One of Denise’s greatest talents is writing characters that feel like real people. There’s no cookie cutter perfection here. We get all the flaws, all the self doubt, all the humanity. This book has a cliffhanger, that even though I saw something coming, I was shocked at exactly what it was. Holy cow! I’m a DGS fan from way back, so I’ve read everything, but Harper Adams is about to become my favorite in Denise’s repertoire.

Once again another fantastic book. I read the majority of the book in one day. Denise definitely has a way with words that makes every book a page turner that you can put down.

As always, DGS hit it out of the park with this one. I’m loving this series and I can’t wait for the next book.

A few twists and turns like normal in Denise’s books. I love that James Malcom is a main character. Can’t wait for the next one.

Harper Adams is set to investigate another mystery. Being a disgraced police officer she starts to work at her father's law firm. Since she loves investigating one week she goes and gets her Pl license. She gets asked to investigate the disappearance of Hugo Burton, a businessman who supposedly stole investors money and disappeared. This book kept me wanting to read until the end. I love how the characters have real world problems and we see them deal with it. You see the struggle Harper Adam has with guilt of her sister's kidnapping and the shooting that made her no longer a police officer. Then there is James Malcolm, mysterious crimnal turning his life around but knowing more then he puts off. Harper and James work together to solve what happened to Hugo and the twists and turns. I didn't expect everything that happened. Now the ending...OMG I never did expect that and now I need book #3. I can't wait to read more Harper Adams books. Book #1 was the book that made me start reading mystery/thriller books and now I can't stop reading them. If you are looking for a mystery book that will keep you guessing throughout the book, this is it.

This is the second book in the Harper Adams mystery series and it needs to be read in order. Ms. Swank does do a good job of giving back story from the first book, so you wouldn’t be lost if just jumping in now, but I still recommend reading the previous one first. Whew where to begin? This book had my heart rate up more than once. It also had me very nostalgic for her previous earlier Rose Gardner books as the story line has some cross over characters and past story lines that crept into this plot. This book has basically come full circle stemming like little off chutes from the other books. Due to that, I highly recommend reading the Rose Gardner series first as to truly understand the backstory better. One thing I’m loving about this series is that Harper stands on her own as a main character. I haven’t found myself comparing her to pervious female leads by this author as I was first afraid I would. Harper is smart, resourceful and and all around mess at the moment. We’re introduced to her in a point of her life where ‘it gets worse before it gets better’ and some of this book is still in the getting worse phase. She’s facing an uphill climb in her life and the journey along the way keeps you flipping the page. Another main page flipper for me is James Malcom. I suppose I’ll always be ‘team James’, so I have throughly enjoyed seeing him have an active role in the book. As Harper is getting to know more about his past and know the him now, it feels like reconnecting with an old friend…that is if that friend was someone you definitely don’t want as an enemy and who keeps more secretes than a priest. The ending, I for sure did not see coming. I had suspected something of the sort might have happened earlier on, but had managed to be misdirected enough to still be caught off guard when it actually did happen. There’s definitely quite a lot to begin the next book with, that’s for sure.

Book besties! When I say I devoured this book, I’m talking I ate and left no crumbs! One of my greatest joys is to see James Malcolm between the sheets again. How befitting that he has a tavern and is locked in on all the shady scenes in town. Swank has done it again and I am over the moon! It is full of mystery, suspense, humor, witty banter, and a plot twist I never saw coming! I can’t get enough of these characters and I look forward to the next book.

4/5 stars Fun read, decent plot and better than the first book. Hal R Troy MI

It was very hard to put this book down! No dull moment. I loved how it connected back to the Rose Gardner series which I also highly recommend!! Many books but worth the read.

This book had me feeling all of the feelings! It was oddly strange seeing James get close to another woman. At the beginning I was like “No way he can’t move on!” But towards the end I became okay with it. If it happens I’ll be okay with it! But I hope Harper gets help first. The story was full of twists and a lot of stuff I didn’t see coming. A lot of Fenton County name dropping which was really exciting. And talk about an ending that will rip your heart out!!!! I wasn’t ready for that at all!!. I received a free copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review.