Customer Reviews

Head To Head

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Really deliberated about this review...did not want to be like reviewers that ramble on and on until plot has been given away, or, like the ones who simply say "good book" with no real input.
I had read where this author was a romance novelist and this was her first mystery. What a debut! This novel is actually two stories, a background story and an current situation. The two merge just past 3/4 way through. When they merge, all hades breaks loose. Not only is the book intense, it is also frightening....because, even tho' this is a work of fiction, you know and I know, that this "crazy" really exists, somewhere.

After working Robbery/Homicide in Los Angeles and undergoing a horrible tragedy homicide detective Claire Morgan moves to Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri where the biggest crimes are domestic disturbances someone stealing a lawn ornament, and x-rated phone calls. That all changes when a murder occurs at Cedar Bend Lodge which is owned and operated by the wealthy and charismatic Nicholas Black. The victim, a famous soap opera star, is found posed underwater sitting at a table covered with kitchen items as if she was waiting for a meal to be served.

At first Claire thinks Nick is the most likely suspect especially when someone attacks her and puts her in the water to drown. She arrests Nick then and there she but he is released after cops prove with the security tapes he wasn't the person who attacked her. When she learns the relationship between the victim and Nick, she crosses him off her suspects list and he begins helping them profile the serial killer. The medical examiner discovers that it is the victim's body but someone else's face attached to the body. When another victim wearing the first victim's face is found in the place where they tape the soaps in L.A. is found Claire's past is exposed. Her boss is so livid he suspends her but she is later reinstated and finds herself in danger because she was the target all along.

Linda Ladd has written a riveting and chilling thriller that is really two stories in one. The second story is about a child called Brat who is the victim of physical, sexual and emotional abuse who at the age of fourteen began a killing spree. He kills the victims and chops off their heads so they can keep his mother's head company. How this relates to the main storyline is an another great mystery written by an author who knows how to create two separate but parallel stories. HEAD TO HEAD IS memorizing and exciting reading and the sexual tension that exists between Claire and Nick adds an extra layer to this fantastic novel.

Harriet Klausner

Ladd's Head to Head introduces us to Detective Claire Morgan, a woman with secrets trying to solve a gruesome crime at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri.
Very rich, very sexy Nick Black is a suspect.
Sexual tension is high, suspicions abound and the killer keeps upping the stakes as Claire gets closer to solving the case.
This is a fast-paced ride with a predictable ending. However, the twists this novel takes to get you there will have your jaw dropping.
Those that enjoy the J.D. Robb series will notice similarities between Ladd's Nick and Claire with Robb's Roarke and Eve, but the characters in this series are unique in their own right - and live in real time, not the future.
Looking forward to the second installment - and hoping to see more of the really sexy Nicky.
-- Angela Wilson

In the past month, I have read all four of Linda Ladd's books. I am an avid reader and it was Amazon.com that directed me to Ms. Ladd's books based on my reading history. Her books were awesome! While they are murder mysteries, there are parts that have you laughing and then there is also some romance. Love the books! She is in the process of getting her fifth book published and needs her fans to support her. Please don't leave us hanging........

I hesitated to read this, because I don't generally like romances, and romances are what this author is known for. Now I'm glad I gave it a try. It was a page turner from the very beginning, and followed two parallel stories: the serial killer and the detective. Though there were a few points where the romance author peeked through, they were VERY few. I usually enjoy authors like Patricia Cornwell, Stuart Woods, Iris Johansen, and Lee Child. I enjoyed this book just as much as any of them, and look forward to reading more from Linda Ladd in the future. The heroine was a tough female lead, and I enjoyed the Missouri setting, and hope to read more about her in future books.

Head to Head is an amazing story! I was hooked from the very first page and could NOT put it down. The twists and turns kept me guessing until the end and it was scary enough to cause me to lose a little sleep!
Claire Morgan is an awesome character...I love her sharp wit and I am going to buy the next book in this series TONIGHT!
Overall, well-written, funny, and thrilling!

With one most excellent surprise, and several other darn good ones, Linda Ladd unfolds a fascinating murder mystery that ranges from Louisana bayous to L.A. soundstages and the Ozarks. She weaves glimpses of a strange child's shattered life among the mingled storyline of bizarre murder, personal trauma, and inevitable romance. The weak part of the book is its naive depiction of the embalming profession - a prep room is very little like an abattoir and one doesn't freelance without a credential or two. Still and all, the story's eerieness and ickiness are well served by the disservice to embalmers, so Ladd gets a pass on this one. The strength of the novel is the energy between Det. Claire Morgan and super-psychiatrist Nicholas Black. The author's skill in showing and growing relationships is most evident in her playing Claire's many issues against Black's sangfroid, one that warms up, though, at the right times. And when the suspense comes to a head, there's no putting the book down - you have to know how she's going to get out of this one and how she came to get in it in the first place.

I read a lot of mystery and suspense novels, romance and otherwise. I usually can guess the ending and the bad guy. Not this one. After reading this book I had to find Linda Ladd's other suspense novel "Running Scared" It was also excellent and has been turned into a movie. Both were GREAT books.

Ladd's Head to Head introduces us to Claire Morgan a detective with the sheriff's department in Lake of the Ozarks Missouri who's trying to solve a gruesome murder. Ladd introduces us to the sexy, supremely rich psychiatrist, Nick Black, a suspect in Morgan's case.
Tempers flare, sexual tension abounds and the killer keeps upping the stakes as this fast-pasted novel rushes to a somewhat predictable end. The twists to get to that end, howevever, will keep readers on their toes.
Those who enjoy J.D. Robb's Lt. Eve Dallas series will likely enjoy this first in a series. It's in real time, not the future, but the relationship between Nick and Claire, and the unique details of the crimes are edgy and similar to Eve and her husband, Roarke.
---Angela Wilson
Missouri

This was a great book.

Claire is a great character. The story is told in her voice and she is quite funny. There is also the side story of the serial killer which is quite gruesome, so Claire's sarcastic humor helps break the tension. The author did a great job of keeping you guessing who the killer is. I highly recommend this book!