Synopsis from Publisher:

A SUICIDE. A MURDER. A CONSPIRACY. 
DIGGING UP THE PAST CAN BE DEADLY . . .
A thirteen-year-old boy commits suicide.
A sixty-five-year old man dies of a heart attack.

Dan Forrester, ex-MI5 agent, is connected to them both. 
And when he discovers that his godson and his father have been murdered, he teams up with his old friend, DC Lucy Davies, to find answers.
But as the pair investigate, they unravel a dark and violent mystery stretching decades into the past and uncover a terrible secret.

Today is my turn to host the blog tour for Know Me Now by CJ Carver. Special thanks to Emily Burns and Bonnier Publishing for the opportunity to review this fantastic book.

Books that are a part of a series are my favorite. I enjoy getting to know the characters and following their journey. When I read the latest book in a series, I always feel like I am reconnecting with an old friend. For these reasons, I always start a series with the first book. The few times I have started a series out of order, I always felt like I was missing elements of the book and important character development. Luckily this was not the case with Know Me Now. Know Me Now is a fast paced, emotional, exciting story of misdeeds done in the dark coming into the light.

Still grieving from the sudden loss of this father, Dan Forrester must now endure the loss of this godson. Foul play is dismissed as a cause of death for both, but Dan (ex-MI5 agent) is not convinced. Dan joins forces with old friends to dig deeper into the deaths of his father and godson.

This novel tells the story of wrong doings of a previous generation being exposed by the current generation. Many of the characters have to deal with learning the truth about people they thought they knew. They show an amazing amount of courage by not ignoring the truth. To me this made the characters endearing and likeable. Even some of the less likeable characters had redeeming qualities.

Carver does a great job filling in the gaps for new readers of the series. She does this without slowing or dragging the story down. Carver gave just enough background of the series to make me want to go back and read the first two books. For example: one of Dan’s friends Lucy, a Detective Constable with the police force. How did Dan and Lucy meet? Did they meet during a joint investigation between the local police and MI5? What were the circumstances of the case? Also, Dan’s friends are completely loyal to him. They support and help with him without asking any questions or doubting his actions. What inspired this loyalty? Questions like these are why I want to go back and read the other books in the series. Carver has created characters that I want to know more about.

I found Know Me Now entertaining, enjoyable, and binge worthy. With short chapters, fast pacing, and plenty of cliff hangers; it is a book that can be read in one sitting. I really wish I had the opportunity to read the first two books in the series before I read this one. However this book can be read as a standalone. Know Me Now kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end and I found it hard to put down. I look forward to reading more about Dan Forrester.

Murder and Moore Rating:

4 out of 5 Stars

AUTHOR INFO

CJ Carver is a half-English, half-Kiwi author living just outside Bath. She lived in Australia for 10 years before taking up long distance rally driving – she has driven London to Saigon, London to Cape Town and covered 14,000 miles on the Inca Trail. CJ’s books have been published in the UK, USA and translated throughout Europe. Her first novel Blood Junction, won the CWA Debut Dagger Award, was shortlisted for the USA Barry Award, and was also voted as one of the best mystery books of the year by Publishers Weekly. Spare Me the Truth, the first book in the Dan Forrester series, has been nominated for the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Crime Novel.

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