You Can Die (Laurel Snow) – ARC review

You Can Die
by Rebecca Zanetti
Release Date: July 25, 2023
Publisher: Zebra Books
Book #3 in the Laurel Snow series
Number of pages: 354
Source: ARC from NetGalley
Suspense/Thriller
Ages 16 and up
CW: murder, violence, gas-lighting,
mentions of rape, serial killer
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Men are dying in the Pacific Northwest, their bodies found near churches, charities, and counseling centers–each with valentine candy hearts shoved down their throats. They’re good men with families and community ties–or so they seem until Laurel Snow and her team begin to investigate. Then the case takes a shockingly personal turn when the father she’s never met, a former pastor, turns up among the dead.

Now, besides solving her father’s murder, Laurel is on the hunt to discover the truth of his past. Complicating things is Laurel’s troubled half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant sociopath determined to prove that they’ve both inherited their father’s malignant narcissism.

Assisting Laurel is Washington Fish and Wildlife Captain Huck Rivers, a dangerous loner whose reliance on gut instinct puts him at odds with Laurel’s coolly analytic approach. But the choice may be moot when the killer hones in on Huck’s own dark secrets–putting him and Laurel squarely in the crosshairs.

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Oh, Huck. How do I love thee? The stories in this series would not be classified as romance, but definitely have romantic elements. These are all interconnected with one main character running through them. Laurel Snow is an FBI agent and these stories are all about her solving cases. That doesn’t mean the hottie from the Fish and Wildlife Department who is always there to lead a hand to her team isn’t a love interest, it just means the Laurel/Huck story is not the central theme of these books. But you know me, I’m a sucker for the romantic elements and Huck is quite the hero.

While the murder investigations are interesting and always tie into Laurel’s personal life, more and more we’re seeing how her half-sister is orchestrating everything. Abigail and Laurel didn’t know of each other until recently. They are both geniuses in every sense of the word. Yet Laurel is kind, moral, and loving while Abigail is cold, vindictive, and narcissistic. The author does such a great job with Abigail because I cannot stand her and she legitimately gives me the creeps. Now that we’re into the third book I second guess every single move Abigail makes, from the words she’s saying to the subtle brush of her hand on someone’s arm. I don’t trust her at all and always look for some angle she must be playing.

But let’s get back to Huck and the way he is with Laurel. Because Laurel is a genius and went to college early, she doesn’t have great social skills and doesn’t read people well. Huck understands this and, even better, understands her. When he realizes she is insecure about her “skills” at dating because she imagines she is supposed to act a certain way (insecurities Abigail put in her head, of course), he tells her, “You don’t have to be anything or anybody but you.” And he means what he says. He has no expectations of a traditional relationship. It’s touching to see him help her navigate these emotional situations she has never been confronted with before.

The stories in this series don’t grab me the way this author’s other paranormal romance books do, but they are still interesting and have me looking forward to the next every time.

3.5 stars

**I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely*