5 Star Review for The Grave Artist by Jeffrey Deaver & Isabella Maldonado @jefferydeaver @isabellambooks

Posted on September 9, 2025 by fundinmental

NEW RELEASE

MY REVIEW

Fanfrickintastic. I am loving the Sanchez and Heron series by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado. The multiple plot lines and villains that are found in The Grave Artist kept my mind spinning, and the authors kept me on my toes from beginning to end.

Carmen Sanchez is an agent for Homeland Security Investigations. Her partner, Jake Heron is a security expert. They are the only two members of a newly created division, I-Squared. Governmental politics will rear its ugly head, but that’s to be expected. They find a way to work around it.

Carmen and Jake first meet the Honeymoon Killer when a groom is murdered. They quickly discover he has struck in other countries, but for some reason, when they try to contact them, they get no response. We learn who the serial killer is from the very beginning and see the world through his eyes. It does not detract from the story, it only enhances it.

Declan is Jake Heron’s computer. He is analytical and creative. If you didn’t know he was a computer, you might think he was a person when you are talking to him.

Silena, Carmen’s sister, is on the hunt for their father’s murderer. Everyone thought it was a suicide, but they were convinced he found out something he shouldn’t have and it cost him his life. Carmen had told her to hang tight until she closed the Honeymoon Killer case and she could help, but… Carmen and Silena are kickass characters, sometimes putting themselves in danger by not waiting for the Calvary to come.

Tristan Kane, from the first book, Fatal Intrusion, puts in an appearance. making their investigation even more complicated.

It took both of their skills to answers all the questions I had, and I didn’t get the answers until the very end…and that ending…it keeps on giving. Every time I thought the characters trials and tribulations were over, Jeffrey and Isabella found something else that made my jaw drop. Awesome. Spine tingling. Mysterious.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer and MB Communications for the opportunity to read and review The Grave Artist by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Perfect couples are his perfect victims. Now he’s hunting those hunting him in a riveting thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado.

A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the blissful day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Though the incident appears to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the tragedy is the third in a series of similar deaths and conclude something far more sinister is at play.

The two uncover chilling evidence pointing to a serial killer who has taken evil to the next level. Dubbed the Honeymoon Killer, this man isn’t interested in his victims but in creating his own macabre masterpiece from their graves—focused on the survivors and reveling in their grief. And now his dark obsession has turned to Carmen and Jake…

The Honeymoon Killer has decided they are the perfect next target. Take one out and delight as the other crumbles. Time is running out as a deadly game between predator and prey begins.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
396 pages, Paperback
Expected publication September 9, 2025 by Thomas & Mercer
Series: Sanchez & Heron, Book II, Stand Alone

ABOUT JEFFREY DEAVER

#1 international bestselling author of over thirty novels and three collections of short stories. His books are sold in 150 countries and translated into 25 languages. His first novel featuring Lincoln Rhyme, The Bone Collector, was made into a major motion picture starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. He’s received or been shortlisted for a number of awards around the world.

Website

ABOUT ISABELLA MALDONADO

Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author Isabella Maldonado wore a gun and badge in real life before turning to crime writing. A graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico and the first Latina to attain the rank of captain in her police department, she retired as the Commander of Special Investigations and Forensics. During more than two decades on the force, her assignments included hostage negotiator, department spokesperson, and precinct commander. She uses her law enforcement background to bring a realistic edge to her writing, which includes the Special Agent Nina Guerrera series, the Special Agent Dani Vega series, the Detective Veranda Cruz series, and the Sanchez and Heron series (co-authored with Jeffery Deaver). Her books are published in 24 languages. For more information, visit www.isabellamaldonado.com.

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Review Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Deaver & Isabella Maldonado @jefferydeaver @isabellambooks

Posted on June 10, 2025 by fundinmental

A SERIAL KILLER SPINS A WEB OF DECEPTION

GOODREADS

MY REVIEW

I have read numerous novels by Jeffrey Deaver, but this is my first experience with Isabella Maldonado and I was not disappointed. Fatal Intrusion brings together Carmen Sanchez, a Homeland Security agent, and Jake Heron, a security expert. Carmen is by the book, but Jake…not so much. I love the combination.

Jake owes Carmen a favor and she is calling it in. The peripheral characters who surround them are all important players and each has their own talent to contribute to the investigation.

I love a book that draws me in from the opening pages, making it impossible to put the book down and Jeffrey and Isabella make it look easy. I love a feisty, kickass female lead. The tension was high and the pacing furious. Danger oozes off the pages and I rapidly flip them, having to know what comes next…and I sure didn’t anticipate where they took me. I do love a story that twists and turns and keeps me guessing.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer and MB Communications for the opportunity to read and review Fatal Intrusion by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado.

GOODREADS BLURB

As a wave of murders grips Southern California, an unlikely pair must untangle the mysterious patterns of an elusive killer. A propulsive new series by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado.

Carmen Sanchez is a tough Homeland Security agent who plays by the rules. But when her sister is attacked, revealing a connection to a series of murders across Southern California, she realizes a conventional investigation will not be enough to stop the ruthless perpetrator.

With nowhere else to turn, Sanchez enlists the aid of Professor Jake Heron, a brilliant and quirky private security expert who, unlike Sanchez, believes rules are merely suggestions. The two have a troubled past, but he owes her a favor and she’s cashing in. They team up to catch the assailant, who, mystifyingly, has no discernable motive and fits no classic criminal profile. All they have to go on is a distinctive tattoo and a singular obsession that gives this chillingly efficient tactician his nickname: Spider.

Over the next seventy-two hours, Sanchez and Heron find themselves in the midst of a lethal chess match with the killer as they race to stop the carnage. As the victims mount, so do the risks. Because this spider’s web of intrigue is more sinister—and goes far deeper—than anyone could possibly anticipate.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 6, 2024 by Thomas & Mercer
Series: Sanchez & Heron, Book I

ABOUT JEFFREY DEAVER

Website

ABOUT ISABELLA MALDONADO

MY JEFFREY DEAVER & ISABELLA MALDONADO REVIEWS

The Grave Artist

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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The Bone Collector (Lincoln Rhyme #1) by Jeffrey Deaver @jefferydeaver

Posted on May 20, 2020 by fundinmental

I have been reading Jeffrey Deaver’s work for a long time now and when I won this special copy of The Bone Collector from Goodreads, I was ecstatic. I have read some of the Lincoln Rhyme series, but it was fun going back to the beginning.

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

MY REVIEW

I was ecstatic when I found out I won from Goodreads this special copy of The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver. I get, not only the first story of the Lincoln Rhyme series, but the short story, Captivated, where we meet Jeffrey Deaver’s new character Colter Shaw and an excerpt from his new Colter Shaw series, Book I, The Never Game.

I loved going back to the beginning with Lincoln Rhyme and how it all began. Even though I knew that outcome of his struggle to accept his life after becoming a quadriplegic, I felt his all the suspense and despair.

He finds a kindred spirit in Emilia Sachs. She has her own baggage she carries around, refusing to let anyone get close to her, searching for her place in life.

The serial killer, though I had a hunch he was ‘right there’, was a surprise to me. I love delving into the twisted minds of those who can do such wretched things to another person. At least he has some feelings, those it doesn’t stop him.

The Bone Collector by Jeffrey Deaver is everything I want in a novel. I love the deep dark world he takes me into and his ability to leave me feeling good about everything when it is all said and done….until the next time.

CAPTIVATED: I love an author bonus and I got a good one with this short story. Colter Shaw is a bounty hunter and he always gets his ‘man’, picking and choosing the jobs he will take on. Colter and Jeffrey were ahead of me every step of the way, keeping me in suspense, never giving away the bad guy until they step forward and expose themselves. I quickly fell for the character and eagerly flipped the pages…

…then moving on to the excerpt for the first book in the series, The Never Game.

He’s in the water, struggling to enter the capsized boat and save the pregnant woman inside. Will he succeed? And why is she in there…alone…

Amazon / Audiobook / Goodreads

GOODREADS BLURB

From the bestselling and award-winning master of suspense, the first novel in a thrilling new series, introducing Colter Shaw.

“You have been abandoned.”

A young woman has gone missing in Silicon Valley and her father has hired Colter Shaw to find her. The son of a survivalist family, Shaw is an expert tracker. Now he makes a living as a “reward seeker,” traveling the country to help police solve crimes and private citizens locate missing persons. But what seems a simple investigation quickly thrusts him into the dark heart of America’s tech hub and the cutthroat billion-dollar video-gaming industry.

“Escape if you can.”

When another victim is kidnapped, the clues point to one video game with a troubled past–The Whispering Man. In that game, the player has to survive after being abandoned in an inhospitable setting with five random objects. Is a madman bringing the game to life?

“Or die with dignity.”

Shaw finds himself caught in a cat-and-mouse game, risking his own life to save the victims even as he pursues the kidnapper across both Silicon Valley and the dark ‘net. Encountering eccentric game designers, trigger-happy gamers and ruthless tech titans, he soon learns that he isn’t the only one on the hunt: someone is on his trail and closing fast.

GOODREADS BLURB

Lincoln Rhyme was once a brilliant criminologist, a genius in the field of forensics — until an accident left him physically and emotionally shattered. But now a diabolical killer is challenging Rhyme to a terrifying and ingenious duel of wits. With police detective Amelia Sachs by his side, Rhyme must follow a labyrinth of clues that reaches back to a dark chapter in New York City’s past — and reach further into the darkness of the mind of a madman who won’t stop until he has stripped life down to the bone.

ABOUT JEFFREY DEAVER

Website

You can see my Giveaways HERE.
You can see my Reviews HERE.
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Leave your link in the comments and I will drop by to see what’s shakin’.
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Friday 56 #77 & BB #53 – The Coffin Dancer @JefferyDeaver

Posted on March 25, 2016 by fundinmental

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The Friday 56 is hosted by Freda’s Voice.The only rules are to grab a book (any book), turn to page 56 or 56% in your ereader and find any sentence or a few ( no spoilers) that grabs you and post it.

Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence or so of the book you are reading along with you initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires.

Please include the title of the book and the author’s name.

~~~

Next up on the shelf is The Coffin Dancer by Jeffrey Deaver.

Jeffrey Deaver is a New York Times Bestselling author and pens the Lincoln Rhyme series. Each book can stand alone.

For the suspense/thriller lovers out there, these are must read novels.

MY FRIDAY 56

He glanced out the window to avoid having to shake her moist hand, tipped with five white squooshy worms.

“Pleased to meet you,” he said, turning back, sippig his new cup of tea, which he found disgustig. Sheila noticed that two of her stubby nails were dirty. She tried unobtrusively to dig the crud from under them.

(page 56 in paperback)

MY BOOK BEGINNINGS

When Edward Carney said good-bye to his wife, Percey, he never thought it would be the last time he’d see her.

AMAZON SYNOPSIS

Smokeout’s bitingly entertaining portrait of a misbehaving Florida state legislature drew raves for both its inventiveness and timeliness, and the Providence Journal declared, “Carl Hiaasen may have an heir apparent.” Now, Date takes out after another cherished state institution, and the results are every bit as subversive.

In the “ideal” designed community of Serenity, Florida, pride of the late theme-park king Waldo Whipple, things are far from ideal. The houses are listing, the regulations are onerous, the mayor is lecherous, and the occasional Wild Dominion animal has started turning up dead. Graffiti is sprouting in odd places-“Serenityites Arise!” and “WWWS: What Would Waldo Say?”-and when a reporter begins poking around, he quickly discovers that Waldo’s successors have a decidedly different vision for America’s Hometown-and if certain people don’t stop interfering with it, animals won’t be the only things that start turning up dead. . . .

Filled with wicked humor and razor-sharp plotting, Deep Water is delightfully twisted-and maybe more plausible than any of us would like to think.

~~~

There are quite a few covers, and I couldn’t find the one I have on my paperback, so I picked the one that jumped out at me the most.