#Review - You Can Scream by Rebecca Zanetti #Thriller #Suspense

Series: Laurel Snow # 5
Format: 320 pages, Paperback

Release Date: December 16, 2025
Publisher: Kensington
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller / Suspense

Twisted family relationships, sociopaths, and conspiracy theories abound in the icy Cascade Mountains of Washington State in New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti's heart-pounding series about an FBI profiler and her equally brilliant sister on the wrong side of the law. For fans of Karen Rose, Heather Gudenkauf, Allison Brennan, and Melinda Leigh.

Laurel’s family was never simple—but her half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant, unpredictable psychopath, just made it lethal. Accused of murdering their father, a man she always called a monster, Abigail claims self-defense. As the trial unfolds and long-buried family secrets explode into headlines across Washington State, Laurel’s hard-won privacy is shattered. And the nightmare is just beginning.

Even as Abigail’s trial consumes public attention, new dangers close in as the murder of a prominent scientist and the illegal poaching of a rare Pacific plant point to something insidious. Laurel turns to Washington Fish and Wildlife captain Huck Rivers, her partner in work and life, for help. But the deeper they dig, the more the case seems to echo the chaos unraveling Laurel’s world.

With danger tightening around her, Laurel faces an impossible choice: trust Abigail in one crucial, treacherous alliance, or risk losing everything. Her career, her relationships, even her life hang in the balance. The clock is ticking—and if the threat breaks loose, nothing will be fast enough to stop it.

You Can Scream is the 5th installment in author Rebecca Zanetti's Laurel Snow series. The series is set against the snowy, isolated backdrop of the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. Key Characters: FBI Special Agent and profiler Laurel Snow, Captain Huck Rivers of the Washington State Fish and Wildlife, FBI partner Walter Smudgeon, who is recovering nicely after being shot and finding a new lease on life with a new love in his life, and Abigail Caine, the twisted, likely sociopathic half sister of Laurel's who has been arrested for murder. 

The two sisters at the center of the series are like two halves of one whole - one light, and one dark - one in law enforcement, the other a sociopath. This fascinating family dynamic set against a suspenseful crime mystery is sure to entice readers.  This book continues the high-stakes blend of psychological thriller, family drama, and slow-burn romance that has defined the series. Laurel, a brilliant but socially awkward investigator, finds her professional and personal life increasingly entangled with her half-sister, Abigail Caine—a charismatic, manipulative psychopath on trial for murder. 

As Abigail's courtroom drama unfolds, a sniper attack and a series of bizarre deaths pull Laurel into a new investigation involving a missing podcaster, suspicious scientists, illegal harvesting of protected plants, and potential experimental drugs. All seemingly can be tied in some way to Abigail, but Abigail is as slippery as an eel and has a script already written for how she wants things to work out in her favor and how many people she needs to use to get what she wants. The stakes escalate as Laurel navigates threats from multiple directions, all while dealing with her evolving relationship with local law enforcement officer Huck Rivers. 

Laurel remains a standout protagonist—logical, hyper-focused, and refreshingly neurodivergent in a genre often filled with cookie-cutter heroes. Her romance with Huck provides emotional depth without overshadowing the suspense, offering protective, tender moments amid chaos. Abigail is a masterful antagonist: morally gray, unpredictable, and utterly compelling, raising the tension whenever she appears. While Laurel once again rises to the top, it is Abigail who seemingly can walk on water without getting wet. It will be interesting to see how Laurel and Huck can finally defeat her.  

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#Review - You Can Kill by Rebecca Zanetti #Thriller #Suspense

Series: A Laurel Snow Thriller (#4)
Format: Mass Market, 432 pages
Release Date: October 22, 2024
Publisher: Zebra
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Suspense

The Blacklist meets The Profiler in this edgy, gripping thriller that’s perfect for of Laura 

Griffin and Jayne Ann Krentz!

A string of brutal murders is leaving a grisly trail across the Pacific Northwest—and drawing rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow back into a treacherous case and a twisted personal drama she can’t escape . . .

The first body is torn apart, blood and flesh are discovered across both state and federal lands. As the victims multiply, a pattern emerges—each is related to past cases investigated by Laurel Snow, with the assistance of Huck Rivers, Washington Fish and Wildlife captain. When friends and loved ones are targeted, things become even more chillingly personal.

As Laurel and Huck team up again to navigate the gruesome and increasingly bizarre killings, they must also keep a safe distance from Laurel’s half-sister, Abigail, a dangerously clever sociopath. Ever since their father reappeared in town, Abigail has been convinced she must protect Laurel from his malignant narcissism—a scourge she’s sure they’ve both inherited. Huck is not spared either as a shocking development in the case touches his own life.

With the murders, and the suspects, multiplying around them, and the lives of everyone in their orbit at stake, only Laurel’s sharp analytic skills, Huck’s deep gut instincts, and their growing bond will enable them to face the demons within and the threats without—before they’re next on an elusive killer’s hit list . . .

You Can Kill is the Fourth installment in author Rebecca Zanetti's Laurel Snow series. Let's call this series The Profiler meets Justified meets The Blacklist. FBI Special Agent in Charge Laurel Snow has moved her Pacific Northwest Violent Crimes Unit to her home in Genesis Valley, Washington to be close to her lover Captain Huck Rivers of Fish & Wildlife, as well as her mother who is opening a shop that features gourmet tea. Oh, and let's not forget her psychopathic half-sister Abigail who has made it her mission to protect Laurel from the father they both share. 

Why you say? Because Laurel is pregnant. The two sisters at the center of the series are like two halves of one whole - one light, and one dark - one in law enforcement, the other a sociopath. This fascinating family dynamic is set against a suspenseful crime mystery. Laurel and her team have taken down (3) brutal serial killers, but it seems as though that doesn't matter. After Laurel is attacked by serial killer Jason, she is worried that if anyone learns that she is pregnant, she will be taken off the cases. That can not happen. 

Not when bodies start turning up in curious places. Places where she and Huck had previously found dead bodies. As Laurel and Huck team up again to navigate the gruesome and increasingly bizarre killings, they must also keep a safe distance from Abigail, a dangerously clever sociopath. Ever since their rapist father, Zeke Caine, reappeared in town, Abigail has been convinced she must protect Laurel from his malignant narcissism—a scourge she’s sure they’ve both inherited. Huck is not spared either as a shocking development in the case touches his life and puts him in a difficult situation with his employer. 

With the murders piling up, and the suspects multiplying around them, the lives of everyone in their orbit are at stake, including Laurel's mother and those who work for her. Even with Laurel’s sharp analytic skills, Huck’s deep gut instincts, and growing bond, it will take a remarkable set of events to ensure everyone survives before they’re next on an elusive killer’s hit list. For those who haven't read this series, Laurel is a child prodigy. She has an eidetic memory and knows too much about almost everything. She also has heterochromatic eyes, which apparently is a sign of intelligence. 

Huck and Laurel are a perfectly balanced couple, these two know each other better than they know themselves, and the addition of Deirdre to the story gives the series more depth. This book ends on a brutal scene which I will not spoil. I am not sure where the author goes from here, but Laurel and Huck definitely need a vacation from everything that is happening around Genesis Valley and of course, Abigail who I doubt we have seen the last of. 

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#Review - One Cursed Rose by Rebecca Zanetti #Romance #Suspense

Series: Grimm Bargains # 1
Format: Paperback, 368 pages
Release Date: June 25, 2024
Publisher: Kensington
Source: Publisher
Genre: Romance / Suspense

For fans of Scarlett St Clair and Sarah J Maas, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti explores the forbidden and the taboo in this modern twist on Beauty and the Beast – the first in a seductive new dark romance series set in a world where information is power, and those who control the flow of information live like gods…

They christened me Alana—and while the name means beauty, beneath that surface is a depth I allow very few to see. I’m sole heir to Aquarius Social, a media giant about to succumb to an unseen enemy. My father’s solution is to marry me off to the son of a competing family. My reaction? Not a chance. Now I have just a week before the wedding to change my fate.

Who knew the unforeseen twist would be an assassination attempt on me and an unwanted rescue by Thorn Beathach, the head of the rival social media empire driving Aquarius under? The richest, most ruthless of them all, the Beast protects his realm with an iron rule: no one sees his face. When he shows himself to me, I know he’ll never let me go.

Thorn may think he can lock me in his enchanted castle forever, but I’m not the docile Beauty he expects. If the Beast wants to tie me up, I’m going to take pleasure from every minute of it . . .and we’ll just see who ends up shackled.

Rebecca Zanetti's One Cursed Rose explores the forbidden and the taboo in this modern twist on Beauty and the Beast – the first in a seductive new dark romance series set in a world where information is power, and those who control the flow of information live like gods. Key Characters: Thorn Beathach, and Alana Beaumont. This story is set in an alternative reality California where four families have all the power. Each of the families rely on various social media outlets to make them even more powerful.

 

For Alana Beaumont, that information is through social media. Reeling from her brother's death, she finds herself the heir to Aquarius Social. Alana is the only one in her family that is capable of charging their crystals that keep them in business. Her father devises a plan to marry her off to a competing business's family in an attempt to shore up the company. Alana is completely against this idea and has one week to find another way. After meeting with her intended from another family, Alana is drugged, and nearly kidnapped. Her savior? Thorn Beathach. 

 

Thorn is a recluse. Thorn owns Malice Media a direct competition with Aquarius Social. As the owner of his own social media company, he's done whatever he wants, whenever he wants, and doesn't let anything get in his way. But he has a weakness and that's Alana. He's obsessed with making her his, even if that means kidnapping her in order to protect her. But, when his life is on the line thanks to an attack on crystals that his company relies on to remain on top, the enemies find themselves turning to each other to figure out how to save him. And how to solve the mystery of how Alana's brother died. Can they put aside their differences and hate to help each other come out on top? 

 

*Thoughts* One of my issues with this book is that Thorn is literally a stalker who wants what he wants and doesn't care who gets in the way including Alana's father. Thorn is probably considered an anti hero. He’s demanding, authoritatively harsh and dominating. Killing, or fighting or ordering those things done is just in his nature. The only real positive is his relationship to his adopted brother Justice who is his right hand man in everything. The overly BDSM sections of this book reduced my rating to just okay. I literally posted that this book reminds me of Fifty Shades of Grey. The mystery behind Gast's death was suspenseful, as well as a serial killer that seems to be stalking Alana lookalikes. This is a strange world that relies on crystals, gems, diamonds, and people's emotions. I wish that the author had delved deeper into this rather than spend so much time on other things.

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#Review - You Can Die by Rebecca Zanetti #Thrillers / #Suspense

Series: A Laurel Snow Thriller # 3
Format: Mass Market, 368 pages
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Publisher: Zebra
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Suspense

Set against the atmospheric snowy backdrop of rural Pacific Northwest, New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Zanetti’s edgy, page-turning thriller will have readers guessing until the very end as rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow navigates her career as a serial killer hunter with her complicated family life. Now she’s in pursuit of a killer with a chillingly bitter M.O. – one that hits far too close to home…

Men are dying in the Pacific Northwest, their bodies found near churches, charities, and counseling centers—each with valentine candy hearts shoved down their throats. They’re good men with families and community ties—or so they seem until Laurel Snow and her team begin to investigate. Then the case takes a shockingly personal turn when the father she’s never met, a former pastor, turns up among the dead.

Now, besides solving her father’s murder, Laurel is on the hunt to discover the truth of his past. Complicating things is Laurel’s troubled half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant sociopath determined to prove that they’ve both inherited their father’s malignant narcissism.

Assisting Laurel is Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, a dangerous loner whose reliance on gut instinct puts him at odds with Laurel’s coolly analytic approach. But the choice may be moot when the killer hones in on Huck’s own dark secrets—putting him and Laurel squarely in the crosshairs.

You Can Die is the Third installment in author Rebecca Zanetti's Laurel Snow Thriller series. The Blacklist meets The Profiler in this edgy, gripping thriller that is set against the atmospheric snowy backdrop of rural Pacific Northwest. FBI profiler and Special Agent Laurel Snow navigates her career as a serial killer hunter with her complicated family life, especially her half sister Abigail, who may or may not be a sociopathic killer. Laurel has recently been given tentative approval to establish the FBI Pacific Northwest Violet Crimes Unit in Genesis Valley.

Laurel has already proved herself in two high profile cases. Now, Laurel and her team must deal with yet another possible serial killer who is leaving a trail of bodies behind. Men are dying in the Pacific Northwest, their bodies found near churches, charities, and counseling centers—each with valentine candy hearts shoved down their throats. They’re good men with families and community ties—or so they seem until Laurel Snow and her team  begin to investigate. Assisting Laurel is Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers. 

As the bodies pile up, and the list of possible suspects grows, including Laurel and her friend and Co-Worker Kate Vuitton, who was the ex-wife of the first man found murdered. Then the case takes a shockingly personal turn when the father she’s never met, a former pastor name Zeke Caine, turns up among the dead. Now, besides solving her father’s murder, Laurel is on the hunt to discover the truth of his past. Laurel would love to arrest Zeke for what he did to her own mother, but the case against him is decades old. Unless Laurel can find recent victims, Zeke is likely to walk away.

Complicating things is Laurel’s troubled half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant sociopath determined to prove that they’ve both inherited their father’s malignant narcissism. Abigail is by far the most dangerous person in this entire series. She hasn't been caught killing anyone, yet, but the signs and evidence are there that she has had her hands in pushing men with low self esteem to commit unthinkable crimes. Abigail is a brilliant, manipulative sociopath who likes to play mind games with Laurel to test her mettle. 

It’s not one-hundred-percent clear whether Abigail intends to kill Laurel, but it is one-hundred-percent clear that Laurel intends to hold Abigail accountable for her crimes. This is a series that ratchets up the suspense. The series is ideal for fans of shows about gritty underworlds, rural crime, and criminal profiling. The series’ unique blend of these elements will be like catnip for these robust fandoms. The two sisters at the center of the series are like two halves of one whole - one light, and one dark - one in law enforcement, the other a sociopath. This fascinating family dynamic set against a suspenseful crime mystery is sure to entice readers.

Thoughts: I have to say that I am curious as to where the author goes from here. Honestly, I thought this was a trilogy but with the ending, and things that happen to Laurel and Huck, as well as the fact that Abigail is a cyst that needs to be excised, there must be a fourth installment! 

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#Review - You Can Hide by Rebecca Zanetti #Thrillers #Suspense

Series: Laurel Snow # 2
Format: Mass Market, 352 pages
Release Date: November 29, 2022
Publisher: Zebra
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Suspense 

What do you do when a sociopath loves you? Rising star FBI profiler Laurel Snow is about to find out …

Calling Laurel Snow’s relationship with her newly discovered half-sister challenging is an understatement. Not only does Laurel suspect Abigail is behind the mysterious disappearance of their father, but her erratic behavior also makes life in Laurel’s small hometown interesting, to say the least. Still, when Abigail claims someone is now out to kill her, Laurel’s instinct to protect her sister goes into overdrive. Then things get even more dicey as dead bodies start turning up in the icy waters of the Sauk River and there’s only one connection among them: Abigail . . .

Having Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers bringing in those bodies with his dive team only complicates matters. Huck is as impulsive and fiery as Laurel is coolly analytical, which makes their alliance risky at best. But standing up to such a demonically brilliant killer is going to take all the help Laurel can get. Because Laurel’s attempt to save her troubled sister’s life might cost her own . . .

You Can Hide, by author Rebecca Zanetti, is the second book in the authors Laurel Snow series. This series is being compared to The Blacklist meets The Profiler meets Justified. The series is set against the atmospheric backdrop of rural Pacific Northwest. If features FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow as she strives to navigate her complicated family life when her newly discovered sociopathic half-sister Abigail becomes the target of a dangerous killer. 

It begins with a female victim who apparently was hiding from her stalker, only to be found, and murdered in the most horrific manner. Victim was well armed, and well stocked, but somehow her killer discovered where she was. Then comes Laurel's half sister Abigail Crane who claims that she is being stalked and her proof is the black dahlia flowers left behind. Then things get even more dicey as dead bodies of some very smart and important women start turning up and there’s only one connection among them: Abigail. 

Abigail feels as though Laurel owes her for killing her brother, and saving Laurel's life. With the murder case just beginning, Laurel has no time for the machinations of her half-sister, but Abigail refuses to be ignored, and everywhere Laurel looks for the murderer, Abigail turns up as a link. Abigail is a malignant narcissist, a sociopath, and maybe even a psychopath. She's always around even when she's not supposed to know what is happening to the women turning up dead. 

Laurel's reputation has taken a positive move forward in the last few months. She's solved the Finewood murders, she helped wrap up another case back in the DC area, and she's hopeful that she will be in charge of a new FBI Violent Crimes Unit that was supposed to be located in her hometown which would make things easier, especially with her relationship with Captain Huck Rivers from Fish and Wildlife getting interesting.  

Huck is a former sniper with PTSD who is always accompanied by his loyal work/support dog Aeneas. He also has to deal with a former lover making his life hard thus making Laurel's job of finding a serial killer harder. Huck and Laurel’s relationship has been simmering for awhile now. They both think they can’t get attached because it is against their nature. The part of this story that really got my attention, is that these serial killers only began after Laurel moved back to her hometown to investigate a possible serial killer. 

We know she's not a killer, but it's apparently become a cat and mouse game between sisters to see who blinks first and who can be the better sociopath. The sisters are mirror images of the other right down to the different color eyes, and the fact that Laurel has multiple doctorates in various areas of study which pushes Abigail's buttons. Abigail’s fixation with Laurel increases and grows more deadly with each story and I fear for the safety of anyone who Laurel knows, and loves. 

The ending of this book pretty much ensures that if you've read the first two installments, you will definitely be eager to read the next one.

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#Review - You Can Run (Laurel Snow #1) by Rebecca Zanetti #Thrillers #Suspense #Romance

Series: A Laurel Snow Thriller (#1)
Format: Mass Market, 400 pages
Release Date: January 25, 2022
Publisher: Zebra/Kensington
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers / Suspense

Laurel Snow wouldn’t call hunting a serial killer a vacation, but with a pile of dead bodies unearthed near her Genesis Valley, WA, hometown, she’ll take what she can get. Yet something about this case stirs her in unexpected ways. Like the startling connection she feels to Dr. Abigail Caine, a fiercely intelligent witness with a disturbing knack for making Laurel feel like she has something on her. Then there’s Laurel’s attraction to Huck Rivers, the fish and wildlife officer guiding her to the crime scene—and into the wilderness…
 
A former soldier and a trained sniper, Huck’s thirst for blood is rivaled only by his fierce pursuit of Laurel. He’s been burned by love, wounded by the government, and betrayed before, and to say he has trust issues is the ultimate understatement. Plus, he might be closer to this killer than anybody knows…
 
Once in the heart of darkness with Huck, Laurel must negotiate her distracting desire for him, her complex rapport with Abigail—and her mission to find a serial killer among a growing list of suspects and a danger that’s far too close to home. So close in fact, Laurel fears she will never find her way back to the woman she once was…

You Can Run is the first installment in author Rebecca Zanetti's new series called Laurel Snow thriller. Special Agent Laurel Snow, of the FBI, has just wrapped up a serial killer case in Texas when she receives a frantic call from her mother Deidre. Deidre claims that the local Sheriff in Washington State is harassing her Uncle Carl thinking that he's a serial killer after kids discover a dumping ground for women who were murdered. With approval from her boss, the Deputy Director of the FBI, Laurel, whose specialty is serial killers, catches the first flight to her home town of Genesis Valley, Washington. 

Laurel is an interesting character in that she left home at Eleven, and started college. She has odd eyes, a curious color of hair, and an insatiable intellect that has seen her study everything from Data Science to Gene Therapy. Laurel doesn't belong to any unit, but has quickly reached a supervisory position which allows her to travel to where the serial killers happen to be. Laurel immediately finds herself at odds with Washington Fish and Wildlife, who are licensed police officers, as well as Captain Huck Rivers who is something of a mystery, as well as the before mentioned arrogant Sheriff Upton York.

As the bodies begin to pile up, and the women all appear to have the same hair coloring, and have a connection to a certain church, the questions start getting hard, and the suspects are a plenty including Huck, who seems to have secrets that may or may not have anything to do with the crimes, the Sheriff who thinks Laurel is a screw up, and Dr. Abigail Caine who seems to gravitate towards wanting to know more about Laurel and where she came from thanks to her unusual eyes and her hair coloring. One could definitely say that she has a narcissistic personality disorder. 

Laurel has to put together her own team including a disgraced FBI agent named Walter Smudgeon and Kate Vuittron and her daughters who help Laurel with much needed research. After several attempts on her life, and the Sheriff looking at Huck for the murderers because of his background, Laurel has to swim thru quicksand in order to get answers she needs. But with the killer looking at making Laurel his next victim, her time might be quickly running out. With multiple degrees, she has been successful in her career, but doesn’t work with a partner and sometimes misses underlying signals from others in social situations. She knows there is something that stirs the blood when it comes to Huck, but she's not ready to settle down and start a family or have kids. She also has to deal with a family secret that will need to be fully addressed in the next book since this one left some twisted answers. 

 

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