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7th out of 62 books
—
144 voters
Untraceable (Tracers #1)
by
Laura Griffin (Goodreads Author)
ALEX LOVELL MAKES PEOPLE DISAPPEAR.
TURNS OUT, SHE'S NOT THE ONLY ONE.
Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive cop husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst, and sets out to discov
...morePaperback, 374 pages
Published
November 24th 2009
by Pocket Star
(first published November 10th 2009)
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A fast-paced, sexy romantic suspense read. Nathan and Alex are stubborn--well, moreso Alex than Nathan--but they will have you cheering for their happy ending when the suspense is finally over. Nobody writes wounded but strong heroines and the rugged heroes who love them better than Laura Griffin.
3 STARS "Private investigator Alexandra Lovell uses computer skills and cunning to help clients drop off the radar and begin new lives in safety. Melanie Bess, desperate to escape her abusive cop husband, was one of those clients. But when Melanie vanishes for real, Alex fears the worst, and sets out to discover what happened. Using every resource she can get her hands on -- including an elite team of forensic scientists known as the Tracers, and a jaded, sexy Austin PD detective -- Alex embarks...more
I've been on a huge romantic suspense kick lately and in my opinion no one does it better than Laura Griffin. I accidentally read the books totally out of order and while it did probably color the way I saw certain characters, I thought that all the books worked well as stand alone novels.
The Good:
- I love that Laura Griffin writes strong, smart female characters. While I love a good alpha male in my suspense books I've gotten tired of novels that don't have female protagonists who can hold thei...more
The Good:
- I love that Laura Griffin writes strong, smart female characters. While I love a good alpha male in my suspense books I've gotten tired of novels that don't have female protagonists who can hold thei...more
Alex is women who takes it upon herself to help abused women to exit their lives and start a new else where. Her recent case Melanie decides to come back home and ends up missing. Alex believes she murder and knows who did it but her detective friend does not. They have both worked together before and have a love/hate relationship that goes threw cycles. The more information that comes forward in their investigation the more Mr. Detective believes that Alex is in way over her head and goes on th...more
Once again, I'm wishing Goodreads had half stars ... this one is a solid 3.5.
The Pitch: Alex Lovell is a private investigator of sorts. Part of her job is helping women disappear when they need to. Her client Melanie (whom she'd helped vanish a few years earlier) disappears again, for real, and Alex suspects Melanie's husband (a dirty cop) is behind it. Alex gets help from a hot (and clean) cop, Nathan Deveraux, and the Delphi Center (around which these books are loosely centered).
What works:...more
The Pitch: Alex Lovell is a private investigator of sorts. Part of her job is helping women disappear when they need to. Her client Melanie (whom she'd helped vanish a few years earlier) disappears again, for real, and Alex suspects Melanie's husband (a dirty cop) is behind it. Alex gets help from a hot (and clean) cop, Nathan Deveraux, and the Delphi Center (around which these books are loosely centered).
What works:...more
First in the Tracers suspense series.
The Story
Alex Lovell is furious. A woman she had helped to escape an abusive husband has come back to town and is now missing. Asking Nathan Devereaux, a local cop, for help seems to have been a mistake. After all, her main suspect is Melanie's husband, a fellow cop.
And then Troy Stockton, an old boyfriend and true crime writer, steps in to introduce her to the Delphi Center, a lab with state-of-the-art equipment who could user her incredible computer skills....more
The Story
Alex Lovell is furious. A woman she had helped to escape an abusive husband has come back to town and is now missing. Asking Nathan Devereaux, a local cop, for help seems to have been a mistake. After all, her main suspect is Melanie's husband, a fellow cop.
And then Troy Stockton, an old boyfriend and true crime writer, steps in to introduce her to the Delphi Center, a lab with state-of-the-art equipment who could user her incredible computer skills....more
It had been so long since I had discovered a consistently good Romantic Suspense author that I had begun to think that Suzanne Brockmann had ruined me for all others. But Laura Griffin has totally come out of nowhere in the last month with my annual perusal of the RITA winners to become one of my new favorite authors and will be on my rather short auto-buy list. I'm having so much fun devouring her backlist. This book stands very well on it's own, but it's very fun to have read both Trace of Fea...more
4.5 stars. Intelligent, clever ideas, things I haven’t heard before. Excellent romantic suspense.
STORY BRIEF:
Alexandra (Alex) is a private detective working mostly for insurance companies, but her passion is helping women disappear from abusive husbands – think civilian run witness protection program. She’s a computer whiz. She helped Melanie disappear, but Melanie broke the rules and returned to her home town. Alex believes Melanie has been killed. Alex asks homicide cop Nathan to help her inve...more
STORY BRIEF:
Alexandra (Alex) is a private detective working mostly for insurance companies, but her passion is helping women disappear from abusive husbands – think civilian run witness protection program. She’s a computer whiz. She helped Melanie disappear, but Melanie broke the rules and returned to her home town. Alex believes Melanie has been killed. Alex asks homicide cop Nathan to help her inve...more
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(4.5 stars) From My Book Review Blog, Rundpinne.
"Untraceable by Laura Griffin is the second novel I have read by Griffin but it is the first in her Tracer series. Do check out my review of Griffin’s second book, Unspeakable, which is just as brilliantly captivating as her thrilling first novel in the series, Untraceable. Her novels read well as stand alone novels, yet I believe her books to be so mesmerizing as to compel the reader to want to continue with the series. I could not put this book...more
"Untraceable by Laura Griffin is the second novel I have read by Griffin but it is the first in her Tracer series. Do check out my review of Griffin’s second book, Unspeakable, which is just as brilliantly captivating as her thrilling first novel in the series, Untraceable. Her novels read well as stand alone novels, yet I believe her books to be so mesmerizing as to compel the reader to want to continue with the series. I could not put this book...more
Untraceable by Laura Griffin
Romantic Suspense -Nov. 24th, 2009
4 ½ stars
Laura Griffin has written another outstanding romantic suspense! This story is sure to be a hit because it is: intelligent, detailed, and filled with high tension.
In Untraceable the indomitable P.I. Alexandra Lovell fears one of the women she has helped escape her abusive husband has been murdered. The problem is Alex can’t find the body! When she visits the victim’s home and finds traces of blood just before it is explodes,...more
Romantic Suspense -Nov. 24th, 2009
4 ½ stars
Laura Griffin has written another outstanding romantic suspense! This story is sure to be a hit because it is: intelligent, detailed, and filled with high tension.
In Untraceable the indomitable P.I. Alexandra Lovell fears one of the women she has helped escape her abusive husband has been murdered. The problem is Alex can’t find the body! When she visits the victim’s home and finds traces of blood just before it is explodes,...more
The blurb is good enough -- I can use it for future purpose -- so I am just going to jump on what I think.
The way the story is told makes me feel like I'm being jumped into a middle of something.Alex has a history with Nathan (they worked together before, I think, one that ends up with Alex getting beaten by the suspect). The secondary characters also have a background story that is not being completely told. For example, Troy Stockton (a true-crime author who used to date Alex) or Sophie Barret...more
The way the story is told makes me feel like I'm being jumped into a middle of something.Alex has a history with Nathan (they worked together before, I think, one that ends up with Alex getting beaten by the suspect). The secondary characters also have a background story that is not being completely told. For example, Troy Stockton (a true-crime author who used to date Alex) or Sophie Barret...more
I thought the book was alright. The mystery / suspense aspect was done very well, but I would have liked to have had the romance fleshed out a little more. I was really frustrated with Alex. I didn't really understand her emotions. I didn't get why she would treat Nathan the way that she did. I think if we got more books with them in it that would be something we could discover about her over the course of a few books. But we are just kind of thrown into her life and her thoughts and feelings an...more
Pretty engaging suspense story, with a somewhat developed romance subplot. One thing I liked about the book was that there were no scenes from the villain's perspective, and until the end, there weren't any (view spoiler). I didn't mind at all that apparently this book picks up from a previous story that is not techn...more
May 28, 2012
saintsfan33
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommended to saintsfan33 by:
nook spotlight author at b&n
Shelves:
mystery,
nook,
romance,
thriller,
suspense,
police-and-detective,
2012-reading-challenge,
series-adult
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Really I'd give this 3.5. It didn't grab me quite as much as Whisper of Warning. The setup was good but I kept thinking that Alex was teetering on the brink of TSTL. How many times do you chase after someone who is obviously jeeking your chain? I sided with Nathan on his thinking. I also felt like Alex called Nathan only when she needed something, and otherwise left the relationship building up to him. And while Alex's fear of relationships was a major theme in the book, she wasn't convincing en...more
Cool! I found an awesome, new romantic suspense author.
I've recognized the name Laura Griffin for a while but never read any of her stuff until now. I must say that this is another book that popped up at the perfect time for me. I had wanted to read a non-series with a bit more suspense than the other, light romance books I had readily available to me, and Untraceable was it.
In equal parts a suspense story and a romance novel, Griffin's book is easily engaging. The characters are great. Alex is...more
I've recognized the name Laura Griffin for a while but never read any of her stuff until now. I must say that this is another book that popped up at the perfect time for me. I had wanted to read a non-series with a bit more suspense than the other, light romance books I had readily available to me, and Untraceable was it.
In equal parts a suspense story and a romance novel, Griffin's book is easily engaging. The characters are great. Alex is...more
Private investigator fears that her client was killed by her abusive-cop husband but has no evidence & seeks help of detective she's been attracted to & who returns her it. But hero thinks she's in over her head with her case. As dead bodies turn up, both become more involved in the case that's more complicated than they thought & impacts their romantic relationship.
My 1st Griffin book & I liked it! Although this book was heavier on the action-suspense side, the romance was still...more
My 1st Griffin book & I liked it! Although this book was heavier on the action-suspense side, the romance was still...more
This book was a random buy at Wal-Mart. I felt like buying a book and this one looked interesting, especially since it was a romantic suspense book. I hadn't read anything by this author before so I wasn't sure what I'd get. I ended up liking the book quite a bit. It was pretty good.
Series Note:
This book is the first book in Griffin's new "Tracers" series, but the book also has ties to other books by Griffin, with continuing characters and whatnot.
Summary:
Alexandra Lovell is a private investiga...more
Series Note:
This book is the first book in Griffin's new "Tracers" series, but the book also has ties to other books by Griffin, with continuing characters and whatnot.
Summary:
Alexandra Lovell is a private investiga...more
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I love RS when I love it. And this is one of them. Halfway through or so.
ETA: And done. Will be reading more Griffin. I think she does a great job of mixing the suspense and the romance in a believable way. Fairly gritty. Page-turning.
ETA: And done. Will be reading more Griffin. I think she does a great job of mixing the suspense and the romance in a believable way. Fairly gritty. Page-turning.
Original Review posted at Find the Time to Read
When I first picked up Untraceable I was really confused. It started out in one females point of view, Melanie’s, and then in the next chapter it switched to Alex’s. There were a couple of times where that happened, and it really confused me. However I was able to push through it and continue on with the story.As far as a love story, there isn’t really one here. Yes, Alex and Nathan have off the charts chemistry, BUT they are both too stubborn to re...more
When I first picked up Untraceable I was really confused. It started out in one females point of view, Melanie’s, and then in the next chapter it switched to Alex’s. There were a couple of times where that happened, and it really confused me. However I was able to push through it and continue on with the story.As far as a love story, there isn’t really one here. Yes, Alex and Nathan have off the charts chemistry, BUT they are both too stubborn to re...more
My favorite genres are romance and mystery so you would think that I’d be a big reader of romantic suspense. Not really. In my opinion, it takes a gifted writer to combine the romance and the mystery so one plot doesn’t take over the other. Sadly, this is what happened here. Add to that the first in the series syndrome where there are tons of characters with neon signs pointing ‘I will be the hero/heroine in a future book!’ and you have a rambling romance where the hero and heroine didn’t spend...more
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Still greatly enjoying Griffin's work, this is the third I've read in as many days. I'm beginning to see some commonalities (intuitive characters that always seem to know when they're being lied to), but I imagine that can be chalked up to the number of high-performing, law enforcement or investigative professions that are featured in her books. Alex and Nathan were a good mix, and I thought it was interesting that Griffin shows both of her main characters being faced with other romantic choices...more
Got this book for 99 cents as a Barnes & Noble Daily Deal so I really can't complain (but I will anyway). Very disappointing. Neither romantic nor suspenseful. Too many characters who are obviously sequel bait with unexplained backstories, and too much secrecy on the part of both hero and heroine. Since they were either annoying each other or not telling each other the whole truth for much of the book, their final declarations of love were pretty unbelievable. The suspense plot was thin and...more
Untraceable is listed as the 1st book in The Tracers series so even though I later discovered that Alexandra Lovell and Nathan Devereaux actually made a brief appearance in an earlier book (Whisper of Warning), I don’t believe it had any impact on starting my Laura Griffin experience with Untraceable.
The opening chapter of Untraceable grabs you right from the start setting the stage for what is a compelling, well written, highly entertaining story. I love it when a book hooks you right from the...more
The opening chapter of Untraceable grabs you right from the start setting the stage for what is a compelling, well written, highly entertaining story. I love it when a book hooks you right from the...more
Reading this book was an experience akin to exploring a new city by car. All the sights are new, all the metropolitan smells of industry are charming. The architecture is captivating, the interesting little blemishes have a story all their own to tell. Your neck hurts from all the head swiveling trying to take it all in...until you cross that invisible line into suburbia. All too soon the houses start to look the same, all painted in blasé shades of brown. Instead of charming little boutiques a...more
Untraceable is the the first book in a series by Laura Griffin. The main characters are Alexandra Lovell and Nathan Devereaux. Alex runs her own PI business and is able to help people disappear. Nathan is with the Police Department and is a detective. They both have feelings for each other, but of course have not had a discussion about it... You can feel the sexual tention crackle between them. Alex is helping Melanie hide from her husband (incidently a cop). She knows there is more going on whe...more
I wavered between two and three stars and decided on the higher rating because I kinda liked Alex and Nathan. However I'm not as impressed with this author as I'd hoped to be after seeing so many rave reviews.
Alex is supposedly a grown up woman who runs her own business but she skips out whenever the spirit moves her for as long as she wants to, repeatedly places herself in the line of fire, stakes her whole career on the lies of flakey client, and lies about the case to the cop she's sleeping...more
Alex is supposedly a grown up woman who runs her own business but she skips out whenever the spirit moves her for as long as she wants to, repeatedly places herself in the line of fire, stakes her whole career on the lies of flakey client, and lies about the case to the cop she's sleeping...more
'Their few short weeks together had forever changed his view of short, small-breasted women.'
I don't know if I can really come up with a sentence that captures this book better than the authors own words.
The strong woman protagonist waiting to be swept off her feet...though she swears otherwise...but I mean, did you see his manly, muscular chest?
The plot had potential but the writing and portrayal puts it a notch above a harlequin romance. A good, brainless beach read, I suppose...those passing...more
I don't know if I can really come up with a sentence that captures this book better than the authors own words.
The strong woman protagonist waiting to be swept off her feet...though she swears otherwise...but I mean, did you see his manly, muscular chest?
The plot had potential but the writing and portrayal puts it a notch above a harlequin romance. A good, brainless beach read, I suppose...those passing...more
I've been reading wonderful things about this series and I wanted to give it a try. Even though each book can be read stand alone, I'm the type who likes to read in order when I can so I went and bought the whole series. It was okay but there were some timeline issues which confused me - one of the characters has a baby and so, logically, she would have either been heavily pregnant at the beginning of the book or just having given birth - in either case - ew! I found it hard to follow the timeli...more
This mystery-romance was suspenseful and well-paced. The conflicts between PI Alex and her soon-to-be-more-than-friends police officer friend Nathan, are understandable. She's a PI who has chosen a profession full of risks and danger. He's a cop and is motto is to protect and to serve. Can they work together to solve the mystery of a disappearing client while also acknowledging their feelings for each other? Untraceable is nice combo of mystery and romance, with enough dramatic turns and cliff h...more
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New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Laura Griffin started her career in journalism before venturing into the world of writing romantic suspense. Her books have won numerous awards, including a RITA Award (Whisper of Warning) and a Daphne du Maurier Award (Untraceable). Laura currently lives in Austin where she is working on her next book.
Series:
* Tracers
* Fiona Glass Mystery
More about Laura Griffin...
Series:
* Tracers
* Fiona Glass Mystery
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“People give out information all the time. You just have to know who to ask.”
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