NOTE: Review posted to blog on 1/20/2016. RATING: 4.5 stars

When All the Girls Have Gone is a perfect blend of romance and suspense, with the emphasis on suspense. The plot is nicely convoluted, with plenty of twists and turns and several potential (and actual) villains. I really like Charlotte; she’s optimistic and loyal, but also perceptive, and not as naive as people think she is. Her ability to hold on to optimism and faith in people is a strength, not a weakness. Max Cutler, the hero, is less overwhelmingly alpha than many of Krentz’s heroes; he’s quieter, but still exhibits steely determination and a commitment to uncover the truth. Like most Krentz heroes, he’s also wounded and a little obsessed, but Charlotte seems to understand and cope with him admirably.

Krentz is one of my auto-read authors; I’ve read every book she has put out since I first discovered her about five or six years ago, and bought about half of them. Her books never take me long to read, but I know I can always count on them to be suspenseful, fun, and entertaining.

I really enjoyed When All the Girls Have Gone, possibly even more than last year’s Secret Sisters. I very much hope Krentz might be planning a sequel or two. The possibility exists; there’s a mystery in Max’s past that remains unsolved at the end of this book, and it sort of involves both of his foster brothers… who could theoretically end up with their own books. Fingers crossed!

ETA 1/01/2018 to add: Yes, this is a series. Book #2, Promise Not to Tell, comes out on January 2, 2018.

I requested this one back in the day as I had every intention of reading it. However, its been years and I still haven't gotten around to it and while I feel guilty at not reviewing a book I think that I need to admit to myself that I won't be reading this one anytime soon....if at all.

When All The Girls Have Gone is a fast read. The suspense of who done it, the wondering who the next target is, and the fun of getting to know the ladies in the investment club are all what kept me reading and enjoying every page and chapter. There wasn’t a huge mystery as to who did it but it was still entertaining to put the pieces together and figure out the history of Charlotte and Jocelyn.

The romance of Max and Charlotte was my favorite storyline. I loved that it was a respectful, trusting, and slow moving relationship. They started as strangers, accepted that they had a mutual goal of solving Louise’s murder, and it moved on from there. With other PI relationships there is a one up manship but with these two they realized the goal was the same and it was easier to work together instead of keeping secrets.

In true Krentz ways, there were surprises throughout the story that I never saw coming. I really enjoyed the story and recommend picking up your own copy.

This book was so captivating in premise, but fell a bit short for me. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't exactly my favorite. I'd recommend to fans of a good mystery, but it's not one that altogether shocks.

Charlotte Sawyer isn’t one to take risks. But her calm, orderly life is turned upside down when her stepsister, Jocelyn, disappears and Jocelyn’s best friend turns up dead. Desperate to find her sister, Charlotte teams up with Max Culter, a former profiler turned private investigator. What the two of them don’t know is that they’re about to stir up a hornet’s nest. For there are secrets buried well over a decade that are about to be turned up. Secrets someone will kill to protect.

When All the Girls Have Gone is a fast-paced romantic suspense that keeps me entertained every time I read it. Jayne Ann Krentz deftly twines together multiple players, motives, and storylines and the result is an engaging mystery I loved watching Charlotte and Max put together.

At the center of the book are Charlotte and Max, and they’re the reason I find myself coming back to this book. They’re smart, likeable, and their flaws endeared them to me as much as their strengths. Charlotte isn’t bold and she’s definitely not a risk-taker, but she’ll take on everything thrown at her with aplomb because she’s got a huge heart and won’t let the people she loves get hurt. Max has an equally big heart and he’s working to rebuild his life after his career as a profiler crashed and burned. Circumstances throw Charlotte and Max together, but the two of them make a great team from the start. Though they do fall in love incredibly quickly and their love story is understated, they fit one another so well that their slide into love just worked for me.

When All the Girls Have Gone leans more toward the suspense side of romantic suspense. A murder and a disappearance are only the beginning of the mystery. Murder, drugs, rape, and long-buried secrets all come to light and the result is a truly engaging mystery. I honestly don’t want to say much because it would spoil the fun of putting together the pieces alongside Charlotte and Max. This isn’t a pulse-pounding thriller, but Ms. Krentz definitely keeps things moving at a good pace and even during re-reads when I knew what was coming I would get sucked into the story. All in all, When All the Girls Have Gone is a truly satisfying romantic suspense and a great start to the Cutler, Sutter & Salinas series.

Thoroughly enjoyed this romantic suspense. Enjoyed characters, mystery and light romance. All for one foot in front of the other. Go Max and Charlotte.

WHY DID I LISTEN TO WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE BY JAYNE ANN KRENTZ?
When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz is the sort of audiobook that is not in my normal wheelhouse. In all honesty, at this point I cannot even tell you why I downloaded this for review on Netgalley. I have been in a whittle down the queue mood lately. This means that I just want to get my Netgalley ratio up. I do that by listening to the books on audio. Frankly, I am SO glad I listened to this one. Somehow, it just won me over and now a whole new genre feels opened up to me.

WHAT’S THE STORY HERE?
When All The Girls Have Gone follows Charlotte and Max. Charlotte has recently been jilted at the altar. She works at an old folks home and is currently running some writing workshops for the old people. One day, her stepsister, Jocelyn goes off the grid. This is mostly okay, but then Charlotte gets suspicious. Eventually, her path crosses with that of Max Cutler, when she finds out one of Jocelyn’s best friends was found in her apartment dead.

Max is trying to start up a private investigator business in Seattle. Anyways, Max and Charlotte get closer and closer to discovering what actually happened to Jocelyn’s friend, Louise, when they’re basically run off the road. The stakes get pretty high here. THEN THERE’S SOME ROMANCE THAT GOES DOWN.

HOW DID I LIKE WHEN ALL THE GIRLS HAVE GONE?
This book is SO good. Or at least, it is so compelling. Maybe I just have different standards now? I was easily able to follow what was going on as I listened. Charlotte and Max had me totally invested and pretty on edge while listening. This audiobook made a long commute go by so fast. I never once was bored. Now I want to listen to more romantic suspense books.

HOW’S THE NARRATION?
Amanda Leigh Cobb narrates the audiobook of When All The Girls Have Gone. I had to listen to this on CD because I borrowed it from the library. I was not able to speed up the narration. Despite this, I really enjoyed what I had listened to. Cobb does a brilliant job. This is an audiobook that goes by really fast.I think it’s a combination of solid action writing and superb narration. Try this one out on audio, you will not be disappointed.

When I think of romantic suspense, I usually think of Nora Roberts and Jayne Ann Krentz. A new book by one of these two authors is always a reason to celebrate, and yet somehow, I’ve waited until now to read When all the Girls Have Gone… just in time for the UK paperback release.

When all the Girls Have Gone explores what happens to strong women when the system turns against them. It tells the story of Charlotte’s step-sister Jocelyn, raped in college by an unknown assailant, and denied justice and protection by the police. Politically, it was much easier to hide Jocelyn’s rape than publicly stand by her and protect her. Years later, Jocelyn is missing, her best friend is dead, and the other three women from her investment club are behaving very strangely.

When Charlotte meets Max, he’s already working on the tangled case, and he instantly recognizes the ferocity in Charlotte. Her only concern is her sister’s safety, but she reveals enough about herself to intrigue the restrained private investigator. For her part, Charlotte understands Max very well and trusts his abilities fully. The two click from the beginning and their dynamics are very interesting. They are both unusually calm and collected and they approach most things the same way.

The mystery itself isn’t predictable, but it’s a bit over the top. I had a hard time believing that so many people would be involved in such ugliness, and for so many reasons. Even so, the resolution was satisfying and justice was served, which is enough for me.

Some things about Max’s past were left open in the end, which signaled an upcoming sequel. Promise Not to Tell will be released in early 2018 and it will focus on Max’s foster brother Cabot, who’s been through the same tragic ordeal. While I’m hoping for a glimpse of Charlotte and Max, I honestly can’t wait to learn more about Cabot Sutter and the kind of man he is.

I wasn't sure what to expect from my first Jayne Ann Krentz read. I found an enjoyable read with really well developed characters.

Charlotte is so sunny and optimistic! I loved that about her and I enjoyed that she didn't lose that over the course of the book. Both she and Max are fresh from breakups so they are a bit insecure and wary of new relationships. However, their relationship was a bit of a side plot. Not necessarily a bad thing, but this is more a mystery story with a side of romance than a romantic suspense (in my opinion anyway!)

So, Jocelyn is Charlottes step sister. She was raped in college and the case went cold. Now, she is finding some links between rapes like hers and this investment club. So, she investigates. Yeah....we all know how THAT ends up!

There are SO MANY plots that this could have filled 5 books. No joke-there is so much going on you have to pay attention every moment. While I didn't mind that, it was difficult to keep up with everything. And with a book this long, you can't read it in one sitting, so trying to remember what happened every time I picked it back up was tricky. There are also so many POVs-main characters, side characters, etc. I love multiple pov, but this was a little overwhelming at times.

Bottom Line: great characters (even secondary characters are well developed), well crafted suspense, but a whole lot going on that might be overwhelming to some people.

3.8 - nothing earth-shattering, but an enjoyable thriller

Jayne Ann Krentz at her best with romatic suspense. Charlotte Sawyer is looking for her missing sister Jocelyn, enter down on his heels private eye Max Cutler. True to the genre and enjoyable nonetheless.

Can't go wrong with Krentz. Fast paced, strong plot, witty dialogue, good characterization of Max and Charlotte- this was a hit from the first page!

I forgot to review this title a couple of months ago when I read it. I remember enjoying it and sure enough Goodreads has it down as 4/5 stars. The problem is that distance does not keep it fresh. I vaguely remember the title and I remember enjoying it but beyond that? No idea. I would probably recommend it to fans of hers or Nora Roberts or another such author but I'm not sure if I could recommend it more deeply than that.

When All The Girls Have Gone is not your usual thriller, this is more like a cozy mystery. It was different than I first thought when I requested the book, and I was pleasantly surprised. There are not a lot of shocking moments, as it seems to be with cozy mysteries, but I am a sucker for that genre, so I ate it up.

In this book, Charlotte finds out that a best friend is murdered and is trying to locate her sister before she meets the same fate. There is romance in this mystery, which was a nice turn from all the twisted thrillers I usually read.

I give this book 4 shiny gold stars due to the fact I loved the romance, cozy mystery that was surprising to me, and just a fun ride to take.

Max Cutler is struggling to get his PI career off the ground so taking on a new case where the client doesn’t have a lot of money is probably does not make good business sense but a case is a case. What he didn’t count on was that he might have some help finding the killer.

For Charlotte Swayer this is personal. She knew the dead woman as it happens to be one of her sister’s friends. Charlotte’s sister, Jocelyn, is at a retreat but when Charlotte tries to get a hold of her and realizes that Jocelyn never checked in she knows something is very wrong. Charlotte is not a PI but she’s not going to be left out of the investigation and convinces Max that she can help him find her sister.

The two question Jocelyn’s friends and uncover that while the women had formed a financial club there was also another reason that drew them together and now the secrets of their pasts might be what gets them all killed.

Jayne Ann Krentz is a popular author of many romance novels and has won countless awards. While I didn’t feel like this differed much from her other books perhaps that is what keeps her readers coming back. The main characters are always relatable and likable. They are smart and just seem like normal people. I did wonder when I turned the last page if this was the beginning of a series because Max happens to have two other brothers he’s very close to and I could see them all coming together to help with other investigations. I know I would enjoy reading about these characters again.

I love Jayne Ann Krentz, for the exception of a few books here and there I always enjoy her books, When All the Girls Have Gone is no exception. Since JAK has switched back to her normal romantic suspense without the Arcane Society her writing has gotten a smidge darker and grittier, and I like it. It has her normal style the witty banter, exciting action, and a good mystery with some twist and turns. The romance is an easy smooth going one with the story concentrating more on the mystery and suspense aspect more than the romance. The characters, Charlotte and Max, are different sides of the same coin they are similar in how they take life one step at a time but Charlotte is an optimist and Max is more of a realist/pessimist. Max has an interesting backstory that I hope leads to more books with his brothers and adoptive father. Max is a former profiler, but during a high profile case he became obsessed with something from his own past and let it take over his life ruining not only his career but also his marriage. Now a private investigator Max has been asked to uncover the truth behind a young woman’s death. Charlotte and Max join forces and work together trying to find out how everything ties together, where Jocelyn has vanished to, why the investment club members are being so secretive, and how a serial rapist connects them all; a bunch of loose ends that end up in a complicated yet easy to unravel knot by the end.

Louise was murdered and no one seems to care but her young cousin who hires Max Cutler to find out what really happened since the police are satisfied with the easy answer that she overdosed. Jocelyn is missing and Charlotte, her step sister, is now worried that something might have happened to her since Louise was Jocelyn’s best friend. Charlotte didn’t know Louise very well but she is confident that she was murdered. Max and Charlotte start to uncover clues that lead them to believe there is a lot more to the friendship and to the investment group they were part of then they let on. Max’s intuitive and obsessive nature shows him things that everyone else over looks and it leads him right where he needs to be and where to look. Charlotte is good for Max because she understands why he does what he does she has unwavering faith in him and that’s exactly what he needs. The chemistry was there and it was strong but there wasn’t a whole lot of angst between them. They both gave into their feelings easily only hesitant when it came to what future they might have together.

I enjoyed the dark backstory of Max and I love his adoptive father. The story leaves off on his past and the mystery behind it hopefully where his two adoptive brothers can pick up the storyline. Overall, this was a good read that is very much true to JAK’s stlye.

I always love a Jayne Krentz novel and this one didn't disappoint. Thrilling romantic. I look forward to her books no matter what name they come out uner.

This is the typical romance thriller. Nothing great, but the kind of book I like when I don't need to concentrate on characters. The mystery had a few twists to keep you guessing and the romance you saw coming a mile away.

2.5 stars. Typical romantic suspense. The romance seemed a little awkward and forced and some of the lines were a little cheesy. There was a good collection of characters to keep you guessing.

Charlotte's peaceful life is uprooted when her step-sister's friend is murdered and she discovers her step-sister is missing. Max is a former profiler starting his own PI firm, who can use a case. Together, the two of them discover that this case goes far beyond a simple murder and have to decide whether they are willing to risk their lives to find out the truth. A great romantic suspense read, with a compelling mystery and steamy romance.