Good story ... but

I had a hard time reading this book. I read all of it just to see how it ended.

The writing really bothered me as the author used the same phrases over & over again:

- chills raced up (or down) her spine ... at least 11 times, but probably more
? the main character was constantly overcome with frustration or impatience
- she had the metallic taste of adrenaline in her mouth a lot
- her mind was always racing (thoughts, possibilities)

Sorry, Ava. I just don't think I'll be reading more of your work. 2 s Debi Tadd8

The writing was annoyingly immature. I had a hard time caring about the characters. There wasn't much suspense. Proofread!! Her name is spelled Sophia and Sofia. Was it a medicine man or woman? Both were used. Not everything is palpable and tell me one more time how the adrenaline tastes....1 Lise806

Stumbling into a remote cave in the Mojave Desert, a young woman makes a terrifying find - a newly dead body amongst a veritable graveyard of bones. FBI agent, Sofia Blake and her partner are called in to uncover a killer who leaves mysterious glyphs on the cave's walls.

I gave myself a month before starting this book, the second in the series. The first book had left me somewhere between annoyed and perplexed so I took a break to give this story a fair shake. At first, my strategy seemed to have paid off as the plot held my interest and the words flowed well. As I hit the second half, the wheels came off the cart.

My cavil with the initial story revolved around the main character, Sofia, and her impetus nature which led her to make foolish and rash decisions. Someone needs to impress on Sofia that impatience is not a virtue. It doesn't seem ly that such a loose cannon would remain employed by the agency, let alone head up a unit that works in the field. This character trait has, alas, followed Sofia into the second book.

While the character's inauthenticity is paramount, the author's word choice is similarly distressing. During a fight scene, the exact phrase was used twice to describe the character's actions which rather destroyed the momentum. In another part of the book, Sofia described the scent of the air in identical terms, several pages apart. A good editor would have flagged these phrases as rewrites.

Finally, we get to the end of the story, and Sofia suddenly remembers that her sister is missing (this also happened in the previous book) even though she had not mentioned a word of her worries while she was investigating the murders. Despite the concern that a serial killer was on the loose, something as important as a missing sister should have at least been at the back of Sofia's mind. It is this, more than anything else, that has influenced my decision to discontinue reading this series. Dawn Goodall67

Rubbish

Oh dear! Right from the beginning this book was just not making any sense at all. How many years since the sister went missing - was it 15, as first stated, or was it 8? A body was found in a cave. First it was a medicine woman, then a medicine man. Then at the morgue, it was a woman again! Suddenly, the killer had left bodies in caves, but they'd only found one fresh body in one cave, along with some ancient bones. Honestly, I just gave up at that point and decided life's too short to spend reading such rubbish. I hope the writer has a day job that they haven't given up yet! Barbara Pickett10

No One Left

Exciting, quick read. Agent Sophia Blake and her partner solve a murder mystery regarding the murder of 3 women in the Mojave Desert. Books starts and ends with research regarding the disappearance of her sister during trip to Egypt 15 years ago. Now appears her sister may have returned to the US, which is a twist to be further explored. And there is a new love interest. Much more intrigue for the next book in the series. First Ava Strong book I have read. It won't be the last. Krystal201

I was starting to this series and then I got SO ANNOYED. So you have a brilliant linguistic professional who is with the FBI whose parents are former archeologists and anthropologists and she has traveled the world herself and she doesn’t know what a Medicine Woman is???!!!!!! I mean SERIOUSLY?! In what world does that even make sense?!

I also feel she gets frustrated very easily - too easily. Not all cases are solved in the first 2 days of getting a case but the way she goes from 0 to 100 with frustration doesn’t seem a normal trait for an FBI agent. Annette Sullivan1,240 8

oh dear!

This is a book that could have definitely been improved by a decent editor, and better still an educated proof reader.
The mistakes were mind boggling, seeing bloodshot eyes even though the man was asleep with eyes closed!
The writing style was so over the top intricate in every detail. Tense emotional Atmosphere smelt!
This was an intriguing story but the authour ruined it. Elizabeth Edwards5,380 9

came from "A Sofia Blake FBI Suspense Thriller" series. book 2. yet to read others from this series. women sleuths. (books & kindle store). suspense. came out on Dec 19, 2023. i see a lot of the mystery books out there have similar book covers and i find it tough to recall what i have and have not read ...wondering if i am the only one in that boat? wish they were a bit more different from each other??! just saying. i gotta read. bye. Cynthia Prasse35

An intriguing series

I really enjoyed this unique storyline, and the premise for the series is really exciting. The story started out really strong, but the ending seemed a bit weak. Not to say it was disappointing - it definitely wasn't. Would definitely read more by this author.
Sharon Leff501 1 follower

Wish I’d d this more, but Hillerman books resonate so strongly with similar plots with more memorable execution. Somehow the story rushes and loose ends, unexplained situations and characters remain discarded or ignored. Not as satisfying a read as I had hoped. Felt a series of cliches… Alison Duddridge10

Brilliant

What a fantastic book first time with this author but certainly not the last. Getting me to read faster and faster to see the outcome is quite unusual for me. A detective story with a twist. Really unique. Kathie Parks92 1 follower

Many other better books to read. Mary36

I did the audio and the AI voice was horrible. Distracted from the book. Renee10

the ai generated voice needs work. parts drove me crazy Lisa Partin1 review1 follower

5 star read

Couldn’t put it down. Looking forward to the next one. Love these kick-ass agents. They work well together. :) :) Gale Newmaster82 2

Very good book

This book was a very good read I never guessed who the killer was, but was surprised when it was revealed Janette Ridsdale10

The Author loves the wors palpable!! Nikk16 1 follower

Struggled to get into this book, eventually gave up Nancy M3

definitely kept my interest.

This book definitely kept my interest. I read from the beginning to the end, rather than skipping the middle, which I often find myself doing. Christine Carruthers17

Good story

I enjoyed this book and the story it told.
I will definitely read this author again.
The theme was realistic Liza1,906 13

Sometimes using a word a few times (5 piqued/13 linguist-linguistics) just feels way too many times. I'm surprised that both words were so low. It felt a lot more. Karen 621

Rated PG Julianne2girls108 4

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