Review: "When a Heart Stops" by Lynette Eason

Reviewed by Katie McCurdy for Legacy of a Writer

5/5 Stars

THE BOOK:

As a medical examiner, Serena Hopkins is used to dealing with death. But that doesn't make it any easier when she's called to the eerie scene of a murder--especially when Serena realizes that she knows the victim. Nearly as unnerving is the presence of FBI agent Dominic Allen, her childhood crush.

As evidence mounts and points to a serial killer with disturbingly familiar methods, Serena and Dominic must work to find a pattern and stop the killings before the murderer strikes again. And when Serena's own life seems at stake, she must decide if the secret she has been keeping has put her next on the killer's hit list. Can she trust Dominic with the truth before it's too late?

MY REVIEW:

Okay, Lynette Eason! You are an awesome author, but…*sigh*…must you torture me with yet another cliffhanger??

Don’t worry, dear reader, I mean this in the best way possible! While I’m not the ideal model when it comes to patience, I’ll be the first to admit a cliffhanger has its advantages—such as making you that much more eager to get your hands on the next installment! And such seems to be the case with Eason’s Deadly Reunion series. When the Smoke Clears left the readers with many questions answered…but many more left unanswered! And as When a Heart Stops comes to a pulse-pounding ending, the reader is left longing for the release of the next book.

I always love when a suspense book is written so well that *I* am left on edge and jumpy right along with the characters. And in When a Heart Stops there was several times I had to stop reading and check to make sure there wasn’t any creepy psycho-killers looking at me through the window, (Though it probably didn’t help that I read this book at night after everyone had gone to bed and the house was eerily quiet! Haha!)

As for the characters…they’re awesome! I’ve loved Serena ever since the first time I read about her (In the Women of Justice series), and getting to find out more about her previous life really made her come alive and endear herself to me even more. Dominic was...wow! He was good-looking, a total gentleman, had a cool-sounding name (I know, I know!) and…in short, he was totally sigh-worthy!

The fact that Serena was a medical examiner might be a bit disturbing for some readers. While she does do several autopsies during When a Heart Stops, Eason doesn’t go into too much detail. So those with weaker stomachs shouldn’t get too grossed out. ;-)

I love reading a book that will creep me out. And the whole Doll Maker Killer certainly got me to that point! As is usual for Eason’s novels, I had a pretty good idea of who the serial killer was about halfway through the book, but it didn’t hinder the book at all. It actually kind of enhanced it even more, in my opinion. When a Heart Stops is sure to keep you on your toes from page one! Be prepared for a suspense that’ll creep you out!

* I reviewed this book for Revell. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this book, which I have done.