📚A Serial Killer #Thriller. Robbie reviews Haloed by @SueColetta1 for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Robbie.

Robbie blogs here https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Robbie has been reading Haloed by Sue Coletta.

Haloed by Sue Coletta

Sage Quintano shouldn’t still be fearful. The trauma of her near death at the hands of a serial killer, called the Romeo Killer, would naturally be difficult to overcome, but he was dead and Sage had no reason to believe she was a target. But she was fearful and she did believe she was a target. Sage has seen signs and indicators that force her to believe that somehow, her nemeses has returned to claim the ‘angel’ that got away.

Before the Romeo Killer comes for Sage, however, he intends to torment her. Playing games with his victims is what he does best. And no-one believes Sage’s claim that she is being stalked by a dead man, least of all her own husband, Niko, the local Sheriff.

Sage is an interesting character and is strong in many ways, overcoming significant health problems and protecting her young son. Her behaviour is a bit erratic and slightly hysterical which is why her husband puts her observations down to trauma from the past. Some of Sage’s behaviours were a little hard for me to believe in the circumstances, but the story was interesting and exciting and the author’s knowledge of serial killers and their thought processes is well researched and believable.

Part of the story was told through the eyes of the stalker and it was interesting to consider the action from that perspective. Despite this, the book is not overly gory and there are no detailed descriptions of the murders, only the state of the bodies afterwards. That is preferable for me.

The story was fast paced and the details all tied up well which is essential for me when reading a crime thriller. Readers of this genre will not be disappointed by this book.

4 stars

Book description

She may be paranoid, but is she right?

A string of gruesome murders rocks the small town of Alexandria, New Hampshire, with all the victims staged to resemble dead angels, and strange red and pink balloons appearing out of nowhere.

All the clues point to the Romeo Killer’s return. Except one: he died eight years ago.

Paranoid and on edge, Sage’s theory makes no sense. Dead serial killers don’t rise from the grave. Yet she swears he’s here, hungering for the only angel to slip through his grasp—Sage.

With only hours left to live, how can Sage convince her Sheriff husband before the sand in her hourglass runs out?

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

📚A Serial Killer Comes Back From The Dead. @NAGrangerAuthor reviews Haloed by @SueColetta1 for Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT

Today’s team review is from Noelle.

Noelle blogs here https://saylingaway.wordpress.com

Rosie’s Book Review Team

Noelle has been reading Haloed by Sue Coletta.

Haloed by Sue Coletta

This is the second book I’ve read by this author – the first was Pretty Evil New England and not part of the Grafton County series — so really my first foray into her murder/thriller stories.  I have to admit, this author knows how to create tension and keep you turning the pages.

Eight years ago, a serial killer attacked Sage Quintano and she lived. The killer died that year. In present day Alexandria, New Hampshire, where Sage lives with her sheriff husband, a string of gruesome murders occurs with the traits of that serial killer: red and pink balloons and victims staged to resemble dead angels. The problem is, Sage can’t convince her husband that the serial killer really didn’t die and that he’s come back to get her – his only victim that he didn’t kill.  Even when a red balloon appeared out of nowhere in her bedroom. Even when two pink balloons are tied to a tree in her yard. Even when she is framed for the latest killing and taken into custody by the state police.

Sage is now a writer and the stay-at-home mother of a toddler son, still guarded by the dog that was shot protecting her eight years before. She is also suffering from severe rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, which leaves her weakened and in pain much of the time. How will she find the strength to face the Romeo Killer, who is frightening her with these murders. Is this a lead-up to his enjoyment of killing her?

I appreciated the chapters that were devoted to the mind of the killer. They explain a lot of the why of what was happening and revealed what a sick individual he is, truly a loathsome individual!

The characters in the book are very well drawn and enjoyable with their quirks and contributions: Niko, Sage’s strong and loving husband; Frankie, his number one deputy and a hot tomato; even the dogs have great personalities. The dialogue is fun and believable, and Sage is the prototypical hero – smart, quick-thinking, determined and strong despite her physical weakness.

The author has done her research, which permeates the book, and the twists and turns are very creative and unanticipated. And the tension! I don’t think I’ve read another author in this genre who can maintain and ramp up tension like Sue Coletta.

If there was one drawback to this book, it was the occasional lengths of ‘telling’ about the forensics, Roman calendar and numerology. Even in conversations, these explanation seem very long and I wonder if this would detract for the usual reader.

Haloed was, nevertheless, an enjoyable and at-the-edge of your seat read, and I recommend it as the latest in the long line of Sue Coletta’s rich thrillers.  

Book description

She may be paranoid, but is she right?

A string of gruesome murders rocks the small town of Alexandria, New Hampshire, with all the victims staged to resemble dead angels, and strange red and pink balloons appearing out of nowhere.

All the clues point to the Romeo Killer’s return. Except one: he died eight years ago.

Paranoid and on edge, Sage’s theory makes no sense. Dead serial killers don’t rise from the grave. Yet she swears he’s here, hungering for the only angel to slip through his grasp—Sage.

With only hours left to live, how can Sage convince her Sheriff husband before the sand in her hourglass runs out?

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Thriller I Am Mayhem by @SueColetta1

Today’a team review is from Karen. She blogs here https://mytrainofthoughtson.wordpress.com

Karen has been reading I Am Mayhem by Sue Coletta

This book re-introduces you to Shawnee Daniels, still her stubborn self – perhaps even more than before – not helpful with a serial killer close by.

With “I Am Mayhem”, Sue Coletta has outdone her previous work by creating an incredibly chilling thriller series finale with a stubborn young woman and a serial killer who wants revenge. It is a highly compelling read, inevitably drawing you in as the story proceeds. Sue Coletta paints a clear picture of the main characters’ mindsets – making the readers acquainted with them – while the story evolves. I was drawn rather close to Shawnee (despite her stubbornness), Levaughn, and even Mayhem; still could not warm up to Nadine, though. The main characters are very complex – three-dimensional, believable with their flaws and virtues; sometimes too believable and intense for comfort. The story is cleverly elaborated and has a great flow; I do not state this often – but this was an edge-of-your-seat experience for me. Sue Coletta’s thorough research shows; you find proof throughout the story.

This is a book for you if you like psychological suspense, thrillers with serial killers, stubborn characters, food for thought, and if you are a fan of excellently researched topics. If you liked the series so far – you will love this amazing finale.

Highly recommended – enjoy the thrill!

As bloody, severed body parts show up on her doorstep, Shawnee Daniels must stop the serial killer who wants her dead before she becomes the next victim.

But can she solve his cryptic clues before it’s too late? Or will she be the next to die a slow, agonizing death?

With crows stalking her every move, Shawnee can barely function. Things worsen when body parts show up on her doorstep. An unstoppable serial killer wants her dead. Mr. Mayhem threatens to murder everyone she loves, sending Shawnee a piece at a time.

As Mr. Mayhem sits in judgement, his cryptic clues must be solved before the final gavel drops. The game rules are simple—win the unwinnable or submit to a slow, agonizing death.

When Shawnee tries to fight back, she discovers her very existence is based on lies. But the full impact of the truth might become the headstone on Shawnee’s grave.

AmazonUK | AmazonUS

Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT #Thriller I AM MAYHEM by @SueColetta1

Today’s team review is from Karen. She blogs here https://sassyredheadbookreviews.wordpress.com

Karen has been reading I Am Mayhem by Sue Coletta

5 stars

This was such a great book to go along with the Mayhem Series. It was so enlightening, entertaining, awe inspiring, and it may be my favorite so far of the Mayhem Series. I love Shawnee Daniels and her interactions with Mr. Mayhem and Poe. This story was so much more than I was expecting, and I loved every bit of it.

Shawnee’s life is in more danger than she’s ever been in this fourth book in the Mayhem Series, but she’ll get guidance and help from the most unexpected people. She’ll learn that her life was not what she thought, and she will be led to a new path in life. Her relationship with Mr. Mayhem will reach a point of dangerous proportions and they will have to figure out how to proceed when truths are brought to light. This book is such a turning point in Shawnee’s life, and I can’t wait to see where she goes from here. I love the characters in this book and series and with the addition of Shicheii, I am excited to see what knowledge Shawnee will learn as she gets to know him more. This book had me laughing at Shawnee’s cats, but it also had me crying with loss and the enlightening of Shawnee and her past, as well as being anxious with Levaughn on his search for Shawnee and her best friend Nadine. I give this book a 5-star review and can’t wait for more of Shawnee Daniels and Mr. Mayhem. If you like books in the murder suspense genre with great characters and sassy, independent women that find themselves in all kinds of trouble, you will love Sue Coletta’s books.

As bloody, severed body parts show up on her doorstep, Shawnee Daniels must stop the serial killer who wants her dead before she becomes the next victim.

But can she solve his cryptic clues before it’s too late? Or will she be the next to die a slow, agonizing death?

With crows stalking her every move, Shawnee can barely function. Things worsen when body parts show up on her doorstep. An unstoppable serial killer wants her dead. Mr. Mayhem threatens to murder everyone she loves, sending Shawnee a piece at a time.

As Mr. Mayhem sits in judgement, his cryptic clues must be solved before the final gavel drops. The game rules are simple—win the unwinnable or submit to a slow, agonizing death.

When Shawnee tries to fight back, she discovers her very existence is based on lies. But the full impact of the truth might become the headstone on Shawnee’s grave. 

AmazonUK | AmazonUS