police procedural – Bound 4 Escape

Book Review: Last Seen Alive by Carolyn Arnold

October 6, 2022October 4, 2022sleepygirl2

Pub Day: Oct 6th, 2022

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 realizes, 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…

A totally compulsive crime thriller! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

Apple: http://ow.ly/4nRx50Jrj5V
Kobo: http://ow.ly/IcEm50Jrj95
Google: http://ow.ly/Gbb850JrjaH
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B2S4RLDBsocial

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy from the author. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

I have read all of the books in the Amanda Steele series. If you decide to read this series, don’t judge it on the first book, The Little Grave. After I read it, I wasn’t too sure how I’d like the series because that first book was more about Amanda’s grief than the mystery she was working on. Since then, she is dealing with her grief and has been able to move on, and she has become one of my favorite Carolyn Arnold characters. In fact, this is one of my favorite Carolyn Arnold books so far.

Amanda’s ex-lover’s ex-wife was found in his bed. Although others in the police force were quick to judge him, it didn’t make sense to me that he was the murderer since he brought Amanda home to hook up. Amanda makes a good case to her boss that she and her partner should be the lead on the case, and surprisingly, she gets what she asks for.

Amanda and her partner, Trent, work well together and have gotten to the point that they respect each other and often know what the other is thinking. They usually do well at following procedure, but when they don’t, they’re called out on it.

There are twists and other murders and many possible suspects. Every once in a while, there is a chapter that is narrated by the victim, which helped me understand some things before Amanda and Trent figured them out. It was a nice touch.

I definitely recommend Last Seen Alive. It does stand on its own if you don’t have time to read the complete series.

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 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™.

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

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.

Social Media

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Book Review: A Knot of Sparrows by Cheryl Rees-Price

May 16, 2021May 15, 2021sleepygirl2

Welsh detective Winter Meadows takes on a new murder case

There were a lot of things you could call Stacey Evans. And many of them would be true. And unprintable. But did she deserve to be murdered?

DI Winter Meadows has no doubt of the answer when he takes on the case. The crime was violent. The victim helpless. But the motives are many, and the only clue is a strange word left on Stacey’s body.

DI Meadows struggles to pierce the secrecy surrounding the teenager’s busy love life. Was the killer one of her pursuers acting out of jealousy? Maybe someone’s wife seeking revenge?

But as each suspect is excluded from the enquiry, and other markings turn up, Meadows is convinced that something more sinister is afoot.

When another body is found, a veil of silence descends like a fog upon Gaer Fawr. What more will it take for the village to give up its secrets?

A KNOT OF SPARROWS is the fourth standalone title in a series of murder mysteries by best-selling author Cheryl Rees-Price. It will appeal to fans of David Pearson, L J Ross, John Dean, Joy Ellis, and Pippa McCathie.

The full list of books is as follows:

1. THE SILENT QUARRY

2. FROZEN MINDS

3. SUFFER THE CHILDREN

4. A KNOT OF SPARROWS

Cheryl Rees-Price is also the author of the standalone thriller BLUE HOLLOW.

All of these books are FREE with Kindle Unlimited and available in paperback from Amazon.

Purchase Links

UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08XQS6219/

US – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08XQS6219/

My Review

I chose to read this book after receiving a free e-copy. All opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author, and it is the fourth in the series, but it pretty much stands on its own. It starts out with a murder but the bodies quickly pile up. DI Meadows tries to figure out if they’re connected. Since there are several suspects who could have wanted at least two of the victims dead, all having alibis, Meadows has his work cut out for him.

There wasn’t a lot of character development but this may be because this is the fourth book in the series. I would have liked to have known more about the personal lives of the team earlier in the book. DI Meadows has things in control and his team gets along well. Even Blackwell who seems to be angry a lot of the time, is liked by the others.

There were several twists and several murders. I was sure about who the killer was early on but it was still a good read because I needed to put all the pieces together. If you like police procedurals, this would be a good one to check out.

About the Author

Cheryl Rees-Price was born in Cardiff and moved as a young child to a small ex-mining village on the edge of the Black Mountain range, South Wales, where she still lives with her husband, daughters and cats. After leaving school she worked as a legal clerk for several years before leaving to raise her two daughters.
Cheryl returned to education, studying philosophy, sociology, and accountancy whilst working as a part time book keeper. She now works as a finance director for a company that delivers project management and accounting services.
In her spare time Cheryl indulges in her passion for writing, the success of writing plays for local performances gave her the confidence to write her first novel. Her other hobbies include walking and gardening which free her mind to develop plots and create colourful characters.

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Audiobook Review & Giveaway: Bridge to Burn by Rachel Amphlett

February 22, 2019February 21, 2019sleepygirl2

Author: Rachel Amphlett

Narrator: Alison Campbell

Length: 6 hours 39 minutes

Series: Detective Kay Hunter, Book 7

Publisher: Saxon Publishing

Genre: Mystery, Police Procedural

Released: Feb. 8, 2019

When a mummified body is found in a renovated building, the gruesome discovery leads Detective Kay Hunter and her team into a complex murder investigation.

The subsequent police inquiry exposes corruption, lies and organised crime within the tight-knit community – and Kay’s determination to seek justice for the young murder victim could ruin the reputations of men who will do anything to protect their business interests.

But as Kay closes in on the killer, tragedy strikes closer to home in an event that will send a shock wave through her personal life and make her question everything she values.

Can Kay keep her private and professional life under control while she tries to unravel one of the strangest murder cases of her career?

Buy Links

Buy on RachelAmphlett.com

Before turning to writing, Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as a sub-editor and editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction and spy novels, including the Dan Taylor espionage novels and the Detective Kay Hunter series.

Originally from the UK and currently based in Brisbane, Australia, Rachel cites her writing influences as Michael Connelly, Lee Child, and Robert Ludlum. She’s also a huge fan of Peter James, Val McDermid, Robert Crais, Stuart MacBride, and many more.

She’s a member of International Thriller Writers and the Crime Writers Association, with the Italian foreign rights for her debut novel, White Gold sold to Fanucci Editore’s TIMECrime imprint, and the first four books in the Dan Taylor espionage series contracted to Germany’s Luzifer Verlag.

Website⎮Twitter⎮Facebook⎮Goodreads⎮Instagram

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rachel Amphlett. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it. I have listened to all of the books in the Kay Hunter series so far and I enjoy them.

Kay Hunter and her team are called when a mummified body falls out of a ceiling in a building and lands on someone. Can you imagine? Once they identify the body, will they be able to track down the murderer after all this time? As the team investigates, they expose criminal activity of a local business that has a security contract with the business, but they’re not sure that they are responsible for the murder.

This series is about the same investigators, but each case is quite a bit different. I like Kay Hunter and the members of her team. She’s intelligent, strong, and dedicated and her team members are supportive of her and each other, and they are close enough that they know each other well.

Rachel Amphlett has a great writing style and the narrator does a good job with pace and enunciation. Bridge to Burn is a detective mystery with an interesting and surprising end. Just when I thought I knew what had happened…surprise! If you like crime fiction, this is a must read. I’m looking forward to more Kay Hunter books.

Giveaway

3 Winners: Free copy of Bridge to Burn Audiobook from Authors Direct

Bridge To Burn Giveaway: Three Winners!

Feb. 19th:

AudioSpy

Booktalk with Eileen

The Book Junkie Reads . . .

Feb. 20th:

Dab of Darkness Book Reviews

Feb. 21st:

What Is That Book About

Hall Ways Blog

Feb. 22nd:

Bound 4 Escape

2 Girls and A Book

Nerdy Dirty and Flirty

Feb. 23rd:

Next Book Review

The Book Addict’s Reviews

Dab of Darkness Audiobook Reviews

Feb. 24th:

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