Review - Dead Man’s List

Title:  Dead Man’s List

Author:  Karen Rose

Series:  The San Diego Case Files #3
Publisher:  Berkley Books

Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers

Format:  Kindle ARC 

No. of Pages:   480

Date of Publication:   March 4, 2025

My Rating:   5 Stars

DESCRIPTION:

Homicide Detective Kit McKittrick's latest case exposes San Diego’s seedy underbelly in this nerve-shattering tale of romantic suspense from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.

On a long-anticipated second date with police psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves—right as things are getting steamy—Kit stumbles across the mutilated body of a local San Diego politician. The politician is loved by many of his constituents but is hated and reviled by many more. That the suspect list is long is no surprise to anyone, but exactly who ends up on it stuns Kit and her team.

As the SDPD reveal the victim’s sinister dealings, Kit and Sam are forced to navigate the lawless world of the city’s most rich and powerful citizens to find answers. But time is rapidly running out, with their sources of information dropping like flies as the killer methodically eliminates loose ends—and anyone else who stands in the way.

Link to shop this series

MY THOUGHTS:

Detective Kit McKittrick embarks on another murder investigation, facing distractions that threaten to could derail her focus. The case involves the murder of a local politician, and Kit’s growing relationship with psychologist Dr. Sam Reeves and her concern for her foster sister Rita add to her mental clutter.

The discovery of the body is shocking, and Kit, who stumbled upon it with Sam, takes the case. Interestingly, Sam had a contentious relationship with the victim.

The case is riddled with suspects, as the victim was hated by many. Kit grapples with where to begin and the potential impact on her personal life.

Sam’s sensitive nature towards Kit’s tragic past is touching, providing a balance to the story that hints at more brutal murders. Kit faces numerous challenges as she attempts to solve the case.

Sam is not the only sensitive character in this story. Kit’s loving adoptive parents, Harlan and Betsy, are remarkable individuals that Karen Rose portrays beautifully in her hard-hitting books. The story evokes sadness, both for the victims and for characters like Kit and Rita, whose tragic pasts shine through. Their resilience as survivors is evident throughout the narrative. As always, Karen Rose hit it out of the park with this book. 

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. 

web | twitter