A fast paced nail biting thriller. This book is action packed and full of surprises right to the end. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading more books by this author.

This was the first Chris Mooney book that I have read and I really enjoyed it. Darby is an interesting and tough protagonist with a great backstory. The novel is fast-paced, with a complex plot, believable dialogue and good characters. I would have given it 4 stars but the ultimate reveal was a bit hard to believe. This won't keep me from watching to read another Mooney book, however. The rest of the book made up for an inadequacies at the end.

There was a bit of a stumble with the previous book, but all the earlier books were incredible. This book harkens back to the past. Full review to follow soon.

Darby McCormick has killed more people than any other law enforcement in the country. She is a serial killer hunter and she's very, very good at her job.

She receives a call from FBI Agent Jackson Cooper. He is on his way to Montana to meet a woman who's been in hiding for years. This woman was the only survivor of a serial killer who has been active for many years across the country. Jackson wants Darby's help and expertise to being this murderer down.

However, when Darby gets to this small Montana town, Cooper has gone missing. So has the woman he came to see. Law enforcement doesn't seem to care and Darby finds herself alone in a strange town.
Coop's car is found at the bottom of a ravine, but the dead body inside is not Cooper. Someone has gone through a lot of trouble to make it look like a car accident ... but who is the man behind the wheel? And why is he carrying all of Coop's identification?

Things just get more confusing when FBI Agents show up .... they say that Cooper wasn't on a case .. he was on a skiing vacation. Darby believes that he may have found the killer, but something dark and twisted has happened.

If you've been a follower of this particular series, you are in for a treat. If you haven't, I would highly recommend you start with Book 1 and do some marathon reading. This one works okay as a stand alone, but it would be much more exciting to have the history of what has gone on before.

Darby makes a terrific series character. She's finely drawn and not without issues that's she's always worked to overcome. She seems almost fearless in her hunt for serial killers.

Non-stop action along with twists and turns guarantees the reader won't want to put the book down until the end ... and what an ending it is!

Many thanks to the author / Penguin UK - Michael Joseph / Netgalley for the advanced copy of this book. The opinion expressed here is unbiased and entirely my own.

What I Thought:

Every Pretty Thing is the seventh Darby McCormick novel by Chris Mooney, and the first I read. When I first requested the book I wasn't aware it was the latest in the series but within a few pages I could tell. Now some series, especially crime fiction, you can pick up randomly part way through and you'd never know, the case is self contained and you don't feel as though you're missing anything. Every Pretty Thing is different - Don't get me wrong, it's enjoyable but right from the beginning I could tell there was some history between Darby and Coop, a backstory I'd missed and it left me a little lost.

While I did enjoy Every Pretty Thing I did find it a little slow in places. I know books often build up to their conclusion, the plot of Every Pretty Thing moved along, but it felt as though there were no really significant developments until the last quarter and then everything happened very quickly.

I did really like the character of Darby, she's a fierce woman, who specialises in serial killers and knows how to take care of herself, though as I mentioned I'm missing a lot of backstoy - the book alludes to something that happened when she was a teenager, anyone familar with the series and know if this is covered in an early book?

Would I recommend it?

I would, it wasn't my favourite book of the year so far but I did like Darby McCormick. I've borrowed another couple of Chris's books from the library to give them a go. I think once I've read more of them I would probably appreciate this one more, maybe I'd up the rating on a second reading with more history behind it.

This will be posted to my blog on 8th February.

Great story! Looking forward to reading more by this author!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin for an advance copy of Every Pretty Thing, the 7th Darby McCormick, serial killer hunter, novel.

Darby is working in New Hampshire when her friend Jackson Cooper asks her to go to Montana to help him. With what she doesn't know but the reader does. Karen Decker escaped death at the hands of the Red Ryder serial killer almost 30 years previously and has spent her life trying to find him. She sends word to the FBI that she has finally found him. Unfortunately, having been there before, they don't take her very seriously and Coop goes to talk to her in an unofficial capacity a good few weeks after she contacts them. By the time Darby gets there both Coop and Melissa French, Karen's alias, have disappeared.

Obviously loosely based on the Zodiac killer of the 70s, Red Ryder gave up killing and communicating with the press in San Francisco many years ago but is he still alive and has he really stopped killing? Darby tends to think he is and has only changed his MO.

I thoroughly enjoyed Every Pretty Thing but I expected to as I am a long term fan of Mr Mooney's writing. The plot zings along and Darby kicks ass. What more could you ask for? It's great entertainment.

There is hardly a dull moment in the novel with twist upon twist until a rather unbelievable, but exciting, conclusion which I didn't see coming. In fact, most of the twists were a surprise to me and ramped up the tension as I wondered what was coming next. 10/10 to Mr Mooney for an imaginative, clever plot.

Darby is, as usual, a great protagonist. She is smart, caring and deadly if provoked. And she never gives up. She also has problems with authority so she doesn't get on with or trust the FBI who are also looking for Coop, but more for his body. The stand offs between Darby and the FBI are clever and put you in Darby's corner every time.

Every Pretty Thing is a great, one sitting read and I have no hesitation in recommending it as such.

Thank you Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book, Chris Mooney is one of my favourite authors. This book was totally gripping and I could not put it down. The twists in this book will have you second guessing all the way through. This is one of the best books I have read

I absolutely loved this book. The only criticism was I struggled to put it down I just had to keep reading one more chapter to find out what was going on. There were lots of twists that kept you engrossed in the story. I would highly recommend this book to my friends and I will definitely be reading more by this author.

This book kept you guessing until the very end! Literally the last pages were a shock. Such a twist ending !

Eerie and heart pounding, this suspense novel had me on the edge of my seat. Darby's character is awe inspiring and tough to the bone. Part vigilante and part profiler, Darby has a knack for hunting down the bad guys but few ever get taken alive. Searching for the man she loves, Darby stumbles into a hostile case with twists and turns like a mountain road while the FBI keeps her in their cross hairs. A seemingly straightforward mystery becomes so much more and Chris Mooney has suddenly become a must read author for me. I hope Darby McCormick gets a long storied career.

Every Pretty Thing is the seventh novel in the Darby McCormick series. It would be beneficial for you to have at least read some of the books in the series before reading this one, solely for the on/off relationship between Darby and Cooper.

Darby is a brilliant character. She is one strong woman who has been through a lot and I mean a lot! Murder and mayhem never seem to be far away from her. There is always a high body count where Darby is concerned and it sure makes for some entertaining reading.

I have to say the on/off relationship between Darby and Cooper is starting to slightly grate on me now. They seriously either need to get it together or go their separate ways. There's nothing worse than something being dragged out for to long. It's almost like watching your favourite soap opera! Personally, I'm hoping they get it together.

The actual story itself is yet another fast paced adrenaline fuelled read. When you pick up one of this authors books you know you will fly through it as he knows how to write a gripping story. There is plenty inside for die hard crime fans. The author also knows how to keep his readers guessing and gives nothing away until he is ready to.

Every Pretty Thing will without a doubt be a big hit with fans of the series. They are as entertaining and as blood thirsty as they were from the start.

Brilliant book with twisting plot. Very good crime story with characters that I hope will come in other books.

Only read about 20 pages and lost interest. I didn't have any idea what was going on.

I have read all Chris Mooney's books and loved them all. This one however is in a league of its own. I could not put it down. I have never been so gripped by a book. The twists in the story kept me guessing the whole way through and every chapter had another shocker. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait for Chris to write more.

FBI agent Jackson Cooper gets an unexpected call from a woman who’s been in hiding for two decades. As the only known survivor of a serial killer still hunting the United States, she has every reason to be terrified. Cooper, who believes he has finally figured a way to identify the killer asks serial killer “hunter” Darby McCormick to help him catch the killer in Montana. But when Darby gets there, there is no sign of Cooper. Has be been taken by the killer? Time is running out for Cooper, and for Darby too, if she doesn’t crack the case. A nail-biting thriller I suggest you read during the daytime

The book had a unexpected ending. I been reading this author for yrs. U will like it if you are a mystery lover.