6/2011 – Review at Amazon.com.UK – Reviewed by Angela Soumas – United Kingdom Catch Me If You Dare By L.D. Alan
I could not put this book down. A well written story, you could tell it was realistic with behind the scenes expertise. It has a mainstream feel without all the explicit love scenes and gory murder details. It is very entertaining. It kept my interest from beginning to end, full of suspense. I loved the development of the characters. The ending was quite sad. All in all I wish the book was thicker but I am looking forward to reading the next installment, Gotcha!
5/14/2011 – Reader Review by Freda C. Shamma “curriculum consultant” (Cincinnati Ohio)
Catch Me If You Dare (Paperback)- I enjoyed reading the book – it was a good mystery; but what made it stand out was the realistic police work. It was obvious that the author knew what she was talking about. I also liked the character development of the murderer, and look forward to learning more about what turned her from a healer to a killer in the next book.
5/12/2011 – Reader Review by Amy Amatullah
I have just finished reading Catch Me If You Dare. Started it Sunday afternoon, finished it early Monday (which means that I could not put it down and read through a good part of the night) Subhanallah, I am still full of the story. I wonder how Rainey will get by without Sarah and I hope she will not succumb to the charms of the captain. A gripping story. Thank you Linda. Well, I cannot wait to get my hands on Gotcha! but I do not know where to get it in UK.
5/9/2011 – Review of Catch Me If You Dare by Balqees Mohammed
L.D. Alan, author of “Catch Me If You Dare” shows expertise not only in the social aspects of Muslims in the American community, but in themes and topics that only those with inside lines to law enforcement can possibly have.
A beautifully and carefully crafted interweave of Islamic values compounded with the openness of the western non-Muslim way of life, and balanced out by professional portrayal of the criminal mind as the mental steps are taken in the journey of the development of the crime, L.D. Alan keeps the reader avidly turning the page one after the other, always seeking for the solution or final culmination of the story.
The end of “Catch Me If You Dare” leaves the reader appalled by the sudden turn of events, with a finalizing culmination which answers all the questions raised throughout the buildup from page 1, yet craftily leaves the reader hungrily hanging in wait for the continuation of the sequel promised to come.
A mystery of caliber equal to even the best on the mainstream bestseller lists, yet free of explicit love scenes, obscene language and gory horror details to the extent that you would not be wary to have your ten-year old read, while entertainingly suspenseful enough and down-to-earth real characterization enough to hold the attention of even the most savvy of adult readers.
5/7/2011 – Catch Me if You Dare Review by Amy Amatullah – UK
“I have just finished reading Catch Me If You Dare. Started it Sunday afternoon, finished it early Monday (which means that I could not put it down and read through a good part of the night) Subhanallah, I am still full of the story. I wonder how Rainey will get by without Sarah and I hope she will not succumb to the charms of the captain. A gripping story. Thank you Linda. Well, I cannot wait to get my hands on Gotcha! but I do not know where to get it in the UK 😦 (my friend ‘Nina Jamet got me Catch Me If You Dare).”
9/16/2010 – Catch Me If You Dare Review by Iman Sotiria Kouvalis – USA
“I read the book in one day. I loved the suspense of the book. Like others were saying, the beginning was slower, but it picked up fast and I just couldn’t put the book down. I needed to find out how it all ended! I was happy to find out that this is a series and now I can’t wait until the next book is published! The best part is that I bought the ebook version and popped it into my ereader instantly! No shipping and less expensive!”
9/13/2010 – Catch Me If You Dare Review by Ramona Vazquez, Maryland, USA
“I just finished the book…can’t wait for the next one! You did VERY WELL! It wasn’t a hard read, it flowed and it kept you reading and wanting to see what the next page had to expose! Wonderful imagination and just “realistic” enough to make the reader feel like its probable which keeps readers interested!”
8/6/10 Catch Me If You Dare Article published at the Boston Muslim Examiner by J. Samia Mair
L.D. Alan’s first mystery-detective novel, Catch Me If You Dare promises to be a page turner
Catch Me If You Dare by L.D. Alan
July 11, 2010 – Book Review by Aisha Stacey
The elusive scarf killer is on the loose. Three Muslim women are dead and the investigation is hampered by the distrust of the Muslim community. In strides Rainey Walker, FBI anthropology consultant and sketch artist. The investigation is a turf war between rival investigative teams and task forces but it is Rainey who receives the killers blood smeared message “catch me if you dare” and the chase is on.
Move over Lynda La Plante here comes L.D. Alan. DI Tennison may finally have a rival in Rainey Walker. Catch me if you dare is a rollicking read, full of descriptive passages that bring the characters and settings to life. The banter reveals hidden character dimensions and the action is tense and suspenseful. The overall story provides an insight into police work in the south west USA and into the multicultural society that exists there.
The tension that exists between the various departments and the distrust between the police and the Muslim community are both intriguing story lines. Catch me if you dare is also peppered with mini descriptions of life in western Muslim communities and through this we are able to gain snippets of information about Muslim life, and Islam in general, without any overbearing, preachy religious passages.
There is a little less gore then would be expected in a serial killer story but that however could work in L. D. Alan’s favour, making the story more accessible to a wider range of readers. It finishes with a neat little conclusion that leaves the story open for more intrigue and suspense, and another taste of Ms Rainey Walker.
July 4, 2010 – Catch Me If You Dare – Reader Review by Saara A. Ali
“Murder, mystery and Muslims seem an unlikely combination. Nothing is as it appears in this murder mystery story told with a refreshing voice. Moving a bit slowly in the beginning, the author engagingly draws the reader into a web of lies and organizational politics. Why are Muslim women being targeted? Who could the serial killer be? What does the FBI agent with links to the Muslim community have to do to help solve this crime?
With information from the case files detailed throughout and moving between the killer’s thoughts to the law enforcement’s plans, the story unfolds not unlike a crime investigation drama on television.
Betrayal, hidden agendas and suspicion surface throughout the book adding to the suspense. The unexpected ending leaves the reader eager to read what happens in the next installment of this thrilling series. ”
***
Catch Me If You Dare – Reader Review
Review by: Jamilah Kolocotronis on Jun. 29, 2010 :
Agent Rainey Walker steps off a plane in her hometown of Phoenix, Arizona, ready for a well-deserved rest. Soon, however, she is pulled into the pursuit of a serial killer. Author L. D. Alan, an experienced law enforcement officer, used behind-the-scenes knowledge to build a captivating suspense.
5.0 out of 5 stars “A Page-Turner”, June 17, 2010
By Ranada “Ranada’s Books & Stuff Reviews” (Trinidad, West Indies)
This review is from: Catch Me If You Dare (Paperback)
`Catch Me If You Dare’…………..a well-written, captivating, page turner. The very knowledgeable author did a good job of showing the internal politics that goes on within the Major Law Enforcement Offices all the while keeping the suspense and story alive. A very good start to an interesting successful series.
4.0 out of 5 stars Author clearly knows her stuff, June 13, 2010
| By | Pamela K. Taylor “momtotsan” (Indianapolis, IN USA) |
This review is from: Catch Me If You Dare (Paperback)
I enjoyed reading Catch Me If You Dare and would recommend it to others who enjoy realistic crime dramas. L.D. Alan is clearly very familiar both with police work and the American Muslim community, and writes about them with authority. The book took a little longer getting into the scenario than I would have liked, but once the action started things heated up fast. The tension between the various departments working on the case, and the fact that you never knew how much information was being withheld from Rainey, thereby leading her perhaps to wrong conclusions, was an interesting side-plot to the serial killer mystery, and added a different dimension to the book than many I have read. I also liked the fact that the serial killer’s back story is not only timely, but plausible. The ending, with its promise of more Rainey stories to come, was satisfying, if open-ended. One thing I really liked about this book was that even though it is about a brutal serial killer, most of the gory details were left to the imagination, making it suitable for a teenage audience as well as an adult one.
6/8/2010 – 5 Stars – From Amazon.com – Review by: Marwa A. Sabry
Catch Me If You Dare by L.D. Alan
“This author sure knows what she is talking about. you’ll be caught in the action and exposed to a true policeman’s point of view. Although the book is for adults, I’ll happily share it with my pre-teen and teen daughters as the language is respectful. I highly recommend this book. Marwa”
5-27-2010 – Sadiyah Ali commented on Catch Me If You Dare: “I loved the fast pace of the entire plot, it was so suspenseful, specially the cliff hanger at the end. Now I really can’t wait for the next book!”
Rainey Walker Series 
L.D. Alan, author of “Catch Me If You Dare” shows expertise not only in the social aspects of Muslims in the American community, but in themes and topics that only those with inside lines to law enforcement can possibly have.
A beautifully and carefully crafted interweave of Islamic values compounded with the openness of the western non-Muslim way of life, and balanced out by professional portrayal of the criminal mind as the mental steps are taken in the journey of the development of the crime, L.D. Alan keeps the reader avidly turning the page one after the other, always seeking for the solution or final culmination of the story.
The end of “Catch Me If You Dare” leaves the reader appalled by the sudden turn of events, with a finalizing culmination which answers all the questions raised throughout the buildup from page 1, yet craftily leaves the reader hungrily hanging in wait for the continuation of the sequel promised to come.
A mystery of caliber equal to even the best on the mainstream bestseller lists, yet free of explicit love scenes, obscene language and gory horror details to the extent that you would not be wary to have your ten-year old read, while entertainingly suspenseful enough and down-to-earth real characterization enough to hold the attention of even the most savvy of adult readers.
REVIEW OF GOTCHA!:
In this second of the Rainey Walker series, L.D. Alan shows once again expertise in knowledge of themes that only those from venues of law enforcement can possibly have access to, in addition to insight into the Muslim community within the American society, not to mention incanny insight into the criminal mind, as only the most professional profiler could. As with the first book of this series, “Catch Me If You Dare”, “Gotcha!” proves to be a total and satisfying novel within its own rite, yet picks up cleverly where the previous novel left off without missing a step, and eventually leaves the reader desiring more with the hope of yet another sequel to follow. Never boring in the talented weave of the mystery that unfolds, L.D. Alan craftily avoids the need to delve into explicit sexual scenes, gory horrid details of violence or obscene language, while presenting the highest quality of mystery entertaining to young adults and elders alike. A breath of fresh air in today’s age of increasingly explicit scenes bombarding us from all angles, L.D. Alan’s work is highly recommended for all desiring a return to the validity of a clean suspense which can engage even the most anxious of minds.