Kaely Quinn’s talents as an FBI behavior analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she’s demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, the … the reporter’s ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem’s predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.
Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else–including Kaely herself–is killed.
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Kaely Quinn has a reputation as a talented FBI Behavior Analyst. She’s also known for unorthodox techniques to discern a criminal’s identity, and thanks to an overly zealous newspaper report, it’s general knowledge she’s the daughter of a serial killer. Someone sends the reporter a poem suggesting the poet intends to commit several murders that will end when Kaely kills herself. She’s assigned to work on the case to find the murderer. As the poem suggests, the murders begin and suspects crop up like weeds.
I couldn’t put this book down. There’s a logical reason why several people are the killer, or UNSUB, as he’s called in the book. Just as I was convinced one guy did it, I read why it was another suspect instead. The book’s filled with twists, emotion and suspense that kept me devouring page after page. After growing up with a serial killer, Kaely has some emotional problems of her own to tackle, but they don’t distract her from her main purpose in life—identifying killers and saving lives. The characters are so fascinating and real, I felt as though I knew them, and I was on the case with them. I highly recommend this as a thrilling read.
I’ve read every book in this series and Dead End was the perfect wrap up. The story was well plotted and the characters were realistic. Recommend.
I received a complimentary copy of this book.
REALLY looking forward to book 2 in this series!
If I didn’t know you wanted more than one word from this review, I’d simply say, “Wow!”. But that doesn’t tell you much, does it? While the story was good and the way it was presented reminded me a little of Dee Henderson’s Evie Blackwell Cold Case books, the ending took it to a whole new level. That “Wow!” factor I mentioned. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you don’t get goosebumps…
I highly recommend Mind Games for those looking for something a little different from their romantic suspense! And I’ll be waiting for the next book, Fire Storm, to arrive in August.
Mind Games (2018) by Nancy Mehl is the first book in her Kaely Quinn Profiler series. This book comes in all forms including eBook, and is 336 pages in length. With a full-time job and a very busy six-year old at home, this novel took me two days to read. This book was provided to me by the publisher — Bethany House — for review. In no way has this influenced my opinion of the book. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. I give this novel 5+++++ STARS. Mind Games is a Contemporary Christian Romantic Suspense novel.
Oh. My. Word, I am blown away by Mind Games. This novel is insanely good. Hands down, one of the most engaging books I have ever read. I am a HUGE crime drama fan. I will watch any cop/lawyer show because I love trying to solve the crime before the answers are revealed. Mind Games kept me guessing the ENTIRE time. Even when I was confident I knew who the killer was, I still felt a niggling in the back of my mind causing me to doubt my choice. And, quite a few times I was left shocked. My husband would hear my gasps and scream out, “Don’t tell me anything. I want to read it for myself!” I mean if that doesn’t scream “GREAT STORY,” I don’t know what does.
Kaely Quinn is my new favorite sleuth. She is SO intelligent and driven that she gives Sherlock Holmes a run for his money. But, she is also severely damaged from her childhood, and this plays a huge role in her being a profiler for the FBI. What I found so incredibly well done is how Nancy Mehl addresses spiritual warfare through the guise of FBI profiling. Spiritual warfare is real. For some, it is a daily battle. If a person has even the smallest bit of trauma in his/her past, and they believe in God wholeheartedly, he/she is a walking target for spiritual warfare. I was once taught by my pastor that the stronger people are in their faith the more attacked they will be. As a teenager, this scared me until I was reminded that the Holy Spirit lives inside me. If the Holy Spirit lives inside me NOTHING bad can come inside. We cannot be servants to two masters. If the Holy Spirit is in you, the devil can’t win.
Kaely Quinn experiences some serious spiritual warfare. I don’t want to give away what happens to her because that would majorly ruin the story. Suffice to say, we all have thorns in our side that make us seemingly weak. This thorn is the button the devil LOVES to push in us because he thinks if he pushes hard enough we will give in and turn from God. BUT, the devil has nothing on us as long as we put our full armor on and turn to God. When talking about his thorn, Paul concludes in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (ESV):
But the Lord said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
What I adored the most about cool Kaely Quinn is not that she is intelligent, strong, or fierce. It’s that she knows in her weakness she is strong because she calls on the Name of the Lord. She prays to her Father in Heaven and knows He is by her side. Kaelly shows the reader that no matter the darkness we may find ourselves in — and it doesn’t get darker on this earth than being on the hunt for a serial killer out to get you — as long as we turn to Jesus the darkness will never defeat us. The Name of Yeshua is infinity-times more powerful than anything the devil can throw at us. In this day and age where darkness seems to be lurking around every corner, this tremendously hopeful message was exactly the reminder I needed.
Mind Games by Nancy Mehl is without a doubt a #MustRead for 2018. I loved every minute of this story, and I am so sad that my time with Kaely and Noah is over … for now. I very much look forward to book 2 in this series. If you are looking for a highly engaging, edge-of-your-seat, heart-pounding read then I HIGHLY recommend this book.
Wow. What an intense psychological thriller. Nancy Mehl creates a world of FBI profiling that is chilling and totally gripping. The title is incredibly appropriate. The book is extremely well-written with a plot that has the reader constantly guessing at who may be after Kaely, the FBI profiler being targeted. The plot has multiple points of view, including the villain’s, and has many details that somehow all pull together to point to the person responsible and yet the reader can’t be completely sure until the very end of the book. If you enjoy a well-crafted psychological thriller, you will love this book.
Kaely is a talented FBI profiler with a terrible family history and background. She is talented but has unorthodox methodology in getting her results and suffers from distrust in people. She is a bit difficult to connect with at first because she is so different and almost lives inside the heads of those she profiles; her thought processes and her reading of others can be somewhat disturbing. Yet she has a rock-solid faith that she is comfortable talking to Noah about and her faith is genuine, plain, and honest. Noah is lead agent on the case when Kaely gets threatened. He is a loyal, intelligent, hard-working FBI agent still suffering from the loss of his wife. Noah is easy to like and his affinity for Kaely as the book progresses helps the reader understand Kaely better. The author really draws the reader into Kaely and Noah’s world, not just in trying to identify and apprehend the perpetrator in their professional world but also into their personal worlds where past events and the emotions tied to them collide to pave a more hopeful future.
I am already holding my breath for book 2 in Kaely Quinn Profiler series. What can surpass Kaely’s ordeals and genius that were presented in this book? Waiting is so difficult….
I was given a copy of the book by Bethany House (Baker House Publishing) via Celebrate Lit Tours and was under no obligation to post a positive review. All comments and opinions are solely my own.
Mind Games by author Nancy Mehl is one of the best suspense thrillers I have read this year! I am looking forward to more in this series. The FBI profiler Kaely Quinn is a wonderful character who has a special gift in being able to connect with the unsub in order to understand more about his/her motives. This ability has caused problems with her peers and fellow agents. Kaely also has other reasons for going so deep into profiling the killers due to her family history, her father was a serial killer! I love the character being a person of faith. This is hard to find in really well-written suspense thrillers and I am so happy Nancy Mehl has broken this barrier. I won’t post spoilers, but if you like reading fast-paced thrillers without objectionable language you will want to read Mind Games and follow this series!
Publication Date: December 4, 2018
It was very difficult to put this book down, once I started reading it! The chilling mind of a serial killer, matched with the unique way the Detective Kaely Quinn profiled them created an action packed mystery full of intrigue!
Deliciously spine tingling.
I really enjoyed this book and would enjoy reading more like it!
Fascinating read! Unlike any other book I’ve read. Great characters you couldn’t help rooting for. Lots of twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.
Good start: hooked me on the series. Hard to put down.
Enjoyed Very Much. For once, a novel classified as having Christian content actually had it. It seems that normally, a book gets hit with a Christian (or religious) classification if it merely reveals the faith of a person, or the main character happens to go to church regularly, whether or not the book actually has religious content. Good story, keeps the reader on his/her toes. I will read more in this series.
Intelligently woven plot…..very interesting characters…..believable
My first time ready Nancy Mehl but was an awesome experience! This book I could not put down! Great story line and awesome sit on the edge of your seat crime serial killer book! Kept you guessing who done it! A must read for those who like Christian thrillers!
If you like a nice clean book that is also a crime mystery, this is the book for you. It’s refreshing to read a book in this genre without a lot of foul language or steamy sex scenes. It was a page turner!
I really liked it and would recommend. It is different, really like the author’s take.
great book
Read it in one-sitting, could not put it down. I really got caught up in the characters.
If you like crime dramas like Criminal Minds… you’ll love this… easy read…