidnapping of a major tennis star.

Kate Green is assigned to do feature stories of the two top U.S. Open tennis champions, one a veteran, and the other an up and coming teen prodigy.

Elise is masterful in the thriller genre and I’m always amazed at the twists and unexpected reveals.

I really enjoy the behind the scenes look at the sports reporter’s interviews and the day to day lives of the athletes.

But the best part of Kate Green is her love of coffee. I wonder why I’m always craving coffee whenever I read one of Elise’s books?

*Thanks so much to the author for the fun PR box, to Thomas Mercer, and to Suzy Approved Book Tours for the ARC and for including me on the booktour!*

Back with the third book in her Kate Green series, Elise Hart Kipness hit it out of the park (or should I say court) yet again with Close Call. From the fast pace to the layers of secrets within the multiple plot lines, there was no end to the thrills or the “WTF?!” twists. Coming out of left field but with a believable feel, most of the twists caught me out, and managed to shock me but good. Even better, there were a few eye-poppers that arrived right at the end. One of them, in fact, even had me shouting out loud as the revelation shifted everything I thought knew about the plot up to that point. Bravo, Ms. Kipness, it was a doozy of a book, and I loved every flawless word.

One thing I’ve grown to love with this dynamite series is the on-point characterizations. From Kate’s smart, savvy persona to her relatable friendship with her cameraman, Bill, they all felt like dear old friends. Well, except for the handful of unlikeable characters, that is. With plenty of individuals who I side-eyed with complete and utter suspicion, they made guessing the end nearly impossible. And while I did kind of predict one of the twists, the rest of them made up for it by the shocking conclusion. You see, the suspense-laden plot had no lack of surprises, and the last third of the book delivered them in spades. Needless to say, I raced through this novel as I yearned to learn all of the whos, whats, and whys.

All said and done, coming in at just 250 pages, this addictive novel was a quick, easy read. A crime thriller complete with depth to the plot thanks to Kate and Liam’s deepening family saga, I enjoyed seeing them working side-by-side yet again. Add in the fledgling romance and cat-and-mouse antics, and it’s no surprise at all that my colleagues at Thriller Book Lovers: The Pulse have been raving about this one for ages. I mean, who could resist a tale of kidnapping and murder that has a long list of suspects? So please go ahead and grab this one now. Just be sure to start with book one. After all, you won’t want to miss a minute with Kate. Rating of 4.5 stars.

Thank you to Elise Hart Kipness, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for my complimentary copies. All opinions are my own.

Another great one by Elise Hart Kipness. This is book 3 in the series but can stand on its own, although I have read them all. I have really enjoyed getting to know these characters, and I've enjoyed the underlying mystery that has flowed through all three books. Pleas don't let that mystery discourage you from picking up and starting with this book because it is a very small part of the overall story.

I am not a big sports fan, (don't tell Elise😂) but I love the stories all the same. There are twists and turns, short chapters (the best) that are so propulsive. You can't stop reading.

This is my first book in this series and I really enjoyed it. It's fast-paced and filled with nonstop action. I was glued from the start, a kidnapping, a reporter and an FBI agent, all made this a whirlwind of a story. I will be going back to the first two books in this series. Bravo!

Many thanks for my gifted copy.

Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers The Pulse, Thomas & Mercer, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Close Call in exchange for my honest review.

I am a big fan of this series & was thrilled to get my hands on this latest installment…& it did not disappoint. While each book in this series can be read as a stand-alone, I do recommend reading the books in order because there are a few threads that do make more sense if you start at the beginning…plus you really get a better sense of who Kate really is. ⁣
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In this latest book, we head to the US Open, & like the last book, this is a sport I’m somewhat familiar with, though having knowledge of the sport is not necessary. While this can be considered a sports thriller, it’s really a crime fiction/thriller & the tennis is just the vehicle used to tell the story.⁣
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This one really kept me on my toes & I found that there were so many suspects, each with their own reasons for the kidnapping. Everyone has secrets & the deeper Kate & the team dig, the more they uncover. ⁣

This is a fast-paced thriller & the short chapters just beg you to keep reading. While the case kept me engaged all the way through it was some new developments with our main characters that really kept me flipping the pages…& I hope we don’t have to wait too long to see what happens next!

3.5 Rounded Up

This is the third book in the Kate Green series and I couldn’t wait to read it. Once again, as a Sports Reporter, Kate finds herself in the middle of a police investigation when a tennis star that she was interviewing gets kidnapped. She becomes entangled in the investigation and plays a critical role in solving it. To help her solve the mystery, she calls upon her dad, Liam, who is an NYPD detective. Kate and her father have a rocky history and this allows for another storyline and gives Kate the opportunity to dig deeper into her father’s past to get more details about what happened.

This is a fast paced mystery that will keep you guessing, as there are plenty of possible suspects! I love that all of these books have a sports theme and each one centers around a different sport. The jealousy, lies, and competition that surrounds the players only adds to the suspense. The added element of a budding romance for Kate was also a bonus! I’m already looking forward to another sequel and wondering what sport Kate will be reporting on next!