UNSTOPPABLE
Forensic anthropologist Kelsey Quinn goes to a remote Texas border region to dig up ancient bones, but ends up unearthing a deadly secret. When Kelsey’s discovery jeopardizes not just her dig, but her life, she turns to US Navy SEAL Gage Brewer, who may be the only person brave enough—and lethal enough—to help.

Title: UNSTOPPABLE (found in Anthology DEADLY PROMISES)
Author: Laura Griffin
Series: Tracers, book 2.5
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Pocket Books
Year of release: 2010, September 28
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Source: Bought via The BookDepository

First line:
Sometimes they went in with a flash and crash, but Lieutenant Gage Brewer always preferred stealth.



QuickScore-Verdict:
UNSTOPPABLE reminded me of the TV show Bones, with Kelsey being a forensic anthropologist and big hunky Gage sent to protect her. I loved Kelsey and Gage and their romance. The suspense plot was perfect for the length of the story and though it only partially wrapped up, I am sure it will be completely wrapped up in Mia's story (UNFORGIVABLE) who had a small but crucial part in this one.

As usual Griffin writes awesome suspense with subtle romance and the short length of this novella didn't bother me at all. It was well-rounded and well-written and I can't wait to read the next installment in the Tracers series.

Favorite Quotes:
Her pulse skipped as the feel of him, the smell of him permeated her brain. A jolt of raw sexual awareness zinged through her, and she scrambled away.

Gage needed a woman. Soon. Didn’t it figure that the one woman to stir his interest after months and months of celibacy would be the niece of his CO, a woman completely off-limits for some quick-and-dirty fun?

Back Cover:

ALEX LOVELL MAKES PEOPLE DISAPPEAR. TURNS OUT, SHE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE.

Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive cop husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst, and sets out to discover what happened. Using every resource she can get her hands on — including an elite team of forensic scientists known as the Tracers, and a jaded, sexy Austin PD detective — Alex embarks on a mission to uncover the truth.

As far as homicide cop Nathan Deveraux is concerned, no body means no case. But as much as he wants to believe that Alex's hunch about Melanie's murder is wrong, his instincts — and their visceral attraction — won't let him walk away. As a grim picture of what really happened begins to emerge, Nathan realizes this investigation runs deeper than they could ever have guessed. And each step nearer the truth puts Alex in danger of being the next to disappear....

Private investigator and computer expert Alexandra Lovell is specialized in aiding people who don't want to be found. Let's call it a civilian (cyber) witness protection program. She is very good at it but when she finds out one of her clients, Melanie Bess, has really disappeared she suspects foul play, especially when she finds out Melanie came back to Austin, where danger lurks around every corner for her. Alex calls in the help of Nathan Deveraux, a detective with the Austin Police Department, whom she met in the line of duty about 7 months earlier. He promises to help her and look into it but his promise complicates things more than it facilitates them since the main suspect in Melanie's disappearance is a fellow policeman who is well-liked and respected. Alex only has suspicions and very circumstantial evidence to go on and there Nathan’s hands are pretty much tied. When she enlists the service of the Delphi Center, a privately funded forensics lab and base of "the Tracers", things come to the surface that put both Melanie and Alex' lives in danger and Nathan must act quickly to save them.

Next to the suspense in UNTRACEABLE, which was great as always in Laura Griffin's books, the characters of Alex and Nathan are on the top of my list of what I liked most in this book. Alex is sarcastic, tough and sharp-tongued, but underneath the outer sharpness there's caring and warmth too, especially for those less fortunate than her. Nathan is rugged, cynical, straightforward and unapologetic. And together they create both sensual and verbal sparks that I really liked. Their road to a HEA was complicated not only by Melanie's case but also by their different backgrounds and their expectations of themselves, each other and their relationship.

Both Alex and Nathan first made their appearance in Laura Griffin's Glass Sisters series. At the end of book 1 (THREAD OF FEAR) of that series I really thought Nathan was going to be Courtney Glass' hero in book 2: WHISPER OF WARNING but reading that book I soon discovered I'd been totally off-base with my speculations. When Griffin put Nathan and Alex together in WHISPER OF WARNING secondary characters I didn't dare to speculate again but I was thrilled to find out they were the first hero/heroine couple in this new series, The Tracers. I loved their chemistry in WHISPER OF WARNING and in UNTRACEABLE, which takes place about 7 months after WHISPER OF WARNING, Griffin combined that chemistry with some top-notch suspense. As with all Griffin books the suspense is extraordinary good. The first page of this book grabbed me by the throat and never let go until I reached the end.

By chapter three I was completely immersed in the suspense. The set-up in the first two chapters promised all the intrigue, twists, complications it delivered on in the rest of the book and the chemistry between Nathan and Alex was definitely tantalizing and promising too. This is the third series of Laura Griffin I'm reading and yet again she surprises and amazes me with a totally unique vibe. Even if this series is sort of a spin-off from the Glass Sisters series and set in the same world with the many known characters and the same police department, Griffin manages to deliver a first installment of a series that definitely stands on it's own as far as the suspense plot arc is concerned. Where the focus in the Borderline series was on drugs and drug trafficking and the focus in the Glass Sisters series is on murder investigations, The Tracers series is very much into forensics and corrupted law enforcers. Despite the emphasis on different aspects of law enforcement, in all three series the romantic story arc is always subtle and intense, fitting the main characters and their development throughout the books. The romance in UNTRACEABLE was subtle and sprinkled with some complicating elements which were linked to both Nathan and Alex' backgrounds and personalities.

I really love this new series and I am definitely ready for more as there were some secondary characters who certainly spiked my curiosity and interest with their roles in UNTRACEABLE, for example: Troy Stockton, John Holt and Mia Voss. I hope future books in this series will feature them at least.

At almost every page turn there was a surprise waiting for me. The suspense plot was unpredictable and excellently put together. Griffin kept me speculating and guessing constantly and right till the end. Something I liked in Griffin's writing of the other books made this one great for me too: Dosed bits of plot information and stuff that seems unrelated come together to form a great suspense plot. Once you're in the flow of the story it's hard to tear yourself away from it. I just had to keep on reading and speculating on the information given. Trying to decide if the suspect was truly the bad guy, what the motives were and how it all connected. The conclusion was one I didn't quite see coming, which of course is a very good thing, as I don't like predictable suspense novels. And even though the wrap-up felt kind of rushed and I expected more information on some things, which now leave me with lingering questions, I still very much liked the twist given to the plot.

Again Laura Griffin did NOT disappoint me. I love her crisp, clean and smooth writing and I love anything to do with forensic science and law enforcement. This made UNTRACEABLE an absolute winner for me.

Quote:
And then it was all good, only good, only pleasure, as they moved together in a blissful rhythm, his hands stroking up her back, then down again. They were together, completely, and with that wonderful friction, she felt the knot of loneliness deep inside her start to come loose.

Rating: 8.7 out of 10
(ROOB-rating: 4 stars)

Jacket Copy:
She never planned to get involved with her ex again. Especially not in his murder…

But that’s just what happens when Celie Wells has an encounter with her former husband, and he turns up dead an hour later. Now, after working hard to distance herself from his crooked ways and shady connections, she finds she’s smack dab in the middle of his murder investigation. And it isn’t just the police who have their eye on her, but an enraged drug lord who is seeking payback.

The only person who seems to be on her side is old acquaintance John McAllister. But the sexy reporter has a nose for news, as well as a reputation as a playboy. Is he helping Celie out because he wants a story or a one-night stand? She knows John’s interest is potentially hazardous to her heart. But not accepting his help could put her life at even greater risk—and she can’t afford one wrong step.

John McAllister is a reporter who is the embodiment of the charming playboy who can talk any woman into his bed. He is confident and enjoys the company of women. That is until he crosses paths again with Celie Wells, his former colleague's (Feenie from ONE LAST BREATH) best friend. She evokes feelings in him he has never experienced before and trying to stay professional while he writes a story on her ex-husband's murder proves to be difficult.

Celie is resilient and brave. She is compassionate and an open book for everyone. Before she found out the trouble her ex-husband was in, she had the life of a perfect suburban housewife. Now she's divorced, longing for a family and a suspect in the investigation of her ex' murder. And on top of that she has to deal with her attraction to John, the reporter out to get the dirt on her.

The attraction between Celie and John is apparent but they both fight it. John doesn't want to commit himself to a woman in that way. Celie fights the attraction the most because she thinks they're only compatible on a sexual level. She literally tries to keep her distance physically but about half way through the book there's a change in her feelings. She makes a U-turn and suddenly stops fighting the attraction and gives in. The suddenness of this change of heart is the only little (very, very little) thing that bothered me in character development, but I soon forgave Griffin because the love scene that followed it was by far the best and hottest one I've read in Griffin's books so far. It was beautifully written, sweet and sensual. McAllister definitely scored points in that scene.

Essentially this story sort of continues from ONE LAST BREATH that's why it I think it's important to read these two books in sequence. Celie's ex-husband who was involved in some shady business in book 1 ends up dead after a strange visit to Celie, who has moved on with her life. Both Celie and John were secondary characters in the first book. When I met them in that book I was immediately intrigued by John and Celie also definitely caught my attention.
But even though many aspects of the storyline of ONE WRONG STEP find their origin in the other book of the duology, still it is anything but predictable.

The first few pages of the prologue of this book had my heart pounding in anticipation of another great Laura Griffin story to come. And my anticipation was met yet again. It was realistic, fast-paced, undiluted, the humor was subtle and the suspense was superb. I can't praise Laura Griffin enough for the way she writes suspense plots. It was thrilling, unpredictable and perfectly set up, keeping me reading and wanting to know the next development in the story. Players are introduced, clues are revealed, pieces fall into place and even though I received a lot of information along the way, the wrap-up was still surprising and original. As I've grown used to from her, with ONE WRONG STEP she has delivered a book with a lovely romance, excellent suspense, great characters and a wonderful ending. At a certain point I thought the plot had been wrapped up but because I still had about 80 pages to go I knew that couldn't be it. And luckily it wasn't. The last 80 pages were action-filled and extremely fast-paced, tying loose ends and the book ended with a lovely and tear-jerking epilogue.

The combination of the blossoming and touching love story and the compelling suspense is one that Laura Griffin masters skillfully and she has delivered on it with every book I've read by her hand. This combination is the backbone of each story and yet at the same time every story is amazingly unique. The dynamics between the main couple are different in every book, which is logical due to their different personalities. It gives each book its own vibe even when they're linked.

Combining brilliant suspense with romance that is excellently put together emotionally and the slightly more sensual tone proved to be a winning formula for me. ONE WRONG STEP is my favorite Griffin book to-date. WHISPER OF WARNING comes really close and I've rated them equally but this one definitely tops the list. And with this book my stack of Laura Griffin books has been read and I'm eagerly awaiting her next masterpiece. News of a new series starring two secondary characters from WHISPER OF WARNING has reached me and I can't wait.

Quotes:
He had that long, tall Texan thing going on, and even in a state full of Texans, he stood out. He was well over six feet, athletically slender, and had just enough drawl in his voice to charm the pants off of even the most clear-thinking woman.

She took a deep breath. This was crazy. She was crazy. She was going to spend the night with him in his cozy little house and have incredible, decadent, no-strings-attached sex. With her luck, she'd probably fall in love with him before the burgers came off the grill.

This book was released on March 31st and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES

Back Cover Copy:
WILL HE HELP PROVE HER INNOCENCE . . .OR LEAD A KILLER TO HER DOOR?
Courtney Glass has been in trouble all her life, but nothing tops being an up-close witness to a brutal murder. Until she’s accused of the crime. Every scrap of evidence points to her guilt, and now Courtney must prove to police that she’s not a murderer, but she is one of the killer’s intended victims. As investigators hammer her for answers, Courtney knows she has two choices: run, or trust the brooding, sexy detective who’s made it clear she’s his prime suspect.




The coldblooded murder of her ex-boyfriend in her car by someone who then tries to kill her and make it a murder-suicide scenario is the start of a hellish time for Courtney Glass. She thought she was done with her ex when she found out he'd been lying to her and was a married man from her hometown instead of a single lawyer from out of town. The one thing he didn't lie about was that he was working on a big case and that's where the troubles start for Courtney. She ends up under investigation by the police, on the run from a hit man and to complicate matters even more there’s a persistent attraction between her and Will Hodges, the detective in charge of the investigation.

Courtney is a complicated and multi-layered character and hard to put into a category. She has an outward appearance that's sometimes contrary to her inner personality and there were times she came across as a chameleon, changing and adapting to various situations and circumstances with ease, both literally with her appearance and also in behavior. She's as comfortable at a baseball game as in a posh hair salon or a trendy nightclub. She may seem a bit wild and reckless and after a difficult childhood and a period of living it up she's really trying to get it together but the stuff with her ex puts a dent in that resolution. She reverts back to the only way she knows how to deal with things: head-on, stubbornly and using everything at her disposal, including her looks and flirtatious nature.

Will isn't the most talkative or charming of men. He doesn't waste words and epitomizes the strong silent type. Underneath all that silence is an enigmatic man though. Again a case of there being more to the man than you would initially think. He is aloof, to the point, tough and professional. Although his professionalism flies right out the window when he gets to know Courtney better and starts to feel attracted to her. Sometimes Courtney annoys him profoundly and tests his patience but that doesn't take away the strong chemistry between them.

The secondary characters all fulfill their respective parts in the plot, making their presence clear but never overshadowing Courtney and Will. Fiona, being Courtney's sister plays a slightly bigger role and it was lovely seeing her and Jack making their appearance in this book. I also liked the way the relationship between the sisters is explained a bit more.

Without any preliminaries Griffin threw me right in the middle of a mind-blowing suspense. The suspense was thrilling from the first chapter, the first few pages to be exact, to the very last one. And never let it be said that Griffin is predictable. Reading THREAD OF FEAR (book 1 of the Glass Sisters) I thought I had Courtney's story and love interest pegged but I couldn't have been further from it. Courtney's actual hero is introduced soon in this book and I must say he's perfect for her. Definitely more so than the hero I thought it would be when I read book 1.

Griffin takes the known story of cop and suspect and manages to give it a great and refreshing spin. Her writing is fluent, easy to follow and uncomplicated despite the legal procedures and law enforcement theme. I loved the setup and the execution of both suspense and romance but she is foremost a true master at suspense. She keeps writing these books that keep me on the edge of my seat, keep me wanting to go back to reading them whenever I stop.

The plot is unpredictable yet realistic and the pace is fast but never rushed. Even without real hardcore action it's still thrilling and eventful. The solution to the plot is kept hidden from the reader until the very end, giving the book a great ending. Slowly, surely and inevitably Griffin leads the reader to the conclusion of this book in a perfect way, tying the very few loose ends in a satisfactory way. The plot was built up excellently, adding to it more clues and facts and gradually answering questions, but at the same time creating new, intriguing situations that leave you wondering what is really going on.

Again, as is becoming Griffin's trademark for me, the romance is subtle, touching and realistic. It's heartwarming without being explicit, fitting the book because it doesn't need explicitness. She has this uncanny ability to write seemingly effortless blends of suspense and romance. While the focus is on the suspense, the romance is still very much present but in a subtle way it's imbedded into the suspense, adding to it that touch of romance to make it a romantic suspense rather than a thriller. It's another compelling book with remarkable plotting in which everything clicks together and into place seamlessly. The book keeps the reader engrossed in it with the way it is thorough, fast-paced, superbly written and captivating.

Laura Griffin ensnared me with this thrilling story that was filled with unpredictable suspense and subtle romance. Once again I've read a book by her hand that absolutely didn't disappoint and was straight up my romantic suspense alley. And this one actually exceeded my expectations with its unpredictability; expectations that very pretty high to begin with after the wonderful book that preceded this one.

Back Cover:
He's an ex-cop. She's an ex-wife. And they're both out for revenge on the same man....

When pampered former cheerleader Feenie Malone takes a job writing fluff pieces for her South Texas paper, she has no idea she's about to stumble into a juicy news story that could launch her career -- if it doesn't get her killed first. Almost as soon as she breaks out her press pass, she crosses paths with Marco Juarez, the macho PI obsessed with solving his sister's murder. The information he has might be the perfect lead -- but his dangerously sexy looks could be a deadly distraction.

Juarez has zero patience for reporters, especially mouthy blond ones. But with the evidence pointing to Feenie's ex-husband, Marco thinks she could be useful. Confident he can keep her on a tight leash, he lets her in on his investigation. He quickly discovers he's underestimated his new partner, as well as the danger they both face. Now he must protect her -- to the very last breath...

A cheating ex-husband and a disappeared, murdered sister seem to be two things that have nothing in common. This changes when the journalist ex-wife and the former detective turned PI brother join forces to get to the bottom of what is going on. Marco Juarez and Feenie Malone soon find out that their problems are linked in a way they couldn't have dreamed up. In their search for the truth, they fall in love and it's a long road to closure and happiness.

Marco is a typical ex-cop. He is rugged, determined, purposeful and a bit bossy. The loss of his sister has left him full of guilt towards her and the rest of his family, which is why he dugs his heels into the investigation of her disappearance and doesn’t let go until he has found answers and exacted his revenge. He has this protective streak that is heartwarming.

Feenie may appear the proverbial dumb and naive blond at first glance but that's just outer appearance. She is smart and has her mouth ready. Her appearance hides an intelligent woman who won't let misfortune get her down. She has an impulsive, defiant streak that could drive any man crazy.

My first encounter with Laura Griffin's work was last year through an ARC for ROOB (THREAD OF FEAR). I liked that book so much that it led me into buying all of Laura Griffin's available books immediately. ONE LAST BREATH has proved that I won't regret that decision for a second. The focus is again on the suspense and the romance is imbedded into the story in a very subtle way. Griffin has a way of writing such compelling suspense with a carefully set up plot that I don't miss the explicit love scenes I do need in other romance novels. This doesn't mean that there aren't any romantic scenes in the book, there are a few and they are great. The romance and attraction between Feenie and Marco is genuine and has a very realistic feel to it. It doesn't feel forced in any way. It's there; it's just not the focal point of the book. Anything else wouldn't fit the total package and vibe of the book. The book is about the suspense and the romance is a nice added bonus.

I love Griffin's writing. It's extensive without taking away suspense or pace. It's descriptive without being repetitive. She describes procedures, action sequences, fights, weapons and other elements that go with romantic suspense without getting to technical and still gave me the feeling I had knowledge of what she was writing about.

Her writing has a way of pulling you into the story, unable to let it go. You become invested in the characters and the plot, wanting everything to work out in the end both romantically and plot wise. In this book she wrote a suspense-plot that was set up in a way that had me wondering what the outcome would be, who was behind everything and what their motives were. Secondary to the amazing suspense story is the romance between her characters. You become involved in the main couple' life. They are everyday people, with everyday problems. You follow them from discovering their feelings for each other, through the acting on those feelings, to the acceptance and acknowledgement of their mutual love. This all against a background formed by the nail biting suspense-plot that is put together excellently.

I also like the way Griffin connects her books to each other. In THREAD OF FEAR she prepared me for the next book of that series with some strategic and subtle scenes between the secondary characters who are the heroine and the hero of that next book. In ONE LAST BREATH she does the same with two secondary characters. I must admit that I have knowledge beforehand of who the next book’s main characters are because I already have it on my bookshelves, but even if I didn't know, the sparks flying between them in this book are a good indication. Needless to say I'm anxious to start in the next book, ONE WRONG STEP, soon.

Laura Griffin is definitely doing a great job of making her books indispensable on my bookshelves, giving me suspense that is so good I don't miss the heavy romance. For me her writing is the ultimate crimes-show episode poured into a book!

Quote:
Her nerves threatened to bubble over, so she sat on the edge of the bed and tried to get a grip. He watched her watching him take of his boots and jeans. It occurred to her that she should be doing something right now, something sensual and alluring, but her mind drew a complete blank. All she could do was stare at him and feel her blood rush.

This book was released on September 30th and I reviewed it for REALMS ON OUR BOOKSHELVES







Back Cover:

SHE SAYS THIS WILL BE HER LAST CASE. A KILLER PLANS TO MAKE SURE IT IS.

Forensic artist Fiona Glass is the best in the business—which is precisely why she’s quitting. Her skill at mining victims’ memories to re-create the faces of sadistic criminals has left her haunted and wary, and only Jack Bowman’s dogged persistence convinces her to help him. The rugged police chief is hunting a serial killer who’s targeting teenage girls. But what seems like a simple assignment is fraught with complications, including a searing attraction to Jack that’s tempting Fiona to let her guard down in potentially dangerous ways.
Jack never intended for Fiona to become so deeply involved in the case—or his life. And now that she’s right in the killer’s crosshairs, the only way to keep her safe is to unravel a small town’s darkest secrets, one terrifying thread at a time…

Fiona Glass is an art teacher and artist who does police sketches based on eyewitnesses’ information. She's had enough of her work for the police and FBI and decides to focus on her painting because she is becoming too emotionally involved with the cases. But no matter how hard she tries she's attracted to helping law enforcement with her talents and keeps putting off going back to her art. She is good with people, especially children and young women and she has build up a great reputation.
When she decides to do her last assignment for the FBI, a small town detective, Jack Bowman, contacts her, needing her help finding a serial killer who is wreaking havoc on young Hispanic girls in Graingerville. Jack talks Fiona into the decision to get involved one last time but little do they know that this case will have a huge impact on both their lives.

Fiona is a strong, dedicated and intuitive woman. She wants to concentrate on her art and teaching because her involvement with law enforcement is taking its toll on her emotions since she can't seem to keep herself detached from the cases she works on, the effects of the horrid crimes and the traumatized victims are getting to her.

Jack is persistent, intense and rugged but he also has a sensitive side. He is a man who could sell ice to an Eskimo and that's how he convinces Fiona to help him.
When Fiona is hurt or angry she tends to pipe down and run off. It's her way of protecting herself. But Jack doesn't allow this. He prefers direct confrontations to work things out.

The romance between Jack and Fiona is set up gradually and very realistically. They are both extremely stubborn but slowly they really grow close and fall in love and the reader follows them in their feelings towards each other. Little by little you get to know their backgrounds, personalities and ambitions.

There are many secondary characters in the form of Fiona and Jack's colleagues and the victims, witnesses and suspects in the cases. One important secondary character is Fiona's sister Courtney. Her personality is very different from Fiona's and they have the usual female sibling relationship filled with discussions and some annoyance but underneath you feel their love for each other. They have a history that is touched briefly but it's not fleshed out. I think this is because there will be a book on Courtney and I guess the issue will be worked out in that book. There are some scenes focused on her so I'm looking forward the full story and I wonder if she will be paired up with the hero I'm suspecting it will be.

This first book I've read by Laura Griffin has certainly whetted my appetite for more of her writing.
I finished the book much quicker than I thought I would because I just couldn't stop reading. She has an agreeable writing style that's easy to read but not simple. It's fluent but not rushed and it's thorough but not excessive. She finds the right balance between dialogue, narration and descriptions. I was immediately pulled into the story that had an excellent pace, fast but not too fast. Being an extremely non-creative person myself, I was intrigued by the look into the world of art and drawing presented to me through Fiona.

The suspense was the compelling force in this book, more than the romance. Subtle clues were given in small doses to unravel the mystery and uncover the killer. I kept guessing and my guesses of who the killer could be changed with every chapter. In the end I was close as to who it eventually was, close but no cigar. The motive really took my by surprise. The whole plotline involving the serial killer was unpredictable and I love that in suspense. I love to keep guessing who and why.

The suspense plot was original and surprising. The romance was refreshing and subtle. There were multiple plotlines, each with their own pace and satisfying conclusion, except for the small plotline involving Fiona's sister but I know it will certainly be concluded in Courtney's own book.

THREAD OF FEAR is a fast-paced, enthralling and vivid read with a full, rich story line and three-dimensional, realistic characters. It holds the attention captive from the first to the last page, reminding me of the crime series I love to watch on TV.

Laura Griffin is a voice in the romantic suspense genre to keep a close eye on. I for one will be looking out for both earlier books and the books to come.