If you require more romance than suspense or even equal parts romance and suspense, Secret Investigation may not be what you're looking for. This one is kind of romance adjacent. There are looks exchanged and Leila and Davis clearly share an attraction, but I just didn't get the romance vibe from these two. There's also what seems to be a little something going on between a couple of the other members of the team in this one, but there are only hints of what it could lead to. What this one does excel at is mystery. The suspense side of Secret Investigation is well - suspenseful. The pacing is good and while there are a handful of characters to choose from as our culprit, the author doesn't quite give us enough info to completely solve this one until the reveal is upon us. I wouldn't necessarily like that in a longer story, but for the length of this one, it works pretty well, and it serves to keep the pages turning. The relationship between Davis and Leila is sort of a forbidden one at least from an FBI standpoint, or it would be with a bit of relationship development. As it stands, it's pretty darn close to instalove. Nevertheless, the characters are likable, and I do enjoy a good fast-paced mystery, and on that, this one certainly delivers.

When ironclad body armor inexplicably fails and soldiers perish, the Tactical Crime Division jumps into action. Agent and former ranger Davis Rogers asks to go undercover to find the traitor responsible for the death of one of his friends, and Petrov Armor CEO Leila Petrov is happy to provide access to her company…especially once she discovers she’s being framed. But will their joint efforts be enough to uncover the truth?

 

About Elizabeth Heiter: Publishers Weekly bestselling and award-winning author ELIZABETH HEITER likes her suspense to feature strong heroines, chilling villains, psychological twists and a little romance. Her research has taken her into the minds of serial killers, through murder investigations, and onto the FBI Academy’s shooting range. Her novels have been published in more than a dozen countries and translated into eight languages. Visit her at www.elizabethheiter.com. 

Purchase links:

• Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52610660-secret-investigation 
• Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Investigation-Tactical-Crime-Division-ebook/dp/B07YLWS343 
• Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/secret-investigation-elizabeth-heiter/1133974152?ean=9781335136459 
• Google: https://books.google.ca/books/about/Secret_Investigation.html?id=MMqbygEACAAJ&redir_esc=y 
• IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781335136459 
• Harlequin.com: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781335136459_secret-investigation.html 
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A terrific ending to this series. It's worthwhile reading the other two books in the series (which I didn't review, as I wanted to read the final book first - but both are great) The Lawmen: Bullets and Brawn: Bodyguard with a Badge and Police Protector. On her site, she goes into the background for writing the books and gives plot summaries.

 

Besides being a tightly written thriller with a HFN ending, it's also a biting indictment of the US foster care system where kids can get booted out of their foster homes as soon as they turn eighteen. They're left to fend for themselves and easily can resort to crime to get by, or become used by criminals as in this book. 

 

Here's the blurb:

 

Undercover DEA agent Marcos Costa is shocked to see Brenna Hartwell—his very first crush—cozying up to the brutal drug lord he's about to bust! He hasn't seen her since childhood, but he never imagined she'd turn to a life of crime. What the hunky agent doesn't know is that Brenna's working her own bust as a rookie cop undercover. 

Brenna didn't think she'd ever see Marcos again, especially not on her first undercover mission! She knows she has to keep her distance…but while she and Marcos play out their daring ruse, their youthful passion reignites. One wrong move could blow their covers. Can two loners used to self-reliance trust their lives—and hearts—to each other? 

 

Brenna was briefly at the same foster home as Marcos and his brothers, and both were attracted to each other as children. A fire at their foster parents house splits them up, but Marcos and Brenna are constantly in each other's thoughts. While Marcos had the house Cole had secured to go when he turned eighteen, Brenna ended up in a variety of foster homes, some of which were abusive, and she learned to take care of herself, but also not to trust others, which gives added tension to the attraction between her and Marcos.

 

(One detail I particularly liked was that Marcos wasn't constantly telling Brenna how strong she was. I find that annoying, but it's done so often in Intrigues. If the character is strong, she'll show it through deeds--there's no need for the guy to keep saying it every second page.) 

 

The book has plot twists galore that will keep you guessing right to the end.

I'm a sucker for a good suspense/thriller/mystery - definitely one of my guilty pleasures- so when I saw [b:Stalked|29095400|Stalked (The Profiler #4)|Elizabeth Heiter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469409465s/29095400.jpg|49331398]I was totally intrigued and had to indulge. I'm not at all familiar with this author, in fact, I've never read anything by Elizabeth Heiter before and when I picked up Stalked I wasn't aware that it was book four of the Profiler series but I took a risk and read it anyway and this book can absolutely be read as a stand alone. I'm sure that had I read the series in order I would have a better understanding of some of the characters and their backgrounds but I understood what was going on perfectly well and there were no holes in the storyline or missing pieces that I was able to pick up on. I don't want to giveaway much about this because I think it's one of those books you're better off going into without a lot of expectations, if any, and if you like this genre you can already get a feel for what the book will be like without knowing and specific details. Overall this was your typical suspense/thriller/mystery novel with a strong, professional female protagonist and a bit of a romantic interest tied in with some twists and good old edge-of-your-seat reading to make up a really good book. This is one of those books that is fun to read, doesn't require a lot of brain cells and isn't going to improve intellect or stimulate literary development but it's a very entertaining read. It was a quick read although fairly long, nearly 400 pages I believe, but it was fast paced and I got through it in just a couple of days.

I gave this book four out of five stars because I really enjoyed reading it and I look forward to reading more books in this series and by Elizabeth Heiter. I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys this genre and if you like books by
Patricia Cornwall or Tana French definitely check out [b:Stalked|29095400|Stalked (The Profiler #4)|Elizabeth Heiter|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1469409465s/29095400.jpg|49331398] by [a:Elizabeth Heiter|7114626|Elizabeth Heiter|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1380299553p2/7114626.jpg].

By: Elizabeth Heiter

The Profiler #4

ISBN: 0778319741

Publisher: MIRA

Publication Date: 12/27/2016 

Format: Paperback 

My Rating: 5 Stars

 

Talented thriller author, Elizabeth Heiter returns with her highly anticipated Profiler series, following Hunted (The Profiler, #1), Vanished (The Profiler, #2), Avenged (The Profiler#2.5), Seized (The Profiler #3), to her latest:

STALKED (The Profiler #4) FBI profiler Evelyn Baine returns, as we delve into the innermost connections of deep secrets of the victim as well as the heroine’s past. An intriguing puzzle, as two cases connect. "The best of the series, thus far!

A teenage girl goes missing. Haley Cook. A straight-A student. It had been a month since she went missing. Haley’s boyfriend Jordan had dropped her off at school for cheerleading practice.

Her mom, Linda stays on top of the police investigation daily as well, and social media. Forcing herself out of the house to hopefully find out information about her daughter’s whereabouts.

How could a seventeen-year-old girl just disappear? What had she got herself into that would get her killed. The media loved to refer to her as “all-American.”

Fans get to catch up with FBI Profiler, Evelyn Baine, and Kyle McKenzie.

They had both worked for the FBI-she as a profiler in the behavioral Analysis Unit and Kyle up until a month ago, as an operator for the Hostage Rescue Team. He had been off work since taking a bullet on a mission. She’d known how risky the mission was and couldn’t help but think she hadn’t pushed hard enough to stop HRT from going in.

Now here they were, he pretending he was Ok, and she pretending she did not feel guilty. They had been dating for six months and she missed seeing him at work. Evelyn had always been a private person in an office full of other profilers.

Of course, Evelyn is reminded of another blond-haired girl from her past. Cassie, her friend who disappearance had sent Evelyn into profiling years ago.

There was a lack of clues yet the story had captivated the country and was well-known. No one had seen Haley since she walked into the high school a month ago. Unless she had been killed there. If so where was the body?

Evelyn had a bad feeling. Then the mom found the note. A key piece of evidence gone unnoticed. If her note was correct, the person had already killed her.

Pete the stepfather, Father, Bill, Mother, Linda, Marissa the friend, Jordan, the college boyfriend.

Who would want to hurt Haley?

She has good friends, including her best friend, Marissa. Haley has also been dating an older college guy, Jordan. By all accounts, Haley doesn't have any enemies, and certainly, no one would ever want to hurt her.

In the midst of the case, old memories resurface from Evelyn’s past.

To the world, family and friends were grieving and searched as hard as they could for Haley. However, up close, there was a strange dynamic in the household. There was a clear animosity between the Varners and Bill (biological father). Where did Haley fit? How many secrets did this family have.?

With more than a half-million people reported missing every year in the US alone. The first twenty-four hours were crucial, the first forty-eight the most likely time to make a live recovery. After a month, the chances were practically nonexistent. Especially when the victim was a beautiful teenage girl.

Meanwhile, Kyle and his partner, Jimmy are looking into an attack in local college student Tonya Klein. Human trafficking. Does this case connect with Haley’s disappearance?

While Evelyn tracks all the secrets in the life of a missing teenager and her family, navigating hidden agendas and motives that might mean the girl’s death, the reader also gets a glimpse into Evelyn’s past and the secret she didn’t keep as a child that changed her own life.

Keeping secrets can have unintended consequences. Evelyn spends two weeks chasing a girl surrounded by secrets that had nearly ended her own life. She goes back to when she was ten years old once again.

At an early age, she put into motion all the things to come in her own life. From FBI agent to Kyle. Her journey to a life of her own, not burdened by secrets and lies from the past.

Elizabeth is a pro at blending police procedures with psychological suspense and mystery with top-notch crime writing. From well-researched material, a fast moving plot, to exceptional character development. She keeps you glued to the pages from the first page to the last.

Since I have read the series from the beginning, it has been fun following bi-racial female profiler, Evelyn, and Kyle (hope we will see more of this team)! She is strong, gutsy, and edgy!

Read more about the inspiration for STALKED from real-life cases featured here: The Big Thrill.

Highly recommend reading all the books in the series. Fans of Mary Burton's Morgans of Nashville series will enjoy!

A special thank you to Mira and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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