Review of In Moonlight and Memories trilogy by Julie Ann Walker

Let me start out by saying I have loved the characters and worlds created by Julie Ann Walker ever since I read the first entry in her Black Knights Inc. series and through to her most recent Deep Six series. Those books were full of alpha males (and females) who are covert black-ops operators who ask questions, shoot, then ask more questions. That is the Julie Ann Walker novel that I am used to. So when I was given the opportunity by her to review a new "trilogy" , needless to say that I jumped at the chance!

Little did I know what I was getting into with the three volumes of In Moonlight and Memories. Because the three books are so intertwined, I am reviewing them as one complete work.

Against the haunting backdrop of New Orleans, the story focuses on Maggie, Cash, and Luc -  childhood friends who met at school and bonded with each other through feelings of loneliness, loss, abandonment, and a devoted friendship to one another.  Flash forward (or backwards as the case may be) ten years. Cash and Luc, who "disappeared" from Maggie's life, return to New Orleans to pick up the pieces of the lives they left behind. The story is told from the perspective of each of the three protagonists which gives the reader a glimpse into the hopes, fears, and minds of each of them.

Adding to the drama of attempting to renew the close bond the three friends shared, is a looming mystery of the disappearance of a classmate ten years earlier whose father happens to be the chief of police and the hatred that Cash's father feels towards his own son. I

The books start slowly, setting the backstories of the characters and the city that they inhabit. New Orleans, itself, often feels like one of the main characters as the atmosphere, both exciting and oppressive, adds to the emotional impact of the books. The peripheral charters are compelling, as well.

I can't remember a series that put me on such an emotional roller-coaster. One minute I was sharing laugh-out-loud passages with my husband and a few chapters later I was grabbing for the tissues. The conclusion of the trilogy left me both ecstatic and "ugly-crying" at the same time.

If you want your characters real, believable, and people you genuinely want to be happy, then I highly recommend this trilogy. Kudos to Julie Ann Walker for taking a giant leap into the unknown with this style of writing, character development, and emotional impact.

I received ARCs of all three novels from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Available now to purchase on Amazon :
Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three

My rating:  💖💖💖💖💖