Author: Karen Rose
Series: New Orleans #2
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publisher: Berkley Books
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Kindle ARC
No. of Pages: 581
Date of Publication: August 15, 2023
My Rating: 5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:
Deadly secrets lie beneath the murky waters of the Louisiana bayou in this pulse-pounding new romantic suspense novel from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose.
There's no safe place for a child to hide when danger comes from every direction.
Public prosecutor J.P. "Kaj" Cardozo has only lived in New Orleans for six months, and he's already working on a high-profile celebrity sexual assault case that's made headlines all over the country. But when his son becomes the target of a kidnapping attempt as a threat to Kaj, he is desperate to keep him safe and turns to a private investigative firm famous for their protection services.
A veteran Marine, Val Sorensen is glad to have found a new career with Broussard Investigations. Her latest assignment as the bodyguard to ten-year-old Elijah Cardozo reminds her why--Val is a kick ass guardian with a tender heart. Through her duties, Val grows fond of the boy--and his handsome father.
But when the high-stakes investigation reveals an explosive network of crime through a revived drug gang, lingering deep-seated corruption in the NOPD, and a group of murderers-for-hire targeting Kaj, Elijah, and his star client, they're all left scrambling for safety...
MY THOUGHTS:
The first book in this New Orleans series is Quarter to Midnight, which introduced Broussard Investigations, run by Burke Broussard. The firm is instrumental in helping victims find justice. As Karen Rose continues the series with Beneath Dark Waters, Val Sorensen, a former Marine just as her boss is, has been assigned to protecting the young son of public prosecutor Kaj Cardozo. Kaj's newest case has placed his son Elijah in danger, so he hires the firm to protect Elijah, especially when he is nearly kidnapped.
As Kaj's case involves a high profile celebrity sexual assault, the case as well as Kaj, has garnered the attention of the press, and Kaj will do everything in his power to keep Elijah safe. In true Karen Rose style, she brings danger, intrigue and romance to her readers in a fashion where this book was impossible to put down.
As Val works to protect Elijah and Kaj, it is hard to imagine how much is packed into the story as it takes place over the course of five days. With the style of writing, as well the fast pace of this story, it is so full of suspense, but also shines the light on corruption deep in the NOPD, and brings in nefarious characters who present clear danger.
One thing about this book is that there is a secondary protagonist that was even more touching than the ever-wise, knowledgeable beyond his years, Elijah. There was another young character who really touched my heart - and Val's as well.
I really love how Karen Rose brings so many elements together in her novels. It is hard to believe that this book was nearly 600 pages. I flew through it, and will mention again, it took place over five days! Such skill! Such talent! In fact, I was so pulled into this New Orleans series that I had to read book three in this series, Buried Too Deep, which won't release until August of this year. Compelling, addicting and more. Now that I have WAY more than a year to wait for the next book in this series, I just might have to reread all three books sometime in the near future.
Many thanks to Berkley Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Internationally bestselling author Karen Rose was born and raised in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She met her husband, Martin, on a blind date when they were seventeen and after they both graduated from the University of Maryland, (Karen with a degree in Chemical Engineering) they moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Karen worked as an engineer for a large consumer goods company, earning two patents, but as Karen says, “scenes were roiling in my head and I couldn't concentrate on my job so I started writing them down. I started out writing for fun, and soon found I was hooked.”
Her debut suspense novel, DON'T TELL, was released in July, 2003. Since then, she has published more than fifteen novels and two novellas. Her twenty-sixth novel, QUARTER TO MIDNIGHT, will be released in 2022.
Karen's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, London's Sunday Times, and Germany's der Spiegel (#1), and the Irish Times, as well as lists in South Africa(#1) and Australia! To date, her books have been translated into more than twenty languages.
A former high school teacher of chemistry and physics, Karen lives in Florida with her husband of more than thirty years.
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