#davidjameswarren

No Unturned Stone
by David James Warren
Book 2 in the True Lies of Rembrandt Stone series
Rating: 4.5/5

This time-traveling saga continues with Detective Rembrandt Stone trying to figure out what went wrong and how he can fix it. You definitely need to read the first book before reading this one or the story won’t make any sense.

Detective Stone has returned to his timeline only to find that tragedy has touched his family and life in unimaginable ways and whatever he did in the past has changed his present timeline. As he wonders why his old boss gave him the mysterious watch, he struggles with the changes in his life and wonders if he can have his former life back. When he gets sent back to another time in the past to solve another murder, Rembrandt hopes that he can make the right change to put his life back together. His relationship with Eve is inevitable, right? While Rembrandt deals with the ramifications from solving that first cold case, he does his best to solve another murder case which may be related to a serial killer. While trying to solve that murder, he also tries to play guardian angel. What will be the consequences of his actions if he tries to intervene again?

In this second installment, the reader learns a bit more about the purpose of the time-traveling watch and why it was given to Rembrandt. Inevitably, Rembrandt can’t get his new present out of his head and is determined to somehow get his old life back. He struggles with the decision of whether or not to change the past – to take action to save lives. As a reader, I completely understand his predicament and his drive to save people, but I also empathize with his inability to comprehend that his actions have severe consequences. I enjoyed this trio’s writing and the filling out of the characters. I like hearing both Rembrandt’s and Eve’s voices. This story is only just beginning. and of course, it ends on another cliffhanger reveal that has me demanding the next book now. LOL.

Highly recommend this exciting time-traveling saga with romance, mystery, and suspense. You won’t want to miss this continuation of the story.

My thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.

Cast the First Stone
by David James Warren
Book 1 in the True Lies of Rembrandt Stone series
Rating: 4.5/5
Release date: February 9, 2021
Preorder here!

I am a huge fan of Susan May Warren and was super excited to be chosen to be an early reviewer of this new series by multiple authors; however, I had a hard time reading past the first few chapters of the book but then BAM! The story really picked up, and I couldn’t stop reading till the end. So if you start this book, please give it a chance and you will not be disappointed.

Rembrandt Stone’s life is not perfect as a struggling author and former police investigator, but he doesn’t hate his life. His wife, Eve, and daughter, Ashley, are the loves of his life, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. When his old boss leaves him his watch and a box of cold case files, Rem’s life gets very strange very fast. He remembers the unsolved case that haunts his nightmares and suddenly, it feels like he’s traveled back in time to try to solve the case before it’s too late. Can he discover what he missed previously? And at what cost?

Wow. Simple enough premise, but the authors did a great job of bringing Rembrandt Stone’s past to life. I felt like I was right there with Rem experiencing the investigation and its many twists and turns. Getting into his head was interesting as he tried to sort through what he already knew from what he had forgotten. Although I wasn’t quite hooked from the first few chapters, they were still necessary to establish Rem’s background and home life. I expected the cliffhanger ending since it’s a series and felt it was necessary. If you’ve ever seen the TV show, Continuum, you may enjoy this story that has some similarities but also has its own nuances. I can’t wait to read what comes next!

Highly recommend if you enjoy time travel and crime thrillers with a hint of romance. I feel like the book (and series) has something for everyone.

My thanks to the author for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions expressed here are entirely my own. No positive review was expected and no compensation received.