Helpful Score: 6
Karen Rose's DIE FOR ME is her best romantic suspense to date. Sexy homicide detective Vito Chiccotelli, with the help of a beautiful archaeologist, Sophia Johannsen, uncover a field of graves that are not yet all full. Together the clues lead them through a trail of ancient history, full of armor, swords and torture devices as fascinating as the DiVinci Code. The serial killer is a cold and calculating villain that puts Hannibal Lector to shame. Rose masterfully blends the villain's computer savvy with an artistic flair to give the reader a fast pace whodunit. The closer Vito and Sophia get the killer, the closer he gets to them. This is a must buy page turner.
Helpful Score: 4
I read this one in one sitting .. it was just too good to put down for any reason!
Helpful Score: 4
Very good read! It's a must have for any library.
Helpful Score: 3
Very interesting and a great page turner! Did not want to put it down to sleep. Thrilling read!
Helpful Score: 2
Rose reeled me right in from the first chapter. Great story. This was my first book from her and I will definitely look for more.
Sherri B. (sharalsbooks) reviewed Die for Me (Philadelphia / Atlanta, Bk 1) on + 259 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Another amazing offering by Karen Rose. I enjoyed the revisiting of past characters, Tess Ciccotelli and her brother, Vito. We first met Vito in Tess's story, YOU CAN'T HIDE. I was very happy to see him get his own story and happy to see Tess make an appearance. I especially liked meeting the rest of the Ciccotelli clan.
DIE FOR ME is also the first book in a spin-off trilogy featuring FBI Special Agent Daniel Vartanian, whose involvement in DIE FOR ME sets the groundwork for the next two books.
I didn't really feel much of a connection to Daniel mainly because I was so focused on Vito and Sophie. I'm not too worried about it, however, because I know when I read a Karen Rose book, she always does a fantastic job of creating complex characters that draw you into their lives so effortlessly that it is very easy to forget they are fictional characters.
This story takes place primarily in Philadelphia, where Vito is a homicide detective. Sophie is an archaeologist working for a local museum who is brought in to help unearth several mysterious graves. If that doesn't make her interesting enough, the fact that she speaks numerous languages fluently and rides a Harley should seal the deal. I really liked the dynamic of cop and archaeologist. Neither profession is afraid to get their hands dirty, so to speak. Both are good at digging to find the results. A perfect match that I could see a mile away, but these two need a little more time to get there.
I must warn you that the method of murder deployed by this sadistic villain is quite disturbing, but that's one of the things I really love about this author. She doesn't gloss over the horrifying details. Her stories are very realistic and I am glad they are. As a reader, I hate being patronized so the more realistic the story, the better it is for me as a reader. As disturbing as parts of the story were, I couldn't pull myself away. Danger lurks around every corner and nobody knows who the killer is or the reasons for the murders or who is next.
I highly recommend this book if you like stories full of high octane suspense with a blend of romance and characters that grow on you.
DIE FOR ME is also the first book in a spin-off trilogy featuring FBI Special Agent Daniel Vartanian, whose involvement in DIE FOR ME sets the groundwork for the next two books.
I didn't really feel much of a connection to Daniel mainly because I was so focused on Vito and Sophie. I'm not too worried about it, however, because I know when I read a Karen Rose book, she always does a fantastic job of creating complex characters that draw you into their lives so effortlessly that it is very easy to forget they are fictional characters.
This story takes place primarily in Philadelphia, where Vito is a homicide detective. Sophie is an archaeologist working for a local museum who is brought in to help unearth several mysterious graves. If that doesn't make her interesting enough, the fact that she speaks numerous languages fluently and rides a Harley should seal the deal. I really liked the dynamic of cop and archaeologist. Neither profession is afraid to get their hands dirty, so to speak. Both are good at digging to find the results. A perfect match that I could see a mile away, but these two need a little more time to get there.
I must warn you that the method of murder deployed by this sadistic villain is quite disturbing, but that's one of the things I really love about this author. She doesn't gloss over the horrifying details. Her stories are very realistic and I am glad they are. As a reader, I hate being patronized so the more realistic the story, the better it is for me as a reader. As disturbing as parts of the story were, I couldn't pull myself away. Danger lurks around every corner and nobody knows who the killer is or the reasons for the murders or who is next.
I highly recommend this book if you like stories full of high octane suspense with a blend of romance and characters that grow on you.
Helpful Score: 1
Good love story and mystery. Enjoy the Karen Rose books.
Helpful Score: 1
Karen Rose' books always keep me on the edge of my seat and then coming back for more!
This was an excellent read. I'm not usually one for mysterys, but I was sucked into the story and couldn't put it down until I'd finished the story.
If you like extreme violence,gore,and torture, this is the book for you. I don't. I tried to skip the worst parts, but that was most of the book. I finally stopped reading about 1/2 way through. It is well written, and there is a nice romantic part, but I couldn't take all the graphic torture and violence.
This was the first Karen Rose book I read and it compelled me to find the rest of her books. After reading them all now I found this one to be less exciting than the others which totally surprised me as I loved this book. If you like romance with suspense you have to read this book!
Robin M. (robinmy) -
A body is unearthed in a field. Heading the investigation, Detective Vito Ciccotelli requests the help of an archaeologist to use ground penetrating radar in the area. Sophie Johannsen helps him uncover a total of seventeen graves, nine of them filled with bodies. Some of the victims have been buried up to a year; many have been tortured. But it's the empty graves that really scare Vito. This means the killer isn't done, and has many more murders planned.
Another excellent romantic suspense novel from Karen Rose. I love her books. She uses just the right amount of romance with the right amount of suspense. Her characters are very likeable and there are no TSTL moments in these books. I'm not a fan of getting the villain's point-of-view, but it works in this story. By getting into his head, we find out why his is killing, and just who he plans to put into the empty graves. This made the book even scarier for me. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
Another excellent romantic suspense novel from Karen Rose. I love her books. She uses just the right amount of romance with the right amount of suspense. Her characters are very likeable and there are no TSTL moments in these books. I'm not a fan of getting the villain's point-of-view, but it works in this story. By getting into his head, we find out why his is killing, and just who he plans to put into the empty graves. This made the book even scarier for me. My rating: 4.5 Stars.
This book was a really great read. A very chilling killer and gruesome details, but the characters are wonderfully developed and I could hardly put it down.
When a body is found in a snow covered field Decretive Vito Ciccotelli requests the help of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen to see what else may lie below the surface. Despite years of unearthing things Sophie is horrified when her search leads to a matrix of dead bodies but some of the pre-dug graves remain empty. Obviously the killer has more victims in mind. The killer is a cold and calculating monster who has devised a series of tortures in order to become famous in the world of games. There are several interesting suspects as Vito and Sophie pool their talents and try to stop a madman before he can fill all the graves. Chilling story I was unable to put down. Worth the read.
Detective Vito Ciccotelli is investigating a series of unmarked graves and the likelihood of a serial killer. He enlists the aid of archaeologist Sophie Johannsen when he finds clues pointing to the use of medieval torture devices. Sophie joins in his investigation and in turn puts her own life in danger. Rose writes an intricate, compelling and often fascinating plot although the identity of the killer was fairly east to uncover. Recommended.
Patricia C. (flutterfly) reviewed Die for Me (Philadelphia / Atlanta, Bk 1) on + 27 more book reviews
was a very good book. enjoyed reading it and will be reading more of her books
Very good book! This was my first by Karen Rose but it definitely won't be my last.
Loved the book. But then all her books are so good. Couldn't put it down, it certainly keeps you on the edge of your seat.
