Relentless

Emily Kimelman

Sydney Rye Mysteries Book 16 · Emily Kimelman

About this eBook

To her neighbors, Jennifer Johnson seemed odd, just a little off. How could she not? Her entire existence was a lie.

While the child at her breasts was really hers, the husband by her side…not so much. John and Jennifer Johnson shared the same innocuous last name—second most common in the United States—but he was not the father of her son, nor the love of her life. 

The Johnsons had a dog they called Buddy, the second most popular dog name in the country. Tall as a Great Dane with the snout of a Collie, the markings of a Siberian Husky, and the thick coat of a wolf with one blue eye and one brown, that dog watched the baby as if he was operating some kind of military operation. It was adorable.

Buddy wasn't fixed though, something noted on by the homeowners association. A discussion ensued as to whether he was even allowed to be in the neighborhood, such a large hairy dog with such big balls. Is that what Hidden Bush was all about?

The husband though, everyone liked him. Tall, fit, and handsome, he had beers with the men and helped women with their groceries. He said they'd chosen this community because they liked it, which made people feel good about the Johnsons. They could live anywhere, and they'd chosen Hidden Bush…that said something good about the neighborhood for sure. For absolute sure.

The wife was a bit odd though, everyone had to admit it. And they did, as often as possible. She ran more than was probably healthy. Nursed that baby still…and it was 10 months now, the boy was walking.

The Johnsons never went on dates. Seemed like Mrs. Johnson didn't ever leave that baby. Many women suspected that Mr. Johnson needed to be saved from his wife…but to be truthful, they needed to be saved from their own marriages and were really just projecting.

After all, the Johnson were a lie, remember?

Ratings and reviews

Emily Kimelman has delivered fans a great read with her latest in the Sydney Rye series. Strong characters and a labyrinth of a plot make this an actual ‘page-turner’. It’s all there: tender, quirky, conflicting, funny, confusing, tense, awesome, and a little violence when needed. Sydney Rye is a really good neighbor. She is always there, but occupied and not disruptive or intrusive. Perhaps it is because of the infant that she so dotes on and the dog that is a constant companion. She is a regular jogger - in the neighborhood and the park. She is upset by the frequent rapes that have joggers on edge and the police clueless. Her husband, also fit, is frequently seen riding his bike around the neighborhood. He is also stellar at maintaining the lawn and house so that neighborhood curb appeal has not been tarnished since their arrival. Suddenly the rapes stop. Relentless goes from fast pace to warp speed as everything changes. Relentless is a wild ride - I’m really glad I picked it up.

This next installment of the Sydney Rye series was AH-MAZE-ING!!! I literally consumed it in one day and then repeated my read a couple of days later. If you are new to this series, you must give it a try. Sydney is the hero I secretly desire to be. She stands for all that is good and exactly the type of person we should all try to be more like. Now in regards to the most recent installment: without any spoilers - Sydney grew so much as a person particularly in the first section of the book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading! I have my own theories about Robert and they may or may not come true. However; this was a fabulous ride and I thoroughly thank Emily Kimelman for creating this masterpiece!

I absolutely loved this book but that's not surprising since I love all of Ms. Kimelman's Sydney Rye mysteries. (Please write faster lol)... This is a new look for Sydney as she is now a mother in hiding protecting herself and child from who knows (no spoilers here), Of course there's a new handsome, charming, in love with Sydney (duh) bodyguard. If you want more I suggest you get Relentless immediately. You won't be sorry. I am happily a member of the ARC team and required to give an honest review and honestly 5 stars is not enough!

About the author

I write because I love to read, but I have specific tastes...

If I was offered a job as a professional reader with no strings attached, I would take it. Getting paid to sit around and read while drinking tea all day—I'm there. Since that’s not possible, I became an author.

I write the books I want to read—stories that give me the immersive reading experiences I crave. When a series grabs me, and it's all I can think about, I'm SO happy. When my inner dialogue starts sounding like the protagonist of my current read, I think, Oh yeah, this is IT. This is what I love.

When I finish a book, and I NEED to immediately grab the next one in the series, that’s the intensity I crave. When I binge read an entire series, I want to feel like my own reality changed—as if the stories I read affected the real world just a little. After a great series I'm a little wiser, a little more grateful for my everyday existence, and a little more aware that my personal perspective is not everyone's.

Personally, I like to spend time in fictional worlds where justice is exacted with a vengeance, even though good and bad are not always black and white. Give me raw stories with a main character who occasionally makes me laugh, is flawed like we all are, and feels like a friend by the end of the first few chapters. They don’t have to be a friend I always LIKE, per se, but a part of me has to root for them.

For me, the sentence structure is important. Too much passive voice, and I'm out. I do not mind four-letter words at all though. Sex in books can go either way—fade to black or show me the details, but either way there has to be a reason it’s in the story. I'm also into heroic pets, plots that seem totally unhinged but all come together in the end with a BANG, and long series so I always have more to look forward to.

Those are the types of stories I love reading, so that’s how I write. If you’re into some or all of the above then I think we are going to get along fantastically.

www.emilykimelman.com