Book Review: Underbelly

Copy received from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Karen Crawford. I really LOVED this!!

Once in a while I get a little overwhelmed with reading only Fantasy and Romance and in such times, there's nothing better than a good mystery or thriller to get me out of my slump. James Rollins, Robin Cook and John Grisham are among my favorite those times. And now I'm adding Karen Crawford to my list. Because her Underbelly ticked all the right boxes for me.

A perfect puzzle - check
A terrifying killer - check
Spooky edge of the seat scenes - double-check

Underbelly is a dark, gritty, wonderfully written and absolutely gripping mystery that will have you guessing up to the very end. And much more!
It masterfully combines a first class mystery with beautifully fleshed out characters, an exceptionally vivid prose and delightfully chilling situations to bring the reader a perfectly real seeming and absolutely engrossing story.

Taryn Winter is a newly retired detective. With the reputation of a bad ass among cops and that of a good cop among those on the street, Taryn is one of those awesome ladies any of us we'd love to have at our backs. She tried to leave her job behind but, as the saying goes, 'this shit doesn't let go of you, it's about you letting go of it.' And Taryn is not one to let go, especially when her former partner, Daniel, asks her for help with a new tough case. And even more so when the case involves the girls Taryn had been looking out while still on the job. The women no one else bothered about. The ladies from the streets of Vegas.

Agreeing to act as a consultant and help Daniel solve the new mystery involving an unanimous call and a billionaire's missing wife, Taryn finds herself thrust head long into the middle of a tough case where every single step 'is a kind of dance to reach the e-v-e-n-t-u-a-l disclosure.' Because the popular Las Vegas hotel and casino from where the woman went missing has a game plan for discretion. And they're not easily determined to share information even when faced with not one, but several cold-blooded murders hidden right under their noses.

It should be an easy wrap - with so many cameras and surveillance around. But, as it turns out, certain wealthy people require the cameras to be disabled at times. And the detectives are left chasing the cold-blooded killer in the dark.
He's made the Underbelly of the popular casino into his home killing turf. And he isn't one to cut down on his killings just because of a few detectives on his trail.
It's game time for both him and the detectives. With more than their own lives at stake.

I loved the feel of this book! Dark, gritty, mysterious and real! And it grabbed me from the very first page. This writer has an amazing way of making the reader literally see the action unfold before their eyes. The smells, the macabre atmosphere of the underbelly, the blood-curdling tension when you know the strike is coming! All remarkably rendered.

Combine that with a complex and perfectly flawed and human MC that you can easily root for, awesome banter between colleagues and impressively real-seeming dynamic between the people on the street and there you go - the perfect recipe for a first-rate read that any mystery fan will love.

If you love a good crime mystery, YOU HAVE GOT TO READ Underbelly!

Check out this book and more of Karen Crawford over at www.karencrawfordmysteries.com