Shattered
by Allison Brennan combines her two series together in a powerful
read. Although billed as a Max Revere book, Lucy Kincaid takes
over the crime scenes. As Max, an investigative journalist,
utters a number of times in the book, FBI Agent Lucy has taken
control.
Brennan does consider it a Max book. “I started and
ended with her. Lucy took it over when the case was center
stage. But remember Max ends up solving the original case.
Since they each have their own world I will only bring them
back together if it fits into the story. I enjoy writing a
Lucy and Max book every year so I do not get bored. I am not
going to go out of my way to put them together unless it flows
within the story. The next Max book uses the clues from this
book given to her by Sean, Lucy’s husband. If Lucy and
Sean do appear in it, they will be off page.”
These two alpha women attempt to work together to solve the
case of a serial killer. When first brought together Max was
very hesitant and not very happy to have to work directly
with a partner since she is used to calling the shots on her
own. Now, at times, she must follow Lucy’s direction,
lead, and suggestions. The FBI Agent has agreed to work the
case after Max shows her the pile of evidence connecting Lucy’s
nephew’s killing, which happened twenty years ago, to
other cases. Her research along with Lucy’s connections,
training, and experience, allow the investigation to move
forward at a rapid pace.
The other sub-plot is directly connected to the investigation.
Max first heard about all these cases from her one-time college
lover, John Caldwell. The police suspect that John’s
wife, Blair, murdered the couple’s eight-year-old son,
but John believes that a serial killer is to blame and wants
Max to solve a trio of similar cold cases in the hope that
it will exonerate Blair. Because this is what Max does for
a living she agrees to reach out to the family of the possible
first victim, Justin Stanton. Andrew, Justin’s father,
agrees to cooperate with Max’s investigation, but only
if Max partners with his sister-in-law, FBI agent Lucy Kincaid.
As the two featured characters are paired together readers
cannot help but compare the two personalities. Max is a loner,
a ‘know it all,’ straightforward, and a control
freak. Lucy is polite, quieter, a thinker, and is used to
working within a team. But the one thing they both have in
common is the drive to seek justice for the victims and their
families. But over the course of the book Lucy seems to influence
Max. Suppressing her desires, Max decides to respect her wishes
and resists her natural temptation to dig into Lucy’s
past.
An indirect influence is how Lucy and her husband, Sean, treat
each other with an intimate understanding between them. Max
sees their unconditional love and knows that she wants a similar
relationship. Brought into the case for his expert opinion
as a forensic psychologist, Lucy’s brother Dillon hit
it off perfectly with Max. Too bad he is hitched because he
seems like someone Max could have fallen head over heels with.
Brennan feels, “Nick blew it and I was not happy with
him after the previous Max book. She did not want to break
up with him, but refuses to be treated as a doormat. She will
never compromise to have her ‘happily ever after.’
I know a lot of readers liked the chemistry between Max and
Lucy’s brother, Dillon. But he is married so this will
not happen. If he were single he and Max would be great together.”
Brennan does a wonderful job of creating an intricate dynamic
between her two main characters, Max and Lucy. This engrossing
story will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Notorious
#1
Compulsion #2
Shattered
#4
 
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