The Devil You Know by P. J. Tracy

The Devil You Know

by P. J. Tracy

Beloved actor Evan Hobbes is found in the rubble of a Malibu rockslide, a day after a fake video ruins his career. It’s not clear to Nolan if it’s an accident, a suicide, or a murder, and things get murkier as the investigation expands to his luminary friends and colleagues. Meanwhile, Hobbes’s agent is dealing with damage control, his psychotic boss, and a woman he’s scorned.

Darkness is nothing new to Nolan, but in P.J. Tracy’s The Devil You Know, even she isn’t prepared for the scandalous deception of deadly proportions that shakes the very foundation of Hollywood and its untouchables… and leaves her entangled in its rotten core.

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on

3 of 5 stars

Share

Book Summary:

LAPD Detective Margaret Nolan has gotten used to her role in this world – and she's gotten pretty good at finding the bad guys. Yet even her history cannot prepare her for the new case about to come her way.

Evan Hobbes is a disgraced actor who very recently had a viral video that ruined his career. Now his body is buried in the rubble of a rock slide, and it's up to Nolan to determine the cause of his death. Was it nefarious, suicide, or a horrible accident?

My Review:

I want to start this review with a bit of transparency: I missed the first two novels in the Detective Margaret Nolan series and jumped in with The Devil You Know (#3). This slightly impacted my reading experience, as none of the characters were clearly introduced. I've gotten spoiled with expecting thriller/mystery series to do this, so this is admittedly my bad. Don't make my mistake – read the series in order!

That said, I have to give credit to the writing. The Devil You Know is smooth and compelling. I may not have understood the characters of note, but it was pretty easy to understand the plot – and the potential threat.

I loved pulling in dramatic elements such as a disgraced actor and the drama of viral videos. Those were nice touches. I will have to go back and read the rest of this series because it seems worthwhile.

Highlights:
Suspense
Big city crimes
Mystery series

Trigger Warnings:
Suicide (discussed)

Thanks to Minotaur Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 27 January, 2023: Finished reading
  • 27 January, 2023: Reviewed