Review: ‘City of Secrets’ by P.J. Tracy
I received a complimentary copy of the book from Netgalley, the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
City of Secrets
by P.J. TracySeries: Detective Margaret Nolan #4
Published by Minotaur on August 20, 2024
SubGenres: Mystery
Format: eArc
Pages: 304
Source: Netgalley, the publisher
Audience: 18+/Adult
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LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan returns in P. J. Tracy’s City of Secrets, the next book in the series praised by the New York Times Book Review: “Tracy seems to have found her literary sweet spot.”
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.
One of today's finest crime writers, P. J. Tracy has created a series that is a rich and authentic portrait of LA, filled with the tragedy and optimism of her multi-layered characters and a story guaranteed to keep readers enthralled.
I recently finished reading City of Secrets, the fourth installment in P.J. Tracy’s Detective Margaret Nolan series. As a fan of mysteries, I was anxious to dive into this book, especially after I finished reading the previous books in the series before starting this one. I’m glad I decided to read this series from the beginning because the characters had undergone significant changes since book one, and if I had read it out of order, I would have found book four challenging.
Brief Storyline: The main character, Margaret Nolan, who the series is named after, takes on another murder case in book four, where a man is found dead in his car. Initially, the police believe it’s a carjacking case until Margaret and her partner, Al Crawford, investigate the man’s murder further. The man who has been murdered is the founder of a company that is about to be sold for millions, which makes Margaret and her partner believe that someone at his company may have murdered him. The further they investigate, the more questions arise along the way.
What I Liked: So far, each book has kept my interest when it comes to the cases that the characters have to solve. Just like with the MCs, I’m determined to find out who murdered the man in the car and why he was murdered in the first place, especially when the characters find out he was keeping secrets. This one, I couldn’t figure out who was behind the murder, and I love it when I can’t figure out who did it. I enjoyed reading about Margaret and how her relationship with Remy (who played a significant role in this book) was growing, even though they are in a tough spot due to working in the same division together. Then there was Sam Easton, who has significantly changed since book one, and I love that he is finding happiness not only with a new job but with Melody.
Issues I had with the Book: Once again, the book became overwhelming, with all the points of view being introduced, and it was hard to keep up with at times. I wish the book had focused more on the main character, Margaret, and her team of detectives and maybe I would have enjoyed this book and the whole series more. I do see the significance of some of the others that were in this book, but it was just confusing a times to keep up with it all.
Other than those issues, I did like the book, but I didn’t love it. I give this book 3.5 stars, and I recommend this book/series to readers who have read P.J. Tracy’s books before. I am glad I was introduced to P.J. Tracy’s books because I do plan on reading her other series, Monkeewrench.
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About P.J. Tracy
PJ Tracy is the pseudonym of mother-daughter writing duo P.J. and Traci Lambrecht, winners of the Anthony, Barry, Gumshoe, and Minnesota Book Awards. Their ten novels in the Monkeewrench series, MONKEEWRENCH, LIVE BAIT, DEAD RUN, SNOW BLIND, SHOOT TO THRILL, OFF THE GRID, THE SIXTH IDEA, NOTHING STAYS BURIED, THE GUILTY DEAD, and ICE COLD HEART have become national and international bestsellers. PJ passed away in December 2016, and Traci started a new series set in Los Angeles, featuring Detective Margaret Nolan. DEEP INTO THE DARK and DESOLATION CANYON are availabe now, and the third in the series, THE DEVIL YOU KNOW, will be released in January 2023.
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