It’s tour day! A big thank you to Entangled Publishing and TLC Book Tours for the free copy in exchange for our honest reviews
THE POET – Lisa Renee Jones (Released March 9th, 2021)
Book Description:
“The poet is a liar who always speaks the truth.” -Jean Cocteau
Some call him friend or boss.
Some call him husband or dad.
Some call him son, even a favorite son.
But the only title that matters to him is the one the media has given him: The Poet.
A name he earned from the written words he leaves behind after he kills that are as dark and mysterious as the reason he chooses his victims.
One word, two, three, a story in a poem, a secret that only Detective Samantha Jazz can solve. Because he’s writing this story for her.
She just doesn’t know it yet.
My Thoughts: 3/5 stars
Thrillers that have short chapters just know how to suck me in. As someone that reads chapter to chapter – I don’t even understand how someone can stop on a random page or even in the middle of one – it turns into that awful cycle of “this chapter is ONLY 4 pages, I can do another one quick”. Then before I even realize it, I’ve finished the book. Well, THE POET by Lisa Renee Jones is one of those books. Short chapters, a serial killer, and a good police procedural is what you’ll find here. I will say that it’s good to note, despite the chapter lengths, this does have a slower building pace. More police procedural/mystery than a thriller.
If you love being in the killer’s POV, then you’ll really enjoy this book! Give me a sadistic killer with some gruesome crime scenes any day and I’ll be anxious to see where things will end. Detective Samantha Jazz was fun to get to know and with this being the first in the series, I’m curious to see where the author will take her next. I’m not sure what it was, but there was just something missing for me. I just couldn’t completely connect with the characters despite still being semi-invested in the story.
Overall, I’ll definitely pick up the next in the series to see how things progress for Samantha. If you want a good police procedural, then I highly recommend picking up THE POET.
Chandra’s Thoughts: 3/5 stars
I do love me a good serial killer who leaves a “calling card” and here we meet THE POET. Leaving clues in his victim’s mouths that only Detective Jazz can decipher… as he’s doing this all for her. But why? (I’m still not entirely sure.)
The short chapters kept this story moving but I never found myself fully invested. The police procedural aspect of the read is well done. I do think that the story could’ve been cut a bit. And despite a couple plot holes, it’s an entertaining read. I always enjoy being in the killer’s head. It’s just fascinating to get that POV. And Samantha is a fun character that I think will grow a lot through the series. However, I do wish we got a bit more from the both of them. The characters felt a bit two dimensional and I needed a bit more depth. As a first in a series book, this feels like it is laying the foundation and maybe the depth will come with subsequent installments.
My take away is that this is a bit of a slow paced procedural/mystery with a disturbing serial killer that I wanted more from. If you like serial killers with poetic tendencies (*wink*), I think you would enjoy this read quite a bit.
About the Author:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones is the author of the highly acclaimed INSIDE OUT series. Suzanne Todd (Alice in Wonderland) on the INSIDE OUT series: Lisa has created a beautiful, complicated, and sensual world that is filled with intrigue and suspense. Sara’s character is strong, flawed, complex, and sexy – a modern girl we all can identify with.
In addition to the success of Lisa’s INSIDE OUT series, Lisa has published many successful titles. The TALL, DARK AND DEADLY series and THE SECRET LIFE OF AMY BENSEN series, both spent several months on a combination of the New York Times and USA Today bestselling lists. Lisa’s other bestselling series include: DIRTY RICH and WHITE LIES.
Prior to publishing Lisa owned multi-state staffing agency that was recognized many times by The Austin Business Journal and also praised by the Dallas Women’s Magazine. In 1998 Lisa was listed as the #7 growing women owned business in Entrepreneur Magazine.
Jessicamap Reviews 
I love a calling card, too! It is 100% creepy to say that out loud but I can’t help it. HA! Thank you for being on this tour! Sara @ TLC Book Tours
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