Tuesday 18 October 2016

Review: Beautiful Maids All in a Row by Jennifer Harlow

Beautiful Maids All in a Row (Iris Ballard #1) by Jennifer Harlow
Publisher: Alibi
Publication date: October 11th 2016
My rating: 4.5 stars 
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25644437-find-her
Dr. Iris Ballard’s glory days are behind her, so when Luke Hudson, her former FBI partner and onetime lover, asks for help constructing a psychological profile of an elusive serial killer who murders single mothers and dumps their bodies in the woods, Iris turns him away. She just wants to be left alone with her infomercials, her German Shepherd, and her vodka. That is, until she gets a peek at the case files.

The media has dubbed him “the Woodsman.” But after Iris learns the sickening details held back from the press, and as she sets foot onto the scene of his latest crime, she assembles a portrait of a more complicated, enigmatic, meticulous man. Control is his motivation. He thrives on it. Soon he even tries to manipulate the investigation by contacting Iris, hoping to rattle the woman he considers an intellectual equal.

The game is on. Iris thinks she has a read on her target, enough to push his buttons, to make him lose control. But when the Woodsman gains the upper hand, Iris faces the most painful reckoning of all—with her own violent past.
 


My Thoughts:
I’ve always been drawn to crime drama/mysteries, piecing together the evidence, outsmarting a killer, finding out what makes them tick.  But what made this story were Iris, a troubled ex-FBI profiler and her past partner, Luke who still works for the Bureau.  Their history and relationship was just as interesting as catching the killer to me. The two reunite to track down The Woodsman, a sicko who abducts, rapes, and tortures his female victims until he finishes them off by strangulation. It was ugly and brutal! There is a fight against the clock to find and stop this murderer before he abducts his next victim, and I felt Iris and Luke’s urgency and desperation as they hunt him.  Iris’ involvement in the case catches the attention of this horrible man, and I was very worried for her safety!

At first Iris is a self-destructive mess , something that frustrates me to no end, even if she did have plenty of good reasons to be a mess, I just find it hard to witness that kind of behavior.  Thankfully, investigating The Woodsman snapped her right out of that.  Being with Luke again, even though they pushed each other’s buttons a lot, seemed to help her get back into the land of the living, too.  I was fascinated by Iris’ ability to nail down so many things about the killer just by examining the evidence.  Some of her instincts seemed uncanny, which is why she’s pulled into this world all over again.

Luke and Iris must sort through their feelings for each other, in the midst of this pressure cooker!  Even though they’ve been apart for a couple of years, being together again makes it seem like they never parted. They spent so many hours together as partners in the past, knew each better than anyone else, and now they contend with the old feelings that led to a night of passion neither can forget.  Lust and attraction spark between these two and I just wanted more! I was pleased with how it ended, but I’m eager for the next installment to see how it all works out!

Beautiful Maids All in a Row was an exciting thriller guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat, biting your nails, and hoping this monster is caught or *better yet* dead by the end of this roller coaster ride! I can’t wait for the next book!



Connect with Jennifer Harlow


10 comments:

Keertana said...

Woah, this cover and title are so haunting! I'm definitely intrigued and I love the sound of these characters so I will absolutely have to pick up a copy soon! Thanks for putting this on my radar, Rachel! :)

Brandie said...

Great review, Rachel! I was curious about this one. I'm not sure about the main character being annoying, but it sounds like it's worth reading anyway!

Alyssa said...

OMG this cover reminds me of that picture from Wimbledon with the seven or eight white guys who took a selfie down the line. It was great!

Anyway, shoot! You make this sound good. I don't read nearly enough crime dramas/mysteries. I'm glad the romance really worked. :D

Great review, Rachel!

Alyssa @ The Eater of Books!

Lekeisha said...

This sounds great, even if It's not a genre I read often. That cover really freaks me out.

Heidi@Rainy Day Ramblings said...

Even though you really liked this one, I just can't do the violence right now. Too dark.

Joy said...

Oh, man. This sounds so good, Rachel. I'm glad that her being a mess didn't deter you from enjoying this book. I probably would've been frustrated as well.

Great review! I have to check it out.

Unknown said...

okay I have to admit, looking at the cover it does not look like a mystery but it sounds great...with the exception of the fact that it sounds brutal

Eva @ All Books Considered said...

Great review Rachel! How have I not heard of this one?! It really sounds good and like the kind of book I'd love!!

Ksenia said...

I haven’t heard about this book, but I don’t read a lot of crime mysteries these days. It’s hard for me to witness self-destructive behavior too, glad to hear she snapped out of that. The killer sounds like a monster; I hope he got caught by the end. Great review, Rachel!

Carina Olsen said...

Awesome review Rachel :D So glad you enjoyed this one. I like crime stories too. So interesting :D Mostly I love watching crime stories, hih. Otherwise it needs to be YA books :) This one do seem pretty interesting, though.

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