Killing Her Softly (Griffin Powell, #5) by Beverly Barton

Killing Her Softly (Griffin Powell, #5) Reviews

• 
  Christa

  I enjoyed this Beverly Barton book, but it was not one of my favorites by her. After seeing Quinn Cortez turn up in some of the other books with Griffin Powell (I read this one out of order), I was looking forward to his story. I was a bit disappointed in Quinn as a hero as he turned out to be such a player with women, but I enjoyed Annabelle Vanderley as a heroine and felt better about Quinn by the end of the book.
  
  Quinn Cortez is a suspect when his lover turns up dead. Her cousin, Annabelle Vanderley comes to represent the family and keep tabs on the investigation. Quinn and Annabelle are attracted to one another but just as she is beginning to trust him, his attorney/lover is the next woman to be found dead. When Griffin Powell's agency is hired by Quinn and Annabelle, they soon discover that several of Quinn's previous lovers have been victims of murder. Quinn has no alibi for any of the murders, and even though they took place in different locations, Quinn was in each city where the murders happened on the day of the event. When Annabelle decides that Quinn is innocent, they become deeply involved with one another. After Annabelle and Quinn become lovers, the murderer selects Annabelle as his next victim.
  
  This was an interesting book, but there were things that kept me from enjoying it as much as some of Barton's other works. Quinn's attitude toward women and the fact that he became involved with his attorney even after meeting and liking Annabelle didn't work well for me in a romantic suspense novel. I thought that the suspense portion of the book was well done, but without giving away anything, I will say that I didn't really enjoy how the situation played out as far as the identity of the killer. I did really like seeing the numerous characters from some of Barton's other books. Jim Norton from Close Enough to Kill had a fairly large role in this book, and several others had lesser roles. If you are a fan of Barton's books that are tied to Griffin Powell, you will probably enjoy this one.
• 
  Francesca

  I really enjoyed the plot and the characters as well. First book by this author but I'll try to read more.
• 
  jenjn79

  I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Mostly for the suspense plot than for the romance or the characters.
  
  The summary/description on the book page gives a good overview of the book so I won't bother to write another summary.
  
  At times during this book, Quinn isn't exactly my favorite character. Not that I disliked him. But he's a total man-whore player and it's a bit of a turn-off when the hero is someone who admits he just likes to fuck women whenever, wherever he can. During the book, he is even involved with another character, and almost yet another. Even after he develops an interest in Annabelle, he goes off and screws someone else because Annabelle had him so out of whack and he needed a release. When a guy acts like that, his ability to be monogamous is rather questionable. So I never quite developed an emotional attachment to Quinn, but he was likable enough.
  
  The romance is okay. For 3/4ths of the book, it is pretty much non-existent. Then suddenly they are all over each other. I would have liked something a little more gradual. A few stolen kisses or whatever, instead of the lust explosion that within like a page has Annabell telling him she loves him.
  
  So those two aspects of the story weren't the greatest for me. But the suspense plot was really good. It's not particularly intense. It's more of a winding mystery with a moderate level of intensity. Barton tries to direct suspicion onto various characters and it works to a certain degree. I had a fairly good idea in which direction the bad guy was going to come from. The plot and the way it was written kept me interested in the story.
  
  I loved the use of connected characters in this book. For people who have read other of Barton's romantic suspense releases, you'll find a number of familiar characters. Griffin Powell (The Murder Game) is a secondary character, along with Judd Walker (The Dying Game), Jim Norton (Close Enough To Kill). And there are numerous mentions of Johnny Mack Cahill (After Dark). It's great to see those characters again or see another aspect of them.
  
  If you're looking for a book with a solid romance, this may not be the one to read. But if you like a good romantic suspense plot where the suspense is more prominent, then this is a good one to pick.
• 
  Leah

  I picked who the murderer was less than a quarter the way through. But I still enjoyed reading the book.
• 
  Angelic Zaizai

  Perempuan-perempuan yang punya hubungan dengan Quinn Cortez, pengacara terkenal yang ganteng seksi [latino boo:] suka perempuan tapi ga mau terikat, terbunuh.
  Tudingan tentunya ga jauh-jauh dong, Quinn-lah yang kena, apalagi ada polisi yang haus jabatan pengen banget bisa jerat Quinn demi karirnya.
  Ada tokoh Annabelle Vanderley, sepupu salah satu perempuan yang terbunuh, malah tertarik pada Quinn..
  jadi ada romance-romance-nya dengan bumbu penyelidikan pembunuhan..
  Untungnya porsi romance ga terlalu parah, jadi masih lumayan menghiburlah.. haha
  
  Endingnya mah agak sedikit ngagetin, tapi tentunya Quinn ga salah dong ya.. mana mungkiiin..
  
  katanya ada serinya, tapi kaya'nya gw males ngelanjutin.. bacaan ibu-ibu banget ah... *ngumpet*
• 
  Janice

  For some reason, I couldn't get on board with this novel. The pacing felt off so it was difficult to feel a connection to any of the main characters, which was really too bad. There was potential but, alas, it fell short on the mark.
• 
  Tiny Shen 沈帝妮

  Itu ga salah pelaku nya si ituuu? Dengan latar belakang ituuu? Emangnya ga ada yg ngeh dengan kemiripan mereka?
  
  Yowes lah.
• 
  Melanie

  When a killer doesn't want to get caught... there's only one way to eliminate his victims... softly...
  
  This is how the back cover describes this novel, and I have to say that it was quite ingenious. The book was quite well written, one of those books that you have to read to the end to find out what happened. The doubts the author placed in the reader's mind was impressive. There were constant hints that Quinn had murdered the women. And then there was also Jace and Aaron who could have committed the murders. The detectives investigating these murders try their best, and Beverly draws the reader into more than just Quinn and Annabelle's minds. We get an indepth look at Chace and Jim, the detectives investigating, in addition to the women who are killed throughout the book.
  
  I have never seen so many different view points taken in a novel, but Beverly made it work. I liked seeing into the minds of every main character as it caused more doubts and scenarios to run through my mind than normal, making it more difficult to determine who was the murderer.
  
  Although the sex scenes are explicit and are often, this book is quite well done. I skimmed those sections of course, making the book a lot better. Great read if you don't mind the sexual scenes.
• 
  Holly

  Killing Her Softly is exactly what I expected Beverly Barton to come out with. A mystery that keeps you guessing until the end, a beautiful plot, and a satisfying romance between two of the main characters. Barton is a fabulous writer and can tie a murder plot around anything.
  
  Yeah, the romance was good, if not sudden. One minute, they're trying to decide if they trust each other and the next...you can figure that out. It was good, but it wasn't my favorite Barton book.
• 
  Kathrynn

  The main character, Quinn, is a character from the Cherokee Pointe trilogy. FYI
  
  
• 
  Tbabe001

  I love the author writing style, but the hero was just a disgusting man Whore :(!
• 
  Merewyn

  The romance was a bit over the top and thus a bit hard to read and I can’t say I liked many of the characters that much but the mystery was ok.
• 
  Mouna Ben jazia

  trashy romance. That's the most i can say about this book. i came for the thriller, not to be disgusted by the unnecessary sex scenes every 2 pages
• 
  Dyan Eka

  Tidak sesuai ekspektasi. The way the serial killer kill his victims doesnt give me any special feeling, tidak membuat saya menahan napas atau tercekat, seperti novel beverly lain yg saya baca. Novel ini terasa flat bagi saya, selain rasa penasaran siapa dan kenapa pembunuh berantai ini beraksi, tidak ada lagi hal yg menarik.
  Bahkan hubungan Quinn Cortez dan Annabelle menurut saya dibangun terlalu cepat.
• 
  Kingfan30

  Another new author that I've picked up several books into the series - seems to becoming a habit :-)
  
  The story behind this book was certainly an interesting one and all clues seem to point in one direction, however as a character Quinn isn't the most likeable as a love em and leave em kind of a guy. There were plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing but the romance side of the story just didn't fit for me.
• 
  Nessa

  Wow, absolutely wow, this book has left me speechless and in awe of the author. It just amazes me how the author continues to keep coming up with these amazing plot ideas.
  
  This is an edge of ure seat gripping crime thriller, I could not put this book down, was completely taken in by the story from beginning to end.
  
  As always I love the characters in this ongoing series of books. :-)
• 
  Kimberly Hoder wisniewski

  The Suspense was killing me
  
  This was definitely a suspenseful novel. The twists and turns really left you wanting more. For those of you who like Red Herrings, you'll never see it coming! Hopefully, you find the same feeling I got...sitting in suspense until it was finished.
• 
  Savannah Mallon

  I’ve read a lot of Barton’s books and this was my least favorite thus far. So far fetched and unrealistic. Also I did the audiobook and the narrator was terrible with her poorly placed emphases in literally every sentence.
• 
  L Cherry

  4.5
• 
  Anangga

  Kisah pembunuhan tak terduga yang telah dilakukan oleh anak kandung dari Mr. Cortez itu sendiri walau dia tak pernah menyangkanya
• 
  Jenn

  Really good book. Didn't know who was the killer until the last page!
• 
  Karen

  Loved this book. I was able to figure out the twist....almost.
• 
  Vickie

  Didn’t care for the narrator. The main characters not especially likable.