Framed (Black Swan Investigations #1) Review

Title:  Framed
Series: Black Swan Investigations #1
Author:  Wayne A. D. Kerr
Genre:  Mystery/Thriller
Publisher:  Imajin Books
Release Date:  Nov. 15, 2017

My Rating:  3.5 Intense Hearts

*Many thanks to BookBuzz.net & Netgally for a copy of this book.

Synopsis:

Toronto’s newest homicide detective, Reggie Swann, seemed to have it all: great career, handsome husband and plans to start a family, until she was framed for murder…

A cop has very few friends in prison. After surviving ten brutal years behind bars, Reggie’s conviction is finally overturned thanks to her tenacious mother, a new forensic test and a very clever lawyer. She quickly discovers that getting her old life back won’t be as easy as she hoped. To many, she was still as the media had dubbed her: ‘Black Swann – murderer and cop-gone-bad’. The Toronto Police Department still considers her to be a suspect, Reggie’s husband has remarried and the real killer is still on the loose.

Before Reggie can return to Toronto and solve the crime that ruined her life, she reluctantly agrees to investigate a murder in her home town of Penticton, only to discover the two cases which are separated by ten years and five provinces might somehow be connected. Will anyone believe the wild theories of the disgraced detective?

The real murderer does!

He framed her once, this time Reggie Swann must die!

Review:

Former Toronto Homicide Detective Reggie Swann once had it all - a promising career, a loving husband, a bright future.  In spite of her proclaimed innocence, her murder conviction quickly changed all that as she now resides in prison, fighting to survive in the special hell reserved for incarcerated former cops who are hated by inmates and guards alike.  Over eight long years later, Reggie (aka The Black Swann) is released on a "technicality" and soon discovers you can never really go home again.  Especially when most people still consider you to be the murderess Black Swann.  When a local woman goes missing, leaving behind evidence that indicates her husband killed her, Reggie is brought into the case as an investigator by Erika, a lawyer hoping to prove the husband was framed.  The two women are joined by Hannah, a cop trying to find her place in a world ruled by men.  Through the investigation of these three women, pieces of a darker, more sinister story unravels and threads linking the missing woman to several past cases reveals a possible tie to what happened to Reggie.  Will these women discover the serial killer's identity before he takes someone else?

Framed is an intense, riveting mystery/thriller.  From page one, I found myself intrigued by Reggie's story, quickly flipping pages to find out where her journey would end.  The plot maneuvers through a few twists and although I found some of them predictable, the intense pace, though sporadic at times, kept me reading.  The author does a nice job introducing characters and building connections and relationships.  Readers will find themselves pulling for them to succeed.  While it wasn't hard to figure out the villain's identity by about the halfway point, the story held my attention right up until the big climax.  At this point, it all derails somewhat for me as the story suddenly seems to become a sprint for the end with scenes that seem too rushed, over-the-top, and unbelievable, giving an otherwise great story a rather implausible ending in my opinion.  I would have liked for the author to take more time letting this part of the story play out in a more realistic, detailed manner.  Having said that, Framed is a solid mystery/thriller that readers will enjoy with the potential for following books to be great!  A Must Read!

My Rating:  3.5 Intense Hearts . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra