Guest Review: Desperate Girls by Laura Griffin

Posted August 16, 2018 by Jen in Reviews | 9 Comments

Guest Review: Desperate Girls by Laura GriffinReviewer: Jen
Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1) by Laura Griffin
Series: Wolfe Security #1
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication Date: August 7, 2018
Format: eARC
Point-of-View: Third Person
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Pages: 368
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four-stars
Series Rating: four-stars

Defense attorney Brynn Holloran is right at home among cops, criminals, and tough-as-nails prosecutors. With her sharp wit and pointed words, she has a tendency to intimidate, and she likes it that way. She’s a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom, but in her personal life, she’s a mess.

When a vicious murderer she once helped prosecute resurfaces and starts a killing spree to wipeout those who put him behind bars, one thing becomes clear: Brynn needs to run for her life.

With no help from the police, Brynn is forced to take matters into her own hands, turning to a private security firm for protection. But when Brynn defies advice and gets involved in the investigation, even the former Secret Service agent assigned to protect her may not be able to keep her safe. With every new clue she discovers, Brynn is pulled back into the vortex of a disturbing case from her past.

As the clock ticks down on a manhunt, Brynn’s desperate search for the truth unearths long-buried secrets and reignites a killer’s fury.

I have been anxiously awaiting this new romantic suspense series, which is a spin-off from Griffin’s always dependable Tracers books. Instead of focusing on the Delphi Center or the police, we get to dig into Liam Wolfe’s private security firm. Liam was the hero of book 9 in the Tracers series, and while we don’t get to see him much we do get some brief glimpses of him and his profiler brother Mark. You definitely don’t need to have read any of the Tracers books to jump into Desperate Girls, though.

The cover copy for this book is really not an accurate portrayal of the plot, so let me try and summarize things a bit more precisely. (And that title is similarly meaningless. I can only assume the publisher is trying to cash in on the popularity of the “Girl” thrillers, even though this is not that kind of book. It is firmly a romantic suspense.) Brynn Holloran is a former prosecutor who is now a defense attorney. When it appears a case from her past has come back to haunt her and the others involved, her boss hires Wolfe Security to handle things. Erik Morgan is the lead for her security detail, and they quickly butt heads. Brynn doesn’t see the need for security and is simply focused on her big upcoming trial, but as the threats escalate she realizes the danger she’s in. Of course, she and Erik have an inconvenient attraction that complicates matters.

Probably my favorite part of the book is Brynn. She is a really, really good defense attorney, and it was fun to read about her legal strategizing. She is excellent at reading people, at seeing patterns and motives, and at telling a story for a jury. I particularly love the way she makes no apologies for her job or her tactics. She admits she’s not above using her looks to sway, impress, or intimidate. There’s a scene where she calls out Erik for his hypocrisy by pointing out his appearance is an important part of his job too, and I gave a silent fist pump at that. She is perhaps a bit ridiculous in her continued insistence that she doesn’t need so much security, but I could overlook that one blindspot.

I really enjoyed Brynn and Erik together, too. We never dig too deep into Erik’s story, which I would have liked, but we do get some time to see Brynn and Erik together. I appreciated that Erik likes her for her strength and her intelligence–he respects her job and how hard she works at it. They have some good physical and emotional chemistry, and I believed they would be a good long-term couple. This is a stereotypically fast-moving romantic suspense relationship, however, so YMMV depending on how you feel about that trope.

We meet some fantastic secondary characters in this book, too. I particularly enjoyed the police detective Lindsey, who seemed brilliant and not afraid to go her own way. I definitely want to hear more about the other Wolfe Security team members as well.

In my opinion, this is a solid start to this spin-off. This book was a bit more suspense and less police/forensic procedural than the Tracers series, but I appreciated the different vibe.

Grade: 4 out of 5

 

four-stars


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9 responses to “Guest Review: Desperate Girls by Laura Griffin

  1. Willa

    I have it but not read it yet Jen. I do hope we’re not going to be getting less Tracers books, am used to my 2 a year diet! Already down one this year.

    Oh and I hated Liam’s book – the only Griffin book I won’t reread! 😀 Loved Mark’s book though!

    • Jen

      I’ll be interested to hear what you think of Desperate Girls! I thought it was good, but we all know you and I tend to have opposite opinions when it comes to Griffin’s books. 😉

      • Willa

        Hey it’s me again – I finally read it AND true to our form it was a dud for me!

        From the title that has nothing to do with the book, to the lack lustre paint-by-numbers romance it took me 2 weeks to read this gasp – it was eminently put-downable.

        Brynn started off by resisting the security measures set up for her and it went on for far too long, with her repeating over and over and yes, over some more, that there were too many people assigned to her and when that didn’t get her anywhere she started moaning about the cost – even though she wasnt paying! She was still moaning about the cost at the 80 page mark! I was ready to post a sign out of the front of the hotel for Corby, to let him know where she was.

        We didn’t get to know Erik at all – his characterisation was poor, like you I really liked Lindsey – and although I was pleased to see Mark again I was surprised that he didn’t Skype his assessments – his page time was so little.

        Also there was a big loose end – how did Corby manage to escape prison?

        I adore the Tracers series but have found consistently that books outside that world are not as solid, well paced or as balanced with the romance and suspense. The only Desperate Girl in sight was me – trying to finish this book!

        • Willa

          Oh – Jen, did you read the Moreno and Hart mystery series Griffin did with Allison Brennan? What happened to those? Four books interconnected and nothing, zip, nada for the last 3 years. Guess there will be no more of those.

          I hate unfinished series.

        • Jen

          Willa, the day we enjoy the same book might be the day the world ends! I guess I liked Brynn enough to overcome her complaining about having security, but that wasn’t the case for you. Then again I honestly couldn’t remember much about this book and had to go back and review it to refresh my memory, so clearly it wasn’t particularly memorable. We’ll see what she does with the next book in the series. 🙂

          • Willa

            Hahaha! I know there was a twist at the end – but I dont remember it! I just remember her whinging, wishing I knew more about Erik – and thinking he was a sod for having sex and then saying “we have to talk” after he had had the goodies

  2. Kareni

    I’ve enjoyed the Tracers books so this is definitely piquing my interest. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Jen.

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