Release Day Review of Cut and Run by Allison Brennan

Series: Lucy Kincaid #16
Read As A Stand Alone: Yes
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 31st, 2020
Buying Links: Amazon* | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository  | Apple Books* | Google Books | Kobo
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Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestseller Brennan's latest novel featuring FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid finds her searching for a missing child.

Three years ago, authorities assumed that the Albright family fled the country to avoid prosecution for embezzlement. But when their remains are discovered after a recent storm, the FBI is called in to investigate -- and find the youngest child, whose body wasn't found with the others. If the child is dead, why wasn't his body found with his family? If he's alive, where has he been for the last three years? As FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid and her partner Nate investigate the cold case, they receive surprisingly little help from the original investigators. With minimal forensic evidence and no witnesses, Lucy and Nate don't know if they'll be able to find justice for these tragic murders, but with one small clue--the timeline of the victims' last day--they recreate what might have happened to the family.

While Lucy is deep in her investigation, investigative reporter Maxine Revere arrives in San Antonio because of another case. The confessed killer of a family friend has recanted his statement, and now the family simply wants her to find the truth about what happened to Victoria -- Max's specialty. She hires Sean Rogan, a PI and Lucy's husband, to assist her. When Max learns that Victoria knew Lucy's victims, she connects a series of dots that lead to a deadly conspiracy. Lucy, Max, and Sean must work together again if they are to find justice for these two families ... and finally uncover the truth about what happened. As they dig deep into the world of corporate embezzlement, high-stakes gambling, and multi-million-dollar land investments, they realize that more than one person has secrets dark enough to kill for ... and that one of them is the next target.

My Thoughts:

I really need to read more in this series. This one, while good, didn't wow me, but I really enjoy Lucy, her husband Sean, and their son Jesse as well as Lucy's extended family. She's not a super cop but is a darn good FBI agent. She knows when to cut corners and when not to and is pretty good at working with others. The story itself was overly convoluted for my taste and there were times when I felt like I needed a cheat sheet to keep track of all the relationships, interconnections, and possible motivations. Despite that, I was caught up in the story and curious to see how everything played out.

This book brings together main characters from two different series, Maxine a journalist who digs into cold cases, and Lucy, the FBI agent. They have apparently interacted before though this was my introduction to Max, as she prefers to be called. The story works fine as a stand alone, even if you have read neither of the series before. Any confusion I had was from the story itself, lol. As you might guess, Max's case and Lucy's case, end up intersecting. It takes a while though so be patient; the stories do eventually dovetail.

My heart broke for the young boy Ricky whose family was killed. Brennan did a thoughtful job of portraying him, and doesn't milk him for an emotional response. He's an important part of the story and treated respectfully. Also respectfully handled were the challenges of holidays and family get togethers. It was realistic, not overly dramatized. Lucy's family and relationships helped ground the story, especially when events veered into over the top. And they did. I mean, I'm no white collar crimes specialist but it seemed excessive to me at times. That didn't stop the story from engaging me or prevent my from swiping my Kindle late into the night. Brennan had lots of twists and turns, keeping me guessing all the way through. "Cut and Run" was rarely predictable and definitely a page turner.

My review, with an excerpt, of book 14, Too Far Gone.