This was great. I loved seeing Max and Lucy work together - even if the dynamic between them could be frustrating at times - life would be easier if Lucy shared some stuff and Max let shit go. The mystery itself had me hooked. 4 stars. ( )

Stayed up past 10pm to read this book. I had never read Allison Brennan before, and am now hooked. I have reserved all the first books in all her different series. These are good, easy reads. The characters are well written, the story lines move quickly and the landscape richly drawn - I could often find myself running along the characters. . ( )

I did know before I started to read this book that it was the latest book in the Max Revere series. What I did not know that this was a crossover with Allison Brennan's series about Lucy Kincaid. So, this was not a book in one series I haven't read before, it was a new book in two series that I had never read before. That was new for me (at least I think so). But, to be honest, I didn't worry so much about that. Most series are often easy to get into. As long as one starts to get the hang of who is who. And, the only real problem I had was in the beginning when the Kincaid family was introduced, and boy, they were many. But, after a while, I did get the whole picture thanks to Max Revere learning more herself about the Kincaids.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

I did know before I started to read this book that it was the latest book in the Max Revere series. What I did not know that this was a crossover with Allison Brennan's series about Lucy Kincaid. So, this was not a book in one series I haven't read before, it was a new book in two series that I had never read before. That was new for me (at least I think so). But, to be honest, I didn't worry so much about that. Most series are often easy to get into. As long as one starts to get the hang of who is who. And, the only real problem I had was in the beginning when the Kincaid family was introduced, and boy, they were many. But, after a while, I did get the whole picture thanks to Max Revere learning more herself about the Kincaids.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION! ( )

In Shattered, intrepid investigative reporter Maxine "Max" Revere reluctantly teams up with rookie FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid Rogan to investigate a series of kidnapping/homicides that span twenty years. This latest mystery is the fourth installment in the Max Revere series and also features the heroine from the Lucy Kincaid series. Fortunately enough back story is provided for both Max and Lucy that Allison Brennan's newest release can easily be read as a standalone.

Max's investigative skills are put to the test when her former college boyfriend John Caldwell requests her help after his wife Blair is arrested for the murder of their eight year old son. John has discovered three other cases with similar MOs and he is hoping that Max will find enough evidence to not only exonerate Blair but hopefully catch his son's real killer. Max specializes in investigating cold cases and since Blair's trial is about to begin, no one on either side of the case is willing to talk to her. So Max turns her attention to the twenty year unsolved death of the suspected first victim, Justin Stanton, in hopes of unmasking the murderer. Justin's father, District Attorney Andrew Stanton will only co-operate if his former sister-in-law Lucy and Max agree to work together. Despite their somewhat tense first meeting, Max very grudgingly decides to join forces with Lucy in order to try to uncover the killer's identity.

Max is still rather brusque as she tenaciously pursues the truth with a single-minded focus that makes a force to be reckoned with. She is initially quite put off by Lucy's husband Sean who is over-protective of his wife and somewhat combative towards Max. His prejudgment is based solely on her occupation and while she resents his overbearing approach, she quickly realizes she needs Lucy's assistance if she is going to uncover new evidence in the decades old cold case of the death of Lucy's nephew. Extremely curious about her temporary partner, Max resists her natural temptation to dig into her past. After her efforts to keep Lucy out of the loop swiftly fail, Max graciously concedes defeat and stops resisting working with Lucy.

Despite a very troubled personal history, Lucy has an impressive track record when it comes to solving crimes. She is a little impulsive and often acts without thinking about personal safety. Her situation on the job is a bit tricky at the moment since she is working with a new boss who does not give her the leeway Lucy has experienced in the past. Nonetheless, she is committed to finding Justin's killer even when faced with shockingly strong opposition from her family. Lucy's instincts and keen insight are instrumental in setting the course for the investigation and she and Max soon settle into their temporary partnership.

The investigation moves at a steady pace but Lucy and Max quickly discover the passage of time, lack of physical evidence and reluctant family members are somewhat formidable obstacles for them to overcome. However, the disparate pieces of information from the various cases begin to fall into place and they soon have a viable theory about how and why the killer targets the victims. From that point forward, their investigation picks up steam and with Andrew's assistance, they narrow down their suspect pool. Their search for the murderer then becomes rather urgent as Lucy and Max realize the killer might be preparing to strike again.

Shattered is an intricately plotted mystery with an unusual premise and a fascinating dynamic between two unlikely partners. Despite a little repetition, the storyline is engrossing and unfolds at an even pace. Allison Brennan does an outstanding job bringing the protagonists from two unrelated series together and although Max and Lucy are initially distrusting of one another, they uneasily set aside their differences in order to find a suspected serial killer. All of the story arcs are completely wrapped up by the end of Shattered, but a shocking revelation about an unresolved storyline from Max's past will leave readers anxiously awaiting the next installment in the Max Revere series. Fans of the Lucy Kincaid series will be very curious to see what awaits Lucy when she returns to San Antonio.
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