Introduction
In The Naturals, 17 year old Cassie Hobbes is recruited to the FBI while working a waitressing shift after she receives an odd business card. Why? Cassie is a natural profiler after being trained by her mother who was a psychic before her mother was killed. What Cassie doesn’t realize is that when you have to lie to your family and go live in a house off base with a group of other teens solving cold cases, everything doesn’t always go as planned. I read this series after reading The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I highly recommend this book to anyone who watches criminal minds.
“A few students who were being trained to analyze crime scenes, pore over witness testimony, and track serial killers. What trouble could we possibly get into?
About the book
The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is a psychological thriller released in 2014. You can grab this book by clicking the title and going to Amazon where I will receive a small commission from your purchase. Also,the first two books in the series are also available on Kindle Unlimited.
Summary (spoiler-free)
The Naturals is about a group of teenagers that was brought on by a small team on the FBI while their skills were still natural to them and untrained. There are two profilers, one human lie detector, one emotions reader and a statistician. They must use all of their gifts together to solve cold cases and to survive their pasts coming back to haunt them. In this first book in the series, the game of cat and mouse can only end one way.
“I might never solve my own mother’s murder, but this program would turn me into the kind of person who could catch killers, who would make sure that another little girl, in another life, with another mother, would never have to see what I’ve seen.”
What I loved
Jennifer Lynn Barnes is known for short chapters, fast paced and well thought out story lines. All of her series are highly recommended by me. I love how well she lets you get to know the characters, even the minor characters have a beautiful backstory. The twist and turns in this story, like all of Barnes’ books are ones you will not see coming and are laid out beautifully. Finally, there is also a romantic element to the story that I love, the love triangle in this book will keep you reading late into the night.
What could be better
What could be better
Generally, I never really like to say that I have no notes when it comes to books but this one breaks that rule. I absolutely have no notes for the first book in this series.
Who should read this book?
For fans of Pretty Little Liars, Criminal minds and anyone who loves a psychological thriller. In any event, this book will have you consistently working with the team to try to figure out what is going on before it is too late.
Final Thoughts & Rating
I rated this book 4/5 stars on Fable. The characters were memorable and stay with you even after reading. The plot is addictive, clever and has a satisfying conclusion. Finally, I highly recommend this book but give trigger warnings for murder and violence. Whenever possible, always put your mental health first when going into new book series.
related books & Further Reading
Read my latest review of Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney HERE.
