Review: Snapped by Laura Griffin

Romantic suspense is not my favorite subgenre but I do enjoy it, I need to be in the mood to read it but when I do I tend to devour the book. When it comes to Laura Griffin I’m always in the mood, because she is one of the few romantic suspense writers on my auto-buy list, I have read all of her books and I have liked them all. I’m glad to say that Snapped didn’t disappoint.

Snapped is book four in her Tracer series about a group of investigators who work in a prestigious private criminal lab called The Delphi Center, they are like CSI on steroids and do work for every single police department and agency in the country that can afford them. Our heroine, Sophie, is the center’s receptionist. One day while signing up for a class at the local University she finds herself in the middle of a mass shooting. One of the cops called to the scene is Jonah Macon, our hero. Sophie and Jonah share a past because months ago Sophie was kidnaped by a serial killer and Jonah rescued her and ever since they have circled each other fighting their mutual attraction. Now they cross paths again in less than ideal circumstances.

Once the shooting is over and the person responsible dead, Sophie begins to question the investigation based on something she saw. No one besides Jonah believes her but when it turns out that she was right Sophie ends up being the killer’s target and Jonah is the only one able to protect her.

This book was gripping, the opening scene is full of drama and suspense and just like Sophie you don’t know who is going to make it and what is going on. Once the action picks up it never ends. The book focuses on the investigation and in Sophie’s desperation to make people believe her. Because in this case the leads are not really that much involved with the Delphi Center, the main focus of the plot is on the police procedurals and how they must make things work within their tight budgets. The suspense aspect of the story was interesting and unpredictable, I don’t think you will be able to guess who was responsible mostly because this isn’t that type of book, is more a race against the clock to find out who is behind the shootings before they get to Sophie.

The romance was well balance and much more straightforward than in previous books. In this case is all about timing since they both feel attracted to one another and are waiting for the right moment to act on it. I was glad for this because there was enough angst as it was without having to add relationship drama to it. Sophie and Jonah made a great and believable couple and I was rooting for them the entire time.

Sophie was a great heroine. She wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t a pushover. She knew what she saw and she wasn’t going to let anyone intimidate her into doubting herself. She wasn’t unaffected by the bad things that happened to her but she wasn’t crippled by them either. She was strong and sexually confident and all in all a fantastic romantic suspense’s protagonist. And in case you were wondering, she doesn’t have one single TSTL moment.

I loved Jonah as well. My favorite part about him was that once he saw what he wanted (in this case Sophie) he went for it. I loved that even though he doesn’t really believe Sophie at first, he gives her the benefit of the doubt and once he realizes she is right then he does everything to protect her.

Overall this was a great romantic suspense with a great balance between the romance and the suspense aspects of the story, a realistic plot and a wonderful ending that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Previous characters make appearances, including Fiona from Thread of Fear (the first book I read by this author and my all-time favorite), but it stands alone perfectly well and there are no spoilers for previous books. I do recommend all the books in the series and Griffin’s complete backlist because she is a wonderful writer, if you are a fan of the genre then you should read them.

Review by Brie

Grade: 4

Sensuality: McSexy

Synopsis:

SOPHIE BARRETT THINKS SHE’S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. SHE MAY BE DEAD WRONG.

On a sweltering summer afternoon, Sophie Barrett walks into a nightmare. A sniper has opened fire on a college campus. When the carnage is over, three people—plus the shooter—are dead and dozens more are injured. Sophie escapes virtually unscathed. Yet as details emerge from the investigation, she becomes convinced that this wasn’t the random, senseless act it appeared to be. No one wants to believe her—not the cops, not her colleagues at the Delphi Center crime lab, and definitely not Jonah Macon, the homicide detective who’s already saved her life once.

Jonah has all kinds of reasons for hoping Sophie is mistaken. Involving himself with a key witness could derail an already messy investigation, not to mention jeopardize his career. But Sophie is as determined and fearless as she is sexy. If he can’t resist her, he can at least swear to protect her. Because if Sophie is right, she’s made herself the target of a killer without a conscience. And the real terror is only just beginning. . . .

Snapped by Laura Griffin

Pocket Star; August 30, 2011.