Digital Reads Reviews

Many thanks to Noelle Holten and publisher Bookouture for my spot on this Blog Tour.

Brilliant! Brilliant! Absolutely freaking brilliant!! I had liked author Jennifer Chase’s first book, I knew that she had to develop her main character. This book proved my predictions and my faith in the author right. The writing had a maturity that the story and its main character Katie deserved.

A police procedural, where Detective Katie Scott was in charge of the cold cases which led her to a 6 month old case and the kidnapping of Amanda Peyton who managed to escape. Katie met with her and promised to keep her safe. A day later, she was called to a murder scene – murder of Amanda Peyton!!

The author took the book from this point and showed me how an investigation ought to be done, with careful examination of each probable suspect and their points of intersection with the victim. Another escaped woman, a dead body and a kidnapped woman added to the ordeal. It was obvious someone was targeting the women. I liked how the author narrowed the field of investigation with every chapter making me feel that Katie was closing in.

Katie was fantastic and so real. Gut instincts and her time in the military gave her an added flair to solve the cases. PTSD affected her, but her sheer strength helped her to overcome it, at least deal with it. Her K9 Cisco was a darling, always by her side. I wished he had been used more in the investigation. McGavern was her partner, loved how in-sync they were.

Ending could have been not so rushed, but that was just me wanting perfection. It was Katie who led the book from beginning to end. Her passion and drive were never ending. The story also had hope in her personal life weaved into it which gave me an added insight about her. I liked her in book 1, I loved her in this book.

I received a free ARC from NetGalley and publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning author and consulting criminologist. She has authored eight crime fiction novels, including the multiple award-winning Emily Stone thriller series along with a screenwriting workbook.

Jennifer holds a Bachelor degree in police forensics and a Master’s degree in criminology. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists.

Katie focuses her mind, trying to keep another anxiety attack at bay. The victim’s long brown hair is slick and wet, her body rigid in the grass. She looks more like a mannequin than the woman Katie had spoken with only yesterday, the woman she had promised to protect…

When a cold, naked body is discovered by a couple on a jog through the lush woodlands of Pine Valley, California, new recruit Detective Katie Scott is stunned to discover the victim is Amanda Payton – a much-loved local nurse and the woman at the heart of an unsolved case she’s been investigating whilst getting a grip on her crippling PTSD.

Weeks earlier, Amanda had run, battered and bruised, out into the headlights of a passing patrol car. She claimed to have just escaped a kidnapping, but with no strong evidence, the case went cold. The Pine Valley police made a fatal mistake…

Katie is certain the marks on Amanda’s wrists complete a pattern of women being taken, held captive and then showing up dead in remote locations around Pine Valley – and she won’t let someone die on her watch again.

But then a beautiful office worker with a link to the hospital where Amanda worked goes missing. With only days before the next body is due to show up, can Katie make amends for her past by saving this innocent life?

Publication Date: October 2019

Publisher: Bookouture