Review: Needled to Death

Title: Needled to Death

Series: A Helping Hands Mystery #1

Author: Annelise Ryan

Release Date: July 30, 2019

Rating: 4/5 Stars

Find it here: Goodreads – Amazon – B&N

Synopsis from Goodreads: Motivated by her own difficult past, Hildy has an unparalleled commitment to supporting troubled clients through grief and addiction in Sorenson, Wisconsin. But when a distraught group therapy member reveals disturbing details about her late son’s potential murder, Hildy goes from dedicated mental health professional to in-over-her-head amateur sleuth . . . Alongside her loyal therapy Golden Retriever, Hildy stumbles through incriminating clues—and an unlikely partnership with Detective Bob Richmond, the irresistibly headstrong cop who shares her passion for helping others. With signs of foul play surfacing all over town, can Hildy and Detective Richmond pinpoint the deadly traits of a sharp-witted killer before another seat gets filled at grief therapy?

My Review: This book was a fantastic start to a new series. I have read all of Ryan’s other series and this one is sort of a spin off from that, with some character cross over. I wasn’t sure how I would feel about that going in but it actually worked really well and gave a depth to characters right off the bat that you wouldn’t normally get. I also loved that Ryan gave her character a job that allows her to be involved in cases without it seeming like she’s forcing something that doesn’t fit. It all fit together very naturally.

I also enjoyed the mystery itself and how it played out, I felt like it was well done. The only part that I didn’t really like was how the mystery ended. It felt just a little bit far fetched to me but it wasn’t something I had read before so there is that.

*I received this book from Kensington Books in exchange for an honest review*