Thank you to ThrillerBookLovers Promotions, Thomas & Mercer, #partner, for an advanced e- copy of Lights Out in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: November 1, 2023
Summary:
In this exciting debut novel comes a fast-paced thriller that follows a sports reporter’s journey off the court…and into a world of murder and deception.
Former Olympic athlete and current semi-disgraced sports reporter Kate Green isn’t sure how much more tumultuous her life can get. Then NBA superstar Kurt Robbins is killed, and the prime suspect in his murder is none other than his wife…and Kate’s best friend.
Kate knows that Yvette’s marriage wasn’t exactly stable, but her friend is no murderer, and Kate is determined to prove it with her own investigation. While she tries to salvage Yvette’s life, Kate’s own continues to unravel. Her career is in limbo. Gossip columns speculate about her future. Her children are battling their own demons. And her estranged father suddenly reenters her life as a detective assigned to Kurt’s homicide case.
As her worlds collide—exposing secrets, lies, and ulterior motives—Kate may have to choose between the games she can play and the one she might lose.
My thoughts:
I love discovering debut authors and when they happen to also be starting a new series it’s just icing on the cake for me! It’s so hard to stand out in the thriller market these days and I think Elise Hart Kipness has done a remarkable job with her sports thriller and I cannot wait to see where things so next in this series!
This is such a fast-paced, layered story that kept me completely engaged from start to finish. I loved our main protagonist, Kate Green. There is so much going on in her life – both professionally and personally – and I’m excited to really get to see how her character develops over the course of this series because I think we’ve only just scratched the surface on getting to know her.
There are a lot of characters introduced in this first installment, and yet they all play a part no matter how minor. This makes for a lot of suspects in trying to found out who the murderer is and I have to say, I was all over the place with who I thought was the guilty one right up until the final reveal. I love being truly stumped and this one really got me!
Blending equal parts crime fiction and thriller, this one is not to be missed. The twists and turns it takes kept me glued to the pages and I totally flew through it…and am now desperate to get my hands on the next book. Not only was I surprised by who had done it, but that final last bit really has me eager to see what happens next! For a debut novel, Elise Hart Kipness has a slam dunk on her hands for sure!
Books in this series:
- Lights Out – due out Nov 1, 2023
- Dangerous Play – due out Sept 2024
