Knife in the Back

Book four in the New Orleans romantic suspense thriller series by Karen Rose, Knife in the Back, finally features the owner of a private investigation firm, Burke Broussard. Police Officer Naomi Cranston was framed for stealing from the evidence locker and coerced through threats to her son into not fighting the charges. She gets out after five years on a technicality.

One year later, the crooks are back and want her to transport illegal product for them. They threaten her son again when she refuses. This time she hires Broussard Investigations to protect her and her son, to prove her innocence, and the get the real crooks identified and arrested.

Burke is a former cop turned private investigator and is aware of the corruption in the New Orleans police department. He’s not inclined to take Naomi’s case and has always thought her guilty until he listens to her story. Can he do all that Naomi wants when surviving the danger many be the best that they can do?

Burke is loyal, observant, and a protector of others. I enjoyed learning more about his past. Naomi is kind, smart, resilient, and a good investigator. It was great to see how their relationship developed over time as they worked together to solve her case. There are several other characters, but it is easier to keep track of them if you’ve read this series in order. Many are repeat characters, so it’s like getting together with old friends.

Once again, the author pulled me into the novel with an intriguing prologue that grabbed my interest and built on the story from there. The writing is fluid and the book did not feel like it was greater than 500 pages long. There are a few surprises along the way and a few action scenes. Much of the plot involves the investigation itself and the relationships of the characters, but there is also significant danger, tension, and suspense, making for a well-plotted story. The ends are tied up nicely except for one small point. Themes include trust, loyalty, found family, romance, relationships of all types, corruption, murder, and much more.

Overall, this is a suspenseful, intriguing, dramatic and entertaining novel with characters that had great chemistry, a splendid setting, and a story that kept me turning the pages rapidly. It also pulls on the heartstrings and on the reader’s emotions. Although this is part of a series, it can be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the entire series. I can’t wait to read my next book by Karen Rose.

Berkley Publishing Group and Karen Rose provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for August 12, 2025.