You Can Run

You Can Run is a crime murder mystery thriller with a bit of romance by Rebecca Zanetti. FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow is on her way back to Washington D. C. when she is diverted to her home town of Genesis Valley, Washington.

Several bodies have been found on Snowblood Peak. Since she specializes in serial killer cases and the Seattle FBI office is tied up with a big case, she is drawn into the investigation.

As the protagonist, Laurel is reasonable strong, but has some vulnerabilities. She has an eidetic memory and started college when she was 11. With multiple degrees, she has been successful in her career, but doesn’t work with a partner and sometimes misses underlying signals from others in social situations. Captain Huck Rivers is the fish and wildlife officer guiding her to the crime scene. He likes rules and routines and doesn’t like anything disrupting his schedule. Their attraction to each other is only a small part of the story. He seems to have secrets that may or may not have anything to do with the crimes. He also prefers to work alone.

While most of the story is from Laurel’s point of view (POV), there are a few sections with POVs from other individuals. From her unusual background, to her sometimes atypical reflections as she tries to figure out what game the killer is playing with them, to her relentless pursuit of justice for the victims, readers will root for her success. I enjoyed the interplay between Laurel and Huck.

A clever plot with enough twists and red herrings to keep a reader guessing is one of several positives in this novel. The pacing and dialogue are great and the writing style is smooth. As they evolved, the plot facts were intriguing and occasionally unexpected. The suspense builds steadily throughout the story. While the ending was not unexpected, the journey was full of chills and trills that kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page until the end.

The physical world-building was vivid and I could feel the cold, ice, and snow pelting the characters. The author weaved various agencies into the story line without detracting from the flow and action. She also did this with factors affecting Laurel’s personal life. There is one steamy scene about 60 percent into the novel.

Overall, this was a riveting story with compelling and complex characters that kept me fully engaged. It’s skillfully written and chilling and will appeal to readers who enjoy psychological thrillers and police procedurals involving serial killers. The intricacy of the plot plus attention to detail in the world-building made this a definite winner for me. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series. There are relationships to be explored with family, friends, and colleagues as well as whatever the thriller story will be.

Kensington Books – Zebra and Rebecca Zanetti provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way. Publication date is currently set for January 25, 2022.