Tag: Jette Harris

Two Guns (Run, Rabbit Run: Book 2) by Jette Harris

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Two Guns: a serial killer thriller (Run Rabbit Run Book 2) by [Harris, Jette]

4 Stars

Publisher:

Date of publication: November 20th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Series: Run, Rabbit Run

Colossus – Book 1 (review here)

Two Guns – Book 2

Where you can find Two Guns: Amazon

Triggers: rape, assault, kidnapping, and stalking

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Days before their graduation, four students in a sleepy Atlanta suburb go missing, leaving behind nothing but two abandoned vehicles, an eerie 9-1-1 call, and an alarming amount of blood. Just like some disappearances from four years ago. And six years before that. And three years before that. 

Agent Richard Steyer of the FBI’s Violent Crimes division has retirement in his sights when he and his partner are called to Atlanta. His final case? Connect this recent mystery to the only case Steyer couldn’t solve: a serial killer known as the Phoenix. 

Meanwhile, Avery Rhodes—occasionally known as the Phoenix—is enjoying his visit to Atlanta…and his new playthings. When he hears his old adversaries are on the case, he decides to expand his sadistic playground to include them, the local law enforcement, and the victims’ families. 

As the Phoenix’s spree hurtles toward its deadly conclusion, it becomes a question of who will make it out of his game alive. 

A crime thriller as relentless as Karin Slaughter’s Triptych, featuring a show-stealing antagonist as memorable as Hannibal Lecter.

My review:

If you have followed my reviews or blog, then you know my feelings about 2nd books in a series. Especially when the first book blew me away. I tend to get disappointed and let down by book 2’s. Lately, though, I have read a lot of 2nd books that were as good or better than the first book. Two Guns is such a book. It was as good as the first book.

What I liked, and enjoyed, is that I got to see the police and FBI investigation of the kids’ disappearance. The author didn’t draw out the connection to Phoenix. Instead, she had the FBI agents make the connection pretty early. It was the investigation and the frantic search for kids’ that drew me in and kept my attention. The author did a great job of showing how the local police hated working with the FBI (or Feds as they are called). She showed how emotionally invested that the agents get into their cases. Mainly Steyer. Steyer had a history with Phoenix going back to the first killings in Detroit. Remington also did and his was more emotionally charged (if that makes sense).

What I also liked about the book was that Avery was so complicated. From Colossus, I knew he was depraved and sadistic. While he still was, there was a new depth to him. He loved, well-loved as much as a psychopath could. He also felt a sense of kinship with Agent Steyer and Agent Remington. What scared me was that he talked to Monica’s younger sister and brothers. That talk, along with the flashback to the Detroit killings, chilled me to the bone.

I was a little perturbed that no one seemed to know that Avery was masquerading as a cop until almost the end of the book. It made me scratch my head because they were on top of everything except that. I thought that Steyer and Remington would have been more aware of who was on the local force. Seeing that Phoenix has it out for Remington. Steyer is on his list too but he wants Remington in the worse way.

It took me a while to realize who Thatch was. A long while because I couldn’t imagine Thatch as that person. I couldn’t wrap my head around it.

The end of Two Guns was fantastic. While some storylines were answered, others were not. I still have questions that I hope are answered in book 3.

What I liked about Two Guns:

A) Fast moving storyline

B) A realistic look at police/FBI investigations

C) Avery

What I disliked about Two Guns:

A) Thatch. Not that I disliked him. I pitied him more than anything

B) Avery masquerading as a cop and no one knows

C) Avery’s interactions with Monica’s brothers and sister

I would give Two Guns a rating of Adult. There is explicit violence. There is explicit sex. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings. They are rape, assault, kidnapping, and stalking. If you are triggered by any of these, I would suggest not read the book.

I would recommend Two Guns to family and friends. I would include a warning about the explicit sex and violence and the triggers. This is a book that I would reread.

I would like to thank Jette Harris for allowing me to read and review Two Guns.

All opinions stated in this review of Two Guns are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

Colossus (Run Rabbit Run: Book 1) by Jette Harris

On By JolieIn book review, Non ARC2 Comments

COLOSSUS: a serial killer thriller (Run Rabbit Run Book 1) by [Harris, Jette]

4 Stars

Publisher: 

Date of publication: November 19th, 2015

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Horror

Series: Run Rabbit Run

Colossus – Book 1

Two Guns – Book 2

Where you can find Colossus: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Lured away from safety by their own goodwill, four high-school seniors from the affluent suburbs of Atlanta are kidnapped, tortured, and forced to entertain the malicious appetites of an unpredictable predator. He calls himself Rhodes. They call him COLOSSUS—looming, omnipresent, and threatening to collapse into insanity.

Heather Stokes, clever, resourceful, and no stranger to tragedy is willing to risk her life and sanity to protect her friends. They are focused on survival. But as the month hurtles the four toward their likely deaths, their worst nightmares become increasingly real—even for Rhodes: All of their efforts could be in vain, and it is likely none of them will survive.

COLOSSUS is an uncompromising, white-knuckled serial killer thriller, featuring unforgettable characters and an unsettling, nightmare-inducing antagonist. A must-read for fans of Karin Slaughter and Thomas Harris.

My Review:

I haven’t had a book that has affected me the way that Colossus affected me in a long while. I wanted to put the book down and stop reading it but at the same time, I had to finish reading the chapter. I needed to find out what happened to Heather and her friends. I wanted to know the mystery behind Rhodes. I do not like it when books end with no resolution to the storylines. But in this book, it fits. It also left the book wide open for book 2.

This book is brutal. Not going to lie and tell you all that this book has a couple of scenes that will make you wince. It doesn’t have a couple. The whole book from the time Heather is kidnapped to the end is scene after scene of brutality. I like to think that I have a pretty thick skin when it comes to books with graphic violence. But I reached my limit with Colossus. I praise the author for that. I was kept breathless from chapter to chapter. Rhodes was such a wild card that I couldn’t predict what he was going to do next.

What was interesting to me was how the author was able to make all 4 kids have different reactions to their situation. Witt thought that if he could get on Rhodes good side, and stay there than he wouldn’t be tortured. He was also very submissive. Monica, while submissive, became withdrawn and quiet. She would curl up into a ball to make herself smaller. Like she wanted to disappear. Z did try to fight Rhodes but he was always overpowered. He learned to do what Rhodes wanted without making a sound. Heather fought Rhodes tooth and nail. She got the worse of the beatings. But there was something about her that Rhodes liked and that was the only reason she was alive.

There were times in the book where I wanted to tell Heather to stop fighting Rhodes and do what he wanted. Especially when he told her that they all had a time limit hanging over their heads. If anything, that made her fight harder.

What also got under my skin was the rape scenes. They were pretty graphic. What affected me was that it wasn’t just the girls getting raped. The boys did too. Then Rhodes videod them raping each other. It did get pretty intense during that part of the book.

Rhodes was a complete mystery. There was more to him than being a psychopathic serial killer. There were hints about someone who he had in his life that wasn’t there. Hints about his childhood and the abuse he endured. Hints about Spain and a job that waited for him there. Just the barest of facts and I wanted more. So I was a little disappointed when the book ended and there was no mention of it. I am hoping that book 2 gets more into his background.

The end of Colossus was a not what I thought it was going to be. It played with my mind. I stayed up after I was done with the book and thought about the ending. It affected me that bad. Let’s say that what I thought was going to happen didn’t happen. There was a twist that made me go “W.T.H.“.

What I liked about Colossus:

A) Kept me on the edge of my seat

B) Fleshed out characters

C) Excellent storyline

What I disliked about Colossus:

A) The violence

B) The rape scenes

C) Rhodes is a complete mystery. Drove me nuts.

I would give Colossus an Adult rating. I would not let anyone under the age of 21 read this book. There is explicit violence. There are explicit rape scenes. There is explicit language.

This book definitely has trigger warnings. They would be rape, kidnapping, and assault. If you are triggered by any of these, I would suggest that you not read the book.

I would recommend this book to family and friends. But I would make sure that they knew how intense and graphic the book can get. I would also let them know about the triggers. This is a book that I could see myself rereading.

I would like to thank Jette Harris for allowing me to read and review Colossus.

All opinions stated in this review of Colossus are mine.

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**