When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz

November 29th, 2016 Kimberly Review 48 Comments

29th Nov
When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz
When All The Girls Have Gone
by Jayne Ann Krentz
Series: Cutler Sutter & Salinas #1
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

When Charlotte Sawyer is unable to contact her step-sister, Jocelyn, to tell her that one her closest friends was found dead, she discovers that Jocelyn has vanished.

Beautiful, brilliant—and reckless—Jocelyn has gone off the grid before, but never like this. In a desperate effort to find her, Charlotte joins forces with Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle after his previous career as a criminal profiler went down in flames—literally. Burned out, divorced and almost broke, Max needs the job.

After surviving a near-fatal attack, Charlotte and Max turn to Jocelyn’s closest friends, women in a Seattle-based online investment club, for answers. But what they find is chilling…

When her uneasy alliance with Max turns into a full-blown affair, Charlotte has no choice but to trust him with her life. For the shadows of Jocelyn’s past are threatening to consume her—and anyone else who gets in their way...

ARC REVIEW SUSPENSE ROMANCE

When All the Girls Have Gone is a standalone romantic suspense by Jayne Anne Krentz. I am a long time fan and read both her novels and those penned by her pseudonyms Jayne Castle and  Amanda Quick. While I enjoyed this murder mystery that involves a 15-year-old rape case, it didn’t quite capture me like most Krentz books.

The story begins when we meet Charlotte Sawyer, a young woman who has recently been jilted.  She loves her job at a retirement home but has been down in the dumps. Her sister is out of town, and she stops by to water her plants and check the mail. She finds an important message from one of her sister Jocelyn’s best friends that containing a set of keys. She decides to reach out to that friend and discovers she is dead.

Max Cutler, a struggling PI who recently moved to Seattle has been asked by the deceased’s brother to investigate. Police have deemed her death an overdose, but Max soon feels differently. When Charlotte arrives keys in hand, the two end up working the case together. Things escalate, and they soon find themselves in grave danger with a growing suspect list.

Krentz uses a tried and true formula with her books adding twists and characters that allow me to settle in and become engaged. In When All the Girls Have Gone, I never became completely caught up. I wasn’t bored per se, but I wasn’t completely pulled into the tale. The story was too predictable, with a lot of info dumps and what felt like a rushed ending to me. Having said that Charlotte and Max worked the case well together. I enjoyed the moments of suspense and seeing the pieces click into place.

I liked both characters, particularly Max with his dark childhood history. I loved the details and in fact, would like that story, but Krentz also left me unsatisfied. I want more information on his two brothers. Why isn’t this a trilogy? Charlotte has been disillusioned with love, but it was nice to see that she emerged from that experience stronger and unjaded.

The romance was enjoyable, and I appreciated the mutual respect, sharing of secrets and butterfly moments.

When All the Girls Have Gone was an enjoyable read it just didn’t earn a place among my Krentz favorites. I still recommend you read it, but for budget conscious readers a trip to the library may be the better option.

When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz was a predictable yet enjoyable read Share on X
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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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48 Responses to “When All The Girls Have Gone by Jayne Ann Krentz”

  1. AngelErin

    Too bad you couldn’t add it to your list of favorites by her, but I’m glad you enjoyed it! I have never read a book by her, but I would like to!

  2. Michelle

    I didn’t know she wrote as Amanda Quick too! Oh my oh my! I haven’t read any of her books for a looooong time. Time to start! I will start with this book. Thanks for sharing your review!

      • Michelle

        I don’t think I have read it and it’s most probably because my library did not have it at that point of time (few years ago). The storyline did sound much better than the Vanza series I’ve read and more exciting!

  3. Deborah

    I enjoyed this one but am with you on the trilogy thing… or perhaps it will become a series or something?!

  7. Cyn

    I’ve read her Amanda Quick books, but not these yet. Glad this was still enjoyable even though it didn’t jump to the top. Lovely review, Kim!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Have you read the Arcane series that begins with Second Sight? The series crosses over to present day (written by Krentz) and then to future (Jayne Castle) It is one of my favorite series.

  10. Lily B

    I’m sorry it was too predictable and I hate when you are left with a lot of unanswered questions. I am glad you were still able to enjoy it
    thank you, btw, for letting me know the site is down, its back up

  11. Lorna

    You would think that for as much romantic suspense I have read that I would have read her under one of her names, but I really haven’t. And it sounds like this wouldn’t be the one to start with. Rushed endings and info dumps…No thanks. Good, honest review as always though 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      She writes historical -romance, paranormal, mystery under Amanda Quick. As Jayne Castle, she writes futuristic romantic suspense and as Krentz she writes contemporary romantic suspense sometimes with paranormal elements. Her favorite series of mine is the Arcane Society which begins with Second Sight by Amanda Quick. It begins in the past, the series moves to present with Krentz then continues in the future with Castle. They are romantic suspense with paranormal elements.

  12. Quinn's Book Nook

    I keep meaning to read some Krentz again. I read some of hers when I was first getting into romance, but that was maybe 10 years ago. I haven’t read anything by her in YEARS! I’m glad you enjoyed it, even though you didn’t love it.

  13. Heidi

    I have this one up tomorrow. This was my first book by this author. I enjoyed it, but I agree with you, I was a bit bothered by the unfinished story line with Max’s past and his brothers. I thought there might be more?

  14. Debbie Haupt

    I can always count on you for an honest opinion Kim and I would have doled out the dough for one of Krentz’s HB copies because she’s a go-to author for me but occasionally like they all do they put out one that just does’t quite hit the mark. Off to the library I go, I hope they have it in audible.

  15. Sophia Rose

    It’s such a nagging itch when a book is close, but not quite there. I really enjoyed a few of her books so I guess it’s just the fluke one.

  16. sherry fundin

    I love Krentz, but I sometimes wonder about prolific and established authors. Do they rush to meet a deadline and the book suffers? Or….

  18. Laurel-Rain Snow

    I’m sorry you were disappointed! I just downloaded this one, after waiting for what felt like ages for the release date.

    I hope to love it…but we’ll see. Thanks for sharing.

  19. kindlemom1

    While this doesn’t sound bad, it doesn’t sound like her best either. I think I’ll start somewhere else first with this author. 😉