Mind Games - Nancy Mehl

As the daughter of a convicted serial killer, Kaely Quinn, formerly Jessica Oliphant, has a unique perspective on the criminal mind.  Honing her skills as a profiler for the FBI, Kaely has come under scrutiny for her past, and has been forced to change locations to continue her career.  However, the evil in her childhood continues to pursue her, with a news reporter hounding her for her story, and now it seems, a serial killer is targeting her.  Can Kaely profile and find the culprit, or is she too close to the source and too far from her memories of that part of her life to see clearly?

Books about murderers are always tough to read, without feeling that shadow of darkness that clings to their stories.  Yet, within that dark place, there is so much room for the Light to shine.  Kaely Quinn has known so much darkness, and yet she manages to continue to cling to God, knowing that He is bigger than the evil she confronts on a daily basis.  She is a complex character, battling with not just the criminals she profiles, but with the nagging guilt that she should have seen that evil in her father, even as a child.  She may have trust issues, and she may choose her friends carefully, but she is trying to move forward and do her work well. 

While the plot of this book is a bit stomach-twisting, with innocent bystanders being put in jeopardy so that the villain can take out his or her anger on Kaely, the characters are really well written, and there are several plausible options for the suspect.  The author sends her reader down multiple paths of possibilities, while never outright hiding the true criminal.  Kaely's relationships served the purpose of giving insight into her as well, showing where she puts her trust and how she does what she does. 

I give this book 3.5 stars; I am intrigued by Kaely, and am interested in following the hints laid down at the end of this book into the continuing series. 

You can find Mind Games HERE.
You can find the author's page HERE.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.