Seven Girls Gone by Allison Brennan @Allison_Brennan #SuzanneTFortin @HarlequinBooks

the setup…
Detective Beau Hebert is trying to investigate the latest in an alarming series of unexplained deaths of young women in St. Augustine, Louisiana the last three years. But with a corrupt police department and legal system thwarting his every move, he’s worse than nowhere. He reaches out to his friend Michael Harris, an FBI agent with the Mobile Response Team, for much needed help. They mobilize in nearby Lafayette and quickly determine that this will be one of their most challenging and dangerous assignments because no one in law enforcement wants them there or to solve any of these crimes.

the heart of the story…
St. Augustine is what you get when criminals, law enforcement and city leaders decide to team up. Even FBI Special Agent Matt Costa and his outstanding team are severely challenged as normally they have the cooperation of the local police who welcome the help with confounding cases. Trying to covertly investigate and protect Beau’s involvement was nearly impossible but not totally so. LAPD Detective Kara Quinn’s undercover experience was invaluable as she’s a chameleon with fantastic instincts, able to blend in and read people skillfully. Normally the job centers around figuring out the bad guys. In St. Augustine? Figuring out the good guys was tougher than navigating their bayous.

the narration…
I’m continuing to enjoy Fortin’s excellent storytelling skills and she was effective here at providing voice distinctions for lots of characters with speech dialects and age diversity.

the bottom line…
I felt edgy through the entire story because the team was so exposed and vulnerable, especially Kara who had several tough encounters. The mystery of who killed all these young women was confounding and when it was revealed, I was stunned. But, it was so fitting considering the number of people in leadership with either dirty hands or blind eyes. Still, there were a few more surprises I had a sense of but had me shaking my head. This is the ultimate in police procedurals and political navigation as the team rose to the occasion. I was also pleased at how Matt and Kara are navigating their personal relationship with all the pitfalls that entails. And, the bayou setting brought all the atmosphere I expected…alligators, humidity and unique charm.

Book Info

• Release Date: April 25, 2023
• Series: Quinn & Costa #4
• Narrator: Suzanne T. Fortin
• Audio Length: 12 hours, 48 minutes
• Publisher: Harlequin Audio

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