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Title: Head to Head
Author: Linda Ladd
Content Warning: Domestic Abuse, Graphic Violence, Sexual Assault
Series: Claire Morgan #1
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Romance
Audience: Adult
Format: E-book
My Review:
First of all, this is a disturbingly violent book. I didn’t have nightmares or anything but it is graphic. Horrific domestic abuse, very violent death, and a brief mention of rape. Sensitive readers should steer clear.
That out of the way, there’s a lot of potential here. I really didn’t know who did it. I always had my suspicions but then someone would be cleared and I’d be left scratching my head again. I wasn’t completely shocked by the ending but I was surprised and that is refreshing.
I don’t know if this was the author’s debut novel but there was an indefinable something that made me think it was. There were just little things here and there that felt like they needed a bit more polish.
I liked sarcastic Claire a lot. She’s tough and imperfect and doing the best she can. Nick Black has some surprising depth too but the other characters weren’t very well developed. The lens of the story is very focused on Claire.
I’ll continue with the series and recommend it to readers who can overlook graphic violence.
My Synopsis:
Detective Claire Morgan left her job at the LAPD for a quieter life working for the sheriff’s department in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. But the excitement finds her when a rising starlet is heinously murdered at an exclusive resort on the lake. Claire immediately suspects the owner of the resort, a famous psychiatrist to the stars, Nick Black. But Dr. Black vehemently denies having anything to do with the murder. Claire wants to believe him but is that her attraction to the man talking or her detective’s instincts? Time is ticking as the body count climbs higher and everyone has secrets to hide–including Claire herself.
Similar Books:
If you liked Head to Head, you might also like my reviews of
- Déjà Dead (Temperance Brennan #1) by Kathy Reichs
- Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy
- The Sleeping Doll (Kathryn Dance #1) by Jeffery Deaver
