#BookReview The Killer In The Snow (DI James Walker 2) by Alex Pine

Title: The Killer In The Snow (DI James Walker 2) by Alex Pine

Date Published: 28th October 2021

Publisher: Avon

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

But across the fells, a local farmer returns home on Christmas Eve to find footsteps in the fresh snow that lead down to his unused basement – and no footsteps leading away. Days later, his body is found, alongside those of his wife and daughter.

Without a neighbour for miles, there are no witnesses and little evidence. And the crime scene has strange echoes of another terrible murder committed at the farmhouse, twenty years earlier…

James knows that to catch this killer, he needs to solve a case that has long since gone cold…

Perfect for fans of smash-hit TV series Whitehouse Farm, Simon McCleave’s The Snowdonia Killings and Catherine Cooper’s The Chalet.

Review:

I want to thank Avon books (via NetGalley) for providing me with a copy of The Killer In The Snow in exchange for an honest review.

I was so glad to see DI James Walker for a second outing after I read and enjoyed the first in this series, The Christmas Killer last year. There’s no need to worry if you haven’t read the first though, it’s easily read as a standalone.

The story starts off with the gruesome discovery of a family murdered in their own home. Eerily it’s similar to a crime that happened in the same house over twenty years earlier. Are they linked, or is it just a coincidence? It’s up to DI Walker and his team to find out.  

The Killer In The Snow is a fast-paced and entertaining read that had me glued to my kindle.

DI Walker is still his likeable self and even his wife Annie, who annoyed me a little in the first novel, has grown on me a little more during the novel.

I still absolutely love the setting of Cumbria. It’s almost like another character and the vast countryside really adds to the tension of the story.

This story felt a little more on the gritty side than the first, with a few more gruesome scenes which I don’t mind and weren’t over the top.

I would say the ending wasn’t overly surprising, but there were a good few twists in there to keep me guessing.

The Killer In The Snow is a definite must for all police procedural fans out there looking for a crime novel with a festive twist.

About The Author:

Alex Pine was born and raised on a council estate in South London and left school at sixteen. Before long, he embarked on a career in journalism, which took him all over the world – many of the stories he covered were crime-related. Among his favourite hobbies are hiking and water-based activities, so he and his family have spent lots of holidays in the Lake District. He now lives with his wife on a marina close to the New Forest on the South Coast – providing him with the best of both worlds!

Find Me In The Dark (Detective Harlow Durant 1) by Dea Poirier @bookouture @deapoirierbooks #BooksOnTour #BookReview

Title: Find Me In The Dark (Detective Harlow Durant 1) by Dea Poirier

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 21st October 2021

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

She’d been running for so long, it felt like her legs were on fire. Her heart was pounding so hard, she was sure it would give out. Around her, the snow was falling, casting an eerie silence over the town. A crack behind her, a foot snapping a branch, it warned her that he was still coming. She whipped around and saw the knife gleaming in his hand…

As the snow begins to melt across Plattsburgh, New York, the body of a young woman is found buried in a snowbank. When Detective Harlow Durant arrives at the scene she discovers that the victim has lain there for months: her arresting beauty, brightly-coloured nails and a distinctive gold bracelet perfectly preserved in the ice.

Searching missing person reports, Harlow soon identifies the victim as college student Alyssa Trent. Her grieving family describe her as someone who had no enemies and was a dedicated student. But Alyssa’s tutor has a different view: they claim Alyssa had another life that she kept hidden. But who would want her dead?

Harlow knows all about secret lives. She has spent years running from her past and from her father, a convicted serial killer. As the only female detective at the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, Harlow has vowed to bring killers to justice. Now she needs to find justice for Alyssa.

When another female student is found in the thawing snow, Harlow knows that she is hunting a twisted killer. The victims knew each other but what dark secret connects them? With the small-town reeling in shock and more snow coming, Harlow knows she needs to stop a killer dead in their tracks before another innocent life is lost.

From the bestselling author of Next Girl To Die comes an addictive crime thriller perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series.

You can buy your copy here: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3ax5vki

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me a copy of Find Me In The Dark in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first in the Harlow Durant series and my first book by Dea Poirier, but it certainly won’t be my last.

What an utterly compelling read Find Me In The Dark was! 

Harlow is a complex character. Raised by a serial killer and abusive mother, she’d used to people letting her down and moving from place to place, never feeling at home. She’s a bit standoffish, understandably, and doesn’t suffer fools gladly, which I enjoyed, especially when faced with the vile local officers she had to deal with.

Lucas made a nice foil for Harlow. New to the homicide department, he’s still a little inexperienced, but he’s loyal and determined. He also carries his own hurt from the past. It was also nice to see that there was any romance between him and Harlow, which made a pleasant change.

With all the buildup and tension in the story, I found the murderer reveal a little lacklustre, although at the end there is a little surprise that will lead nicely onto the next book.

Find Me In The Dark is a gripping serial killer thriller packed with action from the very beginning.

About The Author:

Author Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science and Political Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp. She spends her days at her day job as a President of Digital Marketing, and her nights writing manuscripts.

Welcome

https://www.facebook.com/dhpoirier/

https://www.instagram.com/deapoirier/

Tweets by deapoirierbooks

#BookReview The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell @emblabooks

Title: The Midnight Man by Caroline Mitchell

Publisher: Embla Books

Date Published: 13th October 2021

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

From number one bestselling author Caroline Mitchell, comes the first chilling Slayton thriller for fans of C. J. Tudor and Stephen King.

If you open your door to the Midnight Man, hide with a candle wherever you can. Try not to scream as he draws near, because one of you won’t be leaving here…

On Halloween night in Slayton, five girls go to Blackhall Manor to play the Midnight Game. They write their names on a piece of paper and prick their fingers to soak it in blood. At exactly midnight they knock on the door twenty-two times – they have invited the Midnight Man in.

It was supposed to be a game, but only four girls come home.

Detective Sarah Noble has just returned to the force, and no one knows more about Blackhall Manor than her. It’s a case that will take Sarah back to everything she’s been running from, and shake her to the core.

Will she be ready to meet the Midnight Man?

Review:

I want to thank Embla books for providing me with a copy of The Midnight Man in exchange for an honest review.

I’m a huge fan of Caroline Mitchell’s Detective Amy Winters series, so when I read the synopsis for Midnight Man, I knew I had to read it.

The Midnight Man is a police procedural with a creepy edge to it. It was a perfect read for this time of year, especially as the nights are drawing in and it’s getting colder.

There are a couple of horror tropes throughout, like the abandoned and possibly haunted mansion and the urban legend of the midnight man. They both added another dimension to the story, and I especially loved the chilling rhyme that warned against invoking the midnight man.

Detective Sarah Noble was a flawed and believable character. After a hellish year, you can’t help but root for her to get her life back on track. Another interesting character was seven-year-old Elliot. I can’t tell you too much about him, but he was a bit of a scene stealer.

I’ll be honest, when I read the blurb I was expecting more of a horror novel than the police procedural that it turned out to be. It didn’t spoil my overall enjoyment, but I was hoping for a little more creepiness/spookiness. 

The Midnight Man is a decent start to this series and I’ll be looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

About The Author:

USA Today and Global #1 Bestselling Thriller Author.

Caroline originates from Ireland and now lives with her family in a pretty village on the coast of Essex. A former police detective, Caroline has worked in CID and specialised in roles dealing with vulnerable victims, high-risk victims of domestic abuse, and serious sexual offences. She now writes full time.

Set in Shoreditch, London, her DS Ruby Preston trilogy is described as terrifying, addictive serial killer thrillers.

Caroline also writes psychological thrillers. The most recent, Silent Victim, has been described as ‘brilliantly gripping and deliciously creepy’. Her new DI Amy Winter series is published by Thomas & Mercer.

Sign up to join her Reader’s club for access to news, updates and exclusive competitions and giveaways. http://eepurl.com/IxsTj

#CoverReveal A Life For A Life by Carol Wyer @carolewyer

Hello lovelies! Today I’m excited to reveal the cover for A Life For A Life by Carol Wyer, the third in the Detective Kate Young series due for release on 15th March 2022. But first a little about the book:

Nobody can get into the mind of an erratic killer—except an unpredictable detective.

When a young man is found lying on a station platform with a hole in his head, DI Kate Young is called in to investigate the grisly murder. But the killing is no one-off. As bodies start to pile up, she is faced with what might be an impossible task—to hunt down a ruthless killer on a seemingly random rampage.

Meanwhile, Kate has her own demons to battle as she struggles to come to terms with her husband’s death. And she is hell-bent on exposing corruption within the force and bringing Superintendent John Dickson to justice. But with the trail of deception running deeper—and closer to home—than she could ever have imagined, she no longer knows who she can trust.

With her grip on reality slipping, Kate realises that maybe she and the killer are not so different after all. But time is running out and Kate is low on options. Can she catch the killer before she loses everything?

You can pre-order your copy here:

UK https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook/dp/B09BCPR894

US https://www.amazon.com/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook/dp/B09BCPR894

AU https://www.amazon.com.au/Life-Detective-Kate-Young-Book-ebook/dp/B09BCPR894

Now for the atmospheric cover:

About The Author:

USA Today bestselling author and winner of The People’s Book Prize Award, Carol Wyer’s crime novels have sold over one million copies and been translated into nine languages.

A move from humour to the ‘dark side’ in 2017, saw the introduction of popular DI Robyn Carter in Little Girl Lost and proved that Carol had found her true niche.

In 2021, An Eye For An Eye, the first in the DI Kate Young series, was chosen as a Kindle First Reads. It became the #1 bestselling book on Amazon UK and Australia. The third, A Life For A Life, is due out March 15th, 2022, but is available to preorder.

Carol has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’, featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and written for the Huffington Post. She’s also been interviewed on numerous radio shows and on BBC Breakfast television.

She currently lives on a windy hill in rural Staffordshire with her husband Mr. Grumpy who is very, very grumpy.

When not plotting devious murders, she can be found performing her comedy routine, Smile While You Still Have Teeth.

To learn more, go to http://www.carolwyer.co.uk, subscribe to her YouTube channel, or follow her on Twitter @carolewyer

Black Reed Bay (Detective Casey Wray 1) by Rod Reynolds @Rod_WR @OrendaBooks #BookReview

Title: Black Reed Bay (Detective Casey Wray 1) by Rod Reynolds

Date Published: 28th May 2021

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

When a young woman vanishes from an exclusive oceanfront community in the middle of the night, Detective Casey Wray’s takes on a case that leads her in chilling, unexpected directions … A twisty, breath-taking police procedural. First in a heart-pounding new series.

Don’t trust ANYONE…

When a young woman makes a distressing middle-of-the-night call to 911, apparently running for her life in a quiet, exclusive beachside neighbourhood, miles from her home, everything suggests a domestic incident.

Except no one has seen her since, and something doesn’t sit right with the officers at Hampstead County PD. With multiple suspects and witnesses throwing up startling inconsistencies, and interference from the top threatening the integrity of the investigation, lead detective Casey Wray is thrust into an increasingly puzzling case that looks like it’s going to have only one ending…

And then the first body appears…

For fans of Susie Steiner, Peter Swanson, M J Arlidge, James Lee Burke and Tana French.

Review:

I want to thank the TBC reviewer group and Orenda books for providing me with a copy of Black Reed Bay in exchange for an honest review.

Rod Reynolds has been on my radar for a while now, but this is actually the first book I’ve read by him, but it certainly won’t be the last!

A young woman makes a 911 call and seems to vanish. The people of the wealthy neighbourhood that she went missing from claim to have no clue where she went or why she was so distressed. Casey Wray is put on the case and is the only person intent on finding her. Then a body turns up and Casey realises there’s something more sinister going on than she first thought.

Black Reed Bay was one of those books that really kept me on my toes throughout, with plenty of twists and shocks along the way. 

I loved Rod Reynolds’ writing style. Descriptive and evocative without bogging you down with too much detail. Added to that, a cleverly concocted mystery and realistic characters, making it a really entertaining read.

Casey Wray is a fantastic character that I really rooted for. An older officer, she’s worked hard to become a detective and still at times struggles with it all. It’s her sheer determination and need for justice that seems to drive her on. 

Black Reed Bay is a tense and atmospheric police procedural that kept me gripped throughout. I will be eagerly awaiting the next in the series.

About The Author:

Rod Reynolds is the author of five novels, including the Charlie Yates series, the standalone Blood Red City and the forthcoming Black Reed Bay.

His 2015 debut, The Dark Inside, was longlisted for the CWA New Blood Dagger, and was followed by Black Night Falling (2016) and Cold Desert Sky (2018); the Guardian have called the books ‘Pitch-perfect American noir.’ A lifelong Londoner, in 2020 Orenda Books published his first novel set in his hometown, Blood Red City, which was a Summer 2020 pick in the FT. In 2021, he again turns to the US, this time to present-day Long Island, with Black Reed Bay.

Rod previously worked in advertising as a media buyer, and holds an MA in Novel Writing from City University London. Rod lives with his wife and children and spends most of his time trying to keep up with them.

Contact him:

http://www.rodreynolds.com

twitter: @Rod_WR

facebook: @RodReynoldsBooks

Little Girl Taken (Detective Madison Harper 3) by Wendy Dranfield @WendyDranfield @bookouture #BookReview #BooksOnTour

Title: Little Girl Taken (Detective Madison Harper 3) by Wendy Dranfield 

Date Published: 29th July 2021

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Crime Thriller

Description:

Rain rattles through the trees as she leans into the car, careful not to touch anything. Two pretty blue eyes stare back through the dark, wide with relief, or maybe fear. A baby girl, wrapped up in a pink snowsuit, reaches out a tiny hand. Her mother is nowhere to be found…

An abandoned baby is the last thing Detective Madison Harper expects to find as she drives to her first day back at work since the case that ripped her life apart. But as she cradles the shivering child close, all her instincts tell her there’s something more sinister at play. Then she finds a lone sneaker down a muddy trail nearby, the laces spattered with blood…

In a town as small as Lost Creek, Colorado, the baby and the shoe are quickly identified as belonging to Kacie Larson, a waitress at the local diner who quietly stashed away her tips to make a better life for her daughter. A mother herself, Madison can’t believe that Kacie would just abandon her child, but she also can’t convince her new team. Not for the first time, Madison feels she must go it alone to get the job done.

But when a body is pulled from a nearby lake, and it’s not Kacie, the case takes an agonizing turn. Is this missing mother really who she says she is? Is there a chance she’s still alive? Madison barely has time to think before the sweet little girl she rescued is snatched on a crowded street. Gone, in the blink of an eye.

To break this case and earn her place back on the force, Madison must learn to trust her team, and herself again—and fast. If she doesn’t find this twisted individual in time, a little girl could die…

A pulse-pounding, absolutely gripping and totally addictive page-turner that will have you racing through the pages and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot, you’ll be sleeping with the lights on!

You can buy your copy here: https://geni.us/B093C9HN79cover 

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

I swear this series is getting better and better! It’s the third in the Detective Madison Harper series, while it can be read as a standalone I would suggest reading at least the previous book Cry For Help just to get more on the background on the characters.

Madison has got her job back as a detective but it will not be easy for her, after so many years away and suspicions about her still swirling. It doesn’t help that on her first day back she finds a crashed car with a baby in the back. Where is the baby’s mother and will Madison be able to find her alive? She enlists the help of her friend and PI Nate to help her crack the case.

As always with Wendy’s books, she puts her characters through it! It’s Nate’s turn in this book when his friend Rex turns up dead, bringing with him some revelations about his Father Connor, the man he’s been trying to track down for years.

This novel really hit me hard in the emotions and after I put it down, I honestly couldn’t stop thinking about the ending.

Little Girl Taken is a well written and fast-paced thriller full of plenty of shocks and surprises along the way to keep you guessing. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in this series!

About The Author:

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.

Her first novel (The Girl Who Died) was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. Since then she has written two crime series – one follows Officer Dean Matheson on his quest to make detective, and the other is her current series which follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.

As well as crime novels Wendy also has short stories published in various anthologies in the UK and the US, and she has been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions.

Wendy’s social media:

Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: Wendy Dranfield Author

Pinterest: Wendy Dranfield

Instagram: Wendy Dranfield Author 

Me Tender by Lorraine Mace @lomace @rararesources #BookReview

Title: Love Me Tender by Lorraine Mace

Date Published: 21st January 2021

Publisher: Headline 

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

IF HE WANTS YOU . . . THERE’S NO ESCAPE.

A brutal murder . . .
Responding to a tip-off, newly promoted Detective Chief Inspector Paolo Sterling arrives at an apartment block to find the dismembered body of a young woman. And with no indication of a break-in, all signs suggest the killer was known to her.

An abduction in plain sight . . .
Then the victim’s friend is snatched with no witnesses and the unanswered questions mount up.

At the same time, Sterling’s team are leading the surveillance of a local club, thought to be involved in a drug operation. But when one of his colleagues ends up in hospital close to death, Paolo begins to lose his grip.

A detective on the edge . . .
With the odds stacked against him, and time running out, can DCI Sterling uncover the truth before it’s too late? Or will this case finally tip him over the edge?

You can buy you copy here:

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3vHyDxT

Review:

I want to thank Rachel at Rachel’s Random Resources for inviting me on this blog tour and the publisher for providing me with a copy of Love Me Tender in exchange for an honest review.

I’m back with the fifth installment of the DCI Paolo Sterling. I absolutely love this series so I’m always eager to get my hands on a new book.

Love Me Tender has everything I want in a police procedural, a twisty complicated investigation, an insight into a deranged killer’s mind and tenacious detectives out to solve the case.

Two cases run side by side in this novel. The first is the investigation into a club called ‘The Pipe’ that they believe is trafficking illegal drugs that lead to a young woman’s death. The other is the death of a young woman in her flat, along with the disappearance of her friend. It’s also interspersed with brief insights into the killer’s mind and their warped world.

Paolo really goes through it during this story. Struggling after the death of his friend and colleague, he has a promotion thrust upon him that he doesn’t want. He’s also facing opposition from a member of his own team, not even mentioning the fact his love life is its usual tangled mess.

As always with this type of book there’s a few gruesome scenes that are not for the faint of heart.

Love Me Tender is a dark, gritty and highly addictive read that reminded me just how much I love this series. 

About The Author:

Born and raised in South East London, Lorraine lived and worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on the Costa del Sol in Spain. She lives with her partner in a traditional Spanish village inland from the coast and enjoys sampling the regional dishes and ever-changing tapas in the local bars. Her knowledge of Spanish is expanding. To stop her waistline from doing the same, she runs five times a week.

Author of the D.I. Sterling series of novels, Lorraine has been engaged in many writing-related activities. A columnist for Writing Magazine, she has recently stepped down from writing two columns for Writers’ Forum and also her role as head judge of the magazine’s monthly fiction competitions in order to concentrate on her own writing. She is currently writing two standalone psychological thrillers for Headline Accent.

She also runs her own private critique and author mentoring service.

Social Media Links – 

Website: www.lorrainemace.com 

Blog: http://thewritersabcchecklist.blogspot.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lomace 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LorraineMaceAuthor 

Cry For Help (Detective Madison Harper 2) by Wendy Dranfield @bookouture @WendyDranfield #BookReview

Title: Cry For Help (Detective Madison Harper 2) by Wendy Dranfield

Publisher: Bookouture

Date Published: 22nd February 2021

Genre: Thriller

Description:

Shivering in the early morning chill, the caretaker flips the switch on the Ferris wheel and stumbles back in shock. The teenage girl’s body is slumped in a halo of pretty colored lights, long red hair spilling over her tear-stained cheeks, her eyes fixed forever on her dangling feet.

When teenager Nikki Jackson’s body is found at an amusement park, just hours after Fourth of July fireworks lit up the night sky, the Lost Creek police rule her death as suicide––a devastating final act from a girl who had lost all hope. But the absence of the knife used to make the wounds on her delicate wrists makes Detective Madison Harper think otherwise. And the partial fingerprint found on the girl’s face proves her right. Someone else was with Nikki in her final moments…

Back home in Colorado for the first time in seven years to investigate the murder of a woman with ties to the son she lost to the care system, the pressure is on for Madison to work both cases at once. Fearing the team has missed a vital clue, Madison searches the crime scene alone and finds the last thing she ever expected: a note proving the victims knew each other, and that the cases are linked. Is this a coincidence, proof a dangerous murderer is on the loose, or a trap set to lead Madison off the trail?

It’s only when Madison finally finds the knife used to harm Nikki, tucked in an almost impossible to find hiding place, that she knows she is closing in on a twisted killer. But the last person she expects to see dragged into the department in handcuffs is her own missing son…

An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Addictive reading for anyone who loves Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh.

Review:

I enjoyed the first in this series earlier this year and as I know the third is coming out soon; I thought I’d better catch up with this one.

Madison is heading home to clear her name and find her son, but things get complicated when the body of a teenage girl is found. She and Nate can’t leave it unsolved, but the case quickly gets personal for Madison.

Cry For Help is one of those books that grabs you from the very beginning, getting more and more taut with tension building to a satisfying and action packed ending.

This book had so many little shocks and surprises along the way, which I didn’t see coming and absolutely loved!

I really enjoyed getting the full story of Madison’s arrest and more bits and pieces from her past, something I felt was missing from the first book. Of course that meant Nate sort of took a back seat for most of the book but I think it worked out well and I wonder what Wendy Dranfield will do next with these characters.

I absolutely flew through the first half of this book but for some reason I found the second half a little more slow going, maybe it’s just I didn’t want it to end!

Cry For Help is a fast-paced and addictive read and I can’t wait to read more from this series!

About The Author:

Wendy is a former coroner’s assistant turned crime writer who lives in the UK with her husband and 3 cats.

Her first novel (The Girl Who Died) was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition. Since then she has written two crime series – one follows Officer Dean Matheson on his quest to make detective, and the other is her current series which follows Detective Madison Harper as she tries to reclaim her life after spending six years in prison for a murder she didn’t commit.

As well as crime novels Wendy also has short stories published in various anthologies in the UK and the US, and she has been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions.

Wendy’s social media:

Website: https://wendydranfield.co.uk/

Twitter: @WendyDranfield

Facebook: Wendy Dranfield Author

Pinterest: Wendy Dranfield

Instagram: Wendy Dranfield Author

Knife Edge by Kerry Buchanan @DabblinginCrime @JoffeBooks #BookReview #BlogTour

Title: Knife Edge by Kerry Buchanan

Publisher: Joffe Books

Date Published:15th April 2021

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Description:

A MESMERIZING BREAK-OUT CRIME THRILLER SET IN NORTHERN IRELAND FULL OF BREATH-TAKING TWISTS

Nic always hated clubbing.

She only went out that night because she’d promised a friend.

She wakes up, naked and bound in an abandoned cottage in the middle of nowhere. Dappled light comes in through a dirty window. Her body is covered in cuts. Across the room her friend groans in pain.

A shadow passes the window. He’s back.

He picks up a knife. He begins to cut her friend. In that moment of bloody frenzy, Nic wrenches free and runs.

She’s finally safe. But this is only just the beginning.

Detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch arrive at the scene hours later. There is no body, there is no sign of the killer. It’s as if it never happened.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW HOW IT ENDS? THINK AGAIN.

Fans of Lynda La Plante, Tana French, Patricia Gibney, Brian McGilloway and Helen H. Durrant will devour this electrifying crime thriller by one of Northern Ireland’s newest talents.

Review:

I want to thank Jill Burkinshaw for inviting me on this tour and Joffe Books for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I love it when I pick up a book and am immediately pulled into the story, and Knife Edge certainly does that.

The story follows Nic, who escapes the clutches of a terrifying killer, but the nightmare for her is only just beginning as he can’t let go and is hell bent on torturing her.

Nic is a fantastic character. Even though she’s been through so much, she’s so strong and determined that I ended up admiring her a lot. Okay, there were moments where her determination made her actions more than a little foolish, but it just added to the entertainment of the novel.

Even though this is more of a psychological thriller, there is still a police presence in the form of detectives Asha Harvey and Aaron Birch. They’re both tenacious characters, who work together well with some much needed banter to break up the tense storyline.

I can’t deny I was a little taken aback by the ending, but I can’t wait to see what Kerry Buchanan comes up with next!

Knife edge is a tension packed thrill ride of a novel that had me flying through those pages.

About The Author:

Kerry Buchanan has had numerous short stories published internationally, including some prize-winners, but her heart lies with novel-writing. Her crime series is set in Belfast and in the rolling County Down hills she sees from her window as she writes. She is often invited to perform her work at literary events or to be a member of panels at conventions, and she loves to help new writers by facilitating writing groups and classes in her local community.

Although Kerry is disabled, her hobbies include sailing and attempting to outwit the slugs in her vegetable patch. Generally, the slugs win.

BOOKS BY KERRY BUCHANAN

COMING SOON!

FOLLOW KERRY ON

AUTHOR WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
GOODREADS
AMAZON

Stolen Daughters (Detective Amanda Steele 2) by Carolyn Arnold @bookouture #BookReview #PublicationDay #BooksOnTour

Happy publication day to Carolyn Arnold for the second in the Detective Amanda Steele series Stolen Daughters! I’m going to sharing my review today but first a bit about the book:

Title: Stolen Daughters (Detective Amanda Steele 2) by Carolyn Arnold

Date Published: 6th April 2021

Publisher: Bookouture

Genre: Police Procedural

Description:

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?

An unputdownable, pulse-pounding mystery. Fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni will be gripped.

You can buy your copy here:

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08WPSQM28social

Apple: http://ow.ly/eEQV50DDq10

Kobo: http://ow.ly/KR1V50DDpYb

Google: http://ow.ly/gEqy50DDq3Z

Review:

I want to thank Bookouture for providing me with a copy of Stolen Daughters in exchange for an honest review.

So this is my first Carolyn Arnold book but the second in the Amanda Steele series, but it’s easily read as a standalone. I would probably recommend going back to the first and starting there, just to get a bit more history of the characters.

The story opens with a young woman being found dead in an abandoned house after a fire was started deliberately. She’s got no ID and they do not know who the young girl is. Amanda Steele is assigned to the case with her partner Trent. Dealing with the aftermath of her last case, she has a higher up officer gunning for her badge. As the body count rises, the case takes a personal turn. Can Amanda deal with it all and solve the case?

Stolen Daughters is an American police procedural that leans more towards the procedural aspects with a bit of psychology thrown in there for good measure.

I usually read British police procedurals, but it made a nice change to read one set in a small town in America. I enjoyed seeing the differences and similarities between policing methods, although one thing they certainly have in common is all police officers seem to run on caffeine and junk food!

I do so love to get inside the mind of a killer, and it intrigued me to see little peeks into this killer’s twisted mind throughout the book.

I struggled a bit to warm up to Amanda at first. She’s a good cop but seems to rub a lot of people up the wrong way. She was also a bit standoffish, refusing to cross the boundaries between professional and perhaps friendship with her partner Trent. In future books I’d love to see a bit more of Trent, I feel there’s a lot of potential with his character.

I felt the pace was a little slow to start off with but it builds nicely to an action paced ending that leaves it open for the next in the series. 

Stolen Daughters is a realistic and gritty read with an ending that leaves you wanting more. 

About The Author:

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has several continuing fiction series and has nearly thirty published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Her crime fiction series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining. This led to her adopting the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small 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.

She currently lives near London, Ontario, Canada with her husband and two beagles.

Author Social Media Links:

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold