A Wall Street Journal bestsellerAll Detective Mason Callahan wanted was a quiet fishing trip with the guys—a chance to get away and unwind before Halloween.Until he finds the body of his boss, Denny Schefte, near their remote Oregon cabin. Now all he wants is to catch the sadist who slit Denny’s throat and covered his face with a mask. Mason was the last person to see him alive and will stop at … see him alive and will stop at nothing to find his friend’s murderer.
When the FBI learns of the mask left at the scene, they realize they have a serial killer on their hands—one who is targeting cops. They assign the case to Special Agent Ava McLane, despite her engagement to Mason. Barely recovered from her own nearly fatal injury and her sister’s attempted suicide, Ava hopes she is ready to chase another killer.
But as she delves into the increasingly disturbing case, the killer may be closer than expected—dangerously close.
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Wondering if there would be a 5th book to really round out the somewhat way the story ended. I enjoyed the first three and the 4th did not create a big dent or climax other than Denny Schefte, the boss being killed at his fishing cabin in the woods. There was literally no romance/sex scenes in this one, although I thought it would have expounded on Zander hooking up with the wedding planner friend.
Callahan and McLane try to get their wedding plans in order but are stalled when a serial cop killer runs rampant disposing of police officers linked to a Boys & Girls Club. As it happens, Mason gets entangled in the middle of everything. Mason becomes one of the targeted individuals as the FBI and OSP go through the motion of trying to find out who is killing and why as he leaves his calling card of masks from well-known horror movie killers. All the characters are well written and played their parts although I thought it was a little eerie and almost crossing the line in one of the back stories of the mother and son.
KE draws in the reader with the scenes, motives, suspects and getting the reader involved of figuring out the unknown. The plot is good and the suspense is there. I truly enjoyed the series and it has made me a fan of reading suspense romance novels.
THIS REVIEW IS FOR BOTH THE AUDIOBOOK AND EBOOK VERSIONS
Not having read what the book was about beforehand I was surprised it wasn’t Ava finding trouble this time it was a wonderful change. I really enjoyed this plot and the characters. The narrators done a spectacular job and I recommend this book.
This is more about Mason Callahan then Ava. Page turner!
Targeted is the fourth book to Kendra Elliot’s Callahan & McLane series. I’ve loved every book in this series. I look forward to returning to some of the characters in this book in another series that Kendra has written. I need to find out if Ava and Mason will get some time to themselves. They deserve it after everything they have gone through.
Storyline: Detective Mason Callahan is having a quiet fishing trip with the guys until he finds his boss’s body near their remote cabin. Now, he has to be a witness to the investigation. His boss is not the only one killed recently that now has grabbed the FBI’s attention. There are have been other murders or supposedly suicides of police officers/FBI agents. It’s up to Ava, Zander, Nora (in charge of the investigation), and Mason (as a witness only) to investigate how the murders are tied together. This case is not going to be an easy one for any of them.
My Thoughts: First off, Kendra tends to write books that make you want to crawl into an underground cave, so you can get away from the crazy villains she comes up with within her stories. This book is no different. This time though, I’m worried about the main characters and the secondary characters in this book. The killer in this story is targeting cops. Seriously, Kendra, haven’t Ava and Mason been through enough in the previous books. It’s bad enough that Ava now has other drama in this book that was a shock for me. I need a mental vacation after reading this series. I felt for every character in this book after finding out they have a serial killer on their hands targeting their own. Kendra manages to make me cringe, also with reading the villain’s POV. Readers have to figure out the character(s) who are behind it all.
Be prepared for a shocker. I did not expect where this story was going until Kendra finally unveiled it. I enjoyed every bit of this book. The only thing that bothered me was Jayne, Ava’s twin, who I can’t sympathize with this series. Some readers may find it means, but she did something unforgivable in this book. Poor Ava. I know she has to be there for her twin, but it’s time to live her life, and I think she starts to realize it in this book. I’m thankful for the relationship she has with Mason. Throughout the series, Mason has helped her get through everything thrown at her. Ava and Mason are meant to be together. No more on my thoughts, though, because I don’t want to spoil this book.
Standalone or Part of Series: It’s part of the Callahan & McLane series, and I would recommend reading in order. You’ll miss out on how Ava and Mason met in the first book and where they end up in the fourth book.
Would I recommend this book? Yes. I give this book 4.5-stars and recommend it to Romantic Suspense/Mystery readers out there. Eventually, Kendra’s books end up having a HEA, but the main characters go through the darkest and twistest cases. Kendra doesn’t disappoint, though, with her books filled with suspense, action, murder, and some happiness (at the end).
I’m catching up on all the books I’ve missed out on that Kendra Elliot has released that I haven’t read yet. I’m determined to finish catching up. Kendra is one author that I look forward to her books because they take me away from reality for a while. (I need it right now since it’s an Election year – 2020, and this year has not been that great.)
This book was an excellent end to the series. It is full of suspense with a smattering of romance. Very suspenseful. I was sad to see the end of the series.
Now this is the way to end a series! Mason is the one on the hot seat this time. Someone is targeting officers and he is a witness…sort of…when his boss is killed while they are on a fishing trip. Then another officer is killed and then another and they are linked to an FBI agent who was presumed to have been a suicide. What connects them all? Will they be able to figure this out before Mason is the next one targeted?
Audible. Available to borrow via Kindle Unlimited with audio included. If you don’t have KU, this is one of those audios that’s less expensive to buy the ebook & add audio. Less than $6 for both at the time of this review.
While it is a little over the top that this couple continues to become central to so many serial killer scenarios, I grew up watching Murder She Wrote and Hart to Hart, so I just go with it. This was a fabulous story on it’s own as well as a nice ending to the Callahan & McLane series as a whole. As with the others, this is partially mystery, a lot procedural with suspense, with a little romance thrown in. This one kept the murderer a mystery for much longer which was really nice. I had some suspicions, but it wasn’t fully clear until confirmed by the story line.
This also introduces us to Elliot’s Mercy Kilpatrick character for a nice transition into that series (which is already queued up on my Audible app). Mason & Ava catch the criminal in a harrowing ending and also get their HEA.
Duet Narration! I don’t know what happened that Nick Podehl didn’t narrate this last book. I’m super mixed, because while I like Podehl as a narrator – Alexander Cendese nailed Mason Callahan in a way that made me wish they’d go back and re-record with him in the previous 3 books. If you’ve followed me for any length of time, you know I love Amy McFadden and this is another in a long line of books I adore by her.
I’ve been enjoying Callahan and McLane working together and being together in this series. I hope there will be more to look forward to. Sadly in this case the targets are people Callahan is friends with, and is close to. There’s no explaining what can drive people to be killers. This was hard to decipher at first, but after a bit, it became apparent who the possible culprit was. Gladly it wasn’t too late for Callahan.