Customer Reviews

Blue Valor

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the second instalment of the "Blue" Kay Delaney series, Haus does NOT disappoint. In fact, she makes you wish she had dozens of titles already to her name so you could go back and read more!

In Blue Valor, Detectives Kay Delaney and Danny Finnerty are partnered once again on a case that -- as the back cover says -- defies imagination. And even if your imagination is pretty wild and dark, even YOU won't guess the twists and turns this book takes.

All is definitely not as it seems as the body count rises and even as they finally have a suspect. It's a wild ride from start to finish, with plenty of riveting drama, high-tension action, and edge-of-your-seat twists from foot chases to car chases to flying bullets and attacking dogs (if you're a pit bull lover you might not like one particular scene in this book). And through it all, Haus maintains the high level of scientific and forensic accuracy and reality that we've come to expect from her since Blue Mercy.

This is yet another fantastic instalment in a series that definitely puts a lot of the other thrillers on the shelves to shame!

Still not sure why these books aren't coming out in hardcover, but I'm certainly glad! It means they're in my hands a lot sooner!! And given the cliffhanger at the end of Blue Valor, that 'sooner' can't be soon enough!!!

A still-warm heart: Threat or Offering? Promise or Plea?

In Illona Haus's well written second novel, the plot twists and character development keep you enthralled until the end- even after you THINK you've figured it out!

A wonderful blend of police procedural and "whodunit", Illona Haus has a real gift for presenting the reader with all the necessary clues without giving away the ending. The 'red herrings' in Blue Valor kept me distracted right until the end of the story- and I usually recognize plot twists immediately! Characters and settings leap off the pages at you and create vivid images, pulling you even further into the story.

Way to go Illona Haus! I'm waiting for #3

A tale of a killer, so wicked, it defies the imagination. I had to keep the night light on for several nights, and check the doors several times, to insure that I had indeed locked them, before I could sleep. This book is not for those with a weak heart.

I was looking forward to reading this sequel to Blue Mercy, especially after reading its preview at the end of the first book. I was not disappointed. The first book spends time building the bare facts of the characters' lives. The sequel adds depth to both Kay and Finn and also introduces some new characters in a really interesting supporting cast.

Another reviewer used the word "tense" to describe the plot development and I have to agree. This book is tighter wound than the first, with even more of the details that fans of police procedurals live for.

There is a great cliffhanger in the side plot that will have me eagerly looking for the next installment!

Once again Illona Haus delivers a fast paced guess who done it, and just when you think you know who the killer is she suprises us with the real murderer, and you'll never guess who it is until the end.

In "Blue Valor" we once again meet up with Kay and Finn along with the gritty streets of Baltimore while they try and figure out who left a warm steaming heart nearby a school, and how it ties into the numerous murders of women that keep piling up.

I enjoyed this book so much that I read half of it in one night and I'm no speed reader. This book has all the elements of a good read. It is full of suspense as the detectives hunt for this vicious killer. The way Haus describes elements in the story is fresh and makes you feel a part of the drama. There is enough relationship drama to peak your interest, but not enough to make it a chick book. It has a sexual element that makes it edgy and a bit wicked. Plus the ending is unexpected and makes you wonder why you didn't make the connection. I am a huge fan of detective thrillers, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and stories that explore relationships. This book gives me all that and more. When I finished the book, I was fulfilled yet I can't wait for her next novel.

I'm not good at writing reviews, cause I really hate to give away any details for other readers. So, I'll just say that I really enjoyed this book and found it hard to put down. It was better than the first in this series. I loved the characters, it kept me going, and had a great ending I didn't expect. I hope this author will continue to produce this series. If you're looking for an excellent read, pick up Blue Valor!

Baltimore homicide detectives Kay Delaney and Danny Finnerly are partners on the job and in their personal lives even though she has commitment problems that will not allow her to move in with her lover let alone marry him. Their latest case starts off bizarrely when a human heart is left near the posh private Langley Country School. During the interviews of the staff, the two cops learn that a student Leslie Richter was murdered two months ago.

Kat has a hunch that the heart and the murdered girl are connected, which makes her wonder if they have a serial killer on their hands. A few weeks later, another young woman is raped, beaten, and left for dead near a highway; she dies in the hospital. Forensic evidence affirms that the same person killed the three coeds and when a fourth has been abducted Kay is in a race against the clock to find her before she too dies.

Fans of police procedural thrillers like those written by Kay Hooper and Leslie Glass will want to read the tense BLUE VALOR. The story line that provides the tormented internal soul of police officers especially how their struggles with a nasty case involving youngsters impact their emotions and subsequently their personal lives. Illona Haus is a talented author who provides many twists to the homicide investigation that will keep her audience wondering what will happens next. However, it is the humanizing of her heroine and her partner that makes this a very worthy read.

Harriet Klausner

Every once in a while, it's a breathtaking reading pleasure to find a title that clicks on all levels, and BLUE VALOR certainly fits that bill. Homicide Detective Kay Delaney works for the Baltimore PD and with her partner Danny "Finn" Finnerty tries to stop a serial killer's bloody spree. Illona Haus writes at a high level with true echoes of Patricia Cornwell, Karin Slaughter, Sue Grafton, and the late Dorothy Uhnak. Ms. Hau's settings are visceral, her flawed characters complex, and her pacing over the full narrative masterful. The cops' personal lives, particularly Kay's, are real world enough without usurping the main story. I like how the authentic details of investigative work are layered into the events. Several inventive, plausible twists spice up the plot. If you enjoy reading tough lady cop stories, don't overlook this one.

Illona Haus has once again created a page turner with her book Blue Valor. Following the same characters she developed in her first book Blue Mercy, Haus keeps you in suspense as the plot twists and turns. I never suspected the book would end the way it did and not only did I recommend it to my friends i bought several copies for them and my parents. I highly recommend anything by Illona Haus and have already read her third in this series Blue Justice, which is better than the fisrt two. Now I have to wait for number 4!!!!!!