Review: Notorious by Allison Brennan

Notorious

by Allison Brennan

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Pages: 336

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Maxine Revere has dedicated her life to investigating murders that the police have long since given up any hope of solving. A nationally renowned investigative reporter with her own TV show and a tough-as-nails reputation, Max tackles cold cases from across the country and every walk of life. But the one unsolved murder that still haunts her is a case from her own past.

When Max was a high school senior, one of her best friends was strangled and another, Kevin O'Neal, accused of the crime. To the disgrace of her wealthy family, Max stood by her friend, until she found out he lied about his alibi. Though his guilt was never proven, their relationship crumbled from the strain of too many secrets.

Now Max is home for Kevin's funeral―after years of drug abuse, he committed suicide. She's finally prepared to come to terms with the loss of his friendship, but she's not prepared for Kevin's sister to stubbornly insist that he didn't kill himself. Or for an elderly couple to accost her at the airport, begging her to look into another murder at Max's old high school. Max is more interested in the cold case at her alma mater than in digging around Kevin's troubled life, but she agrees to do both. As Max uncovers dark secrets, she finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies that hit far too close to home. And it's becoming increasingly clear that someone will do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried.

Kritters Thoughts: The first in a series and before even starting this one, I was already a big Allison Brennan fan, so I knew this book would be a great addition to my beach bag this summer.  While published nine years ago, I am a stickler for starting a series from the beginning so I picked this one up and enjoyed it on the beach.

Maxine Revere is an investigative journalist that ends up getting caught up in a few mysteries while visiting her hometown for a funeral of a friend.  When I say a few mysteries, I mean a few and while reading I kept thinking there was too much to keep straight, but when it all came together I wouldn't have taken one out, so just know that there are a few mysteries to keep straight with characters in each one.  

While this is the first in a series, there were a few moments where I thought that I was missing something because it felt as though the author was referring to previous happenings, but this is book one!  Maybe its just me, so I am excited to move on to book two and read more about Maxine and see what mysteries she gets into next. 

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Minotaur Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.