Title: Don’t Open The Door
(Regan Merritt #2)
Author: Allison Brennan
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Crime
First published: January 24th 2023
Publisher: MIRA
Finished reading: January 18th 2023
Pages: 368

“Violent death was cruel to the dead, but even more to the living, the survivors, the grieving. They both felt an overwhelming emptiness.”

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and MIRA in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

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I’ve been meaning to try this author for years now, but somehow her books always seemed to slip between the cracks of my TBR mountain. When I saw the opportunity to read Don’t Open The Door, I decided to jump right in even though I still had to read the first book of the series; I thought it would be the perfect excuse to read both books quickly. I’m definitely glad I did, because the first book ended up a solid start of the series, and this sequel was even better. What a ride it was!

Before I continue, I do have to say that I recommend reading the books in order; both because it will make it easier to understand Regan’s character and because this sequel continues where the first book left off. The Sorority Murder might have a slower start with a pace that takes a while to pick up, but the podcast angle is very well done and the second half truly picks up. Don’t Open The Door has a completely different feel though, and basically hits the ground running. The story starts with a bang, and things never slow down afterwards… There is a constant threat of danger around every corner and of course the conspiracy plot itself to keep you busy. There are also plenty of twists along the way, and the questions around the deaths of Regan’s son Chase as well as her former boss Tommy will have you turning those pages at speed.

While Don’t Open The Door has multiple POVs, we mainly stay with Regan as she tries to find out what Tommy discovered about Chase and who was behind the death of both. I liked this focus on Regan, and we get to know her better this way as well, which is a bonus. The other POVs complemented the plot without distracting, and it was interesting to see how the different characters reacted to the developments in the plot. Don’t Open The Door definitely has that conspiracy plot element going on, and it was intriguing to see the different parts of the puzzle slowly coming together and finally discover the truth about it all.

I really enjoyed the writing style, and Don’t Open The Door has convinced me I need to try more of her work soon. This sequel was a lot more fast-paced and action-packed than the first one, and especially the second half was explosive. Things can be said about the credibility of certain aspects of the plot, but I personally didn’t mind because the entertainment factor was most definitely there. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossedd that we will get more Regan Merritt books in the future!

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