Month: April 2020

It is Detective Katie Scott’s first day on the job as the leader for the cold case unit for the Pine Valley PD. A young Army veteran, Katie returned home from Afghanistan with her K9 partner, Cisco, and a troubling case of PTSD. Fully rested after her last assignment assisting her uncle, the police chief, Katie is now ready to begin her new assignment. While reviewing some files left for her to review, Katie quickly becomes intrigued with a case involving a young nurse who was found nearly naked and claiming she had been kidnapped. But no crime scene was ever found, and the case was quickly shelved.

As Katie, and her partner McGaven begin to dig, Katie is troubled for the start. The victim will only reluctantly talk to her and appears terrified, fearful that her abductor will get to her, no matter where she hides. Uttering a cryptic clue, “I told the truth” and describing a ‘blue door with white trim’. Shortly thereafter, the victim is found dead, and the case swings into high gear as Katie & McGaven hunt for a killer.

As the investigation ensues, Katie is drawn to a home in an abandoned development, that looks exactly as the victim had described, but with no trace of any crime. As she and McGaven dive deep into the history of the abandoned neighborhood looking for answers, another woman goes missing…and, someone has resorted to leaving clues for Katie – but is he friend or foe?

This is the second in a (hopefully) series of novels featuring Detective Katie Scott and her K9 Cisco. Katie is an engaging, spunky and likeable character with her own flaws as she struggles to overcome her anxiety & panic attacks resulting from her time deployed, as she asserts herself in the civilian law enforcement world. Cisco – well who can resist a spirited dog? A great read, with all of the action, mystery and suspense you’re looking for in a good who-dun-it!! Now I anxiously await the next adventure for this duo!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Nikki McDonald is a disgraced reporter, looking for a big scoop to propel her back into the limelight. So, when she receives a tip that leads her to a burned skeleton in a trunk in an old woman’s storage unit, she’s determined to insert herself into the investigation in hopes of scooping the story.

Special Agent Zoe Spencer is a gifted artist and utilizes her skills as a sculptor to restore identities to murder victims. When she receives the skull from the burned skeleton and gives it a face, her boss recognizes her as a young college co-ed that disappeared in 2001, Marsha Price, whose case had quickly gone cold with no suspects.

Detective William Vaughn is Zoe’s liaison with the Alexandria PD, and occasional lover, who is investigating a messy homicide scene when he receives Zoe’s call regarding her Jane Doe. As they re-open the case and begin the investigation, one of their first visits is to Marsha’s sister Hadley, who is astonished at the discovery. As Vaughn & Zoe dig deeper into the past, Hadley and her daughter Skylar suddenly go missing…and a murderer starts killing again, or did he ever stop??

This was a great read, as are all of Mary Burton’s novels. I was sucked right in within the first couple of pages, and quickly became engrossed in discovering just who the protagonist would turn out to be! This one kept me up well into the night! Well worth the read!!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.