Buffalo police detective Lauren Riley risks her life to close the book for good on a killer who’s never paid for his crimes. When cold case detective Lauren Riley returns to work after being stabbed by a fellow police officer, it’s clear that her troubles are far from over. The body of a young woman has been found in the same woods as a murder victim from one of Lauren’s most horrifying cases. It … of Lauren’s most horrifying cases. It doesn’t take long for Lauren to be back at square one confronting David Spencer, the quietly deranged man she could never prove was a killer. Lauren convinces the police chief to put together a task force to uncover the connections between the brutal slaying of both women and the murder of two cops. But things go south quickly, forcing Lauren into a deadly game that she can’t afford to lose.
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A MEANS TO AN END by Lissa Marie Redmond
The Third Cold Case Investigations Mystery
Cold Case Homicide Detective Lauren Riley has been through a lot. Recovering from a stab wound, her obsession with David Spencer, the man she unwittingly helped beat a murder charge, is going into overdrive. When another missing woman’s body is found, Lauren is positive David is the killer. Several agencies come together to work the crime, but as positive Lauren is that David is to blame, several other officers think she’s not only deranged, but guilty. With a new woman gone missing Detective Riley will pull out all the stops to finally stop Spencer, no matter the cost.
The third Cold Case Investigations Mystery continues to show the gritty world of police detection in Buffalo, New York. The dark wintry atmosphere of a never thawing Spring in Buffalo emphasizes the desperate nature of the characters here. Detective Riley has changed, not only mentally, but physically. No longer the attractive woman, her cases have been draining the life out of her, literally as well as figuratively. Forced to fight for her own good name as well as to prevent more deaths Lauren Riley will go to any end, by whatever means necessary. While her shining armour and bright idealism had long been tarnished by the reality of decades of real police work, she’s now entered the no man’s land.
In A MEANS TO AN END all of the loose pieces from the first two books in the Cold Case Investigations series are tied up as Detective Riley finally finds vindication. The final scene between Lauren and David is a culmination of their fascination, attraction, and mutual obsession. Their lives entwined in such a way so as to ultimately lead to their destruction.
A MEANS TO AN END is a heart pounding journey into the dark side of human nature. Stark realism is captured as one women is forced to decide to what lengths she’ll go to to find justice.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me an e-copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
A story that starts very slow and because i haven’t read the other two books in the series, i felt like missing something but so big. I was intrigued because i always look for different and unique mysteries to be solved and this story did hold my attention after the first quarter more because as i said, it starts slow but when it picks up, it’s just don’t stop!
Crime after crime, the guilty person is trying to cover his traces but the detective Lauren won’t give up so easy in finding the culprit.
It’s a mystery crime story, a Cold Case episode even (which i love) with so many turns and twists that will keep you wanting more and more.
The ending was brilliant but i still have questions that i feel like weren’t answered but hopefully, there will be another book in the series.
Another Gripping Cold Case
The novel opened up at a crime scene about 60 miles from Buffalo. The basic structure of the novel was established in the first chapter. The crime scene belonged to Chautauqua County Sheriff Office. They were supported by the New York State Police, the Garden Valley Police because the body may be a missing person from their jurisdiction, and the Buffalo Police because the ID found near the body was of a woman missing from their jurisdiction. Let’s say that the atmosphere was not collegial between some of the agencies present. Later the Buffalo Police Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley suggested the formation of a task force to investigate the cases. The agreement is for only one person from each jurisdiction to be on the Task Force. The State Attorney General person would oversee the Task Force. This split Riley from her partner Reese. The main storyline grew from this beginning.
One of the major themes in this novel was conflict and strong feelings. Reese grew more distant with Riley. Riley strongly believed that the murder of the present victim was David Spencer who left a previous victim in this same exact spot. Unfortunately through her efforts Spencer was not convicted for that murder. The Garden Valley Police representative wanted to investigate Riley and Reese for the unsolved murder of a Garden Valley detective who was Riley’s ex-husband. Riley and Reese were investigated initially for that murder in the previous novel in this series. You might feel now that you must read the first two novels before reading this novel. I do recommend reading them first, but it is not necessary. The background is explained that I believe is adequate for understanding the actions in this novel.
This novel did capture my imagination. The mixing of the twists, turns, and misdirections within environment of conflict did make an interesting and engaging novel. This is one of my major criteria for high star ratings. This novel did not capture my imagination to the level of novels that a rate with five stars.
As for the aspects that may be objectionable for some, there were about two dozen f-bombs and about four times of the use of lesser vulgar language. They were all in character or context appropriate for the situations. There were not any graphic sex scenes either. This language did not pose a problem for me, and I believe that for most readers this should not be a problem.
All of the threads and storylines were tied up at the end except one. This was left as a teaser for the next book in the series. I call these endings after a season finale of Dallas TV series that I call who shot JR. I normally drop at least one star rating when this type of ending is used. This ending did not bother me here because a follow-on novel clearly was expected by the end. The other aspect a little troubling for me was that Riley’s behavior was not in character as the end of the novel approached.
Based upon the above I rate this novel with four stars. I did enjoy reading it and do recommend reading it. I am looking forward to reading the next novel.
I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Midnight Ink with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Midnight Ink for the opportunity to read this novel early.
Cold Case Detective Lauren Riley is back doing what she does best, investigating murders. A woman has been murdered and her body dumped in a wooded area, an area where a previous victim was once found. Lauren has survived being stabbed by a fellow officer and now will not rest until she gets justice for the victim and hopefully before there are more victims. She has a mission that she cannot fail…proving that David Spencer was guilty of murder and has continued to kill. She unwittingly helped to acquit him of the first murder and now she won’t give up until he is in jail or dead. An exciting follow-up to the second book in the series “The Murder Book”. Ms. Redmond’s writing style is crisp and moves the reader along eagerly waiting for the final explosive ending. Lauren is a slightly flawed character who knows she was scammed by the murderer once and has no plans to allow him to get away again. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
A Means to an End (Cold Case Investigation #3) by Lissa Marie Redmond
September 2019
fiction, suspense, book series
Midnight Ink
Rating: 4/5
I received this digital arc from NetGalley and Midnight Ink in exchange for an unbiased review.
I was excited to read this new installation of the series since I was able to preview the first two books!
I wouldn’t recommend reading these books as a “stand alone” in order to fully understand the cast of characters and their relevance.
The murder isn’t over until the killer stops deriving pleasure from the crime.
Lauren Riley is a cold case detective working with her partner Shane Reese. Divorced with two adult daughters, she takes on cases as a private investigator on the side. She has a complicated relationship with her ex-husband Mark who is an accomplished attorney.
In the first book, she agrees to take on a PI case for attorney Frank Violanti, with whom she has been adversaries on many cases. She is annoyed to discover that Joe Wheeler, a former fiancé, is involved with this high profile case. Lauren ends up seeking assistance from unlikely sources to assist her investigation. Ultimately, she is left frustrated and dissatisfied with the results of acquittal in the Katherine Vine murder trial.
Next, a year later, Lauren is stabbed in the back while working late at the Precinct. Her partner Shane Reese had just left the office and returned to retrieve his baseball hat when he finds her bloody body on the floor. It seems pretty obvious that the crime was an “inside job” since the cold case files were kept in a secure location.
Why would anyone want to steal the Cold Case Murder Book? It seems there is a “mole” leaking information regarding investigations. Being a victim doesn’t stop Lauren from investigating her own case. She won’t stop until the person is apprehended unfortunately cases aren’t as cut and dry as Lauren would like. This book ends with another question mark regarding the involvement of a former client who was acquitted in his murder trial. Why does he continue to taunt Lauren? What is his end game?
In this latest installation to the Cold Case series, it is 4 months later on a cold March day in New York when Lauren and Shane arrive at a crime scene. Apparently, two hunters found the gruesome corpse of a woman in two pieces. It seems that Brianna McIntyre, a 22 year old, went missing last May after telling friends she was meeting a man she met online in a coffee shop. Manny Perez, the state police senior investigator, had consulted Lauren and Shane since he noted that Amber Anderson’s body was found in the same spot 2 years ago and murder case remains unsolved. There are no coincidences when it comes to crime and they fear they have a serial killer on the loose. Unfortunately, Lauren is certain she knows who is responsible and will do anything to see justice finally served.
Although this book ties up all the loose ends from the prior books, the characters are well developed and I could easily see this evolving into other books.
Book 1: Cold Case Investigation
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2072195169
Book 2: The Murder Book https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2524928945