Murder Girl (Lilah Love, #2)

by Lisa Renee Jones

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones returns with the second book in her electrifying series featuring Lilah Love, an FBI profiler who doesn’t fight her dark side—she embraces it.

It’s Lilah Love’s job to inhabit a killer’s mind. The unapologetically tough FBI profiler is very comfortable there. But her latest case is making her head spin. It’s a string of brutal assassinations carried out across the country, each tied to a mysterious tattoo. Body by body, she’s followed the clues all the way back to her hometown. And every step of the way, the killer has been following her.

Here, beneath the glamour of the privileged Hamptons community, is a secret long buried but never forgotten. It’s bigger than Lilah. It’s powerful enough to escape the reach of the FBI. And it’s more personal than anyone can imagine. Because it’s hiding in Lilah’s own past. To fight it, she’s forced to turn to her lethally tempting ex, Kane Mendez. He’s an expert at bringing out Lilah’s darkest impulses. If she plans to survive, she’s going to need them.

This is the second in a connected duet and begins with a cliffhanger.

• ISBN10: 1503902617
• ISBN13: 9781503902619
• Publish Date: 10 July 2018
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 13 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Montlake Romance
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 272
• Language: English

Reviews

[Lynn]

4.5 stars

After immersing myself within the first novel of the Lilah Love series and couldn't wait to dive into this latest instalment. The narrative picks up where we left off in book one but not before the author does a quick recap on what has previously happened. It's important to read Murder Notes first before picking up this title because many relevant details need to be known before you continue with the story.

However, I struggled to get back into the swing of the narrative despite the summary. With many names to remember, it took time for the details to sink in. Somehow after a few chapters, I went from overwhelmed to absorbing everything. Once I reached this point, I was totally consumed within the narrative again as new information comes to light and dangerous conclusions are made.

Lilah and Kane are dancing around each other but I don't feel the pull between them is serious when it comes to romance...at least not at the moment. Yes, lustful sexual chemistry flows but it's more akin to a mutual mind game with no real conclusion in sight. Intellectual equals, in a world where Lilah is struggling to trust everyone around her, including her family. Kane, the man who shares her secret is the only one she trusts. Their relationship is intriguing none the less and I wonder where the author will take them as both are embroiled in life or death situations.

The author does an excellent job of keeping the plot exciting. Not knowing the good guys from the bad keeps the details enthralling. Mysteries, secrets and betrayals...unlikely connections and their implications keep the narrative addictive. It's fast-paced, engaging and a touch grisly as dead bodies appear at an alarming rate.

Overall, I can't wait to find out 'what happens next' in the life of Lilah Love. Unlike the previous book, there's no cliffhanger this time around...only plenty of expectations as she begins her new role surrounded by family, friends...or are they, enemies?

***arc generously received courtesy of Montlake Romance via NetGalley***

[thebookdisciple]

Murder Girl picks up right after Murder Notes ends and you MUST read them in order. Thankfully for me, Jones included a recap of book 1 because I had straight up forgotten a lot! So, here are my thoughts on Murder Girl-don't read if you haven't read Murder Notes!

I liked Kane less. He drugs Lilah 'to protect her' when he knows her past and how violated being drugged would make her feel. I also began (like Lilah) to question her boss. He is just strange. Honestly though, the whole set up is strange! No one would let her work this case because she has so many conflicts of interest. If they catch the person, her work would never hold up in court! So, I had to stop myself from overthinking it.

There are no shortage of unlikable characters in the story. Lilah's ex best friend, her ex-boyfriends, her brother, her father, her father's 'campaign manager'....all of them are unpleasant. Of course, this makes me think that any of them could be responsible for what is happening! Any of them could be "Junior" and I think any of them were capable of murder. However, I don't think they would have left the Hamptons to murder someone in LA-that was what got Lilah involved in the first place. So as the reader, you are constantly guessing and trying to figure out what is a red herring and what is an actual clue.

By the end of Murder girl, you have answers to some questions but there is one big question left unanswered that will certainly compel the reader to continue the series! If you like police procedurals, the TV show Criminal Minds, or mystery/suspense books, Murder Girl will appeal to you on many levels. As I mentioned in book 1, the story isn't really a 'romance'. Lilah's relationships are not the center of the story and are only mentioned in how they relate to the case.

 

• POV: 1st


• Tears: no


• Trope: FBI profiler


• Triggers: (show spoiler)[Lilah was raped and this plays a large role in story one. It is mentioned in this book but not in graphic detail.] (hide spoiler)


• Series/Standalone: series


• Cliffhanger: (show spoiler)[The murders are solved but the identity of Junior is still unknown. Also, not all the bad people are in jail, so there is opportunity for future issues.] (hide spoiler)

A Cold Dark Place by Toni Anderson, Hunting Ground by Katee Robert, Have You Seen Her by Karen Rose...then you will probably like Murder Girl!

 

Murder Girl

 
See full review on The Book Disciple

[Eve1972]

This is going to be kind of a short review as I don't want to give anything away, and basically everything I said about book one applies to this book as well. It was a fantastic book. Well written. Fast paced. It was teeming with twists and turns, and intrigue. Lies. Secrets, and betrayals. Thankfully, we are given some answers to the questions we were left with in book one, but some remain. On top of that, we are left with a whole slew of new ones. Again like book one, we have a full cast of characters that make up this book. Each one intriguing. Each one mysterious. Each one potentially hiding secrets.







Last, that brings me to the one thing I did not care for...the relationship between Lilah and Kane. I love both characters, and I love when they work together, but as a romantic pairing...well...they were a bit of a snoozefest. Their relationship progress felt stagnant to me. I honestly don't know how to explain it better than that. I almost wish the author had done away with the romance angle completely (maybe just had Kane and Lilah be good friends that end up working together) as there are so many other things going on that the "romance" takes a huge backseat. Anyway, that was just a small issue in the grand scheme of things and all in all I adored this one and can't wait to see what happens in the next installment.

[Linda]

Holy wow! This was SO good! I don’t have many words yet, my brain is still trying to figure some things out.