Tag Archives: 2024 netgalley group challenge

Review – Her Deadly Rose by Carolyn Arnold @Carolyn_Arnold #NetGalley #HerDeadlyRose

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MY REVIEW

It’s good to be back with some familiar characters in Prince William County, solving another mystery in Her Deadly Rose (Detective Amanda Steele) by Carolyn Arnold.

I feel for Amanda and her lack of a personal life. She has been torn between Logan, her live in boyfriend, and Trent, her partner. I wonder how strong her relationship is with Logan. Can it withstand the trials and tribulations he is put through. He spends more time with Zoe, her adopted daughter, than she does.

Amanda has come to the arena to watch Michaela Glover perform. Michaela Glover is an Olympic hopeful figure skater and she has come home to put on a performance. Instead of watching her skate, Amanda finds her lifeless body amongst rose petals on the floor of her dressing room.

Carolyn Arnold takes us on a step by step mystery tour. Who wanted Michaela dead? Before they can solve the first murder, another body drops. We have a multitude of suspects, but none seem to be the villain.

Her Deadly Rose doesn’t have the thrills and chills that ignite my imagination, but her mysteries do keep my mind churning, gathering clues, trying to put them together to solve the crime. There isn’t a lot of romance and family life takes a backseat to Amanda’s work. That’s what happens when you are a police officer. It’s not a nine to five, five days a week job. Family events are missed, which can cause a lot of conflict. Her novels are easy to relate to, because the realism makes the characters come to life.

We end with : “You and Trent are needed right away.”

“Just tell me where.”

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The girl’s lifeless body lies next to a scattered bouquet of crimson roses, the petals around her head like tiny pools of blood. Gripped in her hand is the note that came with the flowers, sent by someone who wanted her dead.

When champion figure skater Michaela Glover returns to her hometown of Woodbridge for a special performance, Detective Amanda Steele is part of the cheering crowds. But when Michaela is discovered dead in her dressing room after the show, Amanda is the first to investigate the shocking scene.

There is no sign of foul play, and the room is overflowing with flowers from Michaela’s adoring fans. But Amanda’s heart stops at the sight of a few roses tied with black ribbon and a note that reads “You’ll be sorry”. And when forensic tests reveal the ribbon was laced in something Michaela was deathly allergic to, Amanda is certain this is cold-blooded murder.

Desperate for a lead, Amanda dives into Michaela’s life to find out who could possibly want this sweet girl dead. She soon discovers that despite having a glittering future ahead of her, Michaela had a troubled past, and was surrounded by people jealous of her success.

When someone close to Michaela is discovered brutally murdered, Amanda is terrified there could be yet more innocent victims to follow. Can she uncover the twisted killer’s identity before they strike again?

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Police Procedural
  • 355 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication October 18, 2024 by Bookouture
  • Series: Detective Amanda Steele, #12

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.

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Review – Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell @1pcornwell #netgalley #grandcentralpublishing

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MY REVIEW

Kay Scarpetta has been around long enough, that many of the characters are familiar to me. I have enjoyed each and every moment with them. I want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the opportunity to read and review Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell.

An abandoned amusement park.

A mutilated body.

A message sent.

Kay Scarpetta finds out the victim is someone she knows. Someone she once loved. Sal Giordano. I do like when an author isn’t afraid to kill off a character that I know, as long as it enhances the story. This death hits very close to home for Kay.

Mystery surrounds Sal Giordano’s death. Does it involve aliens? Just your run of the mill human murderer? Or could it be someone from their past getting their revenge?

Identity Unknown by Patricia Cornwell seemed different from the usual Kay Scarpetta novels, but may I’ve just missed too many to see the storyline clearly. Either way, I enjoyed my time with the characters. The mystery is deep, complex, and I didn’t see what was coming.

I found it hard to rate Identity Unknown. I wanted to love it, but I couldn’t quite get there. Whether it’s the or me, I can’t say. I will say this, if you are a Kay Scarpetta and Patricia Cornwell fan, I recommend reading Identity Unknown

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
3 Stars

4 GOODREADS BLURB

Autopsies can reveal the secrets of the dead.

And this victim is sending Scarpetta a message…

Summoned to an unnerving, abandoned theme park to retrieve a body, Dr Kay Scarpetta is devastated to learn that the victim is a man she once loved. While teaching in Rome during the early days of her career, Scarpetta had an intense love affair with Sal Giordano that led to a lifelong friendship.

The murder scene is bizarre, with a crop circle of petals around the body, and Giordano’s skin is strangely red. Scarpetta’s niece Lucy believes he was dropped from an unidentified flying craft. Scarpetta knows an autopsy can reveal the dead’s secrets, but she is shocked to find her friend seems to have deliberately left her a clue.

As the investigators are torn between suspicions of otherworldly forces, and of Giordano himself, Scarpetta detects an explanation closer to home that, in her mind, is far more evil . .

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 400 pages, Hardcover
  • Expected publication October 8, 2024 by Grand Central Publishing
  • Series: Kay Scarpetta, #28

ABOUT PATRICIA CORNWELL

Patricia Cornwell sold her first novel, Postmortem, in 1990 while working as a computer analyst at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, Virginia. Postmortem, was the first bona fide forensic thriller. It paved the way for an explosion of entertainment featuring in all things forensic across film, television and literature.

Postmortem would go on to win the Edgar, Creasey, Anthony, and Macavity awards as well as the French Prix du Roman d’Aventure prize – the first book ever to claim all these distinctions in a single year. To date, Cornwell’s books have sold some 100 million copies in thirty-six languages in over 120 countries. She’s authored twenty-nine New York Times bestsellers.

Patricia’s novels center primarily on medical examiner Kay Scarpetta along with her tech-savvy niece Lucy and fellow investigator Pete Marino. Celebrating 25 years, these characters have grown into an international phenomenon, winning Cornwell the Sherlock Award for best detective created by an American author, the Gold Dagger Award, the RBA Thriller Award, and the Medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to literary and artistic development.

Fox 2000 bought the rights to Kay Scarpetta. Working with producer Liz Friedman, Marvel’s Jessica Jones and fellow Marvel EP and Twilight Saga scribe Melissa Rosenberg to develop the film and find Scarpetta a home on the big screen.

After earning her degree in English from Davidson College in 1979, she began working at the Charlotte Observer.

Cornwell received widespread attention and praise for her series of articles on prostitution and crime in downtown Charlotte. From the Charlotte Observer, Cornwell moved to a job with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia – a post she would later bestow upon the fictional Kay Scarpetta.

When not writing from her Boston home, Patricia tirelessly researches cutting-edge forensic technologies to include in her work. Her interests span outside the literary: Patricia co-founded of the Conservation Scientist Chair at the Harvard University Art Museums. She appears as a forensic consultant on CNN and serves as a member of Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital’s National Council, where she advocates for psychiatric research. She’s helped fund the ICU at Cornell’s Animal Hospital, the scientific study of a Confederate submarine, the archaeological excavation of Jamestown, and a variety of law enforcement charities. Patricia is also committed to
funding scholarships and literacy programs. Her advice to aspiring authors: “Start writing. And don’t take no for an answer.”


Social and Digital Outlets

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https://instagram.com/1pcornwell/

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Review – I’ll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong @KelleyArmstrong #netgalley #illbewaiting

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MY REVIEW

I’ll Be Waiting is one of the best Kelley Armstrong novels I have read in some time.

“I’ll Be Waiting”, were some of Anton’s last words. Nicola had thought their short time together would be because of her illness, Cystic Fibrosis. She cannot accept that he is gone, so she hops from one seance to another.

Don’t we all know, don’t go in the basement. Yet, she does.

I didn’t trust the right person and did trust the wrong person. That’s some great writing. Sucked me right in.

I love that Kelley Armstrong had my head spinning. I couldn’t figure out if Nicola was being played or if it was true. I do love a convoluted ghost story. One that I am not able to figure out for myself. I was fooled and when I found the truth, I loved the book all the more. It’s nice to be surprised. I couldn’t figure out who to trust and was sucked into the ghostly mystery.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
5 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From New York Times Bestselling author Kelley Armstrong comes a spellbinding new tale of supernatural horror involving a haunted-house, seances, lost loved ones, and a sinister spirit out for blood…

Nicola Laughton never expected to see adulthood, being diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis as a child. Then medical advances let her live into her thirties and she met Anton, who taught her to dream of a future… together. Months after they married, Anton died in a horrible car, but lived long enough to utter five words to her, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

That final private moment became public when someone from the crash scene took it to the press—the terminally ill woman holding her dying husband as he promised to wait for her on the other side. Worse, that person claimed it wasn’t Anton who said the words but his ghost, hovering over his body.

Since their story went public, Nicola has been hounded by spiritualists promising closure. In the hopes of stopping her downward spiral, friends and family find a reputable medium—a professor of parapsychology. For the séance, they rent the Lake Erie beach house that Anton’s family once owned.

The medium barely has time to begin his work before things start happening. Locked doors mysteriously open. Clouds of insects engulf the house. Nicola hears footsteps and voices and the creak of an old dumbwaiter…in an empty shaft. Throughout it all she’s haunted by nightmares of her past. Because, unbeknownst to the others, this isn’t her first time contacting the dead. And Nicola isn’t her real name.

That’s when she finds the first body….

In this atmospheric, thrilling new ghost story, Kelley Armstrong’s full talents are on display to thrill, chill and leave the reader guessing how Nicola escapes with her life–if she can.

  • Genre: Ghosts, Horror, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Thriller
  • 336 pages, Hardcover
  • Expected publication October 1, 2024 by St Martin’s Press

ABOUT KELLEY ARMSTRONG

Kelley Armstrong

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. Her earliest written efforts were disastrous. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers’ dismay. All efforts to make her produce “normal” stories failed.

Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She’s the author of the NYT-bestselling “Women of the Otherworld” paranormal suspense series and “Darkest Powers” young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, kids and far too many pets.

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Review – Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold @netgalley @books_gold

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MY REVIEW

Talk about secrets….Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold is filled with them and Robert hands them out one at a time. Ben Harper is determined to get the answers to his mother’s death. Was it really suicide? Or did someone push her in front of the train.

Ben Harper has been haunted by secrets and death. Will he write the story?

Every time I turned around, I was met with another surprise, more danger. How many bodies will fall before all is exposed? Sure kept me guessing. The more I read, the more curious I became. I do love a fast paced novel filled with mystery and intrigue, and Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold fits the bill.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Twelve Secrets by Robert Gold.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

Ben Harper, true crime journalist, is about to unravel his most shocking story yet . . . his own.

The day his older brother was murdered was the day Ben Harper’s life changed forever.

In one of the most shocking crimes in national history, Nick and his friend were stabbed to death by two girls their own age. Police called the killings random, a senseless tragedy.

Twenty years on Ben is one of the best true crime journalists in the country. He has left the past behind, thanks to the support of his close-knit hometown community.

But when he learns about a fresh murder case with links to his brother’s death, Ben’s life is turned upside down once more. He soon find himself caught in a web of lies, one that implicates everyone around him. And on his quest for answers, Ben discovers one very important truth:

Everyone has secrets.
But some secrets are deadlier than others.

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
  • 448 pages, Kindle Edition
  • First published March 3, 2022
  • Series: Ben Harper #1

ABOUT ROBERT GOLD

Originally from Harrogate in North Yorkshire, Robert Gold began his career as an intern at the American broadcaster CNN, based in Washington DC. He returned to Yorkshire to work for the retailer ASDA, becoming the chain’s nationwide book buyer. He now works in sales for a UK publishing company. Robert now lives in Putney and his new hometown served as the inspiration for the fictional town of Haddley in Twelve Secrets. In 2016, he co-authored three titles in James Patterson’s Bookshots series.

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Review – One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day #netgalley #onebighappyfamily

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MY REVIEW

The cover for One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day drew me in. I wasn’t sure it would be mystery enough for me, but I was pleasantly surprised. It had more depth than I originally gave it credit for.

The Bishop Sisters come to the Precipice after the death of their father. Who is going to get what is on their mind. I think most of us have heard how ugly things can get when there’s a lot of money involved, but these sisters have more than money on their mind and someone is determined to bring to the forefront their secrets.

Charley has been working at the Precipice and counts on the paycheck to pay for her Nana and herself. That held a story I never saw coming and I loved it.

We also have a stowaway with a killer story that caught me by surprise.

I will definitely keep my eye out for more from Jamie Day. On the surface her books might seem like light reading, but there is so much more than a colorful cover.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of One Big Happy Family by Jamie Day.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

The newest, riveting summer suspense by the author of The Block Party, Jamie Day.

The Precipice is a legendary, family-owned hotel on the rocky coast of Maine. With the recent passing of their father, the Bishop sisters—Iris, Vicki, and Faith—have come for the weekend to claim it. But with a hurricane looming and each of the Bishop sisters harboring dangerous secrets, there’s murder in the air—and not everyone who checks into the Precipice will be checking out.

Each sister wants what is rightfully hers, and in the mix is the Precipe’s nineteen-year-old chambermaid Charley Kelley: smart, resilient, older than her years, and in desperate straits.

The arrival of the Bishop sisters could spell disaster for Charley. Will they close the hotel? Fire her? Discover her habit of pilfering from guests? Or even worse, learn that she’s using a guest room to hide a woman on the run.

With razor-sharp wit, heart, thrills, and twists, Jamie Day delivers a unique brand of SUMMERTIME SUSPENSE.

  • Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thrillerfictio
  • 384 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication July 16, 2024 by St Martin’s Press
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Original – Review – Invocation by Aileen Erin @aileen_erin #Invocation #NetGalley

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MY REVIEW

My name is Samantha Catherine Lopez, and I am Nephilim. This is my story.

From the opening pages, I was immediately drawn into Samantha’s world. Aileen Erin seamlessly wove together a tale of good and evil that made it hard to look away. The characters came to life, even when they were dead. I love that Samantha runs towards danger and faces her fears, knowing it’s the right thing to do.

I have read books with paranormal creatures, heavenly and demonic creatures, and the humans they walk among, but Invocation is an original take on a familiar story line.

Invocation is a fast paced thriller that took my breath away and had me clutching my ereader, white knuckled, on the edge of my seat, devouring words before they could devour Samantha. She has friends all around her, but going to Hell and facing her father is something she must do alone. Talk about family problems….her father is a fallen angel and he wants her in Hell with him.

When Samantha and her father come face to face and her strength falters, who will reach out and bring her home?

At first I thought this could be a stand alone, no series book, but I was so glad to find out it’s not. I want more and I want it now!

I would like to thank Aileen Erin and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Invocation.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

From USA Today Bestselling Author, Aileen Erin, comes an all new action-packed, romance-filled, paranormal series.

There are three things I know without question. One, demons are real. Two humans make awful mistakes that get them in demonic trouble more often than you’d think. And three, I’m the only one who can help them.

I straddle the line between the mortal and spiritual realms every day. People might think they’re two different places, but they’re not. They lay on top of each other. It’s messy, and that’s why so many people need my help.

Since I was little, I’ve been called all kinds of names—unusual, abnormal, even insane. Which is fitting since they keep throwing me in to mental facilities. I’ve been in and out of them my entire life.

But no matter what people say, no matter what I’m risking, I will always help those in need.

Because there’s an endless war carrying on all around us, every minute of every day. One that can’t be seen by mortal eyes. But I can see it, the spiritual battle for mortal souls, and I’m working hard to make sure my father is on the losing side.

My father—Astaroth, Satan’s general—is why I can do this. He’s why I’m not normal. I hear him, whispering my name at night, his taunts echoing through the spiritual realm. He’s hunting me, and I know the day will come when I must face him again.

Every portal I open could be the one that finally pulls me back to Hell, and I wonder if I will brave enough, strong enough, good enough to fight him.

My name is Samantha Catherine Lopez, and I am Nephilim. This is my story.

**Fans of the Alpha Girls series will love this new series set in the same world, with a few familiar faces. 😉 BUT you DO NOT have to have read a single word of the Alpha Girls series to enjoy Samantha’s story.

  • Genre: Angels, Demons, Fairies, Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance, Supernatural, Werewolves, Young Adult
  • Format: 414 pages, ebook
  • Published: March 19, 2024 by Ink Monster, LLC

ABOUT AILEEN ERIN

Aileen Erin is half-Irish, half-Mexican and 100% nerd-from Star Wars (prequels don’t count) to Star Trek (TNG FTW), she reads Quenya and some Sindarin, and has a severe fascination with the supernatural. Aileen has a BS in Radio-TV-Film from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University. She lives with her husband, daughter, and mischievous mini bernedoodle in Texas, and spends her days doing her favorite things: reading books, creating worlds, and kicking ass.

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De-Extinction – Extinction by Douglas Preston #douglaspreston #forgebooks #netgalley

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MY REVIEW

Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception – Carl Sagan

I remember watching Carl Sagan’s TV program, and I am not even a science nerd. His sultry voice made the information he shared entertaining, yet educational. So, let’s dive into some science…fiction.

What do you think? How much genetic engineering is going on? And how much is too much? Do you believe…just because we can do it we should? I sure don’t. And when I read Extinction by Douglas Preston, we can see a fictional version of why sometimes, playing God, is going to backfire.

Olivia and Mark were on the honeymoon of a lifetime, visiting Erebus Resort, where woolly mammoths and other megafauna from the Pleistocene Age have been de-extincted. BUT, they will get much more than they bargained for and it will be a bummer for them. Someone has to be sacrificed and I love an author that has no problem killing off a character or two.

Douglas Preston has created a multilayered mystery that was not easily solved. There were many moving parts and it was hard to decide who was the villain, or villains. Entering into caves, with thousands of tons of rocks overhead doesn’t appeal to me and added an extra layer of fear and creepiness, leaving shivers running up and down my spine. There is more in those caves than rocks.

Cannibalism:

  1. Survival cannibalism
  2. Ritual cannibalism
  3. Sacrificial cannabalism
  4. A tool of terror

Have I totally creeped you out yet? Are dinosaurs not scary enough?

The characters are many and run the gamut. Heroes, villains, cowards, sacrificial lambs, animal and human, weak and strong, those who take credit for the work of others, those who play God, movie stars, egotists, and the innocent.

Could this be a cautionary tale for us and our future? I mean think about it. Dinosaurs had their moment and are extinct for a reason. Evolution is a fact of nature. Is the clock ticking on humanity?

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS BLURB

With Extinction, #1 New York Times bestselling author Douglas Preston has written an epic thriller in the Michael Crichton mode that explores the very real effort to resurrect the woolly mammoth and other extinct megafauna from the Pleistocene Age.

Erebus Resort, occupying a magnificent, hundred-thousand acre valley deep in the Colorado Rockies, offers guests the experience of viewing woolly mammoths, Irish Elk, and giant ground sloths in their native habitat, brought back from extinction through the magic of genetic manipulation. When a billionaire’s son and his new wife are kidnapped and murdered in the Erebus back country by what is assumed to be a gang of eco-terrorists, Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frances Cash partners with county sheriff James Colcord to track down the perpetrators.

As killings mount and the valley is evacuated, Cash and Colcord must confront an ancient, intelligent, and malevolent presence at Erebus, bent not on resurrection—but extinction.

At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

  • Genre: Action and Adventure, Fiction, Genetic Engineering, Mystery, Science Fiction, Suspense, Thriller
  • 384 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication April 24, 2024 by Forge Books

ABOUT DOUGLAS PRESTON (from amazon)

Douglas Preston is the author of thirty-six books, both fiction and nonfiction, twenty-nine of which have been New York Times bestsellers, with several reaching the number 1 position. He has worked as an editor at the American Museum of Natural History in New York and taught nonfiction writing at Princeton University. His first novel, RELIC, co-authored with Lincoln Child, was made into a movie by Paramount Pictures, which launched the famed Pendergast series of novels. His recent nonfiction book, THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, is also in production as a film. His latest book, THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD, tells the true story of the discovery of a prehistoric city in an unexplored valley deep in the Honduran jungle. In addition to books, Preston writes about archaeology and paleontology for the New Yorker, National Geographic, and Smithsonian. He is the recipient of numerous writing awards in the US and Europe, including an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Pomona College. He currently serves as president of the Authors Guild, the nation’s oldest and largest association of authors and journalists.

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Payback’s A Bitch – Missing Before Daylight by Carolyn Arnold @Carolyn_Arnold #MissingBeforeDaylight #NetGalley.

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MY REVIEW

It started with a smile….

Leah adjusted her reindeer antlers in the domed mirror that was nestled in the far corner of the store.

Her day ended in bloodshed and the race is on to find her killer. It is very sad that she was murdered, and it wiped the smile off my face. It’s one of those things, in the wrong place at the wrong time.

5:15 AM and Amanda is running out the door. Her and her partner, Trent, are on the case.

Amanda has an adopted daughter, Zoe, who is the sweetest thing, older than her years. She has a lover, Logan. Their relationship has advanced to the moving in together phase, but he is not a member of law enforcement and I foresee huge problems on the horizon. After all, it is not a 9 to 5 job. It would make more sense, to me, that her and Trent hook up. I think they are a match made in heaven. Will they? Are you just teasing me, Carolyn?

They discover that Katherine Graves, an ex police officer, was in the store and had been kidnapped. She has many enemies and it will be their job to figure out who has taken her.

Amanda yanked Lowell’s hair back, and pressed the nose of her gun to his skull, “I said, hands up!”

That is why I love Amanda Steele. She is fierce.

As the story unfolds, the past comes back to haunt Katherine, the pace picks up, the danger rises, and I am rapidly flipping pages. Carolyn Arnold does not make it easy to figure things out, leading me here and leading me there, at times fearing for Amanda’s life. Of course, I worry for the other characters, but, you know…she’s my favorite. 🙂 She does give me a satisfying ending and I always look forward to the next story.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Missing Before Daylight by Carolyn Arnold.

Animated Animals. Pictures, Images and Photos
4 Stars

GOODREADS

She wakes surrounded by an inky black darkness and can barely breathe. A sack is covering her head, and her hands are tied behind her back. She desperately tries to struggle free as she hears footsteps walking toward her. She silently starts to cry as a chilling voice whispers “It’s time to pay for what you did…”

When Detective Amanda Steele is called to the murder scene of a young gas station clerk just before dawn, she assumes it must be a robbery gone tragically wrong. But when she discovers nothing has been stolen, she knows the motive must be far more personal.

Watching the security footage, Amanda is shocked to witness the cold-blooded killer not only shoot the clerk dead but abduct a customer. And her heart stops when she recognizes the customer as her former colleague, Katherine Graves . As Amanda breaks the news to Katherine’s heartbroken Aunt May , she vows to do whatever it takes to bring her niece home alive.

Desperate for a lead, Amanda and her partner, Trent, search Katherine’s home. Soon, they discover that despite no longer being with the police department, Katherine has a long list of very dangerous enemies. Enemies who have been sending her anonymous letters promising revenge.

The more Amanda digs into Katherine’s past, the longer her list of suspects becomes. But when May is sent a ransom demand and a picture of Katherine close to death, Amanda knows time is running out. With only hours left to find Katherine alive, Amanda is prepared to risk everything to keep her promise to May, even her own life…

  • Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Organized Crime, Serial Killers
  • 369 pages, Kindle Edition
  • Expected publication February 22, 2024 by Bookouture
  • Series: Detective Amanda Steele, #10

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.

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