Happy First Line Friday! I’m linking up with Reading is My Superpower, where participants share the first line from the book closest to them. Today I’m featuring Dead Fall, the newest release in Nancy Mehl’s Quantico Files series.

“Those in law enforcement pay a heavy price when they constantly look into the dark minds of evil.”

– John Davis, Dark Minds

Dead Fall by Nancy Mehl

The Basics

Title: Dead Fall

Author: Nancy Mehl

Series: The Quantico Files (Book 2 of 3)

Publication Date: November 2, 2021

Genre: Christian Suspense

My Rating: 3.5 Stars

From the Back Cover:

After facing the demons from her past, Alex Donovan is ready to move on and focus on her career at the FBI’s elite Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU). When renowned profiler and BAU co-founder John Davis is found dead in his hotel room, the FBI is called in to work on the strangest case they’ve ever faced. How do you find a killer who murders his victims without touching them?

When it becomes clear that the killer is targeting agents in Alex’s unit, they are ordered into lockdown, sheltered in the dorms at Quantico. Alex bunks with a controversial agent, Kaely Quinn, who has returned after being dismissed three years earlier. As they work together, Alex discovers in Kaely the role model she’s never had, despite being warned away.

As Alex questions who she wants to become, things get personal when the brilliant killer strikes close to home. Now Alex will do anything to find the killer–even at the risk of her own life.

My Review

Dead Fall is the second book in Nancy Mehl’s Quantico Files series, and I enjoyed it more than the first book, Night Fall. Kaely Quinn, the main character in Mehl’s last series, makes an appearance as a serial killer seems to be targeting members of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. She is called in to assist Alex and Logan, the main characters in this series. Behavioral analysis, or profiling, is a fascinating topic, and this book provides a glimpse into how those agents do their work.

Because the analysts aren’t field agents, there isn’t as much action throughout the book. Instead, a lot of the book is made up of dialogue as the team develops their profile of the suspect. The lack of action doesn’t mean there is a lack of suspense, though – the perp in this book is definitely one of the most chilling I’ve read about in a while. I had a guess about who I thought it was, but I was wrong!

The reason I didn’t love this book, though, is the characterization. The characters seemed a little flat to me at times, and the dialogue a little stilted. Parts of the book seemed repetitive too, as the team kept rehashing their profile without really adding anything new. Overall, I did enjoy the story and I will definitely read the next one in the series!

Now it’s your turn! Please share the first line of the book you’re reading in the comments below. Don’t forget to head to Reading is My Superpower to see what first lines other bloggers are sharing, or to share your own!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.