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Behavioral Analysis Unit #2
Decoding a Criminal
He needs her to solve a crime.
He wants her for so much more.
Dashiell West’s sister is in trouble. Big trouble. And recruiting computer whiz Raina Andress to work with him in cybercrimes at the Behavioral Analysis Unit is his only hope. Raina knows her friend would never embezzle millions. But join forces with the sexy agent from her past and risk her heart again? Dangerous. Tracking a deadly mastermind willing to sacrifice them all for his nefarious plan? Deadly.
He wants her for so much more.
Dashiell West’s sister is in trouble. Big trouble. And recruiting computer whiz Raina Andress to work with him in cybercrimes at the Behavioral Analysis Unit is his only hope. Raina knows her friend would never embezzle millions. But join forces with the sexy agent from her past and risk her heart again? Dangerous. Tracking a deadly mastermind willing to sacrifice them all for his nefarious plan? Deadly.
256 pages, ebook
First published July 8, 2021
20 people are currently reading
41 people want to read
About the author
Barb Han
350 books210 followersBARB HAN is a USA TODAY, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Bestselling Author. Reviewers have called her books "heartfelt" and "exciting."
She lives in Texas—her true north—with her adventurous family, and a spunky rescue who is often referred to as a hot mess. She is the proud owner of too many books (if there is such a thing). When not writing, she can be found exploring Manhattan, on a mountain either hiking or skiing depending on the season, or swimming in her own backyard.
Sign up to receive Barb's news and release announcements at www.BarbHan.com.
She lives in Texas—her true north—with her adventurous family, and a spunky rescue who is often referred to as a hot mess. She is the proud owner of too many books (if there is such a thing). When not writing, she can be found exploring Manhattan, on a mountain either hiking or skiing depending on the season, or swimming in her own backyard.
Sign up to receive Barb's news and release announcements at www.BarbHan.com.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 9, 2021
3.5 stars This installment in the Behavioral Analysis Unit(BAU) series worked a lot better for me than the first one did. It also reads pretty well as a standalone, so if you want to skip right over Profiling a Killer, you won't be lost if you start here.
We met the key characters in the BAU at the Seattle FBI office in the first book, but we get to meet them again here. This book centers on Dashiell West, the unit's cybercrimes expert. While the details of his past are a bit dim, it's obvious that his sister Layla is his only close family. When Layla is accused of embezzling millions from the investment company where she works, Dash knows she must be innocent. He just needs help to investigate.
That's where Raina Andress comes in. Not only is Raina a friend and co-worker of Layla, but she is also a computer whiz herself. The two start reluctantly working together to see if they can figure out what is going on in Layla's company. I'll admit that I had some issues with how these two got their investigation going, but the story was interesting reading so I just swept some of my quibbles about realism aside. The mystery is entertaining enough that it makes one want to do that.
The relationship in this one worked pretty well also. In romantic suspense, particularly in shorter category romance, it can be hard to come up with a relationship that actually has room to deepen and develop in the midst of the suspense action. However, this plot had two things going for it. First of all, the mystery here deals with cybercrimes so the leads aren't spending all their time on the run from villains. In addition, Dash and Raina have had a past encounter. The history is a bit awkward for them, but they're not starting as complete strangers to one another. That helped notch the chemistry up as well.
Up until the last few chapters, this book would have been a fairly solid 4-star read for me. However, the ending throws together all the loose ends of plot in one big crazypants ending. If you're a fan of the wildly improbable wacko ending, you may go for this one. However, I could have lived with at least one of our plot threads quietly fading out.
We met the key characters in the BAU at the Seattle FBI office in the first book, but we get to meet them again here. This book centers on Dashiell West, the unit's cybercrimes expert. While the details of his past are a bit dim, it's obvious that his sister Layla is his only close family. When Layla is accused of embezzling millions from the investment company where she works, Dash knows she must be innocent. He just needs help to investigate.
That's where Raina Andress comes in. Not only is Raina a friend and co-worker of Layla, but she is also a computer whiz herself. The two start reluctantly working together to see if they can figure out what is going on in Layla's company. I'll admit that I had some issues with how these two got their investigation going, but the story was interesting reading so I just swept some of my quibbles about realism aside. The mystery is entertaining enough that it makes one want to do that.
The relationship in this one worked pretty well also. In romantic suspense, particularly in shorter category romance, it can be hard to come up with a relationship that actually has room to deepen and develop in the midst of the suspense action. However, this plot had two things going for it. First of all, the mystery here deals with cybercrimes so the leads aren't spending all their time on the run from villains. In addition, Dash and Raina have had a past encounter. The history is a bit awkward for them, but they're not starting as complete strangers to one another. That helped notch the chemistry up as well.
Up until the last few chapters, this book would have been a fairly solid 4-star read for me. However, the ending throws together all the loose ends of plot in one big crazypants ending. If you're a fan of the wildly improbable wacko ending, you may go for this one. However, I could have lived with at least one of our plot threads quietly fading out.
October 12, 2021
Not enough character development for this reader.
I liked the marriage proposal.
The ending was too much.
I liked the marriage proposal.
The ending was too much.
May 17, 2022
this is book 2 in the 4 book series of the BAU...written by Barb Han this one focuses on cyber crime and coding and de coding computer software, hackers, and stealing 2 million dollars because you can. Dash West is an F.B.I. Agent with the Behavior Analysis Unit. His little sister Layla works in a hedge fund company and has been accused and jailed for stealing 2 million dollars from her high money clients...Dash knows Layla didn't do it but can he prove it and keep his baby sister from spending her life in jail? Add it to a crazy ex girlfriend determined to get Dash back, Layla's best friend Raina who Dash had a "one night" with, and movers and shakers in the big money world and this is a quick read indeed.
November 17, 2021
Good story.
Good story. Fans of Criminal Minds TV show will like this book. Liked following all the investigation action by the BAU Agents.
Also liked the romance story going on their struggle between career and wanting a life outside of work.
Good story. Fans of Criminal Minds TV show will like this book. Liked following all the investigation action by the BAU Agents.
Also liked the romance story going on their struggle between career and wanting a life outside of work.
February 21, 2022
While this was a book that I finished in one go, I prefer books with more action. Throughout the book Dash and Raina always kept referring to their relationship and how it’s best that they didn’t get involved which. I felt was sort of repetitive. Overall, I Loved the happy ending!
Read
July 1, 2021Categories
Romantic Suspense, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
Romantic Suspense, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
Read
July 1, 2021Categories
Romantic Suspense, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
Romantic Suspense, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
Read
January 1, 2025Romantic Suspense, Crime Thriller, Police Procedural Mystery & Detective, Suspense, Action & Adventure Romance, Crime, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
Miniseries
Behavioral Analysis Unit (Book #2)
August 27, 2021
Good edge-of-the-seat story. Dash's sister Layla has been arrested for embezzling two million dollars from the company where she works. He knows she is innocent but lacks the proof. Luckily his team at the Behavioral Analysis Unit wants to help. Dash just needs one more person to assist - Layla's best friend, Raina. The problem is, he and Raina have a history, one he hasn't been able to forget.
Raina knows Layla would never steal that money and will do anything to help prove her friend's innocence. But working with Dash will take every ounce of self-control she has to keep from risking her heart again.
This book had a good mix of romance and suspense. Dash doesn't do relationships, but his one night with Raina stayed with him long past those with other women. He also knows that Raina has the skills to help him find the real criminal, so he'll try to put that history behind him. Raina has a more challenging time of it. I loved how when he showed up at her company, she hid rather than talk to him. Not that it stopped Dash, who knew right where to find her. Their conversation was borderline antagonistic as Dash worked to convince Raina to pool their resources and work with him. And underneath that antagonism, their continued attraction simmered. Raina agrees because she'll do anything to help her friend, even work with Dash.
I loved seeing how well Raina and Dash work together. Their methods mesh well, especially when they can ignore their attraction. But ignoring the sparks gets more difficult the more time they spend together. Both try to ignore their growing feelings for each other. Besides knowing that Dash doesn't do relationships, Raina must deal with her fears of loving someone with a dangerous job. Her military father died in action when she was a child, and seeing the effect on her mother influenced Raina's view of relationships. Both Raina and Dash also worry about Layla's reaction to them being together. After nearly losing Raina, Dash realizes that she is the one woman he can't walk away from and finally acknowledges his feelings for her. I loved his big moment at the end and the hint of vulnerability as he waited for her response. I enjoyed the surprise he had for her and the effect it had on her answer. The epilogue was good, too.
The suspense and action kept me reading late into the night. Dash is mostly confident that Layla is innocent of the embezzlement, though he feels a small amount of doubt. The BAU's involvement means that they have to proceed on the assumption that she may be guilty. The suspense picks up immediately when Dash interviews Layla's boss and learns some worrisome things about his sister. The tension increases when A motorcycle-riding gunman attacks Dash and Raina. The question is: is this related to the case, or was the attack personal to Dash? I enjoyed seeing the methods used by Dash and Raina as they tried to trace the embezzlement back to its source while at the same time looking into those who might have a grudge against Layla. The identification of several possible suspects made the search more complex. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, with an unexpected twist.
Raina knows Layla would never steal that money and will do anything to help prove her friend's innocence. But working with Dash will take every ounce of self-control she has to keep from risking her heart again.
This book had a good mix of romance and suspense. Dash doesn't do relationships, but his one night with Raina stayed with him long past those with other women. He also knows that Raina has the skills to help him find the real criminal, so he'll try to put that history behind him. Raina has a more challenging time of it. I loved how when he showed up at her company, she hid rather than talk to him. Not that it stopped Dash, who knew right where to find her. Their conversation was borderline antagonistic as Dash worked to convince Raina to pool their resources and work with him. And underneath that antagonism, their continued attraction simmered. Raina agrees because she'll do anything to help her friend, even work with Dash.
I loved seeing how well Raina and Dash work together. Their methods mesh well, especially when they can ignore their attraction. But ignoring the sparks gets more difficult the more time they spend together. Both try to ignore their growing feelings for each other. Besides knowing that Dash doesn't do relationships, Raina must deal with her fears of loving someone with a dangerous job. Her military father died in action when she was a child, and seeing the effect on her mother influenced Raina's view of relationships. Both Raina and Dash also worry about Layla's reaction to them being together. After nearly losing Raina, Dash realizes that she is the one woman he can't walk away from and finally acknowledges his feelings for her. I loved his big moment at the end and the hint of vulnerability as he waited for her response. I enjoyed the surprise he had for her and the effect it had on her answer. The epilogue was good, too.
The suspense and action kept me reading late into the night. Dash is mostly confident that Layla is innocent of the embezzlement, though he feels a small amount of doubt. The BAU's involvement means that they have to proceed on the assumption that she may be guilty. The suspense picks up immediately when Dash interviews Layla's boss and learns some worrisome things about his sister. The tension increases when A motorcycle-riding gunman attacks Dash and Raina. The question is: is this related to the case, or was the attack personal to Dash? I enjoyed seeing the methods used by Dash and Raina as they tried to trace the embezzlement back to its source while at the same time looking into those who might have a grudge against Layla. The identification of several possible suspects made the search more complex. The final confrontation was a nail-biter, with an unexpected twist.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews