When a former assassin’s daughter is abducted, she’s drawn into the twisted game of a serial killer who may be a grisly remnant from her past.
What happens when a reality show turns deadly?
Determined to leave her old life behind, retired assassin Leine Basso accepts a job working security at one of television’s most popular reality shows, Serial Date. When a contestant is found dead in the … contestant is found dead in the prop closet, it appears the killer is one of the ‘bachelors’ on the show — an ex-con billed as a serial killer — but the detective in charge of the case isn’t so sure.
When Leine’s estranged daughter is abducted by a man claiming to be the real killer, she’s forced to rely on old skills to find her, and must come to terms with who she really is. She soon realizes the murderer may be a grisly remnant from her past and she’ll need to use all of her cunning to stop him…
…and rescue her daughter.
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This review is for the audio book.
I loved this book. I have listened to all the Leine Basso books and jumped at the chance to own this one especially as the author has re recorded it with the very talented Kristi Alsip as the narrator. It was great re-listen to the story as I had forgotten so much. This is book one but there is a prequel that is also a must listen as it explains more about Leine assassin life and why she gave it up, it isn’t necessary but I think it helps especially followed up by this book. This story has so many twist and suspect’s that you never know where the story is going to take you next but it is going to be an adventure getting there. The reason I like it so much is because of the characters that are portrayed brilliantly as tough with a gentle caring side, even Santa the police doesn’t want to believe what the evidence is telling.
Leine is an ex assassin looking for work after being betrayed by her former employer. So she jumps at the chance to head up the security team working on a reality tv show. But the show isn’t just an ordinary show and someone is taking the shows title Serial Date literally and is killing off the contestant. Can Leine find the killer before there is no one left on the show? The problem is everybody is keeping secrets about what is really going on, so the police don’t get involved and shut the show down. And the biggest secret is being kept by Leine, the fact that the killer has her own daughter and is coming after her.
I think Kristi Alsip is a very talented narrator and I am glad she is the go to narrator for this series. With a great author and a talented narrator I would highly recommend this book and series.
Serial Date – a review by Rosemary Kenny
DV Berkom spins a splendidly shocking murder-mystery when 19 year old Amanda Milton, who was a contestant on the eponymous reality show (and the mistress of a married senator, involved with the show), is gruesomely mutilated by a Hannibal Lecter copycat killer.
Serial Date is part of DV Berkom’s, A Leine Basso Thriller series and the lady herself is drafted in, as a freelance bodyguard for the remaining female contestants and the producer. She’s also introduced to Detective Santiago Jensen, tasked with finding the psychopathic killer, who’s already taunting police with a letter, saying what he intends to do to his next victim.
Have police arrested the right person?
What’s happened to Leine’s daughter April?
With a small shoal of red herrings’ and a soupçon of horror, DV Berkom skillfully reels in the tension line of anticipation and spine-tingling thrills, as the ghosts of Leine’s past come back to haunt her, in a terrifying yet most satisfying conclusion.
Will Santiago ‘Santa’ Jensen be her new beginning, or tie her to long-cold cases and be her Nemesis?
Get your copy of DV Berkom’s stunning psychological crime-thriller, Serial Date to find out where Leine’s future lies – and do it now!
As with all of DV’s books this one will keep you interested.
Great book–will be reading more of the Basso series.
did not want to put it down
Leine Basso has become one of my favorite characters. D.V. Berkom knows how to keep the reader hooked.
a very good suspense read.
Creepy. Gross. But not so over the top to stop one from reading. A strong but troubled protagonist. A very good book!
Levine Basso is an awesome heroine. These books are action packed with twisted plots and intriguing characters.
DV Berkhom is an amazing writer. Everyone of her books are wonderful. All page turners and can’t put it down stories. I read them in one sitting. Serial Date is no exception.
At first I didn’t think this book was for me. The descriptions made it sound like the story would be too twisted for my taste. I am glad I stuck with it though as the characters definitely grew on me. Enough that I read another 2 in the series and if anything liked them more.
This is a cute start to a series. Anxious to learn more about the heroine.
In “Serial Date” by D.V. Beckom we meet Leine Basso, a retired assassin who accepts a job working security for a highly rated reality television show, “Serial Date”. The show introduces viewers to beautiful young female contestants who are vying to date one of the show’s ex-cons. The ex-cons are all advertised as serial killers though none of them have ever really been involved in a murder. Leine rents a house in Los Angeles where the show takes place and is surprised when her estranged daughter April comes to stay with her. Readers can feel the tension between the two of them and hope Leine can repair the damage she has done to their relationship. Several years before, she had been tricked into killing Carlos, a person they both had loved and April has never forgiven her. When she gets to the show, Leine learns that Mandy was the young woman who had been killed, mutilated and stuffed into a prop closet. A note was left with the body stating that if the show did not change its style, they could expect more deaths and mutilations. The murderer also stated that he was looking forward to having the body parts he had taken for his dinner. Readers now wonder if one of the ex-cons is the murderer and cannibal or if it is someone completely not involved with the show. Readers then meet Santiago Jensen, the Los Angeles police detective who is in charge of the case and who becomes infatuated with Leine. He is told that she had been an insurance investigator and when he does a police search on her background, he also learns that she had worked for some government-like agencies. After one of the ex-cons is jailed for the murder, the cast members and others involved with the show become relaxed, feeling that the show is now safe. Then another young woman, Stacy, is found murdered and mutilated, Peter, the producer, tells Gene, his assistant, the man who knew and had hired Leine, that they will not report this murder to anyone so that none of the cast will get upset again and the police will not shut down the show, The show’s television ratings had gone up after the first murder and Peter does not want to lose what he considered to be something wonderful.The murderer however is not satisfied with just two murders because his warnings were not taken seriously. Readers know he will continue his killings. Then he kidnaps Leine’s daughter April and Leine learns that his connection to her is personal. He gives Leine several tasks to perform before he will even let her talk to April. The story pulls readers in as soon as they start reading it and does not let go to the very end. I highly recommend it.
Love this series!!
I enjoy the writers style the author keeps you company as you read
Good pace, another stretch in credulity to get items into the story. Really, ice cold killer gets fall down drunk when trying to find her daughter with a clock running? I don’t think so, but ignoring that sort of lazy contrivance, the story does play well. Some decisions showed more depth than the expected one dimensional type reaction.
The Eric thing is illogical, but maybe stone cold killers always forgive the guy who had them kill their lovers? Uh, sure? I’ll see how Eric dances in the next book, assuming that thread carries through again..
I love the setting of this book—a reality TV show called Serial Date that purports to match serial-murderer-ex-cons with young wannabe actresses to see who can have the most popular romance. It’s an idea just crazy enough that we can believe some cable channel would give it a try. Then one of the actresses actually is murdered and the show goes into crisis.
Enter former contract killer Leine Basso. Her life’s a mess. She’s given up killing people for pay for an unnamed government agency and is trying to go straight (as it were) and she takes a job as added security for Serial Date when it’s offered to her by a contact from her old days who is now working as head of security on the show.
If the plot had continued to revolve around a killer on Serial Date, I think I would have liked this book a lot more. Instead, the story takes a left turn. Leine’s estranged daughter arrives and is promptly kidnapped by the man killing Serial Date actresses and all he’s really interested in is Leine with whom he has a sick obsession.
That’s not a bad storyline. Leine’s an interesting character and I enjoyed her adventure. But I felt like Berkom had this great setting that wasn’t properly taken advantage of. The big diversion away from the reality TV show made me impatient with the rest of the plot.
I found this to be an ok read, but not up to the Assassin series. Probably won’t follow this series anymore.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the Leine Basso series to this point but, for some reason, this book just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t even finish it and that is rare for me. It just didn’t seem written as well or fluidly as the others in the series. Maybe it was my mood or something else but, whatever it was, I thought this one stood out as poor compared to all the others.
Corny and unrealistic story line.