Notorious (Max Revere Novels, #1)

by Allison Brennan

"When Maxine Revere was a high school senior, her best friend was murdered and their mutual friend, Kevin O'Neal, was accused of the crime. Kevin's guilt wasn't proven, but Max and Kevin's friendship never recovered and Max moved across the country shortly afterward. She never looked back. Thirteen years later, Max, now a successful investigative reporter, returns home to attend Kevin's funeral. The police say it was suicide, but Kevin's little sister doesn't believe it. Nor does she believe that Kevin committed murder all those years ago, and she begs Max to help clear Kevin's name. For Max, digging into Kevin's life means facing demons from her own past, as well as crossing a stubborn detective who wants Max to stay the hell away from his case. Soon it becomes terrifyingly clear that someone will do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried."--

• ISBN10: 1250035058
• ISBN13: 9781250035059
• Publish Date: 25 March 2014 (first published 18 March 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 14 April 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Minotaur Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 326
• Language: English

Reviews

I enjoyed this book a lot. The prequel was great and this was good. But Max did start to grate on my nerves a bit - she's very rigid in her moral code - to the point where she's willing to destroy everything for the truth. While I agree, truth is good - bulldozing through everyone and everything to get it is tiring. But I did love her fierceness in wanting to do what's right, not what's easy. She is vicious in her determination to uncover wrongdoing and it's fascinating to read. Notorious is a great book with a strong mystery and a fierce main character. Although I guessed who did it (and once you've read more than ten mysteries, it does tend to become rote) I enjoyed reading how Max finds out who's guilty and brings them to justice. I can't wait to read more of the series.

[Stephanie]

This review was originally posted on Once Upon a Chapter



It has been so long since I've read an Allison Brennan book and that was a mistake. After reading Felicia's review of Notorious I knew I had to pick this up sooner rather than later. I'm drawn to cold cases like a moth to the flame. There's just something about them. Perhaps it's the unknown or whatever it is that tripped up professionals. Whatever it is, Brennan delivered.

I really, really enjoyed Maxine Revere as a character. She's independently wealthy but spends her time helping bring people closure. She uses her own resources to do it and can do things law enforcement officials can't. This doesn't mean that Max doesn't know how to pamper herself. She's someone I could very easily admire.

The pacing in Notorious is quick but the story is still rich in all the right places. The mystery is fantastic and really kept me guessing up until the last few chapters. I'm very excited to see where Brennan takes this new series and I'm very eager for the second book!