Month: September 2022

Last Seen Alive – Carolyn Arnold

Detective Amanda Steele is out for a drink when she chances to fun into an old fling at the local bar and decides to go home with him for a night of ‘no strings’ fun. As they arrive at his home, things get hot and heavy, and as they’re heading to his bedroom, Amanda smells blood – and together they find Logan’s wife Clare, clad in lingerie, lying in the middle of his bed, dead from a gunshot wound.  

Amanda quickly hustles Logan out of the room, summoning her colleagues as she does so, but not before noticing a gun lying at the bedside. As the investigative team arrives on scene, she is left to ponder – is Logan the innocent bystander he claims to be? Or is he responsible for the death of the woman dressed in lingerie in the center of his bed? 

With Amanda’s superior on scene, she is quickly recused from the case due to her relationship with the suspect. As the scene is processed, investigators quickly find the evidence necessary to charge Logan w/ murder…but Amanda is conflicted. Is he a stone-cold killer – or is someone determined to frame him?  And where has Clare been for the last four years after walking out on Logan? 

As the brass sent their sights on the quick arrest and closure, Amanda & Trent begin to dig into Clare’s past. As they stumble upon a large sum of money she had in her possession, their suspicions only grow. A trip back to her childhood home brings even more questions. What was Clare involved in?  Why did she try to return to Logan? And who really killed her? 

I just love this series!  As with all of the books, it’s easily read as a standalone, but the subtle shifting of relationships as the series progresses is intriguing, especially the attraction between Amanda and Trent, which they’re finally acknowledging. Action packed and suspenseful, this book is full of good stuff and had me up well into the night! This series just gets better and better!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Fall Guy – Archer Mayor

It’s a chilly winter’s day when Joe Gunther, Field Commander of the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, is summoned to a scene. A vehicle, reported stolen several days ago from New Hampshire, has been found – with a dead body stuffed inside the trunk. In the vehicle itself is a bunch of junk – low end items invariably stolen from a multitude of places. Of the six phones removed from the vehicle, one is quickly found to have child pornography.  Another, inextricably, links to a missing persons case from several years ago – one that was never solved. 

As Joe and his team document the scene, Beverly Hillstrom, the Chief Medical Examiner and Joe’s significant other, arrives on scene to collect the body. A quick on scene examination reveals a blow to the head as a likely source of death.  A quick identification is made via a biometric scanner, complete with rap sheet and next of kin. The phones and random property appear to belong to various individuals, with each individual item needing follow up, as they look for a relationship, if any, to the vehicle owner – or the deceased. 

 A task force is formed with all the usual players we’ve come to know and love; the team splitting up to start unraveling the clues they’ve discovered, including the rescue of a young child from exploitation. Attempts to re-create the last week of travel via the stolen vehicle’s GPS reveal a multitude of stops, seemingly random, but all must be visited – with every destination seemingly provoking more questions than answers.  Joe and his team must pull out all the stops to get to the bottom of this one – and do so with a very unexpected and a bit abrupt, but very satisfying ending! 

As a former New Englander, I love the rich storytelling Archer Mayor provides, in his detailed and colorful descriptions of the Vermont/New Hampshire area.  I can easily visualize the towns and geography he describes, making me more than a bit homesick for those days of my youth!  I adore the Joe Gunther character and his merry group of investigators, and I know with each book release that I need to settle in for a nice long uninterrupted read. This one was no exception! Another great read from one of the greats!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Stumble & Fall – Amy Rivers

Kate Medina is a young psychologist who has returned home to Alamogordo, NM after being raped in her prior position as a prison counselor. Since coming home she’s become very aware of a sex trafficking ring in her hometown, the same one her sister Tilly fell prey to in her teen-age years. Its’ corruption reaches into local law enforcement and beyond, leaving Kate and her boyfriend Roman not knowing who to trust. Dealing with the grief of losing her father, and more determined than ever to bring the towns secrets to light, Kate has purchased a well secured hacienda in the outskirts of town, in hopes of operating a safe house for young women. She is also opening her own private practice in hopes of providing support to those young women in need. 

Meanwhile, Kate’s sister Tilly has decided to return home as well, bringing along her companion of two years, Jim. Tilly, despite her trauma as a teenager, has gone on to become a nurse practitioner and a sexual assault nurse examiner, therefore bringing another valuable skill set back to her hometown. As she quickly settles in and starts seeing rape victims, she soon becomes suspicious that her cases may be linked by a single predator, a suspicion that is also shared by the local DA – an individual Tilly can’t quite get a feel for. 

Soon, an unexpected tragedy rocks Tilly’s world, she fully immerses herself into her work, and recklessly devises a way to catch a rapist – while Kate is busy making her own waves – settling back into town, making connections with other townspeople – and letting them know that she’s here to stay and won’t back down. As she goes through her parent’s belongings, she makes some strange discoveries, realizing that nothing is at it seems – leaving her wondering if her mother’s death all those years ago was truly an accident – or murder – and wondering if a similar fate will befall her next… 

I read the first book of this presumed trilogy on a whim, thanks to Netgalley – and I absolutely loved it! So, when I saw the author’s name come up again – I just had to read it!  While easily read as a standalone, the backstory is laid thoroughly in the first novel. There are also several storylines yet to be completed, so now I wait for the next installment.  Kate’s character also has plenty of potential for a longer series – and that would be terrific too! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Compathy Press in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

Three Small Bones – Jennifer Chase

In the darkness of night, a lone figure busily pours accelerant around an old empty home, before setting it ablaze. The house is a total loss when the fire department is done extinguishing the flames, but then, a startling find is made in the basement. 

Detective Katie Scott is busily painting the walls of her cottage, while Cisco, her K-9, steals paint brushes and runs through the house in play. She’s a bit torn as she struggles with the decision to sell her home, as she and fiancé Chad plan for their wedding and a life together.  Her thoughts are cut short by a phone call – she’s needed at the scene of an arson. A partial skeleton has been found buried in the basement of the destroyed dwelling. 

As Kate and her partner McGaven arrive, they are led into the basement where a skeletonized arm is visible above the dirt floor. When forensics finishes the excavation, they find two adult bodies, and shortly thereafter, two children’s bodies are discovered nearby – but one was buried recently, the other appears to have been in the ground much longer – 25 years longer…. Was the fire an unrelated event? Or did someone want those bodies found? 

As the team gathers and begins their investigation, they await identification on the bodies. First person on their list of suspects is the landlord. He sets off Katie’s radar right away, but when he winds up dead of an apparent home invasion, the team needs to regroup. Unexpected things start happening to those who were on the scene that day, leading the team to believe that they are being targeted…  As Katie and the crew slowly unravel the complexities of the case, it becomes very apparent that someone does not want these murders solved… 

I can’t say enough about this series – these books just get better and better. Katie & Cisco are a force to be reckoned with and are fan favorites in this household!! These are books you can pick up without ever skimming the back, because you know they’re going to be that good!  Love, love LOVE this series!! 

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!