Tag Archives: Carolyn Arnold

Her Dark Grave by Carolyn Arnold – book review

Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Her Dark Grave by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Her Dark Grave by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

Her eyes widen at her reflection in the steel blade as it comes closer, closer, closer…

Detective Madison Knight thought a midnight drive through the countryside would help clear her mind, but she thought wrong. Her car runs out of gas, stranding her in the middle of nowhere in pitch darkness. When she gets out to stretch her legs, the beam of her phone’s flashlight lands on a suitcase in the ditch. After she opens it, she’s sorry she did.

Tara Jackson was only twenty-one years old with her entire life ahead of her before she was stabbed to death and stuffed into a piece of luggage. Madison is determined to find her justice and soon uncovers that Tara was keeping secrets from those closest to her and suspects they may have gotten her killed. But while she’s exploring that lead, the body of another young woman is found in a sports equipment bag.

She looks just like Tara and is the same age, and Madison starts to wonder if the killer she’s after has killed before. Desperate, she turns to cold cases and missing person reports to see if she can dig up anything to further the investigation.

Madison finds eighteen-year-old Daphne Tucker, who was reported missing from the area three years ago. She’s a doppelganger to the other victims. Is the reason Daphne hasn’t been heard from because she’s dead too? And has her killer returned, hungry for more blood?

As Madison edges closer to the truth, someone is stalking her from the shadows, and she fears it just may be the twisted, demented killer she’s hunting. But can Madison outsmart him or her before she becomes the next victim?

This is book 12 in the Detective Madison Knight series but works fine as a stand-alone read. I haven’t got round to catching up with the earlier titles yet, but I’ve read books 8-11 and am invested in Madison’s cases.

The prologue pulls the reader in by tantalising you with a flashback to the killer contemplating who will be his first victim.

The story then opens with Madison taking a night-time drive, because she can’t sleep due to ongoing nightmares of the Russian Mafia from an earlier case, but she runs out of both petrol and phone charge. The situation doesn’t help her paranoia and things get even worse when she discovers an abandoned suitcase in the ditch with gruesome contents.

One of forensics identifies the victim from recent media as Tara Jackson. But as Madison and partner Terry interview Tara’s family and friends, it soon becomes evident that Tara had been keeping a secret double life from them. But whilst they follow the leads including chasing after a running boyfriend, another mutilated corpse is discovered in a bag. This young woman looks almost the spitting image of Tara.

Is Tara’s boyfriend the killer? Or might he come up with an alibi?

And someone else is missing too? They need a lead quickly? Can cold cases provide any clues? And will they be in danger themselves?

I also love how the characters are all well developed for colleagues too, as we get fed snippets from theirs and Madison’s lives, which provide continuity between the stories in this series.

This is a real page turner with so many twists and turns.

Her Dark Grave is available on Amazon. An excellent thriller from best-selling author Carolyn Arnold.

About the author

Carolyn Arnold was born in a small Canadian town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. As an international bestselling and award-winning author, she has several continuing fiction series, including her popular Detective Madison Knight series. She offers readers nearly three dozen published books in genres ranging from crime thrillers and hard-boiled mysteries to cozy mysteries and action adventures. She currently lives north of London, Ontario, with her husband and two beagles.

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Bowled Over Americano by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Bowled Over Americano by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Here is the book blurb.

Sara Cain isn’t your typical thirty-two-year-old woman. Murder detective by day, writer and… sleuth by night? Just as long as there’s enough coffee to keep her going…

When her first novel gives her trouble, Sara goes for a walk to clear her writer’s block and ends up stumbling right into a real-life murder mystery. Magnum, an adventurous beagle, comes running off leash toward her in the local park, and she returns him home only to find his master dead on the entry floor.

Cliff Cunningham was a championship bowler with a mean streak and a temper, and police are pegging his Golden Pin bowling trophy as the murder weapon. While any number of people could have clocked a strike by knocking him on the noggin, the prime suspect is a friend of Sara’s mother—and she expects Sara to prove the woman’s innocence. A tall order, as the case isn’t officially hers and belongs to a rival detective.

But a promise is a promise, and Sara soon finds herself sleuthing undercover—and off the clock—in a world of polyester shirts and rental shoes. It’s not all bad, though, as she’s taking her friend and partner Sean McKinley along for the ride. They are better together than they’ve ever been split, and they’re not amateurs at finding killers.

Despite being up against small-town hijinks and colorful characters who threaten to roll their efforts into the gutter, they are having fun. That is, until they get close to the killer and a dangerous twist puts their lives at risk.

This is the first title in the Sara and Sean Cozy Mystery Series, but as soon as I started reading it, I knew I had already met and loved Sara and Sean in Exercise is Murder, a McKinley Mystery. I’ve now discovered that the McKinley Mysteries were unpublished last year, in order to be expanded into full-length novels. However I hadn’t read the original that this one is based on, so all new and fresh to me.

The story begins with Sara, a detective rescuing a lost dog in the park, but when she returns him home, she finds his owner Cliff Cunningham murdered. Certainly an opening to get the reader hooked.

She ends up having to take Magnum the dog home with her, but sneaking him into the police station for work the next day doesn’t go down well with the Sergeant. What will she do with Magnum?

Sara and partner Sean aren’t assigned to the Cunningham case, but when her mum calls to ask for help because her friend Gladys has been arrested for the murder of Cliff Cunningham, she and Sean set about some moonlighting on the case.

Can they do a better job at it than Detective Davenport? Is Gladys innocent?

Have a laugh at the antics of how they deal with Magnum.

The author has done a great job at filling in the back story for this, the start of a series, which is interwoven into this tale. And a fab twist at the end.

Most of Carolyn Arnold’s other series are dark psychological thrillers. Yes this is still murder, but a much more light-hearted fun mystery style.

Bowled Over Americano is available on Amazon. A highly recommended whodunnit style mystery, that will leave you looking forward to reading more Sara and Sean tales.

About the author

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Bowled Over Americano by Carolyn Arnold -Blog Tour

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Her Final Breath by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Her Final Breath by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Her Final Breath by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

Faint sunlight dapples the two figures lying on the ground. The mother cradles her daughter close to her side, a stuffed toy elephant next to them. Leaves from the tall trees fall onto their faces, but neither moves to brush them off.

When a dog walker in a local Virginia park finds the bodies of a mother and daughter, Detective Amanda Steele is first on the scene. Her own daughter has a toy just like the girl’s elephant and seeing the child like this is her worst nightmare come true. Heartbroken, she vows to get justice.

They quickly get an ID—Jill Archer and six-year-old Charlotte were reported missing last week, but interviewing Jill’s husband, Roy, Amanda’s gut tells her he is hiding something. When the autopsy reveals a terrible pattern of bruises, she’s certain that a domestic argument escalated out of control, and tiny Charlotte got caught in the crossfire. But just as Amanda is about to arrest Roy, another grave is found, containing another mother and daughter.

Desperate for a lead, she goes to every place the women could have been targeted, and learns from a concerned ER nurse about Leanne Reilly and her young daughter, Gracie, who haven’t been heard from in a week. Amanda hopes that Leanne has simply left her deadbeat husband, but she’s gripped by the fear that they are the killer’s latest victims. Now every second counts for Amanda to find the family and stop a little girl’s nightmare before it ends in tragedy…

This is the seventh title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters
The Silent Witness
Black Orchid Girls
Her Frozen Cry
Last Seen Alive

The prologue gives us a brief introduction to Leanne and her young daughter Gracie who have been abducted and held against their will.

Meanwhile the main story begins with the discovery of a grave in the park, revealing a woman, child and stuffed toy elephant. Detective Amanda Steele and partner Trent investigate. The deceased are identified as Jill Archer and daughter Charlotte, immediately leaving the reader to draw your own conclusions between the Archers and Leanne & Gracie.

Amanda and Trent get a bad feeling when they interview Jill’s husband Roy, a fellow police officer. At best he appears guilty of abuse, but did he murder his family?

And why is Sergeant Graves being so much more helpful on this case than usual?

Interviews and warrants abound. And I love how the clues are gradually revealed to us.

As always, we follow a sub-plot of Amanda’s home life with adopted daughter Zoe, who is a similar age to the children in this case. Plus there is a focus on Trent’s reaction to the abuse, in the knowledge that he is unable to help someone close in a similar situation.

Every so often we get another chapter with Leanne and Gracie. And then another grave is discovered in the park, with striking similarities to the Archers. Is there a serial killer?

When I reached the point where Amanda and Trent hear about Leanne and Gracie going missing, I’m devouring the pages. Can they piece everything together and find them in time?

Her Final Breath is available on Amazon. A thrilling page turner indeed.

Includes some continuity references to earlier stories for those who enjoy reading the whole series but works excellently as a stand-alone read too.

About the Detective Amanda Steele Series
Gritty. Raw. Unapologetic.

Immersive crime fiction for fans who love their mysteries set in a small town and hard-boiled to perfection. From the murder scene to the morgue, interrogation of suspects and following down leads, you’ll feel like you’re part of the investigation. Realistic and complex characters, accurate police procedures and forensics paired with tight, serious writing make these books read more like true crime than fiction. Meet Homicide Detective Amanda Steele with the Prince William County Police Department in Woodbridge, Virginia. She’s smart, motivated, and real. Her tragic past has her claiming to be no one’s mentor, but she’s more hero than she thinks.

Here are the links to my reviews of other books by Carolyn Arnold.
Remnants
Power Struggle
The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh
On the Count of Three
Shades of Justice
Exercise is Murder
Past Deeds
The Legend of Gasparilla and his Treasure
What We Bury
One More Kill
Girl on the Run

About the author

I’m participating in the blog book tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

Her Final Breath by Carolyn Arnold books on tour

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Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Last Seen Alive by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

The woman lies so still as her blood soaks into the soft bedcovers beneath her. A tear runs down her face as she looks at the wedding band on her finger. She had loved her husband so much…

When Detective Amanda Steele unexpectedly reconnects with an old boyfriend, the last thing she expects to see lying on his bed is the dead body of his wife, Claire, who walked out on him four years ago.

Logan begs Amanda to believe he’s innocent. But she doesn’t miss the gun on a nearby table, and she’s torn when forensics reveal that not only was this the murder weapon, but Logan’s fingerprints are all over it… Could he have been framed? Or is he using his connection to Amanda to get away with murder?

Determined to uncover the truth, Amanda retraces Claire’s last steps and finds that she visited her best friend the day before her death. But Amanda is devastated to discover that the friend died in a car accident just hours after meeting with Claire. What deadly secret connected them, and could more women be in danger?

But the killer is closer than Amanda realises, and when her beloved daughter, Zoe, is threatened, she’s suddenly in a race to find the final clue before the person she loves most pays the price…

This is the sixth title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters
The Silent Witness
Black Orchid Girls
Her Frozen Cry

Being a fan of this series, I was immediately hooked in by the prologue set a few days after the murder. The killer is spying on Amanda and he thinks she will drop the case if he threatens her daughter Zoe.

Rewind and the story begins with Amanda unexpectedly meeting up with former boyfriend Logan. They head back to his place, but there is a dead woman on his bed, wearing just lingerie. It is Logan’s ex-wife Claire who he claims he hasn’t seen since she left 4 years ago.

Is Logan innocent or being framed?

Sergeant Graves tries to keep Amanda off the case, but she goes to the top to get this over-ruled. Amanda and partner Trent then start following the clues.

Why did Claire have a false driving licence? Where had she been the last 4 years? What about before she married Logan?

So many twists to uncover before we reach that prologue point. And then, can Amanda keep Zoe safe and catch the killer?

Last Seen Alive is available on Amazon. A highly recommended exciting page turner. I didn’t want to put this book down.

Includes continuity references to earlier stories for those who enjoy reading the whole series but works well as a stand-alone read too.

About the Detective Amanda Steele Series
Gritty. Raw. Unapologetic.

About the author

I’m participating in the blog book tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold

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Her Frozen Cry by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Her Frozen Cry by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Her Frozen Cry by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

The moon shines through the open window, bathing the woman in pale light. Blood-red wine from a shattered glass soaks into the cream blanket beside her, and her dull eyes stare vacantly at the framed photograph in her hand.

When beautiful wife and mother Alicia Gordon is found dead in a remote woodland cabin, Detective Amanda Steele is shocked to discover that she knows the husband. Amanda hasn’t spoken to Tony since she lost the love of her own life seven years ago, and seeing tragedy tearing her old friend’s family apart brings back so many painful memories.

Alicia was alone when she died, but she was so young, and Amanda can’t help feeling suspicious. Then she discovers that Alicia’s sleep medication had been tampered with, slowly poisoning her over several days. Amanda wants to trust that the sorrow on Tony’s face is real, but the more she digs into his marriage, the more it seems that he had opportunity, and motive…

Interviewing one of Alicia’s old colleagues, Amanda is shaken to her core when the woman suddenly collapses in her arms, dying in seconds from a lethal dose of the same poison that killed Alicia. But what could link this woman to Tony?

With her partner blaming Amanda for not arresting Tony immediately, she needs to prove that he isn’t the killer, or accept that the second woman’s death could be on her hands. She’s running out of time and leads when she discovers threatening messages sent to both victims. It’s the final clue to unmasking the most twisted killer Amanda has ever come up against, and to stop them she’ll have to risk everything…

This is the fifth title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters
The Silent Witness
Black Orchid Girls

The prologue features a suspicious death alone in a locked remote cabin, but how did she die? Murder? Suicide? Accident?

Detective Amanda Steele and partner Trent are investigating the death of Alicia Gordon, a successful entrepreneur business woman in her 30’s, who founded New Belle cosmetic company. But Amanda recognises a face in a family photo found under the victim. It is Tony Bishop, an old friend who she hasn’t seen in years. Or even an old flame?

She discovers that Tony recently married Alicia. Can she continue on the case? Is there a conflict of interest? When will she tell Sergeant Malone?

Family, colleagues, competitors, nanny, ex’s all come under suspicion, although Amanda can’t believe Tony could possibly be guilty.

Hate mail, lies, poison? what else will they unearth?

And then there is another death. What is the connection? Could they have prevented this?

Her Frozen Cry is available on Amazon. An excellent thrilling page turner full of twists and turns. Highly recommended. Some continuity references to earlier stories for those who enjoy reading the whole series but perfect as a stand-alone read too.

About the Detective Amanda Steele Series
Gritty. Raw. Unapologetic.

About the author

I’m participating in the blog review tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

Her Frozen Cry by Carolyn Arnold - Blog Tour

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Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Girl on the Run by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

College student Courtney Middleton disappeared fifteen years ago. Everyone presumed she was dead…

Detective Madison Knight shows up at the local train station in the aftermath of a fatal shooting, and finds two women killed on scene. One was expecting her first child. The other was a wife and mother of two children and has Madison seeing a ghost from her past. She’s convinced the woman is her missing college friend, but why would she change her identity? And where has she been all this time?

There’s no lead on the gunman, but eyewitnesses tell of a mysterious young woman who may have triggered him. There’s no sign of her either—or another man who is said to watch over her all the time.

As the investigation continues, a drug-trafficking ring is exposed with connections to the Russian Mafia. The girl is one of their runners, and the man shadowing her is one of their handlers. When he’s found murdered in his apartment, shot with bullets of the same caliber used in the train station shooting, Madison knows the Russians will retaliate. She also realizes the women weren’t killed in some random incident.

As Madison works to figure out that piece of the puzzle, she’ll need to stay one step ahead of the mob to beat them to the elusive gunman and the girl. But when saving them puts her life and that of a loved one in danger, Madison finds out too late that the cost for justice comes at too high a price.

This is book 11 in the Detective Madison Knight series but works fine as a stand-alone read. I joined late to this series at book 8, but now that I have read 4 titles, I’m well into the continuity between titles plus seeing what makes Madison tick and her relationships with other regular characters. I’m still planning to go back to read the earlier titles in this series.

A little different to usual but this book has an enticing prologue in the near future, so as I continued reading, I kept wondering when I would reach that point in the tale.

The main story begins with a shooting at the railway station. Two women are dead and a third is taken to hospital, seriously injured. Madison is quickly on the scene having just been queueing nearby for her early morning coffee.

Madison and partner Terry try to piece together whether this is a random killing or if there is a connection between the victims. Witness statements indicate the gunman started yelling after a young woman shoplifted in front of everyone before vanishing.

Who is this girl? Was she a diversion? Can they find her as well as the shooter? Further investigation is pointing at the girl being a drugs runner for the Russian mafia. Then another body turns up in the docks. It is the girl’s usual handler. Will the mafia retaliate? The urgency is on, the girl has run but can they reach her before the mafia do?

But when they go to inform the victims’ husbands, a photo stops Madison in her tracks. Morgan, one of the victims is the spitting image of Courtney, a friend of Madison’s who mysteriously disappeared 15 years ago. Could Morgan be Courtney? Is it relevant to the case?

So many intertwined threads to unravel in this thrilling book. A gripping page turner which had me on the edge of my seat.

Girl on the Run is available on Amazon. Once again a fantastic story from best-selling author Carolyn Arnold.

This is the 15th book I’ve read by this excellent author and here are the links to my reviews of other titles by Carolyn Arnold.
Remnants
Power Struggle
The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh
On the Count of Three
Shades of Justice
Exercise is Murder
Past Deeds
The Legend of Gasparilla and his Treasure
What We Bury
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters
The Silent Witness
One More Kill
Black Orchid Girls

About the author

I’m participating in the blog review tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

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Black Orchid Girls by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Black Orchid Girls by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Black Orchid Girls by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

The first rays of sun filter through the tall trees, casting a faint light on the girl lying at the water’s edge. Her tears have frozen on her pale face, a black orchid rests against her cold white skin.

When hikers find the body of a beautiful young girl on the banks of the Potomac River, Detective Amanda Steele is shaken and confused. What is the significance of the delicate flower resting on the girl’s torso? A sign of affection, or a twisted killer’s calling card?

The girl is Chloe Somner, a local nineteen-year-old ecology student well-known to the park rangers and loved by all her classmates. Searching Chloe’s home, Amanda can’t work out who could have tempted her to the water in the early hours of the morning, but a long night hunting through cold cases gives her a possible lead: twenty years ago another local girl was murdered, a red rose left on her body. But why would this killer strike again now?

Focused on the past, the last thing Amanda expects is the news that Chloe’s roommate has been found dead, another black orchid left. Terrified that more innocent victims will follow, can Amanda uncover the significance of the flowers and stop this cold-hearted killer before he returns for the next orchid girl…?

This is the fourth title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous titles.
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters
The Silent Witness

The story begins with a murder of a young girl in the park, left naked by the Potomac river with a black orchid on her chest. Who is the victim and could the flower signify a serial killer?

We learn that a black orchid can symbolise bad luck, death, black magic, strength, virility, sexual desires or success. Does one of these present a message?

The park rangers recognise her as a regular vistitor but don’t know her name. Soon she is identified as 19 year old Chloe Somner, a student at Geoffrey Michaels University.

Detective Amanda Steele and partner Trent try to unravel the mystery, interviewing Chloe’s classmates and friends. A number of potential suspects are considered, and they also review a 20 year old cold case, where another murdered girl was left with a red rose. Could there be a link?

But then there is a second murder, this time it is one of Chloe’s housemates Jayne and again she has been left naked with a black orchid. Can they identify the killer before there are more deaths?

Meanwhile a sub-story runs through the book based on Amanda’s personal life, featuring 6 year old Zoe whom Amanda is fostering and hoping to adopt. This links it to the previous title in the series when Zoe’s parents were murdered, but this book works perfectly as a stand-alone read too.

Black Orchid Girls is available on Amazon. A brilliant book with plenty of twists and turns. Highly recommended. Although I have loved all the titles I have read by Carolyn Arnold, I think the Amanda Steele series are my favourites, possibly because it is the only series I have read from the start. And this one certainly lived up to my expectation.

About the Detective Amanda Steele Series
Gritty. Raw. Unapologetic.

About the author

I’m participating in the blog review tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

Black Orchid Girls by Carolyn Arnold - Blog Tour

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One More Kill by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book One More Kill by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

One More Kill by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

He told her to run. And she did. As fast as her legs would take her, but it wasn’t fast enough…

The bodies of a husband and wife are found in a patch of woods in small-town, rural Arkansas by a neighboring farmer. They were shot with an arrow, gutted, and left to bleed out. The killer also removed their eyes and replaced them with large cat’s-eye marbles. The murder method and signature are too bizarre to point toward an isolated incident, and FBI Special Agent Brandon Fisher recognizes this right away. His boss with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, Supervisory Special Agent Jack Harper, confirms that he’s crossed paths with this killer several years ago, and he has a voracious appetite for blood. In fact, Jack’s seen his work firsthand—six times, three couples, in three states.

Brandon, Jack, and the rest of the team head to Arkansas for one purpose: to bring down the ruthless and elusive serial killer who calls himself “the Leopard.” Versatile and adaptive, this madman hunts his prey like a wild, hungry cat—tracking them, then striking with swift viciousness. But just as the FBI think they might finally be getting closer to the Leopard’s true identity, he adapts his method and starts killing people faster than ever before.

Racing to catch up, and struggling to get one step ahead, the FBI comes to uncover buried family secrets that aid the investigation—while at the same time, flipping it on its head. Suddenly, the hunters are now the hunted. And while this case has haunted Jack since he joined the Bureau, things are about get more personal and dangerous than he ever would have imagined. If he and his team aren’t careful, one of them—or someone they love—may become the Leopard’s next victim.

This is book 9 in the Brandon Fisher FBI series, but also works well as a stand-alone read. I’ve been following this series since book 6 but haven’t read the earlier titles yet.

The story starts with the gruesome killing of a couple Mark and Stephanie Duran in rural Arkansas. The FBI team from the Behavioural Anaylsis Unit of Brandon, Jack, Paige and Kelly are called in to investigate. Jack recognises this as being the work of an elusive serial killer, nicknamed the Leopard, who seems to have been dormant for 15 years. Why?

Plus this time the killer has deviated from his usual patterns? Again why?

And then things get even more personal as the killer changes tactics and leaves them a note.

One More Kill is newly published on Amazon today. Wow. This gripping page turner had me on the edge of my seat. Highly recommended.

I’m participating in the blog review tour. Do take time to browse round some of the other posts.

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The Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book The Silent Witness by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

The Silent Witness by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…

When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.

Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.

With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?

Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.

Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?

This is the third title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and here are the links to my reviews of the previous two titles.
The Little Grave
Stolen Daughters

This story starts with married couple Brett and Angela being murdered in their own home by a night-time intruder. They had just seconds to hide their 6 year old daughter Zoe in the ottoman. Their house has been ransacked. Why have they been targetted?

Their bodies are dicovered the next afternoon by Angela’s friend (and Zoe’s godmother) Libby. But Zoe is missing. Has she been taken?

Detective Amanda Steele and partner Trent are assigned to the case. Amanda discovers Zoe traumatised hiding in the ottoman whilst the crime scene invesigators are busy around. She doesn’t utter a word. Has she witnessed the murders? A child psychologist will be needed. Can they get any answers from Zoe? Who will look after her?

As Amanda and Trent piece together their investigation, one angle is why did the family cut short their vacation last week?

Other strands get woven into the story. And then even with police protection in place, Zoe disappears. Can they find her in time?

The Silent Witness, newly published today, is available on Amazon. A compelling read which had me hooked. Highly recommended. This book works well as a stand-alone read but I’m particularly enjoying the continuity thread that runs through this series. I certainly hope there will be more titles to come.

About the Detective Amanda Steele Series
Gritty. Raw. Unapologetic.

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Stolen Daughters by Carolyn Arnold – book review

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Disclosure. This post is a review of an ebook I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

I have received a free e-copy of the book Stolen Daughters by bestselling author Carolyn Arnold to review. To find out more about the author you may visit her website.

Stolen Daughters by Carolyn Arnold

Here is the book blurb.

The girl looked so peaceful, she could have been asleep. Except her eyes were open, blankly reflecting the flickering flames spreading towards her…

When firefighters discover the body of a teenage girl at an abandoned house, Detective Amanda Steele hurries to the scene. Dumfries, Virginia is a small town, yet no one seems to have any idea who the dead girl is until Amanda finds a dragonfly pin with the name Crystal engraved on it.

Working tirelessly, Amanda traces the pin to Crystal Foster, a thirteen-year-old who disappeared three years ago from her wealthy parents’ home. Breaking the news to the distraught parents won’t be easy, but the loss of her own daughter still haunts Amanda, and she knows this will bring them closure. But when Amanda goes to see the Fosters, they do not recognize the girl. She isn’t Crystal.

Before Amanda can react to this new development, she gets an urgent call. A fire has consumed another vacant house, and the remains of two more girls have been found. Who are these girls, and why are they being picked off? Amanda must stop this killer before the pattern continues, and the death toll climbs.

When Amanda receives a taunting note from the killer, she realizes that she holds the missing piece of this puzzle. The victims are connected to Amanda’s past, to a case she can never forget, and which almost claimed her life. As she follows the clues to their deadly conclusion, can she save more innocent lives… even if it risks her own?

This is the second title in the Detective Amanda Steele series and you may see my review of the first title The Little Grave here.

The story starts with a murder and arson in a vacant property. Who is the dead teenage girl? Detective Amanda Steele and partner Trent are assigned to the case. Meanwhile Sergeant Malone warns Amanda to tread carefully as Lieutenant Hill hates her and is trying to get her demoted.

A tattoo on the girl’s body reveals she was a victim of sex trafficking before she was a murder victim, linking this to Amanda’s earlier case. Then Amanda finds a note from the killer on her daughter’s grave. This is getting too close for comfort. More deaths follow and a false identification.

How can Amanda solve this case? What clues are there? How can she stop the reporters interfering?

Stolen Daughters is available on Amazon. A gripping page turner which i couldn’t put down. Highly recommended.

Detective Amanda Steele Series by Carolyn Arnold