Ever since I was young, I’ve loved a good mystery. I still remember the feel of a new Nancy Drew book in my hand: soft and smooth with unbound excitement lying in wait. There was nothing like the familiar creak of those yellow-spined stories as I’d bury my nose into their fresh pages.
Mystery. Suspense. Thrillers.
These are still the genres I gravitate towards the most; the books I pluck from library and bookstore shelves most often. That’s what drew me to this new book, Mind Games by Nancy Mehl — the allure of a rollercoaster ride of mystery and suspense.
And I have to say, I was not disappointed.
From the publisher:
“FBI Behavioral Analyst Kaely Quinn’s methods may be highly unorthodox, but her talent is undeniable. She’s done her best to establish a new life for herself after being demoted and transferred to St. Louis when a reporter revealed she’s the daughter of an infamous serial killer. But when that same reporter claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, it seems her old life has followed her.
When a body is found that fits the poem’s morbid predictions, Kaely and her new partner, Special Agent Noah Hunter, are forced to move past his skepticism of her approach and work together to unravel the deadly riddle.
With a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely must race to catch the murderer before anyone else, including Kaely, is killed.”
My thoughts:
With this novel, I was expecting a puzzling adventure full of plot twists and easy reading — and I got exactly that. While some of the character interactions occasionally come across as a bit cheesy or unrealistic, I didn’t mind. For me, this was an intriguing and “light” read perfect for a rainy afternoon indoors — a great example of a well-planned out murder mystery without the gore or heavily-descriptive language.
Kaely Quinn is not your average FBI profiler and I thoroughly enjoyed this unique character. The author did a great job of weaving several layers into both this character’s history and emotional motivations. While I guessed at pieces of the plot, I was never quite certain, and the storyline kept me on my toes until the very end. Fast-moving and with an abundance of suspects, I sped read my way through this book in no time.
I also REALLY appreciated the fact that while there were hints of a future romantic storyline, it didn’t overpower the plot. These relationships were meshed together in a way that added to and emphasized the suspense theme without sidelining it.
If you’re looking for a non-graphic, suspenseful mystery, check this out!
4 stars out of 5!
“Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc.”
I just finished reading it this week! I agree it was a good read!