Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler #1)

source: free ARC via Bethany House (Twitter)
title: Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler Book 1)
author:Nancy Mehl (Twitter)
published: December 4th 2018 by Bethany House Publishers
pages: 336
genre: Suspense/Mystery/Christian Fiction
first line: He stood in the middle of his secret room, staring at walls covered with old newspaper clippings.
rated: 4 out of 5 stars

blurb:
Kaely Quinn’s talents as an FBI behavior analyst are impossible to ignore, no matter how unorthodox her methods. But when a reporter outs her as the daughter of an infamous serial killer, she’s demoted to field agent and transferred to St. Louis.

When the same reporter who ruined her career claims to have received an anonymous poem predicting a string of murders, ending with Kaely’s, the reporter’s ulterior motives bring his claim into question. But when a body is found that fits the poem’s predictions, the threat is undeniable, and the FBI sends Special Agent Noah Hunter to St. Louis.

Initially resentful of the assignment, Noah is surprised at how quickly his respect for Kaely grows, despite her oddities. But with a brazen serial killer who breaks all the normal patterns on the loose, Noah and Kaely are tested to their limits to catch the murderer before anyone else–including Kaely herself–is killed.

my thoughts:

Well, I have to start off by saying that Mind Games was so good! I still thought about it after I turned the final page. This book starts off the Kaely Quinn series by Nancy Mehl.

Kaely Quinn is a FBI behavior analyst who is known for her unconventional method for profiling suspects. She is the daughter of a notorious serial killer Ed Oliphant a.k.a. the Raggedy Man. Now there is a serial killer on the loose who seems to have it out for Kaely and writes a cryptic poem about his victims that has the FBI trying to figure out his next move.

Enter agent Noah Hunter who is assigned to work with Kaely on the case. Noah knows about Kaely’s profiling methods and as the two get to know each other a friendship begins to grow. Noah has issues with his faith after losing his wife.

Nancy Mehl has a talent for creating in-depth characters and a multi-layered plot. I love a good murder mystery and just when I thought I knew who the killer was a plot twist came along that had me rethinking it.

The characters were well fleshed out and Kaely was interesting to read about. She has alot of guilt over what her father did and she feels she should have known he was a monster. Serial killers are morbidly fascinating and it is crazy to think that some of them have families at home. I would have liked to learn more about Kaely’s dad the Raggedy Man, but maybe in the next installments?

Kaely’s estranged brother Alex is also in the mix as are a few other supporting characters who are nicely woven into the storyline. The bond that develops between Kaely and Noah was believable and the author took her time with it which was nice.

I had one small qualm with Mind Games and that was that it became a little bit preachy at times for my tastes. I know this is Christian fiction, but I found it was a little much during one part but that may have even been because I was eager to get back to chasing down the killer. I did enjoy that faith was a large part of who Kaely was despite what her father did.

I enjoyed reading this one and I would definitely recommend it if you like a nice suspenseful mystery with a dash of faith and even a hint of a romantic possibility.

The writing was insightful and the ending was great. The author leaves it wide open for the next installment and gives the reader a little shock as well.

“Forgiveness was a slow process that God was walking her though. She was thankful He was so patient with her. Someday, she wanted to release all the anger she felt toward her father, if for no other reason than to get the last vestiges of Ed Oliphant out of her head.” p. 131,  Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler #1) by Nancy Mehl

“No one can live up to the expectations of others. You have to be true to yourself.” p.103

“Sometimes life is about taking chances. Without doing that we just exist.” p. 173

 

About the author:
Nancy Mehl lives in Missouri, with her husband Norman, and her very active puggle, Watson. She’s authored thirty books and is currently at work on a new FBI suspense series for Bethany House Publishing. (quoted from Amazon)

Special thanks to Bethany House for my review copy.

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disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any kind of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. I am under no obligation to write a positive review. I received my free copy of Mind Games (Kaely Quinn Profiler Book 1) via  Bethany House.
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