J.D. Barker and E.J. Findorff's We Don't Talk About Emma takes us on a wild ride through New Orleans' underbelly, grappling with tough questions about justice, morality, and human emotions.

Set against the vibrant backdrop of New Orleans, We Don’t Talk About Emma delves into the dark and sordid realities of the city’s high society, revealing an underbelly that rivals the most notorious scandals in contemporary culture.

The narrative centers on Emma, a young woman who has endured abuse and exploitation, much like the victims of infamous figures in Hollywood and beyond. Rather than remaining a passive victim, Emma decides to reclaim her agency and fight back against those who have wronged her.

The story unfolds as bodies begin to appear across the city, each marked with cryptic numbers that hint at a chilling countdown. Detective Nikki Mayeaux finds herself embroiled in this grim mystery, navigating a landscape where compromised police officers trail just behind the elusive killers. Despite her affluent background, Emma mingles with the marginalized; gutter-punks and homeless individuals who inhabit the fringes of society. This juxtaposition highlights the stark divisions within New Orleans, where wealth and privilege often mask deeper moral decay.

The authors skillfully craft an atmosphere thick with tension and moral ambiguity. The vivid descriptions of New Orleans’ streets, filled with both charm and danger, create an immersive experience that captures the city’s unique essence. The writing style is engaging and direct, effectively conveying the emotional weight of the characters' struggles while maintaining a brisk narrative pace.

While the novel tackles heavy themes such as vigilante justice and societal corruption, it occasionally dips into melodrama. However, this intensity serves to amplify the moral dilemmas faced by its characters. Mayeaux's journey raises profound questions about justice: when does one cross the line from law enforcement to personal retribution?

Barker and Findorff bring their distinct backgrounds to this collaboration; Barker’s expertise in thrillers complements Findorff’s deep connection to New Orleans culture. Together, they create a compelling narrative that not only entertains but also provokes thoughtful reflection on justice and morality within a flawed system.

We Don’t Talk About Emma is a powerful exploration of resilience in the face of unimaginable darkness.

One of the key themes of the book is the idea that human connection is a fundamental aspect of the human experience. I argue that our relationships with others are essential to our well-being, happiness, and sense of purpose. I also explore the ways in which we can cultivate deeper, more meaningful connections with others, and provide practical advice and strategies for doing so.

The book is written in an approachable and accessible style, making it easy for readers to engage with the material and reflect on their own relationships and connections. I've included a range of examples and anecdotes to illustrate key points and make the concepts more relatable.

JD Barker writes absolutely nothing besides GOLD. 5 stars, Barker never lets me down. So amazingly written and couldn’t put it down!

An Interesting Plot Concept Whose Execution Falls Short Of Its Potential!

I’ve been a big fan of all of J.D. Barker’s books that he wrote alone but I’ve had mixed feelings about books in which he’s teamed up with other authors to write. I accepted the offer by Net Galley to read We Don’t Talk About Emma because Its plot concept seemed intriguing and I figured how bad could it be even if Barker only co-authored it. Well, as it turned out, I did not consider We Don’t Talk About Emma to be a bad book…although I found it to be only mildly interesting; and, thus, not a book I’d recommend you rush out to read.

My primary reasons for feeling this way are as follows: (1) unusual for a book by J.D. Barker, the characters were thinly developed, causing me to not be able to like or relate to them very much; (2) again atypical of Barker’s books whose plots move at a fast, hard-to pace, the pace of this new book is slowed down a lot by its narrative that largely involves the constant dialogue between the two detectives assigned to solving the murder, and who have a “past” together; (3) while this book has some good plot twists and surprises, for me they were “too few, too late” to keep me engrossed in the book; and (4) the ending seemed a bit abrupt; leading me to think that We Don’t Talk About Emma” is possibly the start of a series to be co-authored by Barker and Findorff, If this is the case, at this time I’m not likely to be going on another case with these detectives. I will, however, definitely be planning to read whatever the next book is that J. D. Barker writes on his own.

2 1/2 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

#We Don’t Talk About Emma #Net Galley

Review Copy

I love, love, love JD Barker's writing. I've been reading his books since his first, FORSAKEN, and he went to the top of my charts since then.

In WE DON'T TALK ABOUT EMMA J.D. teams up with E.J. Findorff to pen a story of New Orleans that I was unaware of. It spoke of traveler kids, something that I had never heard of before. But who is Emma and why isn't she talked about? Emma has gone missing and it's up to NOPD detective Nikki to find her.

This is one twisted tale and is just the first of many books JD has coming out in the next year. Enjoy!

This was such a wild ride. Suspense all the way through and fast pacing kept me reading every chance I got!

Set in New Orleans, We Don’t Talk About Emma is a novel about exposing the dirty underbelly of New Orleans’ high society, an underbelly as sordid, dark, and immoral as anything the denizens of Jeffrey Epstein’s little black book could talk about or anything Hollywood or music celebrities could muster in their twisted underage sexual exploitation scandals. Emma, though, and a few others, having been abused and passed around like party favors, has decided to fight back. Bodies are turning up across New Orleans with numbers scrawled on them as the countdown continues. A pair of compromised police detectives are one step behind the killers in this novel and Emma, though from a wealthy family, runs with the gutterpunks, homeless squatters who beg in the town squares and are recruited to dance in strip clubs. Barker and Findorff almost manage to make this modern thriller work, but not quite.

I love Barker's books as they are always deliciously plotted and creepy as as they come! In this one Nikki sneaks up on Herman in his garage, ready to kill him but someone there kills him first! It's clear he knows his killer but Nikki is really confused; how many women could want him dead? He'd been accused of rape before so many women are possibilities but of course we the readers, are left in the dark until the bitter end. It's a crazy, wild story that you will need to read in daylight as it has Barker's signature twisty plot!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

A pair of Police detectives try to track down a woman suspected of killing a wealthy businessman who, in turn, is suspected of raping her. The majority of the narrative consists of dialogue between the two detectives. There are some choice snippets in amongst their conversations but it’s a push to get the whole story across the line with pretty much just these two batting ideas back and forth.

The story, such as there is one, rather gets buried under the dialogue and the ending felt rushed. Not a bad read but the story needed to shout louder to be heard above the conversations.