Thanks to NetGalley + Thomas & Mercer for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. 

A faster medium-paced mystery/thriller due out later this year that's solidly written and earns a good middle of the ground three stars from me due to it featuring a femme protagonist who is struggling with some of her demons, but that repeats tropes around abused people being "incapable" of love (even if that trope is mildly challenged prior to narrative's resolution), and some other incongruous and/or frustrating portions of the narrative. Solid and will be enjoyed thoroughly by the right reader! 

Positive factors: 
- Good chapter length, and chapters that end on the right note to keep the pages turning/keep the reader engaged. 
- The author doesn't make too many assumptions about their reader (e.g. Stockholm syndrome and other things that are explained sufficiently, but explanations aren't over the top/are sufficiently woven into the narrative as to not be distracting).
- Interesting use of science/AI/compsci that adds to the intrigue factor in this novel.
- Formulaic of thrillers/cop murder mysteries in a good way with some twists that felt predictable and others that didn't.

Factors that gave me pause/felt less positive:
- <spoiler> Poison used by the antagonist is distilled from a common southern/southwestern native plant, and is discussed by profilers as if it's not a commonly gardened native plant - felt unrealistic </spoiler>
- Unrealistic access granted by two of the profiler team to a special collections portion of an academic library without any interaction with library staff (unrealistic)
- Minor story/narrative misalignment when <spoiler> Nina + co discover Melissa's body but then the text refers to a student discovering it earlier in the day in the next chapter </spoiler>
- Repetition throughout the novel of tropes that are simply incorrect by protagonist about abused people not being able to provide/give love or create loving environments (protagonist constantly refers to herself as "incapable" of love throughout), and while this is somewhat resolved by the end of the novel when <spoiler> Nina "realizes" she's capable of love </spoiler>, it's nonetheless a worrisome trope to have repeated so frequently by an otherwise strong femme protagonist.
- Antagonist's backstory weave in isn't really resolved by the team, and the chapters where the reader gains insight feel a bit incongruous at the end/like things weren't quite resolved/wrapped as tightly as I'd have liked to see.