Such A Pretty Girl by Tess Diamond (Review)

September 26, 2017January 22, 2022 Deanna | OkieDreams

In a gripping romantic thriller from Tess Diamond, an FBI profiler becomes a killer’s deadly obsession…

Such a Pretty Girl by Tess Diamond

Synopsis: In Grace Sinclair’s bestselling crime novels, the good guys win and the bad guys always get caught. As the FBI’s top profiler, she knows that real life is rarely so straightforward. But her new case isn’t just brutal—it’s also personal. The victims look like Grace. And the FBI recruit assigned to her team is trouble of another kind.

This isn’t how Special Agent Gavin Walker imagined running into Grace again. Two years ago they shared one earth-shattering night, then she vanished from his life. She’s brilliant, fiercely independent, and in mortal danger from a killer masterminding a twisted game…

The body count is rising. Entangled in the case and in each other, Gavin and Grace are running out of time and chances. And as Grace puts the pieces together, she knows she’ll have to confront her own deepest secrets before the final, fatal move is played.

SUCH A PRETTY GIRL REVIEW

In Tess Diamond’s SUCH A PRETTY GIRL, crime writer and FBI Profiler Grace Sinclair is at the top of her field. Both of them. Brilliant in mind, she holds steady to keeping herself busy and keeping herself safe. Especially when that safety comes to love and romance.

Getting paired with former one-night stand and newly recruited Special Agent Gavin Walker isn’t something Grace expected or would’ve wanted if she’d known the option existed, and yet, Gavin is a man who gets Grace in ways no other man ever has or even could. He’s quick on his feet, naturally observant, and he isn’t afraid of letting her be in charge or of her using her finely honed profiling skills.

Grace is independent, strong-willed, and blunt. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind or call people on their lies or twisted truths. But getting personal with someone…she has no interest in that at all. And that’s where her biggest problem with Gavin lies. Not in who he is, but how he makes her feel and what he makes her want.

As their newest case unfurls and becomes a lot more personal, Grace finds herself leaning more and more on Gavin. Their deep connection to each other and their sexy, taunting banter made this a fantastic romantic suspense read filled with lots of twists and edge-of-your-seat turns.

SUCH A PRETTY GIRL is a wonderfully-delicious suspense read with interesting, compelling characters and a serial-killer case that pulls readers in and takes them along for a thoroughly gripping ride. Grace and Gavin are entertaining and fun, and the perfect pairing to bring this dark, twisted tale to life.

5 “Must Read” Stars

EXCERPT

From SUCH A PRETTY GIRL:

McCord’s Jewelers was a tiny place, tucked in a nondescript brick building just outside of downtown DC. The gold-leaf letters on the door shone bright as Gavin pushed it open, and bells tinkled as they entered.

Gavin automatically glanced all around, taking in the two cameras situated in the room. Surveillance meant tapes. Maybe they’d be able to catch their guy buying the earrings. That’d make this an open-and-shut case, for sure.

An older man with gray hair and a sweater-vest looked up from his place at the counter, where he’d been examining a tray of loose diamonds. “Welcome,” he said with a smile. “How can I help you? Wait.” He held out his hand. “Let me guess. An engagement ring?”

Gavin could feel his cheeks heating up a little as he glanced over at Grace. But she just smiled, shaking her head, pulling out her badge. “I’m afraid we’re here for business, not pleasure,” she said. “I’m Special Agent Sinclair. This is Special Agent Walker.”

“Oh, my,” he said. “I’m Anthony McCord. I own this place with my wife. How can I help you?”

“We’re investigating a murder,” Gavin said. “We believe the victim in question was wearing earrings purchased from your shop.”

Grace held out her phone, the screen showing a picture of Janice Wacomb’s earrings in an evidence bag. “Do these look familiar to you?”

Mr. McCord pulled on his glasses, leaning forward and looking at the phone. “Yes, those are definitely my work.”

“Can you remember who you sold them to?”

“If you get me the serial number, yes,” Mr. McCord said.

“Serial number?” Gavin asked.

“Each diamond that we sell has a serial number engraved on the stone. It’s microscopic; you can’t see it with the naked eye. It’s done for insurance purposes—if a piece of jewelry gets stolen or lost, it can be traced that way. Isn’t that how you found the store?”

“We’re not forensics, but I’m sure that’s how they found you,” Grace said. “Just give me a moment; I’ll get the serial number for you.”

She stepped away and Gavin smiled at Mr. McCord. “While she’s doing that, mind if I ask just a few more questions?”

“Anything I can do to help,” Mr. McCord said.

“What’s your surveillance like here? I see the cameras. Do you save your tapes?”

“We don’t have the capacity for that, I’m afraid. We’re just a mom-and-pop shop. We keep the tapes for only a week. Then they’re erased and recorded over.”

“Okay,” Gavin said. Damn, unless their killer had bought the earrings in the last week, they weren’t going to get a video of him. They would have to rely on Mr. McCord’s memory to discover if he’d been the one to sell the killer the earrings. “And how many employees do you have?”

“Just my wife and me,” Mr. McCord said. “She does the books, I make the jewelry.”

“Sounds like a good system,” Gavin said.

“She’s always had a better head for numbers than me.”

“And what about your customers. Anyone stand out to you lately? Maybe he was nervous?”

Mr. McCord smiled. “I’m a jeweler, Agent Walker. That means most of the men coming in here are looking for engagement rings. And that’s almost guaranteed to make a man nervous.”

Gavin laughed. “Okay, fair enough,” he said. “What about someone who put in a big order? Was there someone in the last few months who ordered multiple pairs of those earrings Agent Sinclair showed you?”

Mr. McCord frowned. “Actually, there was,” he said. “I remember there was a gentleman who came in to buy a pair of earrings for his wife. And then about a week later, he came back in and put in an order for three more pairs. He said that his wife had loved them so much, she wanted their granddaughters to have matching pairs. It was very sweet.”

“You remember when this was?”

“I’d say maybe two months ago?” Mr. McCord said.

“I’ve got those serial numbers for you.” Grace pushed a piece of paper across the counter and Mr. McCord took it.

“Let me go look in my files,” he said. “Just a moment.”

He disappeared into the back room, and Grace leaned lightly against the counter, gazing at all the baubles surrounding her. Gavin couldn’t help but think she shone the brightest, even surrounded by all these diamonds.

“You like this stuff, Sinclair?” he asked, gesturing to the dazzling array of bracelets in the glass case in front of him.

“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” she said, but there was a dry note of sarcasm in her voice that surprised him. He looked over to her questioningly, and she shrugged. “I’m more of an art collector,” she said. “Most jewelry isn’t exactly practical in our line of work. I have a few pieces, but they’re mostly sentimental and inherited.”

“From your grandmother,” he said, remembering how she had mentioned her that night they’d spent together. She’d been wearing a necklace then; the sapphires had glittered darkly against her skin, making it seem luminous.

Something flickered in that extraordinary face of hers, her eyes widening in what looked like confusion . . . or maybe surprise. “You remembered,” she said.

Gavin couldn’t tear his eyes off her. He wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her—any part of her, just to remind himself what it was like. “I remember everything about you,” he said quietly.

About TESS DIAMOND

Tess Diamond is a romantic suspense addict with a taste for danger – and chocolate cake. She lives in Colorado Springs with her law enforcement husband, two kids, and ferocious Jack Russell guard dog. She always dreamed of being an FBI agent, and now she almost is – if watching 24 reruns and plotting her next novel counts.

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