I read this but I really couldn't focus on this and I tried to follow along with the story but I didn't care too much for it. I read JD Barker before and his other novel really got me I loved it so I was excited but this fell flat for me and I didn't care for it. The writing was dense also and just didn't give me the feelings I was hoping for. This wasn't for me but for other people it could work, It sucks being in a huge book slump. It wasn't horrible I just wish I enjoyed it.

This is another collaboration from JD Barker but for me it just didn’t grip me as his previous books have and I was left a little disappointed. I can’t fault the writing and I loved the setting but I didn’t seem to connect to the characters at all but maybe that’s just me. I’m sure others will enjoy the book more and as always I look forward to more from JD in the future.
My thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for giving me the opportunity to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for the ARC. This one didn’t grab me quite as quickly as normal for J.D. Barker but it was a solid read. Looking forward to just J.D. Barker books in the future.

Firstly I would like to thank netgalley and Hampton creek press and the authors J.D.Barker and ET Findorff for an early copy of there book to read.

My rating is 3.5 rounded to 4
I really enjoy reading J.D Barker books. An enjoyable read.Detective Nikki Mayeaux is angry a rapist has escaped and turns up at his home but someone was there first..who killed him? A great thriller a bit to long of a read.looking forward to reading more of his books.


This book will be reviewed on goodreads and Amazon.

We Don't Talk About Emma
by J.D. Barker; E.J. Findorff

When we jump into this story, it's like real life, it doesn't just start because we walked into the room. I like that about a fictional world, that it feels like it's been going on before the first page of the book. But I had trouble keeping track of everyone, what has happened in the past, who is doing what now, and how they are connected. I'd like to care about some of the characters more than I do but I have trouble spending much time in the most seedy of places and really just wanted to get out of that world. I won't go into all the big crimes of the bad guys here. Bad things are happening and they are going to continue to happen unless someone does something.

I liked the second half of the book better than the first half of the book. By then I know the two main detectives, Nikki Mayeaux and her ex, Keith Teague. Some important things happened in their past and that led to them breaking up although the spark is still there. They are funny together and I'd enjoy them more on another case than this one, I think. Nikki is messed up and it's hard to know if she can really toe the line of justice after events of her past. She lost someone close to her and that colors everything in her present day. So much happens towards the end, everything wraps up so quickly, and I'm just glad it's over.

Thanks to Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

Very entertaining and twisty crime novel about vigilante justice and underground corporate trafficking. Plus, any story that has NOLA as a setting is bound to be pretty good.

This was a bit too long for me. Some places dragged rather than being a slow burn. Overall, it was worth reading once. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

I wanted to like this one more. I love a good “take down the scum of the earth” type plot, but the number of characters was a bit confusing at times .
The NOLA culture was unique and kept my interest .

Another amazing read from J.D. Barker! The collaborations are proving to be just as good as his solo works. I loved not knowing from one moment to the next if Emma was victim, vigilante, or just unhinged. Discovering the truth and the complicated layers of relationships was a thrill ride with a twist that was completely unexpected. I had a little trouble with following some of the dialogue between characters and knowing who was saying what, but it did not detract from the enjoyment of the story.

Anyone looking for one of the typical novels of J. D. Barker, in which there is always someone who has a very hard time and is taken to the psychological limit to catch the psychopath, might do better not ing. This novel is rather kind, with a main carácter who is liked from the beginning and the background of a New Orleans preparing for Mardi Gras and the parades and a lot of quite hateful powerful people who wants to continue doing and undoing to their liking, while they are watching how some of them are being killed by their relationship with Emma.

I’ve basically read it in a snap, because although I started it because of Barker's authory and you can immediately see that it is another style, the rhythm is very high and things are happening continuously and it allows you to disconnect the head from other things without requiring very high concentration.

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux has decided it’s when a technicality sets a serial rapist free.

Jaded and frustrated, this latest injustice brings her to a 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.

Only one person wanted him dead more than her - his final victim - a girl of only sixteen who has vanished in 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.

When is cold-blooded murder justified?

End a killer.
End a cop.
Sometimes, both.

OMG I loved this story. I was hooked from the beginning. Will recommend to others.

This is a good book, though not as developed as I would expect from Barker, I have not read any book by the other author, he is from New Orleans and the descriptions of it really add to the story. Detective Nikki Mayeaux is given the lead on an investigation into the death of a suspected serial rapist, he had his throat slit and was stabbed in the privates. Nikki is working with her ex boyfriend Keith who is also an NOPD detective, the suspect had been on Nikki's to do list, as in she was going to kill him and was in the garage when he pulled in and someone else beat her to it. The story is quite gritty, a band of young homeless kids are suspected of supplying the deceased with young runaways to traffic to a group of rich men. The deceased is found with the number 5 on his forehead and was one of the group of men suspected of trafficking the young women. One young girl in particular, Emma, is suspected of the killing, she had been recorded being raped in a video on a cellphone that went missing from NOPD evidence. Nikki and Keith spend a lot of time trying to track her down, two more killings happen, one with a 4 and one with a 3 on their body, pressure builds as they try to stop the next one. Overall I enjoyed this, there are a lot of twists and I did not figure out who actually was the person doing the deeds. I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Hampton Creek Press for the ARC.

Another uninspiring collaboration from Barker, a run of the mill and flat thriller with little to get excited about.

I really hope he concentrates on putting out some books on his own again as anything I’ve read by him when collaborating has been poor to mediocre.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC through Netgalley.

Okay, so here’s the thing—I don’t even want to talk about Emma or this story. I made it halfway through and just couldn’t bring myself to pick it back up. Like, at all. It was so slow-paced, and as a thriller junkie, I need something to grab me, you know? But this? Nope. Nada. Zero. I finally decided to throw in the towel because life’s too short for books that don’t keep me hooked.

This was a Witches Words buddy read, and honestly, I think I struggled more than anyone else. I mean, I gave it a fair shot—made it to the halfway mark—but I was the only one who waved the white flag.

Check out Debra, MaryBeth, and Carolyn’s reviews—they stuck it out, so maybe they found something in it that I just couldn’t. Different strokes and all that, right?

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux is angry that a serial rapist has escaped being convicted of raping his latest victim Emma Courtland, due to the mysterious disappearance of crucial video evidence, and decides she has to take matters in hand herself to stop a monster. However, when she arrives at his house, she finds the man already dead and someone fleeing the scene. She is worried the killer may have been Emma, who is now in hiding, and being protected by the homeless of the New Orleans underworld.

For a J.D Barker thriller, I found this quite a slow-moving plot, particularly in the first half of the book. However, quite a lot is being set up initially and the second half flowed much better with some good twists, although never quite reaching its potential for suspense. The setting of New Orleans, well known to co-author E.J Findorff, is however perfect for this novel with its colourful façade and dark and seedy underbelly. Nikki has her own secrets she’s keeping hidden from her partner and former lover Keith and, as more bodies turn up in New Orleans, knows it’s a race against time to find Emma and protect her.

This one was ok, but somehow i didn't conmect with any of the characters or even the story itself.

I enjoyed the police banter between colleagues that reminded me of the police chemistry in 4MK series, but although the chapters were short and there was a lot of action the story lacked depth. It was like "he said this", "she said that", "they went there" with no added emotions for the characters. The writing was just that simple. Of course it was also easy to follow all what was happening but maybe it was just too simple for me.

As a fast paced action driven thriller it was just ok.

Thank you Netgalley for a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book was good at the beginning but then got slow for me . The characters weren’t that likeable . I loved the short chapters . Thank you Hampton Creek Press and NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

New Orleans Detective Nikki Mayeaux has decided it’s when a technicality sets a serial rapist free.

Jaded and frustrated, this latest injustice brings her to a 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.

Only one person wanted him dead more than her - his final victim - a girl of only sixteen who has vanished in 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.

When is cold-blooded murder justified?

I wish I enjoyed this more. I usually enjoy this author's books but I struggled through this one. It was a very slow paced read. Once I put down the book it was hard to pick it up again. I was so bored. The story is dark and brutal.

The story starts out with roaches, and rats. Eww! The setting is located in New Orleans and there are a lot of dark secrets. I loved the setting.

There were a lot of unlikable characters and I struggled because I didn't have a connection with the characters My favorite character was Nikki. I felt so bad for Emma. She went through so much along with other characters. I did enjoy the ending. The book was written by JD Barker and E.J. Findorff. EJ. Findorff was a new author for me.

2. 5 stars rounded up to 3 stars.

I want to thank Netgalley, Hampton Creek Press for the copy of this book and exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. It was a creepy psychological thriller in my opinion. I was hooked from page one. I absolutely could not put it down! You will not regret reading this one!

WE DON’T TALK ABOUT EMMA was a DNF for me - I’ve historically enjoyed J.D. Barker’s novels and absolutely loved 4MK but his more recent efforts have been too convoluted and just not compelling. I made it about a third of the way through but didn’t find the direction of the narrative interesting, nor did I care about any of the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hampton Creek Press for the opportunity to read and review WE DON’T TALK ABOUT EMMA.