Special Agent Kara Martin has spent the last thirteen years doing whatever she could to obliterate memories of her hometown…and haunting reminders of her parents’ murders. She had every intent of avoiding Rochester…until a congressman’s daughter is murdered, and she finds herself not only back to a place she said she’d never return, but working with a man she thought she’d never see again. A man … again.
A man who once loved her… until she broke his heart.
Detective Shane Rogers lost his wife and a year later nearly lost his son when his rare heart condition took a turn for the worst. Battling back from personal devastation, his son is now thriving after a successful heart transplant and Shane can finally return to his second love…his career as a homicide detective.
His first case is the gruesome murder of a local congressman’s fourteen-year-old daughter, bringing in the FBI and putting Shane face to face with his first love.
Shane and Kara are thrust together in one of the toughest cases of their careers while pieces of their pasts crop up to taunt them.
As they begin to face their pasts and find forgiveness, the bodies pile up. With each new murder, the killer takes a different organ that is commonly harvested. An organ they had received in the form of a transplant.
And now Shane’s son has been kidnapped…
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I absolutely loved it! I have a serious “love-love” relationship with romantic suspense, and The Butterfly Murders added another “love” to this genre for me. The suspense/investigative aspect was engaging and intriguing, and for a good length of the book, I was definitely trying to figure out who the culprit was. It became clear to me before Kara and Shane figured it out, but the writer definitely kept me glued to the pages. I was even able to overlook the grammatical errors.
This was also a second chance romance, and for those who know me so well know that I’m a sucker for a good second chance love story. Kara and Shane were perfect, and Shane’s son, as well as his entire family were adorable, loving, and funny. This author is new to me, but I’m adding her to my list of favorites!
As the story begins we meet Homicide Det. Shayne Rogers when he was called to the site of a murder. The victim was a fourteen year girl. Because the victim is the daughter of Congressman Cleary, the FBI was called in to assist with solving the crime.
Things get more complicated when Shayne is told one of the agents assigned to the case is none other than Kara Martin, his former girlfriend….the one who broke his heart. It has been fifteen years and although the parting was difficult, a piece of him never recovered even though he married and has a daughter. Now they will be working together to solve this crime. Will he be able to manage working closely with her or will it cause more conflict with the case?
I have never been disappointed with a Jen Talty book and The Butterfly Murders is no exception. This book is filled with mystery, emotion and a measure of heat – so engaging I did not want to put it down.
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Totally WOW! This is a compelling read that will suck you in and hold on tight. I absolutely loved this book. The characters are amazing and the story full of suspense from beginning to end. I enjoyed following the police and FBI thru their investigation, unraveling all the leads and their different theories on the crimes; there was no hint of who did it until the end. Small hints were provided leading up to a tense and emotional confrontation but even though you knew it was a possibility it was still shocking to see it unfold. I also enjoyed the second chance love between Shane and Kara. They were best friends from childhood and then sweethearts through school and they had so much bittersweet history but were able to remain on task to do their jobs and learn about each other again along the way. There was a good pace to the rekindling of their relationship, it did not feel overpowering or rushed, and I really liked the interaction between the two of them and Shane’s son, Kevin. There was a lot to enjoy about this story; I enjoyed it so much I ordered the book for my collection. The Butterfly Murders is full of suspense, action, mystery, witty banter, old friendships, new partnerships and rekindled love. It has a bit of everything to enjoy. *I have reviewed this book under no obligation to the author or other party and have received no gift or other compensation for this review. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.
I have always loved a good mystery, long before I became a fan of romance novels. With “The Butterfly Murders”, Jen Talty has given us an outstanding mystery/suspense tale with a nice dose of romance that kept me guessing until the very last page.
Kara Martin was hesitant about returning to her hometown of Rochester, NY, but as an FBI Agent with the Violent Crimes Unit, her expertise was necessary to help decipher the clues of a nightmarish case. She wasn’t looking forward to seeing her ex-boyfriend, Shane Rogers, who was leading the investigation. She ran away from him many years ago with no explanation, and she hasn’t spoken to him since. Her job is her life and she always gives 100% to any situation, and she is confident that she will be able to work with Shane and his officers to close the case. Kara has never stopped loving Shane and she hopes to explain to him why she left and that he will accept her apology.
Shane Rogers is a veteran Homicide Detective but he had never seen such a horrific crime scene in his entire life, and the fact that the victim was a teenager, made it even worse. His thoughts drifted to his son at home, safely tucked in his bed. What a terrible thing to happen to a child and how awful for the parents. Due to the high profile nature of the case, the FBI had been called in to assist, and with them came his childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, Kara. Even though Shane had been married and had a family, he had never forgotten Kara and how much she had meant to him. Perhaps this was a sign that with his son feeling better and going back to school, he needed to come to terms with how he really felt about Kara.
As Kara and Shane grow closer while investigating the case, will they be able to leave their past behind and make plans for the future?
What happens when Shane confronts his son’s kidnapper? How does Kara help to bring an end to the madness?
“The Butterfly Murders” has characters we can relate to, is unpredictable, has a devious villain and plenty of page turning action. The storyline is original and you never know what will happen next. I was intrigued from the first page and it was hard to put down. It is one of the best books I have read this year and I can’t wait to see what Jen has in store for us next.