J.D. Barker is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors! While not as good as the 4MK series, this book was amazing with great twists! I highly recommend this book, and anything by this author!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book.

Some books grab you with their premise but don’t entirely follow through—and for me, We Don’t Talk About Emma falls into that category. While the plot was engaging enough to keep me reading, it didn’t have the impact I was hoping for.

The characters were a major sticking point. I struggled to connect with them, often finding them a bit artificial, which created a sense of distance from the story. The tone of the book is dark, but not as intense or gripping as J.D. Barker’s 4MK Thriller Series, which sets a higher standard in this genre.

On the positive side, the writing was straightforward and easy to follow, though the style lacked cohesion in parts. The ending was a highlight—managing to surprise me while also feeling inevitable in hindsight. It was the kind of twist that leaves you nodding in appreciation.

Overall, We Don’t Talk About Emma is a solid thriller. It’s not groundbreaking, but it does have its moments of intrigue, especially in the final chapters. I’d recommend it to fans of thrillers looking for a quick, enjoyable read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

New Orleans is the home of secrets and We Don't Talk About Emma shows the dark, gritty, and ugly underbelly of the city. This book is full of dark secrets, lies, danger, powerful players, and revenge. Is murder ever justified? This book was co-written with E.J. Findorff who is from New Orleans, and I am sure he provided his knowledge of the city, the food, the streets, and the vibe.

New Orleans Detective, Nikki Mayeaux is tasked with investigating the murder of a serial rapist. A man she intended to kill that very night! She believes that his killer is Emma, a runaway who was one of his victims. She will be investigating the case with Detective Keith Teague, a man she once had a relationship with. Together they will hit the streets of New Orleans and meet with the haves and the have nots while trying to get to the truth. What they uncover will be dark, dangerous, and deadly. Those in power want to protect their sick secrets while there are those who want justice. This book becomes a cat-and-mouse hunt from Bourbon Street to beyond. It's a dog-eat-dog world and I thought the authors did a great job depicting that in this book.

I struggled with the first half of this book. I am usually fully invested in J.D. Barker's books, but this one had me worried. The second half of the book picked up for me as more was revealed and things began to come together, and I had several 'aha' moments while reading. I can't fault the writing; I just found this one just didn't quite hit the mark for me. That won’t stop me from reading more of J.D. Barker's books and it did pique my interest in reading books by E.J. Findorff.

There is absolutely no way I can be unbiased or objective when it comes to this author. I love the wicked imagination and twist after twist

Read the book please. it was one of the best thrillers i've ever finished.

Thank you to NetGalley, the authors and publishers for this ARC!

JD Barker is my fave author so I was SO excited to see this on NetGalley!

I really liked the characters in this book and enjoyed each of their storylines. I also love a book that can make me gasp in disbelief with a twist I didn’t see coming.

Not as good as Barkers solo work but still 4 stars!

"New Orleans is so much more than a city -- it's an obsession." (O'Neil de Noux)

And combine the talents of J.D.Barker and New Orleans native E.J. Findorff and you have a winner in the making. Barker knows a solid storyline and Findorff knows the back streets, the jazz filled music, and the highly original people of this famous city perched on the Gulf.

Detective Nikki Mayeaux is crossing the line.....a line to the point of no return. There's a serial killer making his mark in New Orleans. No fuzzy details here. Nikki knows exactly who it is. And she's about to end him on a stormy night with no one around. But as she makes her way into his garage after he pulled in some moments ago, someone already did him in. And that someone appears to be Emma.

Emma is a sixteen year old runaway who has been camping out with the New Orleans street kids. There's a certain reason for that as the pages fly by. Emma has quite the back story. Emma seems to have a vengeance motivating her. And Barker and Findorff will lay the bricks in that direction.

But now Nikki is assigned to this case. She'll never reveal what her original intentions were. Now it's a cat-and-mouse game drawing out Emma. But she's a sly one. Nikki's partner, Detective Keith Teague, has a sinking feeling that Nikki is not being truthful. And Keith has secrets of his own. Secrets that may come to light if a hidden someone has their way.

We Don't Talk About Emma has all the flavor and excitement of the lively city in which it resides. These two authors add so much energy to this multi-layered storyline. The beat goes on day and night in New Orleans. And these sharply drawn characters certainly reflect that. I'm hoping for a return visit here with the possibility of a splendid series. So get in on the ground floor. Crazy things happening surrounded by bayous and the eerie banter. Get 'cha some.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Hampton Creek Press and to the talented J.D. Barker and E.J. Findorff for the opportunity.

We Don’t Talk About Emma is a nail-biter. New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux will have her hands full when she is witness to a murder, one that she feels was truly deserved. The question is, will she be able to help Emma when nobody wants to talk about her? The story is a compelling thriller with great plot twists, and great characters. It is an entertaining page-turner and unputdownable from the first page to the last. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a unique plot. This gritty story delves into some seriously dark stuff. It’s hard to paint the murderer as the bad guy. I love books like that that make your reality twist a bit. This was so wonderfully written the whole atmosphere of the book became a reality and I was immersed in the storyline. It was heart-wrenching at times coupled with murder and suspense. This one checks all the boxes of a great read with serious substance

Gripping and fast paced! I enjoyed the story line and I think the author is really talented. Although I usually read YA for my job, this seemed a little different (in a good way)!

Wow wow wow!!! This was such a ride. The character development and world building was top notch. This is a must read!!

I prefer J. D. Barker's solo projects, but he does a lot of collaborations. Most are good, this one I'm a little lukewarm about.

Most of the book is spent searching for Emma. She is the young victim of a very bad guy who does very bad things. The main characters are the detectives who are desperate to find Emma and see justice done, even if it's the vigilante kind. The search takes the reader through the dark underbelly of New Orleans and there are some very creepy moments.

J. D. Barker is a fantastic writer with a distinctive voice. Even one of his mediocre books is worth the time to read. I don't know anything about the co-writer. Maybe their "voices" just don't blend seamlessly.

3.5🌟
A brutal murder of one of the wealthiest, most despised men in New Orleans. Given his reputation, who could possibly want him dead? Take a number! In fact more than one person lined up that fateful night to kill him!

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux will be leading the investigation for the first time. Under her lead will be her former love interest Detective Keith Teague. Rather awkward, yes? Can the two put their personal lives aside and focus on bringing a murderer to justice?

I thoroughly enjoyed the two detectives. Their history together and flaws as individuals was well played out. Despite their past, they made a great team both professionally and personally.

The storyline involving Emma was a bit difficult to follow. Lots of characters to keep tabs on. All bad in their own right, they started to blend together.🤪.

This was a writing duo consisting of JD Barker (well known to me) and E. J. Findorff. (Who I’m not familiar with at all.) I’ve enjoyed JD’s books in the past as solo writer and his combined efforts with others. While this may not have been a favorite, I have another of his writing duo's works currently in my shelf that I’m looking forward to diving into.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press

This was a fantastic read! I didn’t want to put it down, it had many twists and turns that kept you guessing until the very end.
Emma was the daughter of NOLA royalty who wanted justice for herself.
Nikki and Keith are NOLA detectives that are put on a murder case that brings them around to Emma’s case. What happens next takes you on a ride through all walks of life bringing out secrets never supposed to be discovered.
Everything comes to a head at the end of the book, bringing some relationships closer while tearing others apart.

We Don't Talk About Emma by J.D. Barker and E.J. Findorff There was not the plot and character development that have come to expect from Mr. Barker. The story does have a couple good twists and surprises. The continual dialogue between the detectives slows down the narrative and the ending does seem to be rushed.

Thanks to the authors, Netgalley and Hampton Creek Press for the opportunity to preview the book.

When is cold-blooded murder justified?

I am a big fan of Barker. No matter who he is collaborating with, I always recognize his voice.

We are in New Orleans meeting Detective Nikki Mayeaux during a big storm, as she is climbing levees and hiding in a garage. The garage of a serial rapist and killer. The same man, a technicality let go.

Nikki is tired of young girls dying and no one doing a thing to stop it. She’s ready to stop it her way when a shadowed figure pops up in the back seat and kills the man. While she is sure she knows who, it’s going to take a lot to prove anything and this is New Orleans. A city like no other.

With Mardi Gras ramping up, the city is full of people making it tough to catch anyone, but Nikki has to find Emma. The man’s final rape victim.

Twisty, and totally immersed in the NOLA culture, I loved it. I hope we see Nikkii again!


NetGAlley/Hampton Creek Press February 04, 2025

I really enjoyed this. Very very creepy. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

2⭐️⭐️ Underwhelming and a bit boring!!!

When is cold blooded murder justified??

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux has decided its when a technicality sets a serial rapist free. Jaded and frustrated, this latest injustice brings her to the boiling point. She arrives at the monster’s home intending to end his reign of terror, only to find someone else got there first.

His throat slit, his lifeless body left in the front seat of his car, still warm. Only one person wanted him dead more than her - his final victim. A girl of only 16 years old who has vanished into the seedy underbelly of the French Quarter where residents will go to great lengths to protect their own, even when their own is a killer.

Well I saw this one up on NetGalley and immediately went for it, J.D Barker books are usually not ones that let me down and I really liked his last co-authored book so thought lets do it. This one unfortunately was the first that I was very very meh about.

The writing itself was fine, that wasn’t really my issue. The story but just a circular repetitive trip of looking for Emma. Now I get it we needed to find her but so much stuff was happening so why was this boring. There were so many ways this could have gone and it was actually an interesting concept but I think just poorly executed the way the story was told just became boring and I was over it.

I did think it would get better … but it never really did. In the end there was too much going on and not enough focus on the one or two things that would bring it together. I think that Nikki was a good character as was Emma but everyone else was on the periphery and I just felt so meh about it.

I am not going to give up on the author by any means but this was not his best work. And maybe the second author E.J Findorff wrote more and tried to ride off the name but either way… I dont think it worked. I was left let down and like I had wasted my time. Thankfully this one was just over 400 pages unlike the usual 600 J.D normally gives us. I could not have done that many pages of this story there was simply not enough substance.

Overall, if you are a fan of J.D Barker then you might be let down, this had potential but wasn’t what I had hoped.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hampton Creek Press and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading anything by these authors, but it definitely won’t be my last. I was pulled right in, despite the darker themes in the novel.

The story follows Nikki, an NOPD detective, who’s set on bringing justice by putting an end to a man convicted of assaulting young women—including her former client, Emma. But just as she’s ready to act, she discovers someone else has beaten her to it: Emma herself. Nikki, who has a sisterly bond with Emma after the tragic loss of her own sister and whilst working on her previous case, now faces the complicated task of tracking Emma down who seems to have become a serial killer. As she dives deeper, she uncovers a web of crime tied to New Orleans’ wealthy and powerful.

The pacing was just right—neither too fast nor too slow. The characters are memorable, and the ending ties things up in a satisfying way. Plus, the hint of romance added the perfect finishing touch.

Big thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this crime thriller! There were some flaws that held me back from giving it a 5-star rating, but it was still a good story. It was a little heavy on description and the writing was a little choppy. Some of the dialogue didn't flow well and was incomprehensible to me. Maybe it's a New Orleans dialect? It also would have been helpful to have the chapters labelled with the character's name since the POVs kept switching. On the positive side, the storyline was interesting and held my attention. The ending was definitely a shocker with some twists that I didn't see coming. Even though this book was over 400 pages long, the pacing was very fast, and I finished it within a few hours. It was definitely worth the read despite the flaws. I would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Hampton Creek Press for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

A perfect book to end off Halloween! Both authors worked so well together to write an edge of your seat story!