A Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Amazon Charts bestseller.“Lisa Gray explodes onto the literary stage with this taut, edge-of-the-seat thriller, and her headstrong protagonist, Jessica Shaw, reminiscent of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, delivers a serious punch.” —Robert Dugoni, New York Times bestselling authorPrivate investigator Jessica Shaw is used to getting anonymous tips. But after … Shaw is used to getting anonymous tips. But after receiving a photo of a three-year-old kidnapped from Los Angeles twenty-five years ago, Jessica is stunned to recognize the little girl as herself.
Eager for answers, Jessica heads to LA’s dark underbelly. When she learns that her biological mother was killed the night she was abducted, Jessica’s determined to solve a case the police have forgotten. Meanwhile, veteran LAPD detective Jason Pryce is in the midst of a gruesome investigation into a murdered college student moonlighting as a prostitute. A chance encounter leads to them crossing paths, but Jessica soon realizes that Pryce is hiding something about her father’s checkered history and her mother’s death.
To solve her mother’s murder and her own disappearance, Jessica must dig into the past and find the secrets buried there. But the air gets thinner as she crawls closer to the truth, and it’s getting harder and harder to breathe.
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I read this in one sitting. Highly recommend! Can’t wait for the next installment.
I enjoyed the premise of a private investigator with herself as the client. I appreciated the twists and turns although the red-herring made it too obvious who the killer was not.
My one complaint would be the very long drawn out descriptions of locations that made the story drag in spots. I found myself skimming over most of them.
The time-hopping didn’t bother me since the past and present tied everything together and the many, interesting characters we meet along the way are integral to the story.
I had no issue with Jessica’s prickly nature, but there wasn’t enough information regarding what had made her this way. Even the plot itself doesn’t lend to explaining her hard-nosed behavior. I hope it’s explained in the next book, which I will be reading.
Started out pretty good but has too much foul language, so I quit reading it. Just really tired of authors that use this language. Maybe if they and Hollywood would quit, our young people would speak better.
Thin Air by Lisa Gray is a double mystery until you get closer to the ending. I enjoyed the story and the character of Jessica Shaw. I am looking forward to reading more in this series. The book opens with a brutal murder which is a bit shocking and will hook the reader. Then we meet Jessica Shaw and follow her as she learns some hard and unexpected truths about her life. Could she be the child in the picture which was emailed to her by “John Doe”? Thin Air is a murder mystery spanning two generations which have been affected by one woman, Eleanor Lavelle.
Private Investigator Jessica Shaw discovers her mother was murdered the day she was born. while she is actively looking into her own cold case she meets up with a Detective Jason Pryce and together they work on both his and her cases. A very good story well lined out with plenty of twists added to the story as it unfolds. Kept my attention to the end had to see what had really happened.
Thin Air (Jessica Shaw)
By Lisa Gray
1
If I could give it 0 stars I would. I try my best not to write many bad reviews. However if I am going to write a review it is going to be honest . This is my first read by this author and may just be the last.This is the first book in a new Jessica Shaw series by Lisa Gray. I figured out the killer early on and there was just too much unnecessary description. At times she would write 2 pages describing a room. This was done over and over. Thin Air is told from several points of view and alternating timelines . And was very confusing. The past (the 90s when Jessica was first abducted )and in the present (as Jessica works to solve the mystery of her past) all while Detective Pryce works a mystery in the present. Thin Air is Advertised as a thriller,however there is nothing thrilling about it . In fact ,It’s a very, very boreing read. It didn’t keep me hooked at all. I kelpt putting the book down not really wanting to pick it back up. The main character was very unlikeable and uninteresting . And done some really stupid things.Such as drinking a quart of scotch in a short time, topped it off with a glass of wine laced with sleeping pills. Pretty much through the whole book All she did was drink and smoke. All of the Characters were underdeveloped and not believable. It was very clear the author did little if any research on law enforcement language, procedures, etc. Another thing that bugged me was the author seems to enjoy describing many minor character in a harsh negative way. Examples : bartender, with acne scarred face and limp hair, waitress old, her red hair is from a bottle, her breasts aren’t natural, her fingernails fake, her tight-fitting uniform reminds me of a porn star, oh, and her name tag is crooked). It’s not just the people she describes this way. She also describes places and objects like this. Another example was the bar stool with a rip in it from which the foam rubber cushion erupts like a popped pimple. Ewww gross and unnecessary. At times i wondered if an immature 5 th grader was writing. Save yourself time and money and pass on this one.
Jessica Shaw is a PI from NY. She has no one left in the world. Her father died two years ago and her mother when she was a baby. When she gets an email from someone called John Doe her life is starting to unravel. Everything she thought she know about herself and her family proves to be a lie. Jessica now only has one goal: To find out the truth. The truth about the missing girl, her mothers murder and if the man she called dad is really her father.
I liked the character of Jessica, not being perfect and having struggled with things showing in the tattoos on her body. If there is one thing I didn’t quite like so much it would be the constant need for alcohol. But maybe after finding out the truth about herself she can find peace and doesn’t need drinking so much. The hunt for the killer was well written and I hadn’t guessed who it was. It really took me by surprise but it made so much sense. I will definitely continue reading this series.
An assured and explosive debut with a premise that grabs you by the throat and refuses to let go. The pace never drops as it hurtles to a stunning conclusion.
Opening with a killer premise and dragging me along for a thrilling ride, this is a cracking read and a brilliant start to a new series with a kick-ass female protagonist.
Smart, sassy, and adrenaline-fueled, this kick-ass debut is a must-read for thriller fans.
Next books will be better.
Thin Air is an assured and fast-paced debut with a compelling central character and plenty of twists to keep you guessing until the very end.
Lisa Gray’s thriller is so assured it’s hard to believe it’s a debut. It’s so fast-paced it should be pulled over for speeding!
Good character development. The tragedy of wasted lives is tragic but love that Jessica finds the answers to the many questions about her upbringing and background.
Detective Jason Pryce is investigating the death of a young college student, found in a motel viciously beaten and stabbed. At the same time, private investigator Jessica Shaw, receives an anonymous tip, a picture of a three-year old girl who has been missing for the past twenty-five years. As Jessica looks at the picture, she realizes that she is the girl in the picture. The young girl, Jessica, was abducted the night that her mother was murdered. To get answers, she leaves for Los Angeles to investigate the cold case. As clues unfold, the way both women were murdered seems to connect the two cases. Is it possible that the same person committed both murders? A puzzling mystery that will put Jessica’s life in danger. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
This is a thoughtfully written book with lots of twists and turns. It’s very much worth the read.
After A Rocky Start, A Good Read
The novel opens with the vicious murder of a young mother with her child upstairs. Now, twenty-five years later, the heroine, a private investigator Jessica Shaw, is sitting in a small diner looking for another job by reviewing missing persons to see if any interests her. She believes that missing adults fell into two categories, dead or didn’t want to be found. While searching she receives an e-mail from a John Doe asking if this would be her next case. Jessica reviewed it and discovered a third category that she had never considered. The novel takes off as Jessica drives to the Eagle Rock area of Los Angeles where all those years ago, the murder occurred.
Jessica found quite a few people who remember the events of that era. She also finds much unwanted attention from a Black SUV and a reporter working the same story. Then, a second storyline starts with the brutal murder of a young Asian coed in a seedy motel. The main storylines take off from here.
The main storylines proceed and merge and diverge. There are twists and turns as Jessica tries to find out about who she is, and the murder investigation proceeds. After the start, the novel did capture my attention, and I enjoyed reading it through to the end.
The B-storyline essentially develops as the Jessica storyline proceeds. The reader learns what her questions about herself are, and how she discovers the answers. Unfortunately, some of her present personality is not explained especially her use of snarky remarks. The rocky start refers to the second chapter where the heroine, Jessica, is introduced. Her remarks about the waitress were overly snarky. I have a thick skin as, after all this is a fictional character, but this language pierced my thick skin. I was bothered by it. After this chapter, Jessica’s snarky remarks lowered to a level that didn’t bother me.
There are two violent scenes but the violence wasn’t emphasized. While the main storylines had major figures, both male and female, involved prostitution. There is only one situation that was starting to get out of control sexually, but it stopped abruptly. There are a few f-bombs and other lesser vulgar language. I believe that unless the reader is very sensitive, the above would not pose an issue to enjoy reading this novel.
What I liked is that I was caught up with the main storyline and with each reveal, I was thinking what did this information meant that I needed to change my opinion of who was responsible for what. At the end, all of the loose ends were all tied up. The last loose end was tied up literally on the last page of the novel. The editing was good with only one questionable incident where the press photographers were using flash bulbs! What I did not like was provided above.
Overall, the novel did capture my attention which is my major criteria for a high star rating. The rocky start and the over use of snarky remarks did not allow me to rate it with five starts. I rate it with four stars. If the issues I described do not pose a problem for the reader, this novel can be an enjoyable read. I do recommend reading this novel.
The blurb said “reminiscent of Jack Reacher”. Not even. Give me a break. Jessica is one step above TSTL. There is no back story, you have no idea what she did before she began looking for the missing. No idea of her life with her father, nothing. And, to save me, I can’t picture her in my mind. All I come up with is that I really don’t like her. She doesn’t come across as sympathetic or smart. She isn’t getting paid, so how is she affording this mission she seems to be on? Will make a point not to read any more by this author.
Interesting heroine. She’s rough around the edges but a strong woman who knows how to take care of herself. I was pulled in by the premise alone. Jessica sees a picture of herself as a toddler on a missing person’s website. She’s hell bent on finding out who she is. Well done and Look forward to the others in the series.