A serial killer terrorizing the women of Sacramento meets his match in this pulse-pounding novel from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.There is a serial killer on the loose, preying on vulnerable women. The only identifiable mark the killer leaves are letters—sometimes one, sometimes two—all carved into the torsos of his victims. Together they spell “Sydney.” When he grabs Daisy … “Sydney.”
When he grabs Daisy Dawson, he believes he has found his next victim. But despite her small stature, she fights back with an expertise that quickly frees her. Before fleeing the scene, Daisy also manages to grab what proves to be crucial evidence: a necklace from around the killer’s neck.
The necklace is more than a trivial item—it is a link to a cold case that Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been tracking for seventeen years. With Daisy’s help, Gideon finally has the opportunity to get closer to the truth than ever before.
But they might not get the chance, as the serial killer has a new target: Gideon and Daisy.
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Say You’re Sorry is a thrilling onion, with many layers to captivate and intrigue you! I couldn’t put this book down, and kept trying to figure out what was going to happen next, only to be kept on my toes in suspense. I enjoy when thrillers are written from multiple points of view, it helps my anxiety level to actually be able to see the dark inner workings of the villain (evil as they may be).
Wow. What a roller coaster from beginning to end! I don’t know how I’ve gone this long without reading a Karen Rose novel, but I am officially a fan. SAY YOU’RE SORRY is the first book in Ms. Rose’s new Sacramento series. It’s a wonderfully crafted romantic thriller following Daisy, a free spirit still figuring out her life, and Gideon, an FBI agent, who are brought together by an attack and evidence that ultimately ties them together.
The way Ms. Rose weaves readers into a story through multiple perspectives and points of view is masterful. Her characters were all completely fleshed out and three dimensional. Each main character had layers and hidden depths; at times I even found myself sympathizing with the killer.
The plot was engaging and complex, but not confusing. Ms. Rose had plenty of twists for us and did a great job of dispensing information to keep the reader guessing, but at no point was I lost. My heart was pounding all through the story, and I even cried a few times. I was that invested!
One of the biggest surprises for me in this story was Gideon’s character. He is a beta hero! As an FBI agent, I was expecting a macho alpha field agent with badass moves and lots of guns. Gideon is a linguist and didn’t do field work outside of his FBI training. He actually knows his limits, and for the most part, he is willing to work within the guidelines of his job and the law. Ms. Rose did a great job showing his fierce and protective side, while also portraying his deep vulnerability.
The romance between Daisy and Gideon was very well done. They had an almost a spiritual connection that both of them recognized instantly. They were clearly kindred spirits. The way they anchored each other was a joy to read amidst this intense and often dark story.
I absolutely enjoyed this book, but I do wish there had been fewer coincidences as plot points. Some of them made me roll my eyes. I also thought Daisy was a little too perfect at times. I liked her character a lot, she was strong and kicked butt. I was just over Daisy being so great at everything by the end of the book.
Overall, this was a great romantic suspense novel. I was on the edge of my seat and flew through the 600+ pages. By the last page, I only wanted more. I can’t wait for the next book in this series. In the meantime, I am going to hit up some of Karen Rose’s backlist titles!
**I received an ARC of this book in order to provide an honest review**
I am torn with this book. I liked it. At the same time, I wasn’t fond of it. I keep going back and forth with my feelings for this one.
Overall, this is a really good book with its twists and interesting plot. I am all for a serial killer book. In that aspect, this one disappoint. The author didn’t pull any punches with this one. Connecting the dots wasn’t hard but was interesting, to say the least.
The characters in this one are hard to connect to. You would assume with such a long book, there should be a stronger connection between the characters and the reader, but there isn’t. They fell quite flat for me.
The plot itself was unique and interesting. A little drawn out though. So many things in the book were repeated over and over again. I found myself annoyed with the repetitiveness in this one. If the author had taken those parts out completely or replaced them with something new to add to the book, it would have read much smoother.
Details. I am not familiar with the setting of this book. However, there are references to things like football in this book. The timeline of the book and the football references do not line up. Football in America is over when the football references took place. A little better plot planning and fact checking would go a long way. This did surprise me given this author is nowhere near new to the game of publishing.
I was definitely satisfied with the ending. Once things were coming to an end, I found myself eager to see if things were going to play out the way I had suspected. All of the pieces fell into place with a nice little bow. I most certainly was not disappointed.
I received a free copy of this book via Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I started reading Karen Rose’s romantic suspense when she first started writing, and I have enjoyed every book she has written. She is known for her creatively complex plots with lots of action and intrigue. She also skillfully creates realistically, in-depth, three-dimensional main characters that have great strength and courage, and are outspokenly honest. Along with those characteristics, she also infuses them with great vulnerability and understanding.
As I continue reading Ms. Rose’s romantic suspense novels, I have noticed subtle changes in her plots and her characters. Over time, they have become more intelligent, more complex and a lot more realistic. In fact, her novels have quickly advanced into the more highly developed thriller genre.
Karen Rose’s new novel, Say You’re Sorry, is the beginning of a new series that takes place in Sacramento. Ms. Rose masterly creates an in-depth plot with many interwoven problems that manage to entangle themselves around almost every character.
This is the story of a serial killer who is kidnapping young women. These women quietly disappear forever with no clues to what happened to them. In the beginning of the story, the killer attempts to kidnap Daisy Dawson who manages to fight off the man and still live to tell her story.
In the process she manages to grab hold of a unique necklace he was wearing that has a very unusual locket attached. This fact comes to the attention of FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds who, for seventeen years, has been investigating a cold case that involves this locket.
This thriller is full of non-stop intrigue, adventure, action and so many twists and turns that they manage to fill up the pages from beginning until its end. It is a very realistic story that often includes some graphic violence that allows us to better see into the killer’s mind.
This book is so addictive that all I wanted to do was to read this book as quickly as I could!
I highly recommend it!!
Daisy Dawson is a morning radio personality in Sacramento, California. She is also a recovering alcoholic on her way to dinner with her friend Trish after an AA meeting. As they are walking towards the diner Trish is chatting with a very distracted Daisy. “Someone is following me. I can feel it.” Daisy is thinking her father is having her followed again by their former ranch hand, Jacob since her father is concerned she will”fall off the wagon.” No, it’s not Jacob who is following her. It is so much worse than that. Daisy decides to confront the man following her and her friend since she thinks it is Jacob. She sends Trish ahead to the diner. Then she veers into an alley to confront who she thinks is Jacob. But it’s not Jacob and Daisy finds herself in the fight of her life as the stalker tries to subdue her and drag her to his car. Fortunately Daisy has learned many very effective self-defense moves and she manages to get away – with a chain and locket that had been around her attacker’s neck. Trish hadn’t gone far and when she turned to check on Daisy she didn’t see her. A concerned Trish calls Daisy’s friend Sacramento PD Detective Rafe Sokolov who arrives quickly with his best friend FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds. The locket Daisy grabbed startles Gideon. He knows where it came from – the same place he escaped from as a young teenager – a Hell called Eden. He has to find out how Daisy’s attacker got that locket. Will he? Will they find Daisy’s attacker?
Say You’re Sorry by Karen Rose is the first book in the author’s Sacramento series. This book is a long one, 624 pages but those pages are jam-packed with wall-to-wall action and heart-stopping, page-turning suspense. The characters are very realistic and likeable. The plot is tight and the storyline flows well. Karen Rose knows how to tell a story that keeps her readers on the edge of their seats all the while with the book glued to their hands because they can’t put it down. “Have to know how this story ends.” Suspense lovers need to read this book! They will become instant Karen Rose fans!
Say You’re Sorry is what all romantic suspense should aspire to be! I have apparently been living under a rock because Karen Rose has been writing romantic suspense for years and I’ve been missing out on a ton of intriguing reads!
From the beginning Say You’re Sorry sucked me into the dark mind of a sociapathic killer and I freaking loved it. It started the same way an episode of Criminal Minds does where you see the killer in action and then brings you to present time where you follow our heroine, Daisy Dawson, and then later we are introduced to our hero, FBI Agent, Gideon Reynolds.
One of my favorite components of Say You’re Sorry was the way it was written, we were given access to so many points of view so we were engaged in every single aspect of the story, and it was intriguing and terrifying and all consuming all at the same time.
There are so many moving pieces and a ton of characters and story lines in Say You’re Sorry, it’s sexy as hell on top of all of the murder and Gideon was the perfect amount of alpha. Daisy was more than capable and excellent shot, she is a perfectly flawed bad ass heroine.
The main plot arc was solved, but there is more foul play afoot and I can’t wait for the next book to see how everything will play out. Grab Say You’re Sorry and get ready to start a brilliant romantic suspense journey.
Carson “Sonny” Garvey is a serial killer. He lives in Sacramento. He has a house with a sound-proof basement. He does abhorrent things to women there. All the while demanding them to, “Say you’re sorry.”
Daisy Dawson, a local radio personality, is walking from an AA meeting with her friend, Trish Hart. They are headed to a diner. When Trish goes on ahead Daisy is attacked in an alley. She is able to ward off her would-be abductor. While doing so, she pulls off a locket from the man’s throat. A locket with an unusual engraving.
FBI Special Agent Gideon Reynolds is called in on the case by his friend, SacPD Detective Rafe Sokolov.
Rafe recognizes that the engraving on the locket as one that matches a tattoo on Gideon’s chest that he’d had as a teenager.
It’s connected to a New Religions movement cult, the Second Eden, which Reynolds escaped from when he was thirteen.
Gideon has been trying to find them and bring them down for 17 years. This is deeply personal for him. In many ways.
When Gideon is assigned to Daisy’s protection detail they work together to find her attacker and uncover the truth of Gideon’s past.
Before long they discover that Daisy is far from Sonny’s first victim. The bodies begin piling-up as the danger looms nearer.
Dawson and Reynolds become close the closer they get to the truth. Sparks fly in more ways than one.
Soon the killer will have new targets: Daisy and Gideon!
This is meaty, high-octane suspense. It unfolds at a perfect pace, giving us time to find out what makes these characters tick.
We are also brought into the mind and motivations of the dark and twisted Sonny.
One character I especially enjoyed was the gutsy and determined Zandra.
There’s Also two smart dogs in this tale. Brutus and Mutt. Gotta love it.
Read this great book and you’ll not…SAY YOU’RE SORRY!
I entered a Goodreads Giveaway for this book on a whim and ended up with a copy. I must have been living under a rock because I had never heard of Karen Rose before or read any of her previous 21 books despite being a fan of romantic suspense. Boy, have I been missing out.
This was a fast paced and engrossing read for me. I’d sit down and read it at night only to look up and find that two hours had gone by in a flash. Daisy Dawson is just trying to get her life on track. One night she and a friend are out and she unknowingly ends up in the path of a serial killer. She survives their initial encounter but then becomes the killer’s next target. Gideon is a FBI agent who is struggling with his past as well. He believes that Daisy’s would-be killer holds the keys to the secrets of his own messed up childhood. Gideon agrees to protect Daisy and assist in the investigation in the hopes that he’ll find answers that he’s been searching for.
There is a lot going on in this book—lots of complicated plot angles. If you are looking for a quick read, this is probably not it. You really need to invest time in following all the the intertwining storylines. The author did a great job with the main characters and a bunch of fascinating secondary characters. There is the perfect balance of suspense and romance.
I received a free paperback ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I’m not good at writing reviews but here goes nothing..
This is my first book by Karen Rose and I can honestly say shes now one of my favorites! Say you’re sorry is just WOW! This book has it all: love, suspense, and action. I couldn’t put it down (I read it in like a half a day! So sad it ended.) The story flows so well and you get multiple point of views. The characters are so realistic and you can’t but help feel sorry for them.
Carson, the serial killer, was being abused by his stepmom which is no excuse but explains why he kills the women he does.
Daisy, a recovering alcoholic, was almost abducted by him but she managed to get away with a piece of evidence, a necklace.
Daisy is such a strong character and her struggles are so relatable.
Gideon, a Special Agent, has been working on a cold case and new evidence comes up.. the necklace! When him and Daisy meet theres an instant connection. He used to be part of a cult but he escaped and hes been searching for them ever since, this new evidence is crucial to not only the search of the cult but the search of a serial killer. The chase is on, do they find the killer in time? Do they find the cult? You’ll have to read to find out! Trust me you will not be disappointed!
I highly recommend this book and author! I CAN’T wait until more books in this series comes out.
I love Karen Rose’s serial killers. They are vile and twisted and captivating to read. This first book in her Sacramento series reminds me of her earlier books which were the best. Along with the serial killer she also introduces a secondary plot of a religious cult which looks like it will continue through this series.
Fans of the previous series will recognize Daisy Dawson from the Maryland series. She was the step sister of Taylor and her father Fredrick now works as a PI for Clay Maynard. I liked that even though this book starts off a new series it still has strong ties to the previous. Daisy was a very complex yet strong woman who even with vulnerabilities like anxiety and staying sober could more than take care of herself and was a heck of a shot with a gun.
The hero was new. FBI Agent Gideon Reynolds brings with him to the story not only his sister but also his surrogate family,the Sokolov’s, who I feel are going to be the backbone of this series.
This was a great start to what looks to be a fantastic series set in and around Sacramento. I cannot wait to see whose story is next and to get more info about the cult.