Hello beautiful people! Welcome to a new review! For this review, I get into the second book in the Quinn and Costa series, Tell No Lies. I, of course, read the first book, The Third to Die and loved it, and the characters in its world, and was super excited to continue on with the series. I really enjoyed Tell No Lies and am excited to get into the rest of the series in the future.
Main Characters:
Matt Costa: Leading the new Mobile Response team, Costa is back with his team and now officially has Quinn on his team, they travel to Arizona to inspect a situation that becomes much bigger than anyone could imagine
Kara Quinn: Having her life in LA blown up, Quinn is put on with Costa’s team to keep her safe from those who are out to get her, bitter and upset about being on the team, Quinn is thrown into another jarring mystery while also trying to keep her own life together
My Review
With Tell No Lies, Allison Brennan returns to the Quinn & Costa series with a darker, more emotionally layered follow-up that leans hard into trauma, secrets, and the devastating cost of silence. While The Third to Die focused on urgency and shock, this installment feels more introspective, still tense, still dangerous, but more grounded in character and consequence. It’s a solid continuation of the series, and one that deepens both the mystery and the people trying to solve it. I was excited to see the continuation of Quinn and Costa’s relationship, given their closed-off and hurt personalities. I gave Tell No Lies an 8/10 rating. I do think I liked The Third to Die a little bit more, but it was still a great read, and a great continuation of our beloved characters.
This time around, the story centers on the disappearance of Emma Perez, a college student and activist who is collecting evidence on the mysterious things happening with the wildlife. When she turns up dead, it’s clear that something darker is going on. As FBI agent Kara Quinn and LAPD detective Matt Costa dig into her life, it becomes clear very quickly that there is something more sinister than wildlife dying going on. Lies stack on top of lies, and nearly everyone involved seems to be hiding something. What Brennan does particularly well here is resist the urge to make the case feel simple. This isn’t just a missing-girl narrative; it’s about what happens when people stay quiet for too long and how lies meant to “protect” can end up doing irreparable damage.
One of the highlights of Tell No Lies is the continued development of Kara and Matt’s partnership. Their dynamic feels more settled than in book one, but not stagnant. There’s trust, tension, and an undercurrent of emotional restraint that makes their interactions feel earned rather than rushed.
Kara remains a compelling protagonist, sharp, guarded, and shaped by a traumatic past that still influences how she views victims and suspects alike. Brennan allows her to be strong without making her invulnerable, and that balance works well. Matt, meanwhile, continues to ground the story emotionally, offering perspective and humanity without overshadowing Kara’s arc. Their relationship doesn’t dominate the plot, and I appreciated that. It simmers quietly in the background, enhancing the story rather than distracting from it. However, I do really enjoy the bits where we dive into their relationship because it makes them both a bit more human and not two mystery-solving robots who only eat, sleep, and work. We get to see the more intimate parts of them. Usually, I am not one to enjoy romance in a book, but I enjoy their story and find it to not be too much for me.
As the title suggests, Tell No Lies is deeply concerned with honesty and what happens when people choose not to speak. Brennan explores the idea that silence can be just as harmful as deception, especially when it allows abuse, manipulation, or violence to continue unchecked. The emotional weight of the book comes not from constant action, but from realization, the moment when characters (and readers) understand that the worst damage wasn’t done in a single act, but over time, through inaction. It’s heavy, but thoughtfully handled.
Compared to The Third to Die, this book is slightly more restrained. The pacing is steady rather than breakneck, and while there are twists, they don’t hit with the same shock-factor intensity as the first installment. That said, the mystery is layered and satisfying. Brennan gives readers enough red herrings to stay engaged without tipping into chaos, and the resolution feels logical, even if it’s not jaw-dropping. This is more of a slow unravel than a sudden explosion, which worked for me, even if I occasionally wanted a bit more punch.
What held Tell No Lies back slightly for me is that some secondary characters felt underdeveloped, especially given how central their secrets were to the case. There were moments where emotional beats landed intellectually, but not quite emotionally. Additionally, readers looking for a high-octane thriller may find this one more subdued. It’s tense, but it’s also sombre, more about consequences than spectacle.
Tell No Lies is a strong second installment that proves Allison Brennan is interested in more than just shocking crime scenes. This book asks harder questions, about responsibility, silence, and the long shadow of trauma, and trusts readers to sit with the discomfort. If you liked The Third to Die for its characters and investigative depth, this follow-up delivers, just with a quieter, heavier tone. It doesn’t reinvent the series, but it deepens it in meaningful ways. A solid, emotionally grounded thriller that strengthens the Quinn & Costa series and leaves you eager to see where it goes next.
Thank you for checking out this review. I hope you enjoyed! Feel free to subscribe to the page to be one of the first to know when I release a new review!
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