Her Darkest Nightmare (The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles, #1) by Brenda Novak

Her Darkest Nightmare by Brenda Novak
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Evelyn Talbot has spent her life trying to find out what makes a psychopath and how to better understand them. She was tortured and almost killed by her high school boyfriend, Jasper, and is dealing with that as best she can. Evelyn obtained funding for her project the Hanover House, a maximum-security facility located in a small Alaskan town which will be the home to the worst of the worst killers to be sent there for study to try to understand how their minds work.

When there is a killing in the small town that Evelyn now calls home her facility is immediately under suspicion since it house so many killers. The investigation has now put Evelyn back to working with Sergeant Amarok to find out who is behind the killings, could it be that Jasper is back after Evelyn yet again?

Her Darkest Nightmare is the first full length book in the Evelyn Talbot Chronicles series from Brenda Novak. However, there was a prequel novella released to this series, Hanover House. In the prequel you get a closer look at Evelyn’s move to Alaska and meeting Amarok along with the man that has haunted her since her attack twenty years before.

Now with this first full length story it could be read as a standalone novel as you do get enough background into the characters to read the current story but I’d highly suggest picking up the novella just for the depth it will bring to the series.

The series focuses on Evelyn and her work as a psychiatrist trying to study serial killers after her own run in with one in the past. She’s a very flawed character who has shut herself off most of her life and only concentrates on her work. Local law officer Amarok is taken with Evelyn but she has every excuse as she battles her inner turmoil of being close to anyone. The pair end up working together to solve the brutal homicide and grow closer while doing so.

Overall, I’m a fan of this series and will definitely be continuing on with it.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.