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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Killing Secrets by Dianne Emley + Giveaway

Killing Secrets is a fast paced thriller by Dianne Emley.  It's also the 5th book in a series featuring Nan Vining of the Pasadena Police.  Now, most of you know that reading books out of order in a series is not preferred by me.  Yes, I'm a 'must read 'em in order' sort of person.  However, I took the plunge and dove right in to this one.  And you are likely asking, will she read the previous books?  Yep.  Several incidents were referred to as the story progressed and I thought 'gotta find out about that'.

Our story begins as Emily Vining, age 16, runs through a park, supposedly taking pictures for a school assignment, with a boy her mother doesn't even know about.  The two teens kissed and played and then everything changed.  Below them, in a small ravine, are two bodies - a young woman and a teenage boy.  As it turns out, the woman is a teacher at their school, Erica Keller, and the boy, Jared, is a fellow student.  Emily's mother, Pasadena Homicide Detective  Nan Vining, arrives at the scene to find Emily shaken, but basically all right.  Nan also finds that Emily has a boyfriend she didn't know about, a young man who is the stepson of a prominent local defense attorney.  Oh, and there are a few other changes in her daughter's life that Nan had not been aware of.

Detective Vining, who is supposed to be on vacation, is not allowed to participate in this investigation, which very quickly is labelled a murder/suicide.  Before any time has passed, the police declare that the case is closed.  The press release states that Jared Hayword, a disturbed teen, has murdered his teacher, Erica Keller, and then killed himself.  Nan is stunned that things have wrapped up so quickly and then she is suspicious.  After poking around a bit, she finds that there are many questions left unanswered.  The boy's mother is adamant that her son would not have killed anyone.  Erica Keller was married to a police sergeant and their marriage had become rocky, with a restraining order issued.  Is there a cover-up?  Even though she's being warned off, Nan can't let it go.  And there are some powerful and influential people that intend to see that both Nan and Emily Vining are silenced.

I found this book pretty interesting.  I did wish that I knew more of the back story, but that was more of a personal wish than a necessity.  This story stands on its own.  The mystery itself was not terribly complicated.  I guessed the identity of the murderer early on.  However, I enjoyed the fast pace.  I did feel that both mother and daughter had a tendency to throw themselves into danger with regularity.  Not surprising.  It was that kind of book.  The depiction of teen life seemed valid.  Lots of social media and dependence on electronics for pretty much every aspect of news.  The way that rumors spread almost instantaneously and, despite kids being tech savvy, the cluelessness about what might be unwise or dangerous regarding shared information online.

Would I read another book by this author?  Yes and I'll be looking for the four previous Nan Vining mysteries.  I give this book a 1-3/4 thumbs up.

Thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours and the publisher for sharing this book with me.  The other stops on the tour can be found here.  The author's website is here.  And, there is a giveaway below.  Please feel free to enter to win a $25 eGift Card and a copy of Killing Secrets.



a Rafflecopter giveaway




21 comments:

  1. Enjoyed hearing your thoughts on this book, Kay. Intrigue premise with interesting characters.

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    1. It was intriguing, Melody. Suited my mood while I was reading it. Interesting that it followed my previous book in having significant teen characters. It's always funny when that happens.

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  2. Happy that you enjoyed Killing Secrets and thank you for the insightful review!

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    1. Thank you for stopping by, Dianne! I did enjoy it and look forward to reading more of your series. I liked Nan.

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  3. Yes, I will be happy to try for a win.

    It might get me out of my reading slump. Meaning, not finding a book, which really 'grabs' me. Bahhhh-humbug... Oh bother... And similar thoughts. -grin-

    Oh, guess I have to enter, via the box instructions...

    Tessa

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    1. Yes, Tessa. I don't usually do the whole giveaway thing. I take a lot of my books to my mystery group meetings and share them. Anyway, you'll have to follow the instructions since this post was a blog tour. I do very few of those.

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  4. Now I want to read this one! I like thrillers...and especially enjoy seeing the perspective of the detectives on a case, too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. I think you'd like this one, Laurel. It's similar to others I've noticed you reading.

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  5. I plan to give this one a try and am glad to hear you liked it, Kay. I wasn't too fond of an earlier book by this author, but I'm curious about this series. Perhaps it will work better for me. I hope so!

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    1. Yes, I noticed that she has quite a few books in her backlist. I went ahead and got the first one in this series. If I liked it, I'll get the others.

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  6. I enjoyed this one as well and think are opinions pretty much line up exactly. I definitely want to hear more about some of the backstory that was hinted at but it didn't keep me from enjoying the actual plot of this book.

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    1. That describes it very well, Katherine. I was a bit hesitant about saying yes to a book that wasn't the first in the series, but honestly, I never used to worry about that. My reading tastes have certainly gotten pickier through the years. LOL

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  7. I'm with you Kay, I prefer to read a mystery series in order! :)
    this sounds very interesting and I will have to add to my list to check out.

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    1. I just feel like I miss out on the backstory if I don't read in order. That being said, sometimes you just can't and it's OK if the story can stand on it's own.

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  8. I'm also a must read them in order gal.. I'll be checking out the first one in this series.

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  9. I appreciate being told this will work as a stand alone. Nothing turns me off of a book like knowing I have to read 4 books ahead of it before I can enjoy it!

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    1. You can definitely read this as a stand alone, although there are a few references to things that came before.

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  10. I'm a series-in-order reader as well. Jumping into the middle of a series is like jumping into the middle of a conversation -- you always miss something!

    This one sounds like an engrossing read, even if the mystery wasn't complex enough.

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    1. I think it likely was complex enough for most people. I've just acquired a pretty good solution radar after reading so many mysteries. :-)

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  11. I hope you get a chance to go back and read the previous books in the series too!

    Thanks for being a part of the tour.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!