Review - Her Dark Grave by Carolyn Arnold #NetGalley @Carolyn_Arnold #HerDarkGrave

MY REVIEW

Carolyn Arnold sets the hook in me with the Prologue for Her Dark Grave.

I am going to kill someone before graduation.

Just because a family appears to have it all, no one knows what goes on behind closed doors…mom and ‘my little boy’ aren’t telling. And, that is how a killer is born.

Madison Knight is a detective with the Stiles Police Department. Her nightmares and inability to sleep have her driving around in the early morning hours. Her lover, Troy Matthews, a SWAT leader, had fought for his life when they went up against the Russian Mafia. Could they be following her? Are they in danger?

Her car runs out of gas and she discovers a suitcase filled with body parts.

Tara is found. She may be rich, but she is devoted to those less privileged. She fights poverty and illiteracy, knowing the power of being able to read can lead to jobs.

She strongly believed that children are our future.

Madison Knight is my favorite Carolyn Arnold character. Besides her and her significant other Troy, we have her partner Terry, who seems to be hiding something from her, and Cynthia, head of the forensics lab and lead criminal investigator. She is Madison’s best friend and expecting a baby. Madison reminds me of Brenda Lee Johnson from the TV show, The Closer.

HE knew he was different from the time he was six years old. He felt no pain, but did experience pleasure, and aren’t we supposed to pursue happiness? I don’t think ‘they’ meant by being bathed in blood. His memories are his friends. As the pace of his kills picks up and a second woman is found mutilated, is he trying to get caught. Does he want his name in lights?

As Terry’s secret is exposed and Madison and Troy’s future becomes clear to her, it seems she has come full circle. To find out what I mean by that, you will need to read the book.

I love that Carolyn Arnold’s books smack of realism. Sure, there are those ‘fiction’ moments, but her ability to take us through the procedures of the investigation, step by step, lead us to the killer in a realistic way. Her research is evident in the details.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Her Dark Grave by Carolyn Arnold.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos — 4 Stars

GOODREADS 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 completely gripping bone-chilling crime thriller is perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, D.K. Hood, and Leslie Wolfe.

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 17, 2023 by Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc

ABOUT CAROLYN ARNOLD

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 many published books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from police procedurals, 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.