I love mysteries--and enjoy finding new series to add to my go-to reading lists. I recently had the opportunity to read and review books from the Annie Collins Mystery series by Helen Starbuck. I shared my review of The Mad Hatter's Son earlier this week and have my review of No Pity in Death this morning! Check out the books, read my thoughts, learn about the author & enter for a chance to win a prize in the book tour giveaway at the end of this post!
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 249 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Routt Street Press
Release date: 2019
Format available for review: ebook (Gifted Kinde, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Tour dates: Jan 13 to Feb 9, 2021
Content Rating: R. Two explicit sex scenes, profanity, medical scenes.
About the Book
Struggling to put her life back
together after almost being murdered, operating room nurse Annie Collins
agrees to help homicide Detective Alex Frost investigate a troubling
number of patient deaths in the ICU step down unit at her hospital. Are
the patients succumbing to life threatening illnesses or is someone
helping them die? Assistant district attorney and close friend, Angel
Cisneros, worries about Annie’s involvement with Frost’s investigation,
and his concern
escalates after a person from her past contacts her. His feelings for
her, which have grown deeper, complicate everything. Dangerous enemies
are something Annie and Angel have in common. As they quickly discover,
paybacks can be hell.
My Review
No Pity in Death Picks Up Where The Mad Hatter's Son Left Off. If you read my review of The Mad Hatter's Son, you know I struggled a bit to get into the story--then enjoyed the storyline. In No Pity in Death, the author picked up where the first book left us and kept a nice pace as she introduced her new mystery and entwined some subplots and side stories. While this novel is a standalone novel--I would definitely recommend reading the first book first. I didn't love Annie as a character in the first book--but, I found myself becoming quite attached to her as this novel moved forward.
Part Mystery/Part Life Drama. For me, this novel's mystery and suspense were almost side-stories from Annie's challenges faced as she coped with and moved from her past dramas and traumas. The author gives readers twists and turns to develop and unravel her mysteries--but she gives readers a more profound story as Annie grows and strengthens from her previous adventures in mystery-solving and romance.
Would I Recommend No Pity in Death by Helen Starbuck? Again, I didn't love many of the supporting characters, but I became attached to Annie (and her love interest)--and this book sealed my interest in continuing the series. I love the author's ability to pull readers into her settings and bring Annie's work life into the reader's view. If you enjoy mysteries that aren't overly complex--and love a novel that draws on human nature, relationships, and a bit of real-world/real-life drama--give this book and the mystery series a look. I enjoyed Starbuck's storylines, her character interactions, and especially her settings and realistic views of the aspects of Annie's life. I would certainly read the books in order, and I look forward to seeing Annie in future mystery solving adventures.
Buy the Book
You May Also Enjoy
Book Title: The Mad Hatter's Son (An Annie Collins Mystery #1) by Helen Starbuck
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 285 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Routt Street Press
Release date: 2018
Format available for review: ebook (Gifted Kinde, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Tour dates: Jan 13 to Feb 9, 2021
Content Rating: R. Two explicit sex scenes, profanity, medical scenes.
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About the Book
Curiosity killed the cat, so the saying goes, and it may end up killing operating room nurse Annie Collins. Annie’s estranged friend Libby Matheisen needs Annie’s help to discover what is causing her vague, puzzling symptoms. Unwillingly drawn into her friend’s life, Annie must discover whether Libby is really ill or if there is a hidden agenda. Faced with Libby’s apparent suicide, Annie is unable to stop asking questions to uncover the truth about her illness and death. The answers to these questions don’t come without a price, and pursuing the mystery of Libby’s death threatens to end her life as well. Friends change, love betrays, and the end results are never what you anticipate. Find out why the BookLife Prize called The Mad Hatter’s Son “An outstanding debut,” and it was the winner of The National Indie Excellence Book Awards mystery category.
Category: Adult Fiction (18+), 216 pages
Genre: Mystery
Publisher: Routt Street Press
Release date: March 2020
Content Rating: R. Several explicit sex scenes, profanity, medical scenes
How far would you go for someone you love? How much hate would you need to commit murder? Revenge. Hate. Fear. Not exactly traditional wedding gifts. But when convicted killer Ian Patterson escapes from prison, operating room nurse Annie Collins and fiancé assistant district attorney Angel Cisneros are forced to confront these realities head on. Will Ian Patterson’s quest for revenge toward the two people responsible for sending him to prison—Annie Collins and Angel Cisneros—bring them face to face to settle the score once and for all?
Find out why Kirkus Reviews calls The Burden of Hate, “A thriller that offers a master class in suspense.”
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Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries, suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman says, “…stories where women save themselves.”
Connect with the author: Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads
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