OK, I'm quitting this book at page 72. I can't take it any longer.--Reasons for dnfing: the writing, the characters, the pacing, and the plot.

The author kindly sent this to me in exchange for an honest review.This is Max Allan Collins's attempt at a Nordic Noir. Illinois is close enough to Denmark to count, I guess. It actually starts off with a murder that reminds me a lot more of old Italian Giallo movies than a Nordic mystery, with somebody in a black raincoat stabbing a young woman to death.From there, we go to Galena, Illinois, where the youngest female chief of police in the country is hard at work, and her father, a well regard...

I used to read everything MAC in the 80’s &90’s. Comics, out of print paperbacks, Quarry, Eliot Ness, Nathan Heller. I stopped sometime in the Heller series. Don’t know why. Too many “tie-ins,” tastes changed?I picked this up, thought a reunion could be fun. I was a little disappointed. The main characters didn’t seem smart enough to connect the dots the author was putting in their way which were red herrings anyway. The actual killer didn’t come out of nowhere, exactly, but he wasn’t properly s...

3.5 stars rounded to 4Girl Most Likely is a fun, fast-paced thriller that is most likely the first in a new series. See what I did there? It's a wonderful book to dive into if you're looking for something to blow through in a day, as Dennis and I both managed to do with ease. It's a breezy 287 pages that contains part police procedural and part domestic drama. I can picture this being the perfect vacation splurge, especially for a beach trip. The prologue and first couple of chapters really grab...

I was excited to read this book because I really enjoyed Collins’ Criminal Minds books and his writing. Unfortunately I found myself more often irritated than interested. His writing style here reminded me of R.L. Stine - in that it is sometimes intriguing and makes you want to turn the pages, but mostly outdated. It felt cheesy and superficial. A lot of descriptions of outfits and body weight (“an athletically slender gal” “an almost under-control weight problem”) and quotes such as: “A girl...

This was ok. Too many unnecessary details (precise descriptions of every character's clothing and items of furniture) made it drag. Interesting plot but lacking suspense and emotion. Narration was just ok, too (also lacking emotion).

#FirstLine ~ The girls would be there, of this much you are certain.An intense and quick read that left me on the edge of my seat! This story is very character driven and is paced very well. You will get pulled into the story. You will be kept on your toes! You will think you have it all figured out to find yourself completely surprised! This book has a great setting, is thrilling and hard to put down! A must read for thriller fans! I also love that it is a new series to read!!!

3.5 stars rounded up!Alright everybody, this book was a lot of fun. Girl Most Likely definitely seems like the first of a new series and I am 100% here for it. The story centers around Krista Larson, daughter of retired renowned detective Keith Larson. Krista is the youngest police chief in the country and presides over small town Galena, Illinois. Galena is a humble small town, known for the home of Ulysses Grant. It honestly sounds like one of those towns that you'd pass on a cross-country...

The overly descriptive writing was a bit hard to push through.The constant in depth clothing descriptions made me feel like I was reading the fashion issue of Vogue instead of a mystery novel.The story itself is good and the characters interesting.The ending was rushed.I will say it was a good surprise at the end...even if a bit rushed.Hoping the second book is a little better.

3.5 stars rounding to 4.Remember that girl in high school you loved to hate. The one who stole all the boyfriends, who dressed impeccably, who made you feel tiny and was voted the Most Likely to Succeed? Well in this book, that girl is Astrid. She shows up to the reunion dressed to the nines and people are already fawning all over her.. again! Krista just kind of observes and is surprised when Astrid approaches her to apologize and ask for her help. When Krista shows up to her house the next day...

Who likes a good thriller? THIS GIRL!Super fast paced and loaded with the best kind of drama to keep the reader invested. It’s a quick read, but a good one. Girl Most Likely is what I call a “waiting room read” easy to pick up and put down. Enjoyable and one you’ll want to keep in you bag. Follow us on Twitter✿Facebook✿Pinterest✿BookBabblers✿Instagram

Amazon Kindle First - MarchI chose this as my Amazon first read as I thought Road to Perdition was a great story so had high expectations of this one. It started well and I think the polite version of what I want to say is that it then went pear shaped. I understand this is a book in the tradition of a Scandi noir of which I have read many and enjoyed most. So here goes. Brace yourselves. 1. Having Danish ancestry does NOT make you Scandinavian. It’s as ridiculous as me saying I’m French because...

Girl Most Likely plays out like a midday-movie with a cozy murder mystery feel about it. The plot centers around a small town high school reunion in which a couple of classmates are brutally murdered. The local Chief of Police, also a classmate, investigates the murders with the assistance of her father, a retired police officer himself.Whilst I generally enjoy novels by Max Allan Collins (Nate Heller, Quarry series to name a few), Girl Most Likely was bland with uninteresting characters who lac...

Girl Most Likely is the first of two volumes in Collins' newest mystery series. In it, Collins returns to his roots, a small midwestern town and explores what a light-hearted but bloody knife-wielding murder mystery might be like there. It is a sharp departure from the gritty hardboiled seventies-pulp-flavored action of the Quarry series or the big-city big-star feel of the Nathan Heller volumes. The two stars of the novel are small town 28-year-old police chief Krista and her recently widowed f...

If I had to sum up this book in one word, that word would be "ugh". I got it for free on Amazon and read it in less than two days, mostly because I was stuck on a plane for the majority of that time, but also because it is very short and very little happens, especially very little that is surprising. I would have finished it sooner if I hadn't spent so much time sighing and rolling my eyes. What's so terrible about this book? I made a list: - I have not made an accurate calculation, but I think

Who loves a high school class reunion? It would probably be a lot more fun if murder wasn't on the agenda!Chief of Police, 28-year-old, Krista Larson plans to attend the festivities for the Galena, Illinois, Class of 2009 reunion at Lake View Lodge, a little resort managed by one of the classmates. The event is well-attended with the highlight being the triumphant return of the "girl most likely", Astrid Lund. She's done very well for herself, as predicted, and people swarm to her all night long...

Krista Larson is the youngest police chief and a female, as we meet her she just gave her boyfriend the boot and made her father come and live with her in her parents original house. Her father being a retired policeman living on his own after his wife and Krista's mother died. As the story starts there is a reunion starting in which Krista gets to meet her old classmates again. There is one guest who is actually the gril most likely to succeed and is actually the celebrity who got away and is n...

A decent police procedural - I suspect the first in a series

“It’s never too late for revenge”From what appears to be a slightly different approach to the author’s usual style of writing, this was a well constructed, thoughtfully researched, police procedural / murder mystery, which packed a punch in the scenes when it needed to ratchet up the tension, throwing in just enough red herrings to maintain the intrigue and kept me guessing right to the end – and, I have to admit, still quite a way from me getting it right!The core plot was very relevant and on

I agreed to read and review an uncorrected proof prior to its scheduled publication date."Girl Most Likely" is a readable combination of mystery and police procedural set in a small midwestern town. The lead character, the youngest female police chief in the nation, has potential, and I would not be surprised to see "Girl Most Llikely" to become the first of a series of "Krista Larson" books.To make his characters more vivid to the reader on first encounter, Collins lavishes attention on outward...