I just love this series and am thrilled to share the next book in Jennifer Chase's Detective Katie Scott series is the 11th book in the series and they are so addicting!! Check out the new book, The First Girl, today and get ready to binge read this entire series like I have been doing.
Title: The First Girl
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: December 19, 2023
Pages: 354
Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller
The cold night breeze slams the barn door shut with a
sickening crash. The girl curled in the corner wakes with a start. Her gold
butterfly necklace catches the pale moonlight as she clutches it tight,
thinking of her family. Will she ever escape? Or is this the last face she’ll
ever see?
Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco
have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped
carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned
farmland stretch out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the
horrifying graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters
for years?
Katie quickly identifies one of the victims as Abigail Andrews, a beautiful
young woman who disappeared fifteen years ago. Katie is heartbroken that she’ll
have to tell Abigail’s mother her darling girl is gone.
When Katie is ambushed working late at the scene, fired upon by an unknown
assailant, she knows she must be close to finding the killer. But the shooter
vanishes into thin air. And when a new young woman is taken, dark haired and
dark eyed like the others, Katie realizes her time is running out. Can she stay
alive long enough to track down this twisted murderer before another young life
is stolen too soon?
"Fast
paced, characters intelligent and had each others back. The plot was a bit
harrowing, but from what plot entailed I was confident one of the main
protagonists, Katie had the situation under control. At least the best of her
capabilities as the situation warranted. This ebook was fresh, tasteful and
powerful. It was a boon to read about a female with military experience who
maintained a level head and who put her knowledge to practice." ~Amazon
"AMAZING
characters (including Cisco of coarse) & suspense in a twisty plot that
sucks you in & never lets you go. Highly RECOMMEND the entire series for
some great reading." ~NetGalley
"AMAZING characters (including Cisco of coarse) &
suspense in a twisty plot that sucks you in & never lets you go. Highly
RECOMMEND the entire series for some great reading." ~Goodreads
The
First Girl is available at Amazon & Other Retailers.
Book Excerpt:
The soft breeze
blew through the open bedroom window, ruffling the sheer curtain. The evening
was still warm from the sizzling day and was now gently cooling into the July
night. The crickets played a harmony of music that filtered around the farm and
across the acreage.
Lara Fontaine
suddenly awoke, a loud sound interrupting her sleep. She sat up in bed and
looked around the small bedroom but wasn’t sure what she had heard. In the
other twin bed, her best friend Desi was still asleep and breathing evenly.
What had disturbed Lara? Her first thought was to wake her friend because it
was Desi’s house and she might have some idea what the sound had been, but she
decided against it. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, where they
dangled, not quite reaching the floor. Still contemplating if she should go
investigate, she stared at the closed bedroom door. Even though she was twelve,
almost thirteen, she had developed a curious mind and wanted to know the
answers to so many things. Everything she saw in her world made her more
inquisitive.
Lara stood up,
feeling the wood floor against the soles of her feet—it too was warm, like the
evening air. Wearing only a white cotton nightgown, she decided to explore.
Glancing back at Desi, who was still sound asleep, she went to the door and
slowly turned the knob. To her relief, the door hinges were well-oiled and
didn’t emit any sound.
A breeze hit her
as she stepped into the hallway, which seemed strange. It was as if someone had
left a door or a window open. She didn’t slow her pace as she moved forward.
For the first time since she woke, she heard a noise, as if a chair was sliding
across the floor. It was high-pitched and had an eerie quality about it.
As if being
pulled by an unknown force, Lara crept toward the sound. She headed down the
hallway, passing closed doors, to the kitchen. The farmhouse plank floors
creaked beneath her slight weight. She stopped and listened. Leaning her body
toward the sound, stretching on her tiptoes, she assumed she would hear more,
but it remained quiet. As Lara let out a breath, her previous curiosity had now
diminished, she decided she would return to the bedroom and try to go back to
sleep.
But suddenly a
strong arm grabbed her around the waist and clamped a hand over her mouth. She
instantly struggled, but the man’s strength easily overpowered her as he
carried Lara to the back door. She could smell stale cigarette smoke on him and
some kind of whiskey. The more she struggled against him, the more she
weakened. Her whimpers were the only thing she could express.
The outside air
hit her. She kept struggling, hearing her attacker’s rattled breathing next to
her ear. Realizing they were heading toward the large barn, she tried to put
her legs out in front of her to stop their progress, but it was no use.
“Stop fighting,”
hissed the man directly into Lara’s ear. “It’ll be over soon.”
Those words
resonated in her mind.
What did he mean?
The crickets
abruptly stopped.
Silence.
Holding Lara with
one arm, the man pulled open the barn door. The hinges made a terrible squeak,
interrupting the quiet.
“Stop!” Lara
managed to say. “Please, don’t…” Her arm felt as if it would break.
They moved deeper
into the barn.
Lara could smell
the hay and the alfalfa. But there was a low murmuring sound that she didn’t
recognize. She was forcibly put into an old metal chair and immediately her
hands and ankles were secured, and a piece of duct tape covered her mouth.
It was difficult
for Lara to focus through her tears, but she forced herself to look around.
There were wooden crates filled with metal items, tools, and miscellaneous
parts from various pieces of farm equipment. Then she saw her.
In a corner,
there was a dark-haired young woman. She too was tied to a high-backed chair,
unable to free herself. Her arms, legs, torso, and neck were secured. Her eyes
were wide in terror, swollen from crying, and blood ran down her arms and neck
from struggling against the restraints.
Lara locked eyes
with the woman. So many emotions gripped her. Panic. Desperation. Fear.
The man moved
around the area, he was dressed in jeans and a white, stained T-shirt. He
appeared to be conflicted, confused, and even a bit panic-stricken as he ran
his hands through his hair. Moving back and forth, he went from one box to a
table, and then back to another box until he decided what he wanted. He
carefully plucked out a long instrument that appeared to be some type of sharp,
thin knife and stared at it with curiosity and wonder as if seeing it for the
first time.
To Lara’s horror,
he turned and approached the woman. With his back to Lara, he attacked the
woman with vicious intent. She heard muffled screams as the woman writhed in
her seat.
Lara could barely
breathe. She thought she would pass out, but her unrelenting terror kept her
awake as she shook violently in her chair, watching the horrifying ordeal until
it finally came to an end.
The man turned
slowly, his shirt soaked in crimson. He looked at Lara as if he wondered why
she was there. Still with the bloody tool in his hand, he slowly moved toward
her. The weapon was still drenched with the woman’s blood.
“No…” Lara tried
to say.
He stood in front
of her like a monster, reaching out.
Lara took a short breath. It was the last
thing she remembered before passing out.
About
the Author
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