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Luce Allen Mystery #2
Under Pressure
Two high-profile cases. No rest for Detective Luce Allen…
Sarah Burke and her daughter Poppy have vanished. Luce and her colleague, Detective Ritter, have several suspects, including the ex-husband, who claims Sarah struggled as a parent, and her new boyfriend. As they put the clues together, the city is shaken by another horrifying incident. Addressing this new crisis quickly becomes priority.
Under pressure to solve both cases, Luce doesn’t have a lot of time to deal with her recent ordeal, or her developing relationship with Kendra—though the latter is what keeps her going when hope is hard to find.
Sarah Burke and her daughter Poppy have vanished. Luce and her colleague, Detective Ritter, have several suspects, including the ex-husband, who claims Sarah struggled as a parent, and her new boyfriend. As they put the clues together, the city is shaken by another horrifying incident. Addressing this new crisis quickly becomes priority.
Under pressure to solve both cases, Luce doesn’t have a lot of time to deal with her recent ordeal, or her developing relationship with Kendra—though the latter is what keeps her going when hope is hard to find.
- GenresLGBTContemporary
177 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2025
About the author
Barbara Winkes
78 books215 followersBarbara Winkes writes suspense and romance with lesbian characters at the center. She has always loved stories in which women persevere and lift each other up. Expect high drama and happy endings.
Discover a variety of genres, serial and standalone. Women loving women always take the lead.
Discover a variety of genres, serial and standalone. Women loving women always take the lead.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 30, 2025
4⭐️
This ist the second installment in the Luce Allen Mystery series.
Luce is still a little rattled from the previous events in book one. But slowly she gets back on track.
The new case for Luce and her team is another hair-raising case. The kidnapping of a mother and child and a missing bus carrying a school class push the detectives to their limits.
Politics, egos, money, and power once again play a major role in this case, and we accompany the team once again on their exhausting search for the smallest clues and inconsistencies.
Another exciting story with a lot of police detective work and some dangerous situations.
Is Luce strong enough to take on this tough task again, or is she still too haunted by the past?
The relationship between Kendra and Luce grows stronger and stronger, and their love for each other continues to blossom. A slow-burn love story from friendship to love.
Thanks to the author for receiving an ARC for an honest review.
This ist the second installment in the Luce Allen Mystery series.
Luce is still a little rattled from the previous events in book one. But slowly she gets back on track.
The new case for Luce and her team is another hair-raising case. The kidnapping of a mother and child and a missing bus carrying a school class push the detectives to their limits.
Politics, egos, money, and power once again play a major role in this case, and we accompany the team once again on their exhausting search for the smallest clues and inconsistencies.
Another exciting story with a lot of police detective work and some dangerous situations.
Is Luce strong enough to take on this tough task again, or is she still too haunted by the past?
The relationship between Kendra and Luce grows stronger and stronger, and their love for each other continues to blossom. A slow-burn love story from friendship to love.
Thanks to the author for receiving an ARC for an honest review.
September 17, 2025
Another thrilling adventure for Luce!
Luce is back with another case, investigating a missing woman and her daughter. When a bus of school children has also disappeared, and at first nothing seems related until Luce starts digging into everything further. Finding them relevels more about the case than Luce could have imagined, and the dangers that lurk are no small threat.
Barbara always provides a gripping thriller, often dealing with darker subjects, and this second Luce Allen mystery is no different. Instantly introduced to the two incidents gets us thinking along the same lines as Luce, but I wasn’t as quick as her to piece together if they might be related in some way. There was a lot of deception and some concerning reasons the woman and her daughter had ended up missing in the first place. It highlighted the dangers of getting involved with the wrong people and how quickly a situation can become out of your control.
There wasn’t a dull moment, and with any case, it was a race against time to save the people swept up as a result of the actions of others. It was great to be back with Luce and Kendra and get a snapshot of how their relationship is progressing. I love them together and they are a great team. Kendra is great at helping Luce to focus and stay strong in the fight for justice, while offering alternative perspectives and supporting guidance.
Really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next Luce Allen Mystery!
Luce is back with another case, investigating a missing woman and her daughter. When a bus of school children has also disappeared, and at first nothing seems related until Luce starts digging into everything further. Finding them relevels more about the case than Luce could have imagined, and the dangers that lurk are no small threat.
Barbara always provides a gripping thriller, often dealing with darker subjects, and this second Luce Allen mystery is no different. Instantly introduced to the two incidents gets us thinking along the same lines as Luce, but I wasn’t as quick as her to piece together if they might be related in some way. There was a lot of deception and some concerning reasons the woman and her daughter had ended up missing in the first place. It highlighted the dangers of getting involved with the wrong people and how quickly a situation can become out of your control.
There wasn’t a dull moment, and with any case, it was a race against time to save the people swept up as a result of the actions of others. It was great to be back with Luce and Kendra and get a snapshot of how their relationship is progressing. I love them together and they are a great team. Kendra is great at helping Luce to focus and stay strong in the fight for justice, while offering alternative perspectives and supporting guidance.
Really enjoyed this and can’t wait for the next Luce Allen Mystery!
September 18, 2025
This book does not disappoint! Detective Luce Allen is on the case again and I found my eyes rushing to find out what would happen from the first page. As always, the story has tension, action, strong women, and layered crime. I am loving getting to know Luce and Kendra and their complicated, perfect imperfection. The odd conversation with well loved folks from other books is always welcome. The story, and the bigger story, lends to that feeling of not wanting it to end because there's more - yet the end is always so satisfying. This is a great read!
September 18, 2025
Luce is back after the awful events in book one and is very much feeling the repercussions.
Now she is thrown into a case where a woman and her child go missing alongside a school bus full of kids.
Luce and Kendra are taking things slowly but slow means there’s time for doubts to settle in.
Luce doesn’t have the easiest of times in these first two books but already her character is a complex mixture of gritty and vulnerable and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.
Now she is thrown into a case where a woman and her child go missing alongside a school bus full of kids.
Luce and Kendra are taking things slowly but slow means there’s time for doubts to settle in.
Luce doesn’t have the easiest of times in these first two books but already her character is a complex mixture of gritty and vulnerable and I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.
October 6, 2025
The story pulled me in
This 2nd installment of the Luce Allen Mysteries is a story that pulled me in and didn't let go until the last sentence. And that last sentence definitely leaves yearning for book 3. But no, this is not a cliff hanger.....ooh, I don't like those. The mystery is solved here. It's the romance that is undoubtedly growing and promises much more ahead.
Read book 1, then take a calming breath and be sure you read book 2.
This 2nd installment of the Luce Allen Mysteries is a story that pulled me in and didn't let go until the last sentence. And that last sentence definitely leaves yearning for book 3. But no, this is not a cliff hanger.....ooh, I don't like those. The mystery is solved here. It's the romance that is undoubtedly growing and promises much more ahead.
Read book 1, then take a calming breath and be sure you read book 2.
October 12, 2025
4 stars. I like book one better but this one was really good as well. A mother and daughter go missing and Luce is on the case and it was intense. I really love Luce as a character and even though the case and everything around her was so stressful, she still had some really great moments with Kendra that I thought really balanced out the more intense moments. Great read and I hope that there will be more because so far I think this series is fantastic.
September 21, 2025
Another great read
Luce is a great detective. With some issues. Her best friend, now lover Kendra, is always there for her. I enjoy the way the books flow. And I like the way the real problems women face are dealt with. I highly recommend. Enjoy.
Luce is a great detective. With some issues. Her best friend, now lover Kendra, is always there for her. I enjoy the way the books flow. And I like the way the real problems women face are dealt with. I highly recommend. Enjoy.
October 3, 2025
Loved it
I really enjoyed Luce Allen Mysteries book #2 "Under Pressure", it was a great follow-up to book #1, "In Harm's Way ". I love Luce's intelligence and determination to solve her case, to find the kids from the bus, Sarah, and Poppy.
I really enjoyed Luce Allen Mysteries book #2 "Under Pressure", it was a great follow-up to book #1, "In Harm's Way ". I love Luce's intelligence and determination to solve her case, to find the kids from the bus, Sarah, and Poppy.
December 15, 2025
Ugh, you left me hanging with Luce and Kendra. You better have a book 3 in mind even though it says two of two in the series. lol I do love this story, the woman takes down the bad guys and I do mean bad guys. I only wish this could happen in real life on a grander scale here in the states.
February 19, 2026
Another good one
So enjoy this book love the characters the storyline the second book was just as good as the 1st I can't wait to read the next 1 I recommend this book you would not be disappointed but you should read the 1st 1 1st
So enjoy this book love the characters the storyline the second book was just as good as the 1st I can't wait to read the next 1 I recommend this book you would not be disappointed but you should read the 1st 1 1st
October 24, 2025
So enjoyed this very short series. I'd sure like to see more Det. Allen novels from this very talented author. Really recommend this series!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews