In this mesmerizing new novel from bestselling author Lisa Black, the discovery of a young man’s corpse leads forensics expert Maggie Gardiner and Cleveland detective Jack Renner into a dark and dangerous web of lies . . . Life and death have brought Maggie Gardiner full circle, back to the Erie Street Cemetery where she first entered Jack Renner’s orbit. Eight months ago, she learned what Jack … Jack would do in the name of justice. More unsettling still, she discovered how far she would go to cover his tracks. Now a young man sprawls atop a snowy grave, his heart shredded by a single wound. A key card in the victim’s wallet leads to the local university’s student housing—and to a grieving girlfriend with an unsettling agenda. Maggie’s struggle to appease her conscience is complicated by her ex-husband, Rick, who’s convinced that Jack is connected to a series of vigilante killings. Also a homicide detective, Rick investigates what seems like a routine overdose on Cleveland’s West Side; but here, too, the appearance belies a deeper truth. Rick’s case and Jack’s merge onto the trail of a shadowy, pill-pushing physician who is everywhere and nowhere at once, while Maggie and Jack uncover a massive financial shakedown hiding in plain sight. And when Rick’s bloody fingerprint is found at another murder scene, Maggie’s world comes undone in a violent, irreversible torrent of events . . .
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Lisa Black combines her impressive imagination with her real-world experience as a forensic specialist in a gripping, twisty tale. I thoroughly enjoyed it! It’s the latest in the Maggie Gardiner and Jack Renner series but can be read as a standalone.
This is now my favorite book in this series. Plenty of action with just enough forensic detail.
Every Kind of Wicked Gardiner and Renner #6 by Lisa Black is not only suspenseful but the subject matter of part of the ‘wicked’ really is eye-opening. We all know to beware of phone scammers, but there are some people who are very vulnerable to the fear associated with the scam. There are many levels to this plot and a lot going on in this book.
Forensic specialist Maggie Gardiner is called to a scene in a cemetery where a young man has been stabbed. The piercing weapon has not been identified and soon Detective Jack Renner has to collaborate with Maggie’s ex-husband Rick, who is a homicide detective. This is not an ideal situation due to the distrust Rick has for Jack. The background on the animosity between the two men is covered in the previous books in the series.
As the investigation begins, Jack and Riley find the fist victim, Evan Harding’s apartment. When his girlfriend. Shanaya Thomas appears she withholds information which could help find a motive for the murder. What else does she know which affects this case? Shanaya holds many answers to different levels of mystery in this case.
I am appalled at how callous people can be as they swindle and steal from the unsuspecting. Shanaya has no remorse or qualms about lying to others.
Publication Date: August 25, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
“Every Kind of Wicked (A Gardiner and Renner Novel, Book 6)” brings forensic investigator Maggie Gardiner, Detective Jack Renner and Rick, Maggie’s ex-husband, back together again at a murder scene in the Erie Street Cemetery, where Maggie’s and Jack’s future became irrevocably intertwined years earlier. The victim this time, a young man, appears to be a student at a local university. But, as in nearly all homicide investigations, not everything is as it appears. His grieving girlfriend disappears shortly after the death notification. His boss seems more concerned about needing to replace his now-dead employee. But for forensic investigator Maggie, the pursuit for answers in seemingly random cases, becomes deeply personal when she discovers that a bloody fingerprint left at the scene of another murder belongs to a Cleveland homicide detective—her ex-husband, Rick. As a certified crime scene analyst and former forensic scientist for the Cleveland Coroner’s office, author Lisa Black writes with impressive authenticity. “Every Kind of Wicked” will leave the reader ready to pre-order when Book 7 in the series becomes available.
Every Kind of Wicked by Lisa Black
Gardiner and Renner #6
An alliance forged in death
Each holds a secret about the other
They work together
They watch one another
What relationship is this and
What could it become?
Intriguing premise, wonderful characters, great police/murder mysteries to solve that hook me in a bit more with each book in the series. I love Maggie and Jack and though their relationship has not been romantic it always has seemed to have the potential for more IF they can overcome a major issue that in fact is the one that brought them together. I don’t know if there will be more books in this series as in some ways this wouldn’t be a bad way for the series to end BUT I would hate to say goodbye to these two characters if the author has more to share about them as they solve more cases together.
What I liked:
* Jack: Hm…hmm…hmmmmm…this is a man with his own moral compass and a mandate to fulfill. He is intelligent, cunning, ruthless and yet seems to have a warm center while knowing what he believes is right and what is wrong.
* Maggie: a brilliant woman skilled in her forensic field. She is divorced, has always known right from wrong, and then…she began to question. I find her quirky and intriguing with potentially hidden depths.
* The relationship between Jack and his work partner, Riley.
* The way the relationship between Jack and Maggie as it has developed over the series
* Shanaya – I kind of like her but really wonder about HER moral compass and why she got into the way of life she did
* The police procedural aspects of the story.
* The overlapping threads of the story and how they all were woven together
* That the case was solved
* The last little bit that I won’t get away but REALLY liked it 🙂
What I did not like:
* The bad guy who created the scam/con
* Knowing that the type of crime in this story exists and harms so many
* Not knowing when I finished the book whether it is the last in the series or if there will be more in the future.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely
Would I read another book by this author? Without a doubt
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
5 Stars
Maggie Gardiner is a forensics expert who works hand in hand with Cleveland detective Jack Renner in crime solving. They have a unique partnership. They each have a secret that would put them behind bars for a really long time .. and they are at the mercy of each other to never share that secret.
The fly in the ointment is Maggie’s ex-husband. Rick is certain that Jack is involved in something nefarious and sets out to prove it. Rick is also a homicide detective and investigates the death of a woman who is thought to have died from a drug overdose.
Maggie and Jack are caught up in looking for the identity of a man found dead from a single stabbing directly into his heart. A key card in the victim’s wallet leads to the local university’s student housing—and to a grieving girlfriend with an unsettling agenda.
The two cases emerge and leads to an unexpected motive for the deaths. But what really throws Maggie is the fingerprint found at another murder scene.. a fingerprint is blood .. and it’s belongs to Rick … and where has Rick disappeared to?
As with all the books in this series, it is well written with a solid plot and skillfully drawn characters. This is a page-turner with action packs suspense starting on the very first page and not letting up until the unexpected satisfying conclusion.
Although 6th in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I highly recommend a reading marathon starting at the very first meeting of Gardiner and Renner. It’s a terrific series that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Many thanks to the author / Kensington Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This is book number six in this amazing series and each book brings us more details in to the lives of Maggie and Jack. Maggie is a forensic investigator, a civilian in the world of law enforcement. Jack is a Cleveland detective that Maggie doesn’t quite trust. Maggie’s ex doesn’t trust him either and has plans to find out who Jack really is and what he may have done. Ms. Black writes a mystery within a mystery as a man is killed with an unusual weapon. While working the first case, another body is killed in the same manner but there doesn’t seem to be a connection. Slowly the detectives, with the assistance of Maggie’s forensic clues, will unravel a twisted tale of illegal prescriptions and greed. Excellent read! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
This was another book in the Maggie Gardiner series and I loved it. In this book Maggie and Jack found themselves full circle with a case that led them back to the cemetery where they met and formed their alliance to keep secrets that would keep them working together to protect Jack’s secrets.
In this book they have a number of murders to solve and one that is really close to Maggie. This book is full of police procedure and a lot of questions about who the police are looking for. I also love it that things between Jack and Maggie seem to be heating up as well.
This is a great addition to the series and an excellent read. Every kind of Wicked gets five out of five stars from me.