Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
City of Secrets by PJ Tracy Narrator: Abby Craden
Series: Detective Margaret Nolan #4
Published by Dreamscape Media, Minotaur Books on August 20, 2024
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 304
Length: 7 hours, 15 minutes
Format: Audiobook, eARC
Source: NetGalley
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Los Angeles Police Detective Margaret Nolan and her partner have worked a lot of different cases, ones where things aren’t always as they appear. And it’s Nolan’s job to find the truth in the darkness around her. When they’re called to the scene of what looks like a fatal car-jacking, Nolan soon realizes her victim was a founder of a company about to sell for millions, and within a day of his death, his partner’s wife is abducted. As Nolan learns more about the victim and his life, she gets pulled into a disturbing world of sex, violence, and big business; and an even darker world, where whispers of an "Angel of Death" are beginning to surface.
The series has settled into being the Detective Margaret Nolan series written by the daughter from the mother-daughter writing team. Detective Nolan, along with her partner, is sort of a main character, with supporting characters in her friends, family and love interests. But Sam Easton has a strong role, along with the people in his life.
The homicide case in City of Secrets is the owner of a pet food company. It’s a twisty road to determine how he died. Then his ex-partner and wife are abducted. The ex-partner, a veterinarian is close to Sam’s family.  So the investigation here is suspenseful, especially as more bodies pile up.
On the personal side, Maggie is getting closer to Remi. They can’t both work in homicide though. Sam is also progressing in his therapy, his relationship and now looking at a new job. These personal developments help to build the characters and make them more realistic.
There were a lot of additional characters in these cases which felt like a lot at times. The investigation was divided between two teams with one for the homicide and one for the kidnapping and that’s what really spread the focus. The pacing was strong, though. Overall, I was happy to continues with the series and the main characters.
Narration:
Abby Craden has been narrating this series. Her voice is deep for a female which makes the character voices a bit unusual. I am totally settled into these voices now with distinct ones for the main characters. I listened comfortably at my usual 1.5x speed.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
About PJ Tracy
PJ Tracy is the pseudonym of the mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards. Their cyberthriller “Monkeewrench” series (Monkeewrench, Live Bait, Dead Run, Snow Blind, Shoot to Thrill, Off the Grid, The Sixth Idea, and Nothing Stays Buried) were national and international bestsellers. After PJ’s passing in 2016, Traci wrote two more books in the Monkeewrench series (The Guilty Dead and Ice Cold Heart), and the psychological thriller Deep into the Dark, which is set in Los Angeles, where she lived for many years. She now resides in Minnesota and continues to write about murder and mayhem.
P.J. Lambrecht
P.J. Lambrecht always loved to tell people she was a college dropout and had no qualifications for being a writer except for a penchant for lying. She had her first short story published in The Saturday Evening Post when Traci was eight, still mercifully oblivious to her mother’s plans to eventually trick her into creating a family business.
Traci Lambrecht
Traci Lambrecht spent most of her childhood riding and showing horses. She graduated with a Russian Studies major from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, where she also studied voice. Her aspirations of becoming a spy were dashed when the Cold War ended, so she began writing to finance her annoying habits of travel and singing in rock bands. Much to her mother’s relief, she finally realized that the written word was her true calling. Together, they had a long, prolific career writing together in many genres until PJ’s passing in December 2016. Traci continues to write like a maniac, with PJ’s spirit sitting on her shoulder, cracking wise.
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I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
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Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 24-COYER
Another series I’m anxious to begin. Great review, Anne💜
It’s an interesting series in both style and pacing. It’s set in LA. The main character almost doesn’t seem main character or shares it with Sam Easton.
The narrator’s voice might have me unsure. I like a deeper voice for some characters but doing a higher voice might be rough on a deeper voiced person.
I’m totally comfortable with it. It didn’t take any time to get used to it; it felt natural from the start.
Whenever I read or listen to a writing duo, I get curious about which half wrote what. Though, as you noted this is now just by the daughter so that’s not the case here. I do love when a police procedural has a strong personal side, too.
It’s an interesting series. I haven’t read the original series by the duo but I want too as it is well regarded plus it’s set in Minnesota.