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Ok so I did not really enjoy the first half of Amanda Kyle Williams The Stranger that You Seek, but the second half of the book was really good, and propelled me on to the second book in the Keye Street series Stranger in the Room.

For me, there was no weak first half in this book, it grabbed me from the start and did not let go until the last page!

Stranger in the Room the Mystery is Set

Miki Ashton, Keye Street’s cousin returns home after a night on the town, puts the key in the front door of her house, before she can open the door, she hears footsteps in the supposedly empty house!!

When she makes her way to the window in the front of the house, and peers in, she sees a slightly overweight man standing in the shadows, as he stands there he forms a gun with his fingers and he pretends to shoot Miki!!  So begins this great twisting mystery!! Who was this stranger in the room?? Why was he there?? Is he the source of the mysterious calls, and noises that plague Miki??

A Second Layer is Added

Meanwhile. Keye’s boyfriend Detective Aaron Rauser is investigating the murder of a young baseball player on the cusp of good things! Soon the mystery man and the boy are entwined in an ever-growing murder investigation and Keye is once again drawn into the hunt for a murderer. Can she and Rauser put the pieces of the puzzle together before more lives are lost?  Soon Miki  and Keye become the focus of  the murderer’s wrath!! Why??

My Reaction to The

My Reactions to Stranger in The Room

I imagine that one of the reasons that I liked this book more than its predecessor, is that now I know the players. All the characters from Book 1 are back including of course Keye and Rauser, along with Keye’s adoptive parents, her work partner, stoner computer geek Neil, Tyrone the bail bondsman who Keye does work for, as well as, Larry Quinn the attorney who supplies Keye’s PI firm work.

In this installment Quinn asks Keye to  investigate into the actions of a North Georgia Crematorium. This subplot was better than the investigation of a missing cow in the last book!

But I think that’s only half of the reason I enjoyed the book more.  The other half is the story itself. In this book, I thought that Keyes profiling of the perp was more in-depth, and it really brought to life the how and why of the killer’s actions, but profiling alone does not capture a criminal, so the work of Rauser and hs team played a big role in the discovery of the identity of the killer.

Final Thoughts

Bottomline: This book was a real page turner for me. A good police procedural that coupled Keye’s keen profiling skills with Rauser’s dogged police work, kinda like Bones and Booth without the bones or the FBI!  Along the way there was also Keye’s addiction battle, juxtaposed against Miki’s love for both alcohol and drugs, and Keye’s mom’s  attempt to be the next “Paula Dean” which made the book enjoyable on more than one level! So I am now a fan and I am ready to move on to Don’t Tak to Strangers book 3  in the series!! Now watch when I checked out both Book 1 and 2 book 3 was on the shelf what do you want to bet that tomorrow, when I take back this book, book 3 will be gone!!

Series Links

Author Website

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About Amanda Kyle Williams

Amanda (1957–2018) was a master of the “unconventional sleuth.” A former freelance courier and process server, she brought real-world grit to her Atlanta-based Keye Street series. Her work was shortlisted for the Townsend Prize and the Shamus Award, and translated into nine languages.

(Book 32 of 2014 — Post Recreated & Updated Feb 2026)

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Hidden Creed – Ryder Creed #6 – Alex Kava

I’m not a dog person — we’ve always had cats.
But Alex Kava through her Ryder Creed series has convinced me just how many incredible things dogs can do that cats can’t (or simply won’t). Hidden Creed was book #41 for me this year, and it might just be the best yet in the series.

My History with Alex Kava

I’ve been reading Alex Kava since 2005, when I first picked up A Perfect Evil, the debut Maggie O’Dell novel.
The only Maggie O’Dell book I haven’t read is Stranded (#11) — and yes, I’ve checked it out from the library more than once, even started it, but always got sidetracked by another book. That’s worth noting because Stranded is the story where Ryder Creed and Maggie first meet — and that case is mentioned here in Hidden Creed.

Why the Ryder Creed Series Stands Out

For me, the heart of this series is the characters — both human and canine.
Ryder Creed and Maggie O’Dell are two of my favorite fictional characters, and Kava has surrounded them with a strong supporting cast:

• Brodie – Ryder’s sister
• Hannah – his business partner
• Jason – an ex-soldier and valued employee
• And, of course, the dogs — my personal favorite being Grace, the fearless Jack Russell Terrier.

As Tracie Hotchner of the Radio Pet Lady Network™ put it:

“It’s impossible not to care about and root for the human and canine heroes in Kava’s series.”
I couldn’t agree more.

The Story

During a K-9 training session in Florida’s Blackwater River State Forest, Ryder and Brodie follow Grace’s lead straight to a shallow grave. Soon, more bodies are discovered — and it becomes clear this is the isolated dumping ground of a serial killer.

Meanwhile, Maggie O’Dell is in Pensacola investigating a storage locker purchased at auction. Inside? An array of body parts and containers — possibly the twisted cache of a killer.

Kava weaves four distinct storylines together, creating a tense, fast-moving thriller where the suspense doesn’t let up until the very last page.

The Bottom Line

If you love page-turning thrillers with memorable characters, Hidden Creed is a must-read. While it works as a standalone, I recommend starting with Desperate Creed (#5) to get the most out of the relationships and backstory — especially between Ryder and Brodie.

And if you want to fully understand Maggie O’Dell, go back and read some of her solo cases. She’s had some fantastic adventures of her own!

Links

Author’sWebsite |
Wikipedia
Goodreads
Amazon

Alex Kava is the New York Times, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author of twenty-three novels that include the critically acclaimed series featuring K9 handler Ryder Creed and the international bestselling series with FBI profiler Maggie O’Dell.

She’s been awarded two Nebraska Book Awards, a Florida Book Award and the Mari Sandoz Award.

Published in thirty-five countries, her novels have sold seven+ million copies and have appeared on bestseller lists in the UK, Australia, Germany, Poland, Italy and Japan. Full Bio

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