Review – The Janes by Louisa Luna

Posted January 20, 2020 by Carole in 2020 New Release Challenge, Book Reviews / 21 Comments

The Janes by Louisa Luna
Series: Alice Vega #2
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publication Date: January 21, 2020
Date Read: January 15, 2020
Length:  320 pages
Source: NetGalley
★★★★☆

The electric follow-up to Louisa Luna’s acclaimed thriller Two Girls Down, featuring private investigators Alice Vega and Max Caplan.

On the outskirts of San Diego, the bodies of two young women are discovered. They have no names, no IDs, and no family looking for them. Fearing the possibility of a human trafficking ring, the police and FBI reach out to Alice Vega, a private investigator known for finding the missing, for help in finding out who the Janes were—and finding the others who are missing.

Alice Vega is a powerful woman whose determination is matched only by her intellect, and, along with her partner Cap, she will stop at nothing to find the Janes before it is too late.

My Review

Wow!  This book was one heck of a roller coaster ride!  I was really excited to start reading this book after thoroughly enjoying the first book in the series, Two Girls Down.   This book ended up being just as exciting as the first, if not more.  It took me a bit to get into the story but once I did, I didn’t want to put the book down.  This was a really wonderful read.

Alice Vega is a private investigator and is known for solving some hard cases.  She is hired to help out with a case involving two unidentified victims that were killed in a very similar manner.  She knows that she is going to need backup so she calls Max Caplan, a former officer, in to help.  Because Vega and Cap aren’t the police they have a little more flexibility and are more than willing to step over a few lines if that is what it takes to solve a case.  They are also very good at their job and will not stop until the case is solved.

I thought that this mystery was very well done.  There are so many things at play that I was never quite sure where the story would go next.  I don’t think I was able to figure anything out until the author wanted me to.  I loved the way that Vega and Cap trusted each other and supported any hunches the other might have.  There were plenty of twists in the story and I was satisfied by how the mystery was wrapped up.

This book was exciting!  There are times that Alice almost seems like a superhero with Max as her sidekick.  I mean that woman can do anything and with Max backing her up, she seemed invincible.  I will say that some of the action was a bit unbelievable.  That didn’t bother me though because it was a whole lot of fun.  I liked how unpredictable Vega was.  I never knew what she would come up with next because it would be in character for her to do just about anything.

I would recommend this book to others.  This is the second book in the Alice Vega series but I think it would work as a stand-alone just fine.  Although the first book is really good so you really don’t want to skip it.  I was completely entertained by this exciting story and cannot wait to go along with Vega and Cap on further adventures!

I received a digital review copy of this book from Doubleday Books via NetGalley.

The Alice Vega Series
Book #1 – Two Girls DownMy Review
Book #2 – The Janes – Available January 21, 2020!
About the Author

Louisa Luna is the author of Two Girls Down (featuring Vega and Cap) as well as Brave New Girl and Crooked. She was born and raised in San Francisco and lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her husband and daughter.

Author Links: Goodreads 

21 responses to “Review – The Janes by Louisa Luna

  1. This sounds really good, even if the action got a little much at times. The mystery sounds really satisfying which is always good.

    • I never thought that the action was too much. I loved all the action! There were times though that it was hard to believe that a human could really do all of the things Vega and Cap were doing. I think that it is not an uncommon thing to see though.

  2. it's great when the second book is as good as the first. makes it easy to know grabbing the next one would be a good idea. i was just browsing on net galley, but didn't grab anything.
    sherry @ fundinmental

  3. I love it when I get so wrapped up in a story that I can let things that might otherwise bother me go! That says something for how enthralling it was!

    Great review.

  4. oh I lived in dread of reading this review because I knew I would want this one. I read Kimberly's review too and yes I want these. I went right out and got Two Girls Down from the library. Excellent review!

    Anne – Books of My Heart

  5. I haven't read anything by this author, but I do love my mystery/thrillers. It's a little irritating when the protags seem to be able to do everything without ever making a mistake. I can forgive that if the book is engrossing enough, though!

  6. I've seen some good reviews on this and your review has sold me! This sounds really good and definitely like one I need to pick up – especially since I've been in a bit of a thriller mood lately.