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Tracers #1
Untraceable
Alex Lovell makes people disappear.
Turns out, she's not the only one.
Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive cop husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst, and sets out to discover what happened. Using every resource she can get her hands on -- including an elite team of forensic scientists known as the Tracers, and a jaded, sexy Austin PD detective -- Alex embarks on a mission to uncover the truth.
As far as homicide cop Nathan Deveraux is concerned, no body means no case. But as much as he wants to believe that Alex's hunch about Melanie's murder is wrong, his instincts -- and their visceral attraction -- won't let him walk away. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, Nathan realizes this investigation runs deeper than they could ever have guessed. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear....
Turns out, she's not the only one.
Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive cop husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst, and sets out to discover what happened. Using every resource she can get her hands on -- including an elite team of forensic scientists known as the Tracers, and a jaded, sexy Austin PD detective -- Alex embarks on a mission to uncover the truth.
As far as homicide cop Nathan Deveraux is concerned, no body means no case. But as much as he wants to believe that Alex's hunch about Melanie's murder is wrong, his instincts -- and their visceral attraction -- won't let him walk away. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, Nathan realizes this investigation runs deeper than they could ever have guessed. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear....
374 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 10, 2009
1,230 people are currently reading
13.8k people want to read
About the author
Laura Griffin
52books3,703followersLaura Griffin is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty books and novellas. She is a two-time RITA Award winner, as well as the recipient of the Daphne du Maurier Award. Laura got her start in journalism before venturing into the world of suspense fiction. Her books have been translated into fourteen languages. Laura lives in Austin, Texas, where she is working on her next novel.
Series:
* Texas Murder Files
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*
*
* Moreno and Hart Mysteries
*
* The Borderline
Series:
* Texas Murder Files
*
*
*
* Moreno and Hart Mysteries
*
* The Borderline
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 645 reviews
November 8, 2019
"Melanie bumped along the pitted road, almost certain she wasn't lost."
This was a hard book to rate. I kept fluctuating back and forth. The plot was good, and I liked the book, but I just couldn't get over the main character's stupidity. She might be a PI, but she was a complete moron. I found myself rolling my eyes at her almost continuously. I would've much rather had an intelligent, strong-willed character, than an idiot who thinks strength is running head first into dangerous situations, only to have to be bailed out at the last minute - and in her case always by a man that she's got dangling on a string. It was like she either had a death wish or damsel in distress syndrome.
On the other hand, I did enjoy the writing. The romance between the characters was well written, and I enjoyed the steamy parts. I felt like those scenes were realistic, instead of being over the top, like most authors of romance are wont to do. Bigger does not mean better, pun very much intended.
It's rare that I don't have plenty to say about a book, but that seems to be the case with this one. I would recommend this if you want a quick and easy read without substance, but if you're looking for a book with depth, or expect your main character to actually use their brain, then I'd skip it.
"And when it was over, she looked up at him and smiled, and that was answer enough because for the first time in her life, she knew she was home."
This was a hard book to rate. I kept fluctuating back and forth. The plot was good, and I liked the book, but I just couldn't get over the main character's stupidity. She might be a PI, but she was a complete moron. I found myself rolling my eyes at her almost continuously. I would've much rather had an intelligent, strong-willed character, than an idiot who thinks strength is running head first into dangerous situations, only to have to be bailed out at the last minute - and in her case always by a man that she's got dangling on a string. It was like she either had a death wish or damsel in distress syndrome.
On the other hand, I did enjoy the writing. The romance between the characters was well written, and I enjoyed the steamy parts. I felt like those scenes were realistic, instead of being over the top, like most authors of romance are wont to do. Bigger does not mean better, pun very much intended.
It's rare that I don't have plenty to say about a book, but that seems to be the case with this one. I would recommend this if you want a quick and easy read without substance, but if you're looking for a book with depth, or expect your main character to actually use their brain, then I'd skip it.
"And when it was over, she looked up at him and smiled, and that was answer enough because for the first time in her life, she knew she was home."
March 12, 2017
Private Investigator Alexandra (Alex) Lovell helps people disappear. When one of those type clients appears to be in trouble and is truly missing, Alex investigates and finds more than she bargained for. Austin Police Department Homicide Detective Nathan Devereaux crosses her path, again, and they work together (sort of) on a case with a lot of dangerous tentacles.
What worked about this story was the mystery and suspense aspect, which was interesting and exciting. The case was difficult to grasp at times (a good thing) and wasn't as predictable as I feared it would be. It was fast paced and I like the whole concept of the Tracers and their introduction. What didn't work so well was Alex and Nathan's relationship. I liked both of them, especially him, but she was a bit of a challenge. I wish more had been devoted to exploring what each found attractive in each other beyond lust. Alex could be terribly frustrating at times and a backstory would have made quite the difference.
This is a really good start to the series. FYI, I'd recommend reading The Glass Sisters series first as the main characters were introduced there. It will probably help increase your enjoyment of this story. 3.5 stars
What worked about this story was the mystery and suspense aspect, which was interesting and exciting. The case was difficult to grasp at times (a good thing) and wasn't as predictable as I feared it would be. It was fast paced and I like the whole concept of the Tracers and their introduction. What didn't work so well was Alex and Nathan's relationship. I liked both of them, especially him, but she was a bit of a challenge. I wish more had been devoted to exploring what each found attractive in each other beyond lust. Alex could be terribly frustrating at times and a backstory would have made quite the difference.
This is a really good start to the series. FYI, I'd recommend reading The Glass Sisters series first as the main characters were introduced there. It will probably help increase your enjoyment of this story. 3.5 stars
February 21, 2015
My favorite genres are romance and mystery so you would think that I’d be a big reader of romantic suspense. Not really. In my opinion, it takes a gifted writer to combine the romance and the mystery so one plot doesn’t take over the other. Sadly, this is what happened here. Add to that the first in the series syndrome where there are tons of characters with neon signs pointing ‘I will be the hero/heroine in a future book!� and you have a rambling romance where the hero and heroine didn’t spend a third of the book together, a suspense plot that was all over the place, two dimensional characters and a ‘strong� heroine bordering on TSTL.
Let’s start with the heroine who’s the worst.
Since the beginning she knows who’s the killer, based on the words of a woman she doesn’t know who repeatedly lied to her. This is a usual conversation between the hero and heroine:
Heroine: He did it!
Hero: He has an alibi.
Heroine: You’re trying to protect him because he’s a cop� I know he did it!
(Whenever this happened, a big WTF was playing over and over in my head.)
There’s never a good explanation as to how the Nefarious Killer (NK) was able to do his evil deeds while manufacturing a good alibi. Oh the author made up a few excuses but they didn't make much sense:
- NK had an accomplice (but we never learn how the accomplice went around killing people without nobody noticing)
- NK is a cop so he knows how to get an alibi, which didn’t make sense to me unless he had an identical twin or could teletransport.
Like the example above, there a lot of red herrings with no payoff � meaning things happen and you never know the reason. For instance, they find a corpse with a tattoo removed and we never learned why the killer did this. The battered woman allegedly does something that doesn’t seem within character…but we never learned if this was true or not. A note to Ms. Griffin: You MUST tie all loose ends!
There’s also no explanation as to why the heroine believes all the BS the woman tells her. The heroine is supposedly a PI computer whiz (don’t get me started on that) but she swallows everything this woman tells her, hook, line and sinker. There was no ‘she reminds me of my little sister who died when she was 15� or ‘this is my chance to make up for not helping my college roommate with the abusive boyfriend�, no reason why a woman who is supposedly smart, who should look at evidence and logic as part of her job, would risk her life against the advice of her friends for a stranger who tells her lie after lie.
Then there’s the lackluster romance. We don’t know what motivates these couple because there’s little internal dialogue. We know she likes his biceps and he thinks she’s strong. They circle around each other, have sex, and say I love you at the end but you don’t really know why they fell in love. I guess they had to because they were the hero and the heroine.
All and all, a mediocre read and a book I wouldn’t recommend to anybody who’s really into mystery OR romance.
Let’s start with the heroine who’s the worst.
Since the beginning she knows who’s the killer, based on the words of a woman she doesn’t know who repeatedly lied to her. This is a usual conversation between the hero and heroine:
Heroine: He did it!
Hero: He has an alibi.
Heroine: You’re trying to protect him because he’s a cop� I know he did it!
(Whenever this happened, a big WTF was playing over and over in my head.)
There’s never a good explanation as to how the Nefarious Killer (NK) was able to do his evil deeds while manufacturing a good alibi. Oh the author made up a few excuses but they didn't make much sense:
- NK had an accomplice (but we never learn how the accomplice went around killing people without nobody noticing)
- NK is a cop so he knows how to get an alibi, which didn’t make sense to me unless he had an identical twin or could teletransport.
Like the example above, there a lot of red herrings with no payoff � meaning things happen and you never know the reason. For instance, they find a corpse with a tattoo removed and we never learned why the killer did this. The battered woman allegedly does something that doesn’t seem within character…but we never learned if this was true or not. A note to Ms. Griffin: You MUST tie all loose ends!
There’s also no explanation as to why the heroine believes all the BS the woman tells her. The heroine is supposedly a PI computer whiz (don’t get me started on that) but she swallows everything this woman tells her, hook, line and sinker. There was no ‘she reminds me of my little sister who died when she was 15� or ‘this is my chance to make up for not helping my college roommate with the abusive boyfriend�, no reason why a woman who is supposedly smart, who should look at evidence and logic as part of her job, would risk her life against the advice of her friends for a stranger who tells her lie after lie.
Then there’s the lackluster romance. We don’t know what motivates these couple because there’s little internal dialogue. We know she likes his biceps and he thinks she’s strong. They circle around each other, have sex, and say I love you at the end but you don’t really know why they fell in love. I guess they had to because they were the hero and the heroine.
All and all, a mediocre read and a book I wouldn’t recommend to anybody who’s really into mystery OR romance.
February 11, 2017
Untraceable is the #1 book in Laura Griffin's romantic suspense series The Tracers which is set in Austin, Texas. I was intrigued by the premise of the series that I read in the author's website.........
This book focuses on Alex Lovell, a former cop turned PI, she now helps women in trouble disappear. She also has high computer skills which she uses to finding online predators, and homicide cop, Nathan Deveraux
The first chapter grabbed me immediately but my interest kind of petered out by halfway. There was so much backwards and forwards going on....and on and on.
Alex Lowell ...I wanted to like her but most of the time she just irritated me. There was more about her and her...and by the end of the book I still wasn't sure who or what she was.
I never felt the chemistry between Alex and Nathan. So, the guy goes out of his way to help her and be there for her...and what does she do???? Gives him a kick in the face!!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am looking forward to the next in this series.
The Tracers: An elite cadre of forensic investigators who use trace--often microscopic--evidence to solve crimes. Detectives look to the Tracers for help when traditional law enforcement agencies aren’t up to the job. Mia Voss and other Tracers at the Delphi Center use cutting-edge forensic techniques to help their clients unravel even the most confounding mysteries.
This book focuses on Alex Lovell, a former cop turned PI, she now helps women in trouble disappear. She also has high computer skills which she uses to finding online predators, and homicide cop, Nathan Deveraux
The first chapter grabbed me immediately but my interest kind of petered out by halfway. There was so much backwards and forwards going on....and on and on.
Alex Lowell ...I wanted to like her but most of the time she just irritated me. There was more about her and her...and by the end of the book I still wasn't sure who or what she was.
I never felt the chemistry between Alex and Nathan. So, the guy goes out of his way to help her and be there for her...and what does she do???? Gives him a kick in the face!!
The plot is interesting and I enjoyed some of the secondary characters such as Mia Vossone of the scientist's that works at the mysterious Delphi Center and Troy Stockton, a crime writer who has a way of getting his story and who also happens to be Alex's ex!!!
This is the first book I've read by this author and I am looking forward to the next in this series.
September 7, 2015
I really enjoyed the mystery in this book. I thought it was a strong plot and kept me reading. My main problem was with the romance. Liked Nathan and felt he was very yummy, but Alex didn't make me feel she should be in a relationship. I like a strong female lead, but at times she crossed the line into stubborn/stupid. I really felt the romance was forced and it just didn't work for me. I want to read more in the series to see if the Delphi Project becomes more of a major player in solving mysteries and crimes in future books.
July 26, 2023
3 Stars
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise and the side characters.
The Not-So-Good: The ending and amount of closure for the couple.
The Bad: The romantic development and relationship.
Overall: This was just alright for me. I wanted a good suspenseful romance and I've had pretty good luck with Ms. Griffin in the past, so I thought I'd try out this new (to me) series. I was confused because while this is the first book in the series, I felt like I was missing something. This is because the mcs knew each other and referenced past encounters in their inner thoughts. Maybe in another series? I didn't realize this was a spin-off if that is the case. I actually didn't like that. It also made it so the relationship development felt lacking and only based on a few sexual experiences. Overall kind of meh 🤷🏻♀�
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Alex and Nathan's story. Alex is a PI that helps women disappear, however, one of the women went rogue and really disappeared from Alex. She reaches out to Nathan, who is a homicide detective, because she feels as though the missing woman was actually murdered by her policeman husband. Nathan is hesitant to call it a murder because there is no body nor any real evidence. Eventually they end up working on it together, lines get crossed and they start an affair, and there's some suspense going on...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Alex and Nathan in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: Kind of because there wasn't that much development past sex.
H (Hero) rating: 3 stars. Nathan. I liked him but I also don't feel like we got that deep into his character.
h (heroine) rating: 3 stars. Alex. I liked her smarts and self confidence but I also was a little annoyed with her commitment-phobia.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No, see cheating spoiler below
Cheating: Not IMO
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with closure in terms of the mystery/suspense but not nearly enough closure for me with the couple. I would call it a HFN ending
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
Opinion Breakdown
The Good: The premise and the side characters.
The Not-So-Good: The ending and amount of closure for the couple.
The Bad: The romantic development and relationship.
Overall: This was just alright for me. I wanted a good suspenseful romance and I've had pretty good luck with Ms. Griffin in the past, so I thought I'd try out this new (to me) series. I was confused because while this is the first book in the series, I felt like I was missing something. This is because the mcs knew each other and referenced past encounters in their inner thoughts. Maybe in another series? I didn't realize this was a spin-off if that is the case. I actually didn't like that. It also made it so the relationship development felt lacking and only based on a few sexual experiences. Overall kind of meh 🤷🏻♀�
Brief Summary of the Storyline: This is Alex and Nathan's story. Alex is a PI that helps women disappear, however, one of the women went rogue and really disappeared from Alex. She reaches out to Nathan, who is a homicide detective, because she feels as though the missing woman was actually murdered by her policeman husband. Nathan is hesitant to call it a murder because there is no body nor any real evidence. Eventually they end up working on it together, lines get crossed and they start an affair, and there's some suspense going on...and they get a HFN ending.
Point Of View (POV): This alternated between focusing on Alex and Nathan in 3rd person narrative.
Overall Pace of Story: Good. I never skimmed and I thought it flowed well.
Instalove: Kind of because there wasn't that much development past sex.
H (Hero) rating: 3 stars. Nathan. I liked him but I also don't feel like we got that deep into his character.
h (heroine) rating: 3 stars. Alex. I liked her smarts and self confidence but I also was a little annoyed with her commitment-phobia.
Sadness level: Low, no tissues needed
Push/Pull: Yes
Heat level: Good. They have some good tension, chemistry, and scenes -- but not so much it takes away from the story.
Descriptive sex: Yes
OW (Other Woman)/OM (Other Man) drama: Yes
Sex scene with OW or OM: No, see cheating spoiler below
Cheating: Not IMO
Separation: Yes
Possible Triggers: Yes
Closure: This ends with closure in terms of the mystery/suspense but not nearly enough closure for me with the couple. I would call it a HFN ending
Safety: This one should be Safe for most safety gang readers
July 27, 2019
3.5 Stars
Alex had a few TSTL choices, and her stubbornness with Nathan was annoying. I did mostly like her despite this. Loved Nathan, and I was hooked to the story. Basically finished this audio book in two days. Set aside my other books to finish.
I look forward to the next in the series!
Alex had a few TSTL choices, and her stubbornness with Nathan was annoying. I did mostly like her despite this. Loved Nathan, and I was hooked to the story. Basically finished this audio book in two days. Set aside my other books to finish.
I look forward to the next in the series!
April 6, 2024
I was first introduced to Alex Lovell in and I really liked her character. She's strong, intelligent, dedicated and loyal to the bone (all of my favorite characteristics in a lead female).
So as soon as I discovered that Alex had her own book, well I just had to read it.
... and then there's Nathan Devereaux (my sexy, Cajun homicide detective working in Austin, TX). *sigh* This book just got soo much better!
I was not disappointed!
Great story, writing, and characters. I will definitely continue on with this series.
September 26, 2010
4.5 stars. Intelligent, clever ideas, things I haven’t heard before. Excellent romantic suspense.
STORY BRIEF:
Alexandra (Alex) is a private detective working mostly for insurance companies, but her passion is helping women disappear from abusive husbands � think civilian run witness protection program. She’s a computer whiz. She helped Melanie disappear, but Melanie broke the rules and returned to her home town. Alex believes Melanie has been killed. Alex asks homicide cop Nathan to help her investigate.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Very good. There were some clever ideas and some things I hadn’t heard before. I liked the conversations. There was nice romantic development. I might have liked a little more wow factor or emotional appeal to give it 5 stars.
I agree with Bookaholics Reviewer who describes this as intelligent, detailed, filled with high tension, and has a feeling similar to watching CSI.
DATA:
Story length: 374 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 15. Setting: current day Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense mystery.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Laura Griffin books, see my 5 star review of “Thread of Fear� posted 5/10/09.
STORY BRIEF:
Alexandra (Alex) is a private detective working mostly for insurance companies, but her passion is helping women disappear from abusive husbands � think civilian run witness protection program. She’s a computer whiz. She helped Melanie disappear, but Melanie broke the rules and returned to her home town. Alex believes Melanie has been killed. Alex asks homicide cop Nathan to help her investigate.
REVIEWER’S OPINION:
Very good. There were some clever ideas and some things I hadn’t heard before. I liked the conversations. There was nice romantic development. I might have liked a little more wow factor or emotional appeal to give it 5 stars.
I agree with Bookaholics Reviewer who describes this as intelligent, detailed, filled with high tension, and has a feeling similar to watching CSI.
DATA:
Story length: 374 pages. Swearing language: strong. Sexual language: mild. Number of sex scenes: 4. Total number of sex scene pages: 15. Setting: current day Austin, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. Copyright: 2009. Genre: romantic suspense mystery.
OTHER BOOKS:
For a list of my reviews of other Laura Griffin books, see my 5 star review of “Thread of Fear� posted 5/10/09.
March 6, 2021
A fast-paced, sexy romantic suspense read. Nathan and Alex are stubborn--well, moreso Alex than Nathan--but they will have you cheering for their happy ending when the suspense is finally over. Nobody writes wounded but strong heroines and the rugged heroes who love them better than Laura Griffin.
1st read 11/27/2009
Re-read 8/17/2016
1st read 11/27/2009
Re-read 8/17/2016
November 8, 2014
Going to give this book 2 and 1/2 stars.
This story had Soo much more potential! I loved certain aspects of it. I thought that the romance between the two main characters was good and I liked how it developed. To be honest, the main reason I read this book was because of the relationship between a private investigator and a cop. It intrigued me, but I was disappointed.
Firstly, I felt as though there were many things that were addressed in the story, but were never finished.
Secondly, I hated how Nathan's ex wife was just dragged into the story. I understand needing that level of drama in the plot to make it more interesting, but I felt as though she was just there. And how she was included in the ending, Seriously? It was just lame. In my opinion, the author should have focused on executing the plot well, in stead of adding unnecessary characters.
On to the third disappointment, lol! Melanie. The whole story was focused on her. She was, in my opinion, supposed to stand out, be the victim. I was supposed to empathise with her, and ACTUALLY care about whether she lived or died. But, half way through the story, I couldn't care less. She was just portrayed as a ditzy women who took major advantage over Alex. And Alex was just plain stupid for giving this women everything, without realising this. It seriously annoyed me, and I couldn't get over it.
I know that so far, all I've listed are the bad things about the book. But, although I don't have clear points on why I liked it, it was a good quick read. I enjoyed Troy's character and I can't wait to learn more about him. I loved how strong and sassy Alex was, although she was just fricking stupid sometimes seriously! Alex just plain frustrated me sometimes. But I did think that there was that spark and chemistry between her and Nathan! :)
Although, I don't know if it was love, there was lust and he defiantly came across as having feelings for her.
This story had Soo much more potential! I loved certain aspects of it. I thought that the romance between the two main characters was good and I liked how it developed. To be honest, the main reason I read this book was because of the relationship between a private investigator and a cop. It intrigued me, but I was disappointed.
Firstly, I felt as though there were many things that were addressed in the story, but were never finished.
Secondly, I hated how Nathan's ex wife was just dragged into the story. I understand needing that level of drama in the plot to make it more interesting, but I felt as though she was just there. And how she was included in the ending, Seriously? It was just lame. In my opinion, the author should have focused on executing the plot well, in stead of adding unnecessary characters.
On to the third disappointment, lol! Melanie. The whole story was focused on her. She was, in my opinion, supposed to stand out, be the victim. I was supposed to empathise with her, and ACTUALLY care about whether she lived or died. But, half way through the story, I couldn't care less. She was just portrayed as a ditzy women who took major advantage over Alex. And Alex was just plain stupid for giving this women everything, without realising this. It seriously annoyed me, and I couldn't get over it.
I know that so far, all I've listed are the bad things about the book. But, although I don't have clear points on why I liked it, it was a good quick read. I enjoyed Troy's character and I can't wait to learn more about him. I loved how strong and sassy Alex was, although she was just fricking stupid sometimes seriously! Alex just plain frustrated me sometimes. But I did think that there was that spark and chemistry between her and Nathan! :)
Although, I don't know if it was love, there was lust and he defiantly came across as having feelings for her.
January 20, 2020
This was a very enjoyable thriller with a nice balance of mystery, intrigue, and suspense. I really enjoyed our intrepid detective (though seeing what made her believable as a PI specializing in cyber stuff in 2009 was kind of funny), and I liked that this didn't do the boring thing where she was so bold as to cross over to stupid. She took risks, but I never felt like she was being dumb about it, and I liked that she was more in the know than the hero at a lot of junctures in the story. All in all, this was really fun, and I am reminded why I like this series so much
February 1, 2018
I'm re-reading the Tracer series, so this is the second time I've read this book. I really liked the plot and definitely liked the hero, Nathan. Nathan was a solid secondary character in The Glass Sister series and it was good seeing him get a starring role.
I had mixed feelings on our heroine, Alex. There were times I liked that she was a strong female character and other times when her character went too far into the loner status.
The plot was good and I enjoy Ms. Griffin's writing style.
I had mixed feelings on our heroine, Alex. There were times I liked that she was a strong female character and other times when her character went too far into the loner status.
The plot was good and I enjoy Ms. Griffin's writing style.
August 4, 2017
* August 2017 - I listened to this book again just to rate the narrator since I had intensely disliked her narration of another book I read this week. She's not my favorite by any means but will stick with this original review.
3/5; 3 stars; B
I read this book several years ago and recently listened to the audio version. Reagan Talmadge did a fairly good job as the narrator but her style is kind of slurry. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, although I really noticed quite a few TSTL live moments by Alex. They seemed to stick out more in this audio version.
3/5; 3 stars; B
I read this book several years ago and recently listened to the audio version. Reagan Talmadge did a fairly good job as the narrator but her style is kind of slurry. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters, although I really noticed quite a few TSTL live moments by Alex. They seemed to stick out more in this audio version.
August 19, 2013
I thought the mystery plot was pretty decent. The romance was a little blah; I couldn't really feel any connection between (or even with) the characters. I also had trouble with Alex's overall attitude toward Nathan. She has no hard proof, yet she is upset that Nathan has to follow police procedures in investigating the case?
I am slightly intrigued by the Delphi Center, so I may read the next book in this series.
I am slightly intrigued by the Delphi Center, so I may read the next book in this series.
July 12, 2014
The first in the Tracers series by Laura Griffin. A wonderful start for the series. I am looking forward to upcoming additions to this series. Great blend of suspense and romance.
May 20, 2017
I enjoyed this romantic suspense and can see it would be a good series all told. Liked the main characters, the work together to solve the case and the list of possible characters for future stories.
February 6, 2017
created a mystery full of potential in , however, lost herself along the way. The plot is unsure but moves along at a brisk pace towards the end.
Alex Lowell is a PI that helps women fly under the radar. But when the last one, Melanie Bess, disappears Alex must find her. She seeks an acquaintance and homicide detective, Nathan Deveraux, for help. He’s somewhat skeptical. Alex believes Melanie’s cop husband is responsible and may have killed her. But has no proof. He feels Alex is holding information, and he’s right.
My biggest problem with this book was Alex herself. As the primary focus of the plot, she should have carried the day. However, she was completely irrational at times and simply irritated me. But I persevered and kept reading the book, despite the impulse to abandon it (I left a few unfinished recently). So, Alex went ahead looking for Melanie regardless of the fact that the victim owned her a lot of money and had disregarded all her advice. Even worst, had returned to Austin. There are no explanations of why she blindly believed everything the woman told her, abandoned her business and risked her life to find Melanie. Why? Why was she so focused on saving battered women? We learn nothing from Griffin: her past holds no secrets, no traumas as far as we know.
Nathan is a dedicated cop, very attracted to Alex and all he wants is to protect her. Regardless, he starts to investigate, but never fully tells Alex about it. I understand it was difficult for him to believe a colleague could be such a bad guy. The feeling I got was that Alex was using him. Despite the mutual attraction, she is very wary of relationships. Again, why? Furthermore, the miscommunication between them is out of this world, and they don’t form a team up to the very end.
Despite its problems, and how it made me mad, was a decent read after the action speeds up. But that was too late and couldn’t adequately compensate the deficiencies already detected.
The Delphi Center or the series might interest me, and I might read the next book to find out more about it. As this was my first book by Laura Griffin, I may try her again hoping that she will build a more believable and lovable heroine and to see if her next plot proves better shaped. In Untranceable, it was a pity that Griffin was unable to make it up to its potential.
Alex Lowell is a PI that helps women fly under the radar. But when the last one, Melanie Bess, disappears Alex must find her. She seeks an acquaintance and homicide detective, Nathan Deveraux, for help. He’s somewhat skeptical. Alex believes Melanie’s cop husband is responsible and may have killed her. But has no proof. He feels Alex is holding information, and he’s right.
My biggest problem with this book was Alex herself. As the primary focus of the plot, she should have carried the day. However, she was completely irrational at times and simply irritated me. But I persevered and kept reading the book, despite the impulse to abandon it (I left a few unfinished recently). So, Alex went ahead looking for Melanie regardless of the fact that the victim owned her a lot of money and had disregarded all her advice. Even worst, had returned to Austin. There are no explanations of why she blindly believed everything the woman told her, abandoned her business and risked her life to find Melanie. Why? Why was she so focused on saving battered women? We learn nothing from Griffin: her past holds no secrets, no traumas as far as we know.
Nathan is a dedicated cop, very attracted to Alex and all he wants is to protect her. Regardless, he starts to investigate, but never fully tells Alex about it. I understand it was difficult for him to believe a colleague could be such a bad guy. The feeling I got was that Alex was using him. Despite the mutual attraction, she is very wary of relationships. Again, why? Furthermore, the miscommunication between them is out of this world, and they don’t form a team up to the very end.
Despite its problems, and how it made me mad, was a decent read after the action speeds up. But that was too late and couldn’t adequately compensate the deficiencies already detected.
The Delphi Center or the series might interest me, and I might read the next book to find out more about it. As this was my first book by Laura Griffin, I may try her again hoping that she will build a more believable and lovable heroine and to see if her next plot proves better shaped. In Untranceable, it was a pity that Griffin was unable to make it up to its potential.
January 9, 2010
This book was a random buy at Wal-Mart. I felt like buying a book and this one looked interesting, especially since it was a romantic suspense book. I hadn't read anything by this author before so I wasn't sure what I'd get. I ended up liking the book quite a bit. It was pretty good.
Series Note:
This book is the first book in Griffin's new "Tracers" series, but the book also has ties to other books by Griffin, with continuing characters and whatnot.
Summary:
Alexandra Lovell is a private investigator who likes to help women in dangerous situations (such as abusive husbands) escape to new lives. She feels strongly for their situations and wants to help them. When one of the women she helped, Melanie, disappears, Alex goes to Austin Homicide Detective Nathan Devereaux for help.
Nathan isn't sure what to believe. There's no proof a crime was committed, and what's more the supposed abusive husband is a fellow cop and friend of Nathan's. But Alex's determination, and his attraction to her, gets to Nathan and he pokes around. Soon, it becomes clear that Alex is on the right track, but that there's much more going on than meets the eye. And Alex's persistence puts her life in danger and the two race to find answers. The chase throws them together and the chemistry between them explodes. First, though, they have to find evidence to put the bad guy behind bars.
Review:
This book was a solid romantic suspense. I really enjoyed the suspense angle of the book. It was interesting and had some twists that I hadn't really expected. It kept me reading and wanting to know how things would work out.
I also just like the way the book was written. It had something of a different feel and vibe to it that made it seem a little different than everything else out there. I'm not sure how to explain it, just that the pacing, the tone and all that was very engaging and readable.
One of my favorite things in the book, though, was oddly enough one of the supporting characters, Troy Stockton, who is one of Alex's exes-turned-friends. At first, I thought he was a jerk because he cheated on Alex, but there was something so intriguing about him. I just wanted to read more of him. Which I'll get in the next book in the series, apparently. But kudos to the author for the set-up of this character. She really made me want more of him.
On the opposite end of the scale, Alex wasn't exactly one of my favorite heroines to read ever. I didn't dislike her, but I found her irritating at times. She's one of those super independent heroines who doesn't want people in her way and always wants to always do things her way. She put very little trust in Nathan and I didn't understand why she just didn't talk to him. At times I thought she was just kinda rude and a bit selfish. Like when she knew Nathan had been at a crime scene all night but yet she went to his house at dawn and woke him up to pester him about something that wasn't dire. That really didn't endear her to me. I thought Nathan needed to stand up to her more.
All that made the romance a little iffy. There was definitely good chemistry between the two, but Alex's personality faults and the fact that I didn't quite understand her took something away from the relationship.
On another note, about the series connections, this book is the first in the Tracers series - which is basically referring to an elite lab the processes trace evidence - and when I bought the book, that was all I knew. But as I was reading, I kept getting the feeling that I was missing something. Like supporting characters were already established and that there were storylines I'd missed. So I read a summary for Griffin's last book and found out that Nathan's partner in this book and a former client of Alex's were the H/H of that book. And if you poke back to the book before that there looks to be more character connections. Kind of a common universe situation. This book doesn't require having read those, the current plot is independent of those, but I still felt like I was missing a little something as I was reading. There are a lot of references to past events and I felt a little like I should have read them first. But it's definitely not necessary to have done that.
But all in all, this was a solid book. I liked the romantic suspense angle a lot and if the romance and heroine had been a little better, I think this could have easily been a 5-star book.
Series Note:
This book is the first book in Griffin's new "Tracers" series, but the book also has ties to other books by Griffin, with continuing characters and whatnot.
Summary:
Alexandra Lovell is a private investigator who likes to help women in dangerous situations (such as abusive husbands) escape to new lives. She feels strongly for their situations and wants to help them. When one of the women she helped, Melanie, disappears, Alex goes to Austin Homicide Detective Nathan Devereaux for help.
Nathan isn't sure what to believe. There's no proof a crime was committed, and what's more the supposed abusive husband is a fellow cop and friend of Nathan's. But Alex's determination, and his attraction to her, gets to Nathan and he pokes around. Soon, it becomes clear that Alex is on the right track, but that there's much more going on than meets the eye. And Alex's persistence puts her life in danger and the two race to find answers. The chase throws them together and the chemistry between them explodes. First, though, they have to find evidence to put the bad guy behind bars.
Review:
This book was a solid romantic suspense. I really enjoyed the suspense angle of the book. It was interesting and had some twists that I hadn't really expected. It kept me reading and wanting to know how things would work out.
I also just like the way the book was written. It had something of a different feel and vibe to it that made it seem a little different than everything else out there. I'm not sure how to explain it, just that the pacing, the tone and all that was very engaging and readable.
One of my favorite things in the book, though, was oddly enough one of the supporting characters, Troy Stockton, who is one of Alex's exes-turned-friends. At first, I thought he was a jerk because he cheated on Alex, but there was something so intriguing about him. I just wanted to read more of him. Which I'll get in the next book in the series, apparently. But kudos to the author for the set-up of this character. She really made me want more of him.
On the opposite end of the scale, Alex wasn't exactly one of my favorite heroines to read ever. I didn't dislike her, but I found her irritating at times. She's one of those super independent heroines who doesn't want people in her way and always wants to always do things her way. She put very little trust in Nathan and I didn't understand why she just didn't talk to him. At times I thought she was just kinda rude and a bit selfish. Like when she knew Nathan had been at a crime scene all night but yet she went to his house at dawn and woke him up to pester him about something that wasn't dire. That really didn't endear her to me. I thought Nathan needed to stand up to her more.
All that made the romance a little iffy. There was definitely good chemistry between the two, but Alex's personality faults and the fact that I didn't quite understand her took something away from the relationship.
On another note, about the series connections, this book is the first in the Tracers series - which is basically referring to an elite lab the processes trace evidence - and when I bought the book, that was all I knew. But as I was reading, I kept getting the feeling that I was missing something. Like supporting characters were already established and that there were storylines I'd missed. So I read a summary for Griffin's last book and found out that Nathan's partner in this book and a former client of Alex's were the H/H of that book. And if you poke back to the book before that there looks to be more character connections. Kind of a common universe situation. This book doesn't require having read those, the current plot is independent of those, but I still felt like I was missing a little something as I was reading. There are a lot of references to past events and I felt a little like I should have read them first. But it's definitely not necessary to have done that.
But all in all, this was a solid book. I liked the romantic suspense angle a lot and if the romance and heroine had been a little better, I think this could have easily been a 5-star book.
February 27, 2019
Okay, so the plot of this book and the crime aspect are good. I also really like the premise of the Delphi Center and the strong female characters that aligned with the Center. The part I struggle with is the “romantic� aspect of this romantic thriller genre. It felt cheesy and predictable and altogether unoriginal. Given my shared feelings for this first book and the second book in the series that I have read as well, I am not sure if I will continue reading publications in this series or not.
December 4, 2009
4 stars � Romantic Suspense
April 27, 2012
Okay, I'm going to try and keep this review short... no, really, I'm going to try and keep this review short. I'm not kidding!
Untracable (Tracers #1)
General Impressions, Thoughts, Feelings, etc...
If you are big on Feminist issues, you will be caught in a juxta position. That means you'll have to tape some brown paper around it so nobody can see what you are reading because, once you start it, you'll want to finish it.
This book turned out to be a delightful read. I liked the female lead initially, and even though she did not turn out to be what I expected, she was likeable through the end. Before I read this, I read some of the GR Reviews. I was under the impression that this would be comparable to by . If you liked that book, and actually want a book that compares to it, then this may not be for you.
Why not? Because Snake Skin is about a strong leading woman, crime fighter, soccer-mom action hero type. Untracable is more like most of the other books in this genre (remember genre, from a publisher's point of view means what formula can I sell, not where does this fit, or what did the author write).
Having said that, that doesn't mean this is not an enjoyable book. It had enough gritty details to be scary, or rather, so the characters reactions fit the feelings described, but not enough for me to consider it noirish or "hard boiled." I found it funny where it was supposed to be funny, tense and thrilling where it was supposed to be and hot and steamy when...well, darn near boiled the e-ink off of my kindle page without having a dirty or naughty feel to it. It's nice to read a relatively clean if complicated romance angle.
Three stars from me, I would recommend this to just about anyone old enough to think about sex without getting somebody arrested and who like tense thrillers but are not so hot on lots of gory violence.
Synopsis:
Alex is a self-made woman at the ripe old age of twenty something who works as a private investigator. She makes a fair living at that, and takes on bleeding heart cases where she helps abused and battered women, disappear so their attackers, the police and everyone else can never find them. She's high school educated with a PHD in how to do things...in creative-semi-legal ways. Her real specialty is with computers and electronic devices.
She's also a romantic wreck who tells herself she'd rather be the sexy blond in "The Sure Thing" (John Cusak, Daphne Zuniga(SP), Anthony Edwards) played by Nicolette Sheridan as the girl the title fits. Sex, no strings attached, no guilt, no problems. In truth, everyone on the planet knows that's a crock of smelly human fecal matter.
The Hero, a brauny, hunky Austin cop with an ex-wife, don't all cops have an ex-wife?, and a lot of survivor guilt issues over his cases. He was born and raised in New Orleans and that gives some identity to him, but, other than that, he's just another brauny hunky (in girl terms not guy terms) cop, with a soft heart and a lot of insight that we get to read, but he never shares. He takes his job seriously, very seriously and, he's horny...did I mention the ex wife thing?
Um... to make a long story short (without giving details to spoil the book) cute, spunky, sexy rather than smokin' hot magazine cover sexy girl gets in over her head, well meaning cop gets caught up in things and low and behold, there's a three headed monster lurking right in Austin's backyard leaving dead bodies and wondering where it's wife is...I wonder who helped her get away?....ALEX Get in HERE!
If your looking for something remarkably new and unique, you won't find it here but you may also be taking yourself and your "sense of real Art" too seriously.
This book is exciting, cute, steamy, thrilling and a lot of fun to read. It's unique enough not to be boring and the insights into their true natures and fears keeps them human and animated, rather than clunky and mechanical. I'm not sure I'd give this book to anyone under 18 without a parents approval, it's a bit more than PG material, but it's not going to offend anyone. It's well written, polished and professional. It's by no means light subject matter or in content and it's complex and multi-faceted in a mature sense not high shcoolish.
Likes
I liked the characters. I think they were formulaic, but that makes this a testament to Griffin's skill and talent as a writer to bring these cardboard cut outs into our homes and put flesh and blood on them so I cared about them.
The writer is better than the book allows her to show.
Regrets?
There aren't many and what I have are not major reservations, just it would be nice if's.
1) It may have been my Kindle version, but there was little warning in chapters when the scene switched and we got out of Alex's head into Nathan's or someone elses. It was like snap boom and you were there, not even a cloud of smoke. Also, between jumps, days or weeks may have passed. Now, that's probably true to life as to how crimes etc. get solved. It is also realistic to think these two people have to pay their bills get their laundry done, clean the house etc and that may not be particularly exciting. It just made it hard to follow sometimes and often left me wanting more information about the scene we abruptly left. ... which of course isn't always a bad thing.
2) No strong female character. Alex fills in for the strong female lead, but spunk only carries so far. Alex, really fills the DiD role, or the DiOH - damsel in over her head role.
I'm perfectly fine with that. I like strong female charactrs but I see this as a good old fashioned crime novel and, as good ol' fashioned crime novels go, there's lots of strength, independence and courage in Alex's character and character design. She was wonderfully quirky, not the gasping breathtaking beauty from a magazine cover and spunky as hell. It was also sort of in keeping with her character design/background to be the type that kicks the hornest nest and play with fire. She just doesn't have a "dragon tatoo." And as intelligent and capable as she was, from what I read, she really didn't have a clue what she was up againstso her predicaments may have been logical and expectable.
Still, If not Alex, I would have liked for Nathan's Partner to be a strong female type, or maybe someone else, FBI Agent, Texas Ranger, anyone with a semi-major supporting role, to be a strong female type. As it was, the strongest female, other than alex and Sophie, was Melanie's NA/AA Sponsor. She only had a limited caemo appearance. Mia gets honerable mention, but she had BDS (Barbie Doll Syndrome), and there were no places to confirm her "strength of character" when the bullets fly and the chips are down.
I like that nothing happened in this book that would keep Alex from being the strong female lead in the next book and not so much the DiOH/DiD. Griffin left her potential alive.
3) Emphasis on Romance... this was either a crime story that thought it was a Romance novel, or the little Romance Novel that wanted to be a Crime Novel. A hint on the "Book Description" might have been helpful here. I enjoyed it, and I will read the sequell but the book seemed sort of like it had a split personality at times.
Warnings (not many, all managable for most reasonable people)
1. Violence - If your not expecting some maybe a nice fairyland childrens tail is more what you need.
2. Sex - both the bad kind (the evil that men do...to women) and the good kind (Two heros against the world holed up in a hotell room, a little drunk and horny... you get the idea).
3. Sheep in Wolf's clothing- Normally I don't like the shepard syndrom especially when they go in drag as each other. This time I did because I think it Alex was well designed. If you are reading this looking for the strong independent female heroine, your not going to find her here. Alex is a wonderful character, but in this book, she's still the DiD for Nathan to save, at least in this book. I don't think female readers should take offense at this, Alex is a wonderful character and the way she is written is not degrading to women, save that it's a typical female role. (to NEED saving and have everyone know your business better than you.) If you are big on Feminist issues, you will be caught in a juxta position. That means you'll have to tape some brown paper around it so nobody can see what you are reading because, once you start it, you'll want to finish it.
Untracable (Tracers #1)
General Impressions, Thoughts, Feelings, etc...
If you are big on Feminist issues, you will be caught in a juxta position. That means you'll have to tape some brown paper around it so nobody can see what you are reading because, once you start it, you'll want to finish it.
This book turned out to be a delightful read. I liked the female lead initially, and even though she did not turn out to be what I expected, she was likeable through the end. Before I read this, I read some of the GR Reviews. I was under the impression that this would be comparable to by . If you liked that book, and actually want a book that compares to it, then this may not be for you.
Why not? Because Snake Skin is about a strong leading woman, crime fighter, soccer-mom action hero type. Untracable is more like most of the other books in this genre (remember genre, from a publisher's point of view means what formula can I sell, not where does this fit, or what did the author write).
Having said that, that doesn't mean this is not an enjoyable book. It had enough gritty details to be scary, or rather, so the characters reactions fit the feelings described, but not enough for me to consider it noirish or "hard boiled." I found it funny where it was supposed to be funny, tense and thrilling where it was supposed to be and hot and steamy when...well, darn near boiled the e-ink off of my kindle page without having a dirty or naughty feel to it. It's nice to read a relatively clean if complicated romance angle.
Three stars from me, I would recommend this to just about anyone old enough to think about sex without getting somebody arrested and who like tense thrillers but are not so hot on lots of gory violence.
Synopsis:
Alex is a self-made woman at the ripe old age of twenty something who works as a private investigator. She makes a fair living at that, and takes on bleeding heart cases where she helps abused and battered women, disappear so their attackers, the police and everyone else can never find them. She's high school educated with a PHD in how to do things...in creative-semi-legal ways. Her real specialty is with computers and electronic devices.
She's also a romantic wreck who tells herself she'd rather be the sexy blond in "The Sure Thing" (John Cusak, Daphne Zuniga(SP), Anthony Edwards) played by Nicolette Sheridan as the girl the title fits. Sex, no strings attached, no guilt, no problems. In truth, everyone on the planet knows that's a crock of smelly human fecal matter.
The Hero, a brauny, hunky Austin cop with an ex-wife, don't all cops have an ex-wife?, and a lot of survivor guilt issues over his cases. He was born and raised in New Orleans and that gives some identity to him, but, other than that, he's just another brauny hunky (in girl terms not guy terms) cop, with a soft heart and a lot of insight that we get to read, but he never shares. He takes his job seriously, very seriously and, he's horny...did I mention the ex wife thing?
Um... to make a long story short (without giving details to spoil the book) cute, spunky, sexy rather than smokin' hot magazine cover sexy girl gets in over her head, well meaning cop gets caught up in things and low and behold, there's a three headed monster lurking right in Austin's backyard leaving dead bodies and wondering where it's wife is...I wonder who helped her get away?....ALEX Get in HERE!
If your looking for something remarkably new and unique, you won't find it here but you may also be taking yourself and your "sense of real Art" too seriously.
This book is exciting, cute, steamy, thrilling and a lot of fun to read. It's unique enough not to be boring and the insights into their true natures and fears keeps them human and animated, rather than clunky and mechanical. I'm not sure I'd give this book to anyone under 18 without a parents approval, it's a bit more than PG material, but it's not going to offend anyone. It's well written, polished and professional. It's by no means light subject matter or in content and it's complex and multi-faceted in a mature sense not high shcoolish.
Likes
I liked the characters. I think they were formulaic, but that makes this a testament to Griffin's skill and talent as a writer to bring these cardboard cut outs into our homes and put flesh and blood on them so I cared about them.
The writer is better than the book allows her to show.
Regrets?
There aren't many and what I have are not major reservations, just it would be nice if's.
1) It may have been my Kindle version, but there was little warning in chapters when the scene switched and we got out of Alex's head into Nathan's or someone elses. It was like snap boom and you were there, not even a cloud of smoke. Also, between jumps, days or weeks may have passed. Now, that's probably true to life as to how crimes etc. get solved. It is also realistic to think these two people have to pay their bills get their laundry done, clean the house etc and that may not be particularly exciting. It just made it hard to follow sometimes and often left me wanting more information about the scene we abruptly left. ... which of course isn't always a bad thing.
2) No strong female character. Alex fills in for the strong female lead, but spunk only carries so far. Alex, really fills the DiD role, or the DiOH - damsel in over her head role.
I'm perfectly fine with that. I like strong female charactrs but I see this as a good old fashioned crime novel and, as good ol' fashioned crime novels go, there's lots of strength, independence and courage in Alex's character and character design. She was wonderfully quirky, not the gasping breathtaking beauty from a magazine cover and spunky as hell. It was also sort of in keeping with her character design/background to be the type that kicks the hornest nest and play with fire. She just doesn't have a "dragon tatoo." And as intelligent and capable as she was, from what I read, she really didn't have a clue what she was up againstso her predicaments may have been logical and expectable.
Still, If not Alex, I would have liked for Nathan's Partner to be a strong female type, or maybe someone else, FBI Agent, Texas Ranger, anyone with a semi-major supporting role, to be a strong female type. As it was, the strongest female, other than alex and Sophie, was Melanie's NA/AA Sponsor. She only had a limited caemo appearance. Mia gets honerable mention, but she had BDS (Barbie Doll Syndrome), and there were no places to confirm her "strength of character" when the bullets fly and the chips are down.
I like that nothing happened in this book that would keep Alex from being the strong female lead in the next book and not so much the DiOH/DiD. Griffin left her potential alive.
3) Emphasis on Romance... this was either a crime story that thought it was a Romance novel, or the little Romance Novel that wanted to be a Crime Novel. A hint on the "Book Description" might have been helpful here. I enjoyed it, and I will read the sequell but the book seemed sort of like it had a split personality at times.
Warnings (not many, all managable for most reasonable people)
1. Violence - If your not expecting some maybe a nice fairyland childrens tail is more what you need.
2. Sex - both the bad kind (the evil that men do...to women) and the good kind (Two heros against the world holed up in a hotell room, a little drunk and horny... you get the idea).
3. Sheep in Wolf's clothing- Normally I don't like the shepard syndrom especially when they go in drag as each other. This time I did because I think it Alex was well designed. If you are reading this looking for the strong independent female heroine, your not going to find her here. Alex is a wonderful character, but in this book, she's still the DiD for Nathan to save, at least in this book. I don't think female readers should take offense at this, Alex is a wonderful character and the way she is written is not degrading to women, save that it's a typical female role. (to NEED saving and have everyone know your business better than you.) If you are big on Feminist issues, you will be caught in a juxta position. That means you'll have to tape some brown paper around it so nobody can see what you are reading because, once you start it, you'll want to finish it.
October 5, 2020
I didn't like the romance of this one, specially the H.
March 16, 2019
Narrator review: Holden Still & Kate Mitchell
Distinguishable between characters: 5 Stars
Impersonating opposite sex: 4 Stars
Accents: N/A
Any critiques: None
Overall enjoyment of Performance: 5 Stars.
Recommend audible version: Yes
Borrowed on Audible Romance Package
Story review:
I read book 12 in the Tracers series, loved it and knew I had to go back to the beginning and read them all. This series has such wide cast of characters that I wanted to get to know their start. Book 1 starts with Alexandra and Nathan.
Alexandra is a private detective. She's known for helping people disappear. When she finds out one of her clients came back home risking exposure only to end up missing again, she is on the hunt to find out what happened to her. Alexandra is pretty persistent. She's one person you want on your side.
Nathan is a homicide detective. He's divorced but a loyal man. One look at Alexandra and he recognizes there is a connection there, he just has to get her to be open to that connection. When Alexandra brings her theory of a corrupt cop to him, he must figure out how to help her and protect her at the same time.
While these two try to uncover what is going on with the missing wife and possibly dirty cop, Nathan is trying to get Alexandra to be open to a relationship. He likes her, he's drawn to her and he can't seem to stay away but Alexandra is easily spooked. It's one of my favorite scenarios. I love to see the man chasing the woman.
While I loved book 12 more, this book was still very good and a great start to the series. I'm looking forward to the next one.
Distinguishable between characters: 5 Stars
Impersonating opposite sex: 4 Stars
Accents: N/A
Any critiques: None
Overall enjoyment of Performance: 5 Stars.
Recommend audible version: Yes
Borrowed on Audible Romance Package
Story review:
I read book 12 in the Tracers series, loved it and knew I had to go back to the beginning and read them all. This series has such wide cast of characters that I wanted to get to know their start. Book 1 starts with Alexandra and Nathan.
Alexandra is a private detective. She's known for helping people disappear. When she finds out one of her clients came back home risking exposure only to end up missing again, she is on the hunt to find out what happened to her. Alexandra is pretty persistent. She's one person you want on your side.
Nathan is a homicide detective. He's divorced but a loyal man. One look at Alexandra and he recognizes there is a connection there, he just has to get her to be open to that connection. When Alexandra brings her theory of a corrupt cop to him, he must figure out how to help her and protect her at the same time.
While these two try to uncover what is going on with the missing wife and possibly dirty cop, Nathan is trying to get Alexandra to be open to a relationship. He likes her, he's drawn to her and he can't seem to stay away but Alexandra is easily spooked. It's one of my favorite scenarios. I love to see the man chasing the woman.
While I loved book 12 more, this book was still very good and a great start to the series. I'm looking forward to the next one.
November 16, 2015
This was a great first book in the series. I liked Alex from where we met her before. I thought that she was a gritty and determined heroine to do all that she could to protect her clients. Now if only her clients would listen to her. People come to Alex for her to help them disappear. If they follow her advice, then they vanish like a puff of smoke. But when her clients start turning up dead, did the clients not follow direction or is something more sinister at work? Nathan, a homicide detective, know how hard-headed Alex can be. Can he keep her safe as it seems someone wants her out of business permanently. We know Alex and Nathan from the Glass sister's series and I thought they had a great connection even then. It continued throughout the book and I was happy to see them get their HEA.
December 1, 2009
Very suspenseful with a good romance. Characters were well developed and maintained a strong dialogue throughout. Very strong-willed and tough heroine. Have enjoyed every book written by this relatively new author.
June 18, 2016
Two-haiku review:
She helps women hide
A client ignored advice
Now missing or dead
Could have been deeper
But still pretty good story
And okay romance
This particular couple didn't really grab me, but good enough to continue series.
She helps women hide
A client ignored advice
Now missing or dead
Could have been deeper
But still pretty good story
And okay romance
This particular couple didn't really grab me, but good enough to continue series.
November 5, 2020
Rate : 4.5 rounded up to 5 for GR
Reviewed for
When I picked up this book, I really needed to read a romantic suspense to clear my head and forget about a few things. This definitely fit the bill, and more !
The thing about romantic suspenses is that it's hard to find one which balances the "suspense" equally with the "romantic". There's usually too much of one or the other. Here, nothing like this : a perfectly good plot with a good deal of investigation, solid characters that you come to appreciate, I could easily see the story adaptated for tv.
The heroin, Alex (Alexandra) is a no-nonsense woman. She's never been in love in her life but never missed it : she runs her own business that she spent years building. Not a glamorous business, she's an ordinary PI, but she's clever and good at what she does.
"When she saw something she wanted, she steeled herself for possible rejection and then just went for it."
Nathan is an honest, solid cop. They have some mutual friends, have felt an attraction for each other but have never acted upon it.
Alex has a soft spot for beaten women, her specialty is to help them find an escape from their abuser and make them disappear. Somehow Melanie, one of her ex-clients, has gone out of hiding and Alex thinks it's very likely that she has been murdered. But her ex is a cop, so instead of starting an official investigation, she asks for Nathan's help. Her inquiry is about to reveal a lot more than they thought.
I really liked how this story was told : action, suspense, interesting plot, a romance I was curious to see develop. Really, a perfect read. And I hate the word perfect ! Plus, for once, the two main characters had no tragic personal history, a nice change.
Why didn't I give it a 5, then ? Because I wanted to know why Alex was so involved with abused women. There must have been a reason at the start, something that would explain why her investigation on Melanie had been sloppy, as she admitted it herself. That's all.
Excellent book, highly recommended !
Reviewed for
When I picked up this book, I really needed to read a romantic suspense to clear my head and forget about a few things. This definitely fit the bill, and more !
The thing about romantic suspenses is that it's hard to find one which balances the "suspense" equally with the "romantic". There's usually too much of one or the other. Here, nothing like this : a perfectly good plot with a good deal of investigation, solid characters that you come to appreciate, I could easily see the story adaptated for tv.
The heroin, Alex (Alexandra) is a no-nonsense woman. She's never been in love in her life but never missed it : she runs her own business that she spent years building. Not a glamorous business, she's an ordinary PI, but she's clever and good at what she does.
"When she saw something she wanted, she steeled herself for possible rejection and then just went for it."
Nathan is an honest, solid cop. They have some mutual friends, have felt an attraction for each other but have never acted upon it.
Alex has a soft spot for beaten women, her specialty is to help them find an escape from their abuser and make them disappear. Somehow Melanie, one of her ex-clients, has gone out of hiding and Alex thinks it's very likely that she has been murdered. But her ex is a cop, so instead of starting an official investigation, she asks for Nathan's help. Her inquiry is about to reveal a lot more than they thought.
I really liked how this story was told : action, suspense, interesting plot, a romance I was curious to see develop. Really, a perfect read. And I hate the word perfect ! Plus, for once, the two main characters had no tragic personal history, a nice change.
Why didn't I give it a 5, then ? Because I wanted to know why Alex was so involved with abused women. There must have been a reason at the start, something that would explain why her investigation on Melanie had been sloppy, as she admitted it herself. That's all.
Excellent book, highly recommended !
May 10, 2022
Untraceable
3.5 Stars
Alex Lovell helps women disappear but when one of her clients vanishes without a trace, Alex is convinced that her husband killed her and asks Austin PD detective, Nathan Deveraux, to help her uncover the truth. Skeptical at first, Nathan soon realizes that nothing is as it seems and Alex has put herself on a dangerous, if not deadly, path.
Series Note: While this is the first book in the Tracers series, the characters appear in the earlier Glass Sisters series as well.
A fast paced read with some exciting moments but the romance is mundane and underdeveloped.
The suspense plot is interesting with several clever twists and turns, and a sufficiently smarmy villain. Nevertheless, there are also a number of plot holes and loose ends that could have been tied up more effectively.
The romance is not the best mainly because Alex and Nathan are constantly at odds. There is no real reason for their attraction (other than sex that is) and she, in particular, runs a little too hot and cold for my taste.
The characters, both primary and secondary, are human and realistic. Nathan is a strong hero type but he is divorced and his actions as a police detective, while appropriate, place him in conflict with the more emotional Alex.
Alex's history is a little more complex with some family and relationship issues. Unfortunately, her characterization is not always consistent. For a supposedly intelligent and professional PI, she makes too many assumptions without evidence and takes everything at face value. There is also no explanation for her determination to help women on the run.
The writing is good (despite the clumsy transitions between POVs), the forensic elements are compelling and the secondary characters, especially Mia and Troy, are interesting enough to continue reading the series.
3.5 Stars
Alex Lovell helps women disappear but when one of her clients vanishes without a trace, Alex is convinced that her husband killed her and asks Austin PD detective, Nathan Deveraux, to help her uncover the truth. Skeptical at first, Nathan soon realizes that nothing is as it seems and Alex has put herself on a dangerous, if not deadly, path.
Series Note: While this is the first book in the Tracers series, the characters appear in the earlier Glass Sisters series as well.
A fast paced read with some exciting moments but the romance is mundane and underdeveloped.
The suspense plot is interesting with several clever twists and turns, and a sufficiently smarmy villain. Nevertheless, there are also a number of plot holes and loose ends that could have been tied up more effectively.
The romance is not the best mainly because Alex and Nathan are constantly at odds. There is no real reason for their attraction (other than sex that is) and she, in particular, runs a little too hot and cold for my taste.
The characters, both primary and secondary, are human and realistic. Nathan is a strong hero type but he is divorced and his actions as a police detective, while appropriate, place him in conflict with the more emotional Alex.
Alex's history is a little more complex with some family and relationship issues. Unfortunately, her characterization is not always consistent. For a supposedly intelligent and professional PI, she makes too many assumptions without evidence and takes everything at face value. There is also no explanation for her determination to help women on the run.
The writing is good (despite the clumsy transitions between POVs), the forensic elements are compelling and the secondary characters, especially Mia and Troy, are interesting enough to continue reading the series.
June 9, 2016
Not a bad read, took me a bit to sort out all the characters though. The main character Alexandra "Alex" Lovell is one of those people that can be a bit irritating and way too often is TSTL! Once I got past that love/hate relationship I settled down to a good mystery involving murder, bad cops, and missing people!
This is the first book in the series, I wasn't sure after the first couple of chapters whether I was going to finish the book or not, but I persevered and I am glad that I did. It was a pretty good guessing game as to who is good and who is bad, throw in a couple of very steamy episodes and you have a decent book, although not for everyone.
2 thumbs up and 4 stars
This is the first book in the series, I wasn't sure after the first couple of chapters whether I was going to finish the book or not, but I persevered and I am glad that I did. It was a pretty good guessing game as to who is good and who is bad, throw in a couple of very steamy episodes and you have a decent book, although not for everyone.
2 thumbs up and 4 stars
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