ARC Review: Say You're Sorry by Karen Rose

Say You're Sorry
Author: Karen Rose
Series: Sacramento Series, The (Book 1)
Publication: Berkley (February 12, 2019)

Description: Introducing the first book in the new pulse-pounding Sacramento series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose.

There is a serial killer on the loose, preying on vulnerable women. The only identifiable mark the killer leaves are letters—sometimes one, sometimes two—all carved into the torsos of his victims.  Together they spell “Sydney.”

When he grabs Daisy Dawson, he believes he has found his next victim. But despite her small stature, she fights back with an expertise that quickly frees her. Before fleeing the scene, Daisy also manages to grab what proves to be crucial evidence: a necklace from around the killer’s neck.

The necklace is more than a trivial item—it is a link to a cold case that Special Agent Gideon Reynolds has been tracking for seventeen years. With Daisy’s help, Gideon finally has the opportunity to get closer to the truth than ever before.

But they might not get the chance, as the serial killer has a new target: Gideon and Daisy.

My Thoughts: The blurb for this story gives a good description of the basic plot. What it leaves out is the emotional flavor and the personalities of the main characters.

Daisy Dawson is attacked on her way from an AA meeting. She is in her mid-twenties and has been sober for eight years. She suffers panic attacks and has a service dog who manages to keep her from spiraling out of control. She has named her tiny purse dog Brutus.

When she was a pre-teen her father gathered up the family - Daisy, her two sisters, his second wife and her daughter - and took them to an isolated location to keep them safe from his wife's ex-husband. There he taught them to take care of themselves. The oldest daughter rebelled, ran away, and died of a drug overdose. As the second wife was dying, she confessed that she had lied about her ex and essentially kidnapped her daughter to keep her from him. Daisy is still angry at her father for uprooting their lives.

Gideon Reynolds also has a troubled past. When  he was a young child, his mother got involved with a cult that advocated forced marriages as soon as a young girl turned twelve and welded a locket around her neck which claimed ownership of her. Boys at thirteen were considered men and began apprenticeships which also included pedophilia. Gideon was nearly beaten to death after he objected and killed the man who was trying to rape him. His mother helped him escape but returned to protect his younger sister Mercy.

He has never given up trying to find this settlement called Eden but has not been able to locate it since it relocates frequently. His sister Mercy escaped at thirteen after being abused by her "husband" also with her mother's help. Gideon, then seventeen, managed to find her but she was so traumatized that she wanted nothing to do with him. At the time of the story seventeen years later, he hasn't seen her for a couple of years and knows nothing about her current life.

The villain of the story is a serial killer who was abused by his stepmother ever since he was twelve and still is being abused by her at twenty-eight. He has managed to kidnap and kill a number of women from around the US. He brings them home to his "guest room" - a sound-proofed room in his basement where he tortures and kills them. His situation was almost enough to make me feel sorry for him but for the way he chose to mask his pain.

The book also introduces a number of characters who are just aching for stories of their own. The Sokolov family includes Karl and Irina - the parents - who were friends of Daisy's father until he disappeared with his family, Sasha and Rafe - two of Karl and Irina's children, who are good friends with Daisy and Gideon. Rafe and Gideon have been friends since they met in middle school and the Sokolovs have adopted him into their family.

This was a long story at over 600 pages but it had enough action and enough romance to carry that length.

Favorite Quote:

"Very Little House on the Prairie," she said wryly. "Except, of course, for the slavery, the polygamy, and the rampant pedophilia."

He almost smiled. "Exactly."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.