Max Allan Collins | GIRL MOST LIKELY

Plot (via Amazon):

In a small Midwest town, twenty-eight-year-old Krista Larson has made her mark as the youngest female police chief in the country. She’s learned from the best: her father, Keith, a decorated former detective. But as accustomed as they are to the relative quiet of their idyllic tourist town, things quickly turn with Krista’s ten-year high school reunion.

With the out-of-towners holed up in a lakefront lodge, it doesn’t take long to stir up old grudges and resentments. Now a successful TV host, Astrid Lund, voted the “Girl Most Likely to Succeed”—and then some—is back in town. Her reputation as a dogged reporter has made the stunning blonde famous. Her reputation among her former classmates and rivals has made her infamous. Astrid’s list of enemies is a long one. And as the reunion begins, so does a triple murder investigation.

Krista and her father are following leads and opening long-locked doors from their hometown to the Florida suburbs to Chicago’s underworld. They just never imagined what would be revealed: the secrets and scandals of Krista’s own past.

Review:

This novel starts off really eerily with a murder before letting things slow down and go back to a normalized pacing. While the plot to this one reads more like a domestic thriller combined with a police procedural, I liked that it was a case that our protagonist was connected to. While it was definitely not very action packed and the story didn't pick up too much until the last 100 pages, I definitely enjoyed this read and felt that the story was really strong and the characters were fun to read. With a killer that was relentless, the kill scenes were sporadic and yet effective enough in keeping me interested the entire time. 

My only drawback with this story was that I felt there were so many characters that it was hard to keep track of who was who without reminders or keeping notes on my phone. While the more important characters are present throughout, I did initially have a hard time keeping track of who was who and felt that at one point the story was tilting in another direction but it was just more characters I didn't know. While the ending was action packed and good, I did feel that it was quickly rushed in about 30 pages that left me wondering if I was tricked and there's more to the story or if this was just the authors vision. As the first in a series, I am definitely going to pick up book two, but I wish there was a bit more when it came to the final reveal.

Special thanks to LittleBird Publicity and Thomas and Mercer for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 3.5/5