Month: May 2023

It’s summertime at Widow Lake in the Appalachians, and the Widow Lake College is hosting a ten year celebration for its graduates. Twelve-year-old Lorna Bea Jones and her father have just settled into a new home – a cottage on the lake. Lorna’s life has been full of sudden moves, name changes and isolation, but her father has never told her why. Now once again in a new location, with only the four walls of her bedroom for company, Lorna looks out of her window longingly, before climbing out of her window to sit in an adjacent tree, where she sees a man in a hoodie lurking around in the woods. She also sees a young child entering a shed, and heads down to try to find the girl, whom she has seen playing in the neighboring yard.

Detective Ellie Reeves is out dealing with a domestic situation on this hot summer day.  As she defuses the situation and clears the scene, she gets word of a missing child out by Widow Lake. As she heads that way, she calls Ranger Cord McClain for assistance. The arrive to learn that the missing child is a 4-year-old girl named Betsy.  With night fast approaching, search teams assemble and head into the woods. The child is found by Lorna Bea, who walks her out to searchers, but human remains are later found in the shed where she had been stuck. 

Meanwhile, Special Agent Derrick Fox is at the State Prison interviewing a convicted killer in attempts to gain a confession in the killings of two other young women. Despite having admitted to and sentenced for three deaths in nearby Widow Lake several years ago, the killer continues to deny harming the other two women – but if he didn’t do it – then who did?  

As Ellie, Cord & Derrick work to identify the remains found by the shed, it quickly becomes apparent to the reader that there is a killer on the loose – and he is back in town to honor a pact made with his close friends – a killing club – ten years ago. When another body is found, long submerged in the lake, Ellie and her team must work feverishly to put the pieces together before the killing starts again… 

This is a fantastic series! This book takes off running and I literally read it cover to cover without a break – it was that good! Full of all the suspense, plot twists and action you expect from a great mystery, along with a great protagonist – and a sweet, sweet ending to boot. Each storyline is tied up in a neat little bow at the end – great read! Great series!! I cant wait for more from Rita Herron!! 

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!!

It’s the start of a new year, and B Simpson is preparing to fly overseas to attend a ransomware conference, representing High Noon Enterprises.  As he and his hired driver, Hal, head for the airport, Hal notices a truck following them a bit too closely. Assuming it’s nothing more than a tailgater, he continues the journey, until the truck pulls alongside him and attempts to ram the car, resulting in a serious crash, with both B & Hal suffering significant injuries.  

Ali Reynolds is enjoying some alone time, when long time employee Stu Ramey shows up at her & B’s home to tell her of the accident. As they quickly head to the hospital, they learn that B is stable after surgery, but Hal is critical and requiring life support.  B reassures Ali that he’ll be fine, but that she must take his place at the conference to represent High Noon, to which Ali reluctantly agrees. Meanwhile, the police investigating the scene learn that the crash was intentional – and believe that B was the intended target of the perpetrator.  As the detectives start digging into B & Hal’s background, the focus quickly turns to Ali as a potential suspect, as she would have the most to gain if B had been killed. 

As Ali and a High Noon colleague prepare to head to London, Stu and Frigg – Stu’s AI computer – start their own investigation into the crash. As Frigg does her thing, albeit more than a bit illegally, she is able to link several seemingly random deaths together, with the one denominator being a recently paroled former cop, Frank Munoz. But can Ali & Stu steer the detectives in the right direction without compromising High Noon & Frigg? 

I love ALL of Jance’s series, and this book is another great addition to the Ali Reynolds saga. I love the growth in the characters from book to book – it’s like welcoming old friends in for a visit. Honestly too, Frigg is just such a refreshing & unique character – I never tire of her exploits!  Great read, great series! 

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