Casee‘s review of Deadly Intent (Mindhunters, Book 3) by Kylie Brant.

Forensic linguist Macy Reid is an expert on kidnapping, having been abducted when she was a child. So, she is the perfect investigator to be called in when a Denver tycoon’s eleven-year-old daughter is abducted-for the second time. But Macy’s biggest stumbling block may be a member of her own team: Kellan Burke, the wise-cracking, rule- breaking investigator who relishes getting under Macy’s skin-and who just may be the man to help her confront the demons from her past.

I love the Mindhunter series. They are so fascinating. Each character has their own unique skill that they give to Adam Raiker’s company and it’s so obviously clear that he expects the best. In Deadly Intent, we get quite a look into Adam Raiker and what happened into his past. It was almost enough to overshadow the story of Macy and Kellan, but not quite. I think that Kylie did quite a good job of not crossing over that line but also whetting our appetite for more Adam. More, more, more.

Macy and Kell are called in when an eleven year old girl is abducted for the second time in her young life. When she was seven years old, young Ellie was kidnapped and not recovered for over a year. The police had given up on her when Adam Raiker found her. For that reason alone, the parents called in every favor they had to get Raiker Forensics allowed into the investigation. Their resources are considerable and Adam and his team are soon on their way to Denver.

Macy is a kidnap victim herself and is horrified at the thought if it happening twice to the same little girl. She hopes that their team can help the local FBI with their investigation to bring Ellie home as quickly as possible. When they arrive, it’s abruptly clear that that will not be the case. The fact that politics may come before a little girl’s life is something that Macy can barely stomach. The only thing that makes it okay is that Adam allows she and Kellan to do their jobs.

Kell and Macy have quite the history and don’t work easily together. Kell delights in teasing Macy and her proper British ways. Macy becomes even more straight-laced in Kellan’s presence which drives her crazy to no end. For months she has been working on comebacks when he comes at her with a joke that she would usually stutter at. Unfortunately for her, this investigation brings them way closer than she is comfortable with.

When the current case brings her to her past, Macy is surprised that Kellan is there to hold her while she falls. She can do nothing else but fall after facing the devastation and horror that she went through as a child. While she hoped that she would help Ellie, in the end all she learned was that Kellan was not the man that she thought he was.

The romance was definitely on the back burner to the suspense, but the sexual tension was so there because of their past. I thought this book was great, quite possibly the best in the series. I give it a 4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series:

Casee‘s review of Waking the Dead (The Mindhunters, Book 3) by Kylie Brant.

Former forensic anthropologist Caitlin Fleming knows bones. So the investigator is the first one called when seven sets of skeletal remains are found dumped in a makeshift graveyard in the Oregon wilderness. Each skeleton bears the same distinctive marks. And each is minus a skull.

Cait needs outdoors guide Zach Sharper for one reason only—to help her find her way through the Willamette Forest as she pieces together clues. Despite the attraction that burns between them, nothing will be allowed to shake her focus. Until the killer closes in to terminate the investigation…and the ones on the verge of unmasking him…

This is book three in Brant’s Mindhunters series and the best one of the series.

Before she became a forensic anthropologist, Caitlin Fleming was a well known model. It was only for a few brief years in her teenage years, but it was long enough that Cait still has to prove herself. Zach Sharper is no exception. He recognizes her the moment he lays eyes on her and judges her right then. Zach has no idea how she got into law enforcement and can’t imagine that she’s good at anything but being pretty. Cait proves him wrong in no time, which was really enjoyable to read.

Zach was the person that found the bones, the reason for Cait coming to Oregon. When the Mindhunter’s are called in, things get done. Cait is there to piece the bones together and try to figure out who they are and where they were killed. To do that, she has to scour miles of Oregon wilderness…with Zach as her guide.

The pacing was a little slow b/c of the fact that Cait’s job was so tedious. The work of a forensic anthropologist is nothing glamorous. Taking soil samples, contacting detectives about missing person cases, and questioning people in town is necessary to get a profile of their killer.

Cait briefly considers Zach as a suspect, then dismisses it. She does believe that some serial killers need some sort of acknowledgment from their “work”, but doesn’t believe that is the case in this situation. The sheriff isn’t so quick to dismiss Zach as a suspect.

Zach and Cait both have their demons. Zach’s demon is his dad, Cait’s demon is her mom. While Zach has no contact with his dad, Cait’s mom constantly contacts her about returning to modeling. There was twist with Cait’s mom that was surprising and I didn’t quite understand why it was necessary to the story.

Of the three books, Waking the Dead was the best blend of romance and suspense. Zach and Cait were also two of the more likable characters in the series. Kylie Brant definitely has a hit with this series and I look forward to seeing where it goes.

4 out of 5.

This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.

The series: