New Book Review: Make It Out Alive by Allison Brennan

 

Make It Out Alive

Series: Quinn and Costa Book 7

Thriller/Mystery, Crime Fiction

Hanover Square Press

Release Date: January 27th, 2026

Buy at Amazon

Three couples missing and then turning up dead in an exclusive resort has Kara and Matt undercover as danger looms for them.

My Rating for Make It Out Alive: 5 Stars and a Recommended Series.

My Review of Make It Out Alive:

Three couples disappeared from an exclusive Florida resort only to turn up dead a few days later. Is there a killer hunting the resort or is there something else going on? It takes Kara Quinn, Matt Costa and their FBI Mobile Response Team to figure out the clues and make sure that no other couple goes missing. When an undercover operation goes wrong, with Kara and Matt missing, the team races against the clock to find them as if they have anything to go on, they're going to run out of time fast. The FBI Response team is thrust in a deadly game of cat and mouse as they race to find their kidnapped colleagues & friends as danger bears down on them.

Wow is all I can say after devouring this wonderful twisty thrill ride from start to finish. Allison Brennan delivers a tour de force in MAKE IT OUT ALIVE and it delivers everything I love in a triller: complex characters, a fast paced storyline and a few twists I don't see coming. With each page in MAKE IT OUT ALIVE I was drawn further into the story and was racing alongside everyone to see where the killer(s) would lead us. The writing is top notch and I love this author's books. Allison Brennan doesn't disappoint especially as this is book six in the series. It feels fresh and exciting rather than weak and tired. I love how each book in the series is a different setting, different case and the characters grow with each book. 

Kara and Matt are posing undercover as newly married couple as three couples have gone missing from an exclusive resort and Kara has similarities to the three women who went missing. I loved how the author keeps giving the readers interesting looks into each of the characters. They aren't a one note character, they have many layers and are each are unique. What I love about this author is how complex these characters are. They literally are so well written, they feel like they are going to jump off the page and into my living room with me. The secondary characters are just as interesting and multilayered as well. This is an author who knows how to create a masterpiece of a story filled with intriguing characters and so much more to engage the readers.

MAKE IT OUT ALIVE is one hell of a book and a perfect addition to the Quinn and Costa series. I highly recommend reading from the first book, The Third to Die as it gives the reader a chance to meet all the main characters in the FBI Mobile Response team. This is one of my favorite authors and I can not wait to see where she goes next for this series. I look forward to seeing what she has in store for them next.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

The Quinn and Costa Series is:

Book 1: The Third to Die

Book 2: Tell No LIes

Book 3: The Wrong Victim

Book 4: Seven Girls Dead

Book 5:The Missing Witness

Book 6: See How They Hide

Series Amazon Page

Book Review: Find my Daughter by Jennifer Chase #DetectiveKatieScottSeries

 

Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase

Series: Detective Katie Scott, book 13

Thriller/Suspense, Crime Fiction

Amazon Buy Link HERE

My Rating for Find My Daughter: 5 Stars and a Series Recommendation.

When Detective Katie Scott is approached by a mother begging for help at Katie's conference and then dies moments after security takes her out of the conference room, Katie is intrigued, especially when she stumbles upon the mother dying in the parking garage with the chilling words: 'Find my daughter, find the million dollar man'. With Katie intrigued as she and her partner team dive into Annie Braxton and her family as time counts down. With more questions than answers, Katie and her partner, Det. Sean McGaven race against the clock as a killer has their eyes on Katie and MacGraven as they get closer to the truth. With danger looming, can Katie and Sean close this cold case/missing persons case even as another young adult goes missing?

MY REVIEW for Find My Daughter:

Oh my lord, Jennifer Chase delivers another nail biting addition in their Detective Katie Scott series that kept me on the edge of my seat. With an intriguing mystery, a diabolical killer ont he loose and more, this author delivers a tour de force with Find My Daughter. The story flows seamlessly as the reader is drawn into the story and gets invested in Katie trying to solve this case. With a few twists I so didn't see coming, Find My Daughter delivers a powerhouse of a story and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat till the very last page is read.

Meet Detective Katie Scott. A military vet, she and her trusty dog, Cisco, are a unbeatable team. Add in her success at solving past cold cases, Katie and her partner, Sean McGaven are the duo to watch out for. She's tough, vulnerable and determined, perfect for dealing with cold cases where the trail goes cold the longer time goes by with no answers. I really love Katie's voice in this series. The author doesn't shy away from Katie's PTSD and how Cisco was her K-9 military dog she was able to bring home with her after she left the military. With intriguing secondary characters as well, the reader finds a cast of characters so unique and well written, complex and fairly jump off the pages of the books in the series. 

Find My Daughter is more than a crime story/thriller, but one that also has humourous parts, relationships that weave through the pages with other characters and I can honestly attest I eagerly await book 14 coming in August, The whispering Girls. This series keeps me glued to the pages and I love revisiting the books in the series. This is an author who knows her characters inside and out and gives the readers some amazing characters to root for. I can't recommend this series as a whole enough to other readers. If police procedurals and crime fiction are your jam, then I highly recommend Jennifer Chase's Katie Scott series. I do caution that it's best to read this book from the beginning (Book 1 is Little Girls Sleeping) as the characters continue to grow with each book and in Find My Daughter, there are mentions of past books. 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Where to find Jennifer Chase:

Amazon Author Page

Website

Facebook Author Page

Instagram Author Page

 

Book Tour Stop: Jennifer Chase's Find My Daughter #KatieScottSeries

Cold Case Detective Katie Scott promises a mother's dying wish to find her missing daughter…

 

Author: Jennifer Chase

Pages: 384

Format: Paperback, Kindle, Audiobook, Free on Kindle Unlimited

Genre: Crime Thriller

She hears footsteps approaching, then the clunk of a heavy lock. Her body is numb in the cold but she stands, determined to fight. A blinding light overpowers her, and the world goes black…

When Detective Katie Scott finds a woman dying in the car garage, blood pooling around her, she reaches her just in time to hear her utter the words: find my daughter.

Katie doesn’t waste a second gathering her team and pulling the case file for the missing child, Anna Braxton, a teen with sparkling blue-eyes and an even brighter future. Staring at the blank investigation board, Katie won’t rest until she fulfills Anna’s mother’s dying wish.

Searching the Braxton’s impeccable family home, Katie finds Anna’s journal, filled with teenage secrets. Buried among the pages, she thinks she finds a lead—a strange man reached out to Anna, just days before she went missing…

But the case takes a terrifying turn when Anna’s best friend also vanishes. Hours later, a girl’s body is found in the embers of a house fire, her yellow satin dress devastatingly beautiful amongst the ashes. Is it Anna, her best friend, or another girl?

One thing is certain: a monster has the closeknit community of Pine Valley in a chokehold, and Katie must get one step ahead of the killer before any more precious young lives are taken. But at what cost?

Find My Daughter is available at Amazon.

Book Excerpt

PROLOGUE

Darkness shrouded the old cellar, causing a continuous chill to trickle down her spine. The dirt floor felt cold against her bare feet and her hands were dry as she rubbed them together. She could smell the musty remnants of what had been stored there in the past and the earthiness of being underground. The four walls seemed to be old stone or brick and they crumbled beneath her fingernails as she tried to claw her way out—but to no avail. Her exhaustion ultimately took over and she sat still, alone with her overwhelming fears. She had been left isolated and abandoned—in the pitch-black.

She hadn’t heard the man in hours, or maybe it was days—she wasn’t sure. In her bones, she knew this time he wasn’t coming back. The plastic-bottled water and peanut butter sandwiches were almost gone; her mouth was constantly dry. Her memory seemed to play tricks on her. How long had it been since she’d gone to the casting call for young aspiring models? She hadn’t told anyone where she was going, not her mom or even her best friend. She’d wanted to wait until she got the job to tell them the great news. It had been exciting; she dreamed of being a model and actress.

Her hands touched the dress she had been given to model—a yellow silk sheath wrap that made her feel beautiful, grown-up, as if she was finally someone who mattered.

She didn’t know how many times she had crawled up the wooden stairs to the small opening into the cellar, checking to see if he had left it open. But it was always the same—bolted shut. She had memorized each stair, which ones were sturdy, which were creaky and unstable. There were nine steps in total.

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t remember how she got there or what the house looked like. Even if she had a cell phone, she wouldn’t have been able to describe where she was—or even what town she was in. She felt a million miles away from home.

But she wasn’t giving up. Though weakened from lack of proper food, she dropped to her knees once again and crawled slowly toward the stairs. Her knees were bruised and scraped from the dozens of times she had attempted to escape—hoping that each time would be successful and she would be free.

As she paused at the first stair, feeling the familiar outlines in the darkness, she used her hands to steady her ascent; each time a stair ahead. Her knee pressed against the first stair, then the second, and the third. The creaks and groans were a disturbing symphony that reminded her of her situation: she was a prisoner in an empty basement and no one was coming back for her.

She stopped halfway to the top; her breathing quickening; feeling lightheaded. Her stomach grumbled. Her hope dwindled. Each time she’d gathered the strength to go up the stairs, it had turned out to be disheartening. She was never going to be free again. How stupid and selfish she had been, thinking she would become a model. She wondered if any of the other girls ended up like this. Or was she the only one whose fate was sealed?

Looking up toward the opening, she thought she heard footsteps. Yes, she had heard something. They were faint, but steady. He was coming. She froze. Her knees and hands were almost numb—her fingers hurt. Should she go back down or keep going?

What did she have to lose?

The footsteps were getting closer. They sounded like a pair of work boots hitting old hardwood floors. There was a strange echo to the movement, which was now above her. She could hear the creaks of the uneven planks; a mismatched harmony.

The distinct jingle of keys, then the rattle of a heavy lock.

She was going to stand her ground and push past the man to make her escape. It was all she had.

She could barely breathe.

The heavy creak of hinges.

Her body numb. She tried to stand up, ready to fight.

The doorway opened a crack at first, then wider, and finally pushed all the way open.

The blinding light overpowered her. Trying to escape it, she fell backward, flailing her arms in an attempt to catch her balance. She couldn’t focus on anything. She felt every step hit her back and ribs as she tumbled down to the dirt basement. Her head struck the floor. She lost her breath and closed her eyes.

– Excerpted from Find My Daughter by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2025. Reprinted with permission. 

About the Author

 

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  

Website & Social Media:

Website ➜ https://authorjenniferchase.com/ 

X ➜ https://x.com/jchasenovelist 

Facebook ➜ https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase 

Instagram ➜ https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/ 

Goodreads ➜ www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

Sponsored By:

Book Review; Faithless In Death by J.D. Robb

 

Faithless In Death by J.D. Robb

Series: In Death Book 52

Crime Fiction, Mystery, Romantic Suspense, Police Procedurals

St. Martin's Publishing

 Release Date: February 1st, 2021

Find all Buy Links HERE

When an artist is found dead, secrets start to be exposed as Lt. Eve Dallas and the NYPD Homicide dept. finds more than even they expected.

My Rating for Faithless In Death: 5 Stars and a Series Recommendation

When the scene of a lower East Side artist shows a crime of passion, it should be an open and shut case but when Lt. Eve Dallas of NYPD's Homicide dept. looks deeper, she finds things not like it should be. A 911 call from the Upper West Side, a hidden romance, secrets and when the truth comes out, it's much more than even Eve and her partner, Peabody thinks as it includes cults, craziness and a lot more than murder. Join Eve, Peabody, Roark and the rest of the NYPD Homicide unit as Eve races against the clock to find a killer and take down a group who just might be her toughest case yet.

My Review of Faithless In Death:

J.D. Robb (AKA Nora Roberts) delivers another stellar installment in her wildly acclaimed and totally addicting In Death series starring Lt. Eve Dallas of the NYPD in FAITHLESS IN DEATH and frankly, this book is one that delivers more than even I anticipated. Yes, it has the perquisite murder crime but as the reader gets into the story, the author begins to show the reader how much more is hidden within those first few pages. This is a series that's an autobuy for me. I preorder this author's books the minute they become available for preorder and I reread these books as they are my comfort go to reads when I am not sure what I am in the mood to read. J.D. Robb delivers stories that delve into the minds of killers, characters that fairly brim with life on those pages and become like family to the reader. I can't say how many nights I stayed u p to read into the wee hours of the morning because I couldn't wait to see where the characters will lead me. This is a series that is addicting on all levels for me as a reader and one I regularly recommend to people.

FAITHLESS IN DEATH is by far one of the more intricate and all consuming of a story for a reader like me. It has main characters that have grown within this 50+ series of books in a way the reader can't help but fall in love with. I know I am not the only reader who longs for an autochef and a Roark of their own.

In this book, we meet Gwen Huffman and the secrets she carries unravel the more Eve and the gang look into her background and past. Add in a cult disguised as a church, more victims that pop up and a bigger crime that blows the lid off more than even Eve ever thought. This is a story full of twists and turns and a few red herrings that even I, as a reader, fell for immediately. With each book in the series, this is an author who knows their characters intimately, lets them run with the story and delivers a tour de force with each book they write.The way this author tells a story is masterful and one I love to read. Ms. Robb is a true master in her craft and one I admire immensely. With each page in FAITHLESS IN DEATH, the author draws her readers in, giving them glimpses of the main players before springing a twist on them that has them scrambling to the point of falling off the couch just in surprise. I can't help but fall in love with this series books each and every time one comes out. With each new release I always think 'there's no way they can top the last book', and then they do. 

FAITHLESS IN DEATH is an intricate story that is told in such a way by the author that the reader can not help but fall into the story, losing track of time as they flip the pages to see what happens next, to see where the clues will lead Eve and the gang even as they get closer to the killer(s) and solving the crime. As with all of this author's book, FAITHLESS IN DEATH delivers an ending that will satisfy you, the reader and make you want to reread this book again just to experience it all again. 

If you haven't tried one of J.D. Robb's books before I do highly recommend starting with Naked In Death (Book 1) as it sets up the series and the main players in the series and I bet you that you'd fall in love with the series as well like millions of readers have done. I know I am not the only on who wants to see where this author goes next for the series because at 50+ books, the skies the limit on it.

Check out all the books in the series at jdrobb.com 

Release Day Book Review: Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

 

Track Her Down by Melinda Leigh

Series: Bree Taggert Book 9

Release Date: January 14^th, 2025

Genre: Mystery, Crime Fiction, Contemporary, Psychological Fiction

Publisher: Montlake Publishing

Buy at AMAZON

My Rating: 4.5 Stars and a Series Recommendation

For Sherriff Bree Taggert, a brutal double murder brings back bad memories of her past when she gets a call that a teenager found her parents dead when she got home from work. Bree teams up with investigator Matt Flynn to try to figure out the twists in a complicated case that seems to make more questions than answers. With time running out, Claire, the teenage daughter of the murdered adults is targeted by the killer and if Bree, Matt and the rest of the Sherriff’s office can’t figure out what the past has in common with the crime, Claire will be gone and possibly dead.

 My Review: 

TRACK HER DOWN is one wild ride from start to finish. With tight writing, captivating characters and a mystery that seems to have so many twists and turns the reader is on the edge of their seat trying to figure out what just happened and why. I have loved Melinda Leigh’s books since I discovered her a few years ago in her Morgan Dane books.

 

For Sherriff Bree Taggert, this case brings up memories of her parent’s murder-suicide and she empathizes with the teenager, Claire Mason, and tries to help her get answers even as the case makes so many questions as they investigate that Bree and Matt have no idea what is going on or why the Mason’s were targeted. The characters are what makes this series so good. With each book, they grow and evolve. This makes reading these books in the series so enjoyable. I love how the author knows her characters so well, she lets them all shine, regardless of if they are the MC’s or secondary ones. All deliver fine performances in TRACK HER DOWN.

The latest installment in the Bree Taggert series is an entertaining and enjoyable whodunit that kept me glued to the pages till the very end. I didn’t even know who the killer was until that last chapter and even then, I was shocked by who it was. I love books that keep me guessing till the end and this one had just enough red herrings to keep me guessing alongside the characters. Ms. Leigh is a fabulous storyteller and in TRACK HER DOWN she delivers a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and cheering when the final reveal of who was the bad guy(s). I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Bree and the gang in upcoming books, I just hope we don’t have to wait too long for it.

 

This is an objective review and not an endorsement

Tour Stop: Jennifer Chase's Count Their Graves: A Detective Katie Scott Novel

 

A wind chime sways a sweet melody above several pairs of shoes neatly laid out on the welcome the mat: two large pairs, and three small. On the door frame, a perfect crimson handprint, the color of blood…  

Title: Count Their Graves

Author: Jennifer Chase

Publication Date: November 4 - December 27

Pages: 362

Genre: Crime Thriller

A wind chime sways a sweet melody above several pairs of shoes neatly laid out on the welcome the mat: two large pairs, and three small. On the door frame, a perfect crimson handprint, the color of blood…

Out on her morning run, Detective Katie Scott is stopped in her tracks when her service dog, Cisco, alerts her to something. Weaving through the towering pine trees, Katie is horrified to find a little girl alone in the woods, dressed in a white nightgown. The child sobs into Katie’s arms. She’s unharmed, but clearly traumatized. Scooping her up, Katie follows the trail to a large farmhouse. But what she finds there rips the air from her lungs: one, two, three, four bodies laid out side by side, all in matching pajamas.

The Banks family were attacked in their sleep, but how had the little girl trembling in Katie’s arms escape with her life? What twisted monster would do such a thing, and why leave no trace but a single bloody handprint on the doorframe? Katie vows to find answers for this sweet child who has lost everything and everyone.

Working night and day to piece together why this innocent family were targeted, Katie thinks she has her first lead when she discovers the family were under witness protection. Had they seen something they shouldn’t? Was the aim to silence them forever? Questions are still spinning in Katie’s mind when another family is discovered dead in their beds on the other side of Pine Valley.

With the entire department stretched to breaking point with an unprecedented body count and trace evidence stacking up, it’s going to take everything Katie has to track this twisted killer down. But as she closes in on her target, it’s clear someone close to Katie is keeping a deadly secret. How many more innocent lives will be lost before she can bring them to justice?

PRAISE:

5.0 out of 5 stars: A definite must read book and series!

“One of the things that I love about this author’s books is that she doesn’t shy away from the hard or difficult topics. Another is how she creates a realistic quality for the characters and their lives. There are no “perfect” characters or “make believe/fantasy” lives in these books. (That is one of the best things~in my opinion!) Because of these things, as well as many more, her stories are unique, passionate, creative, and intriguing. I have loved all of the stories that I’ve read, and can’t wait to read more.
I would definitely recommend this book, series, and exceptional author.” 

“Another great book in the series starring Katie and her dog Cisco. When one family are found all dead in their house apart from one of their little girls who they believed her mummy had helped her escape Katie and her team soon get to work. Someone is hiding who they really are and until Katie finds out who it is no one is safe not even her.
I really enjoyed this book like all of the others in the series that I have read. Looking forward to the next book.”  NetGalley

Release Date: October 30, 2024

Publisher: Bookouture

Soft Cover:‎ 978-1835256367; 362 pages; $11.99; eBook $3.99; Free with Kindle Unlimited; also available in audiobook .99

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Count-Their-Graves-completely-unputdownable/dp/1835256368

 

Book Excerpt

Katie stumbled forward onto her knees only to discover a little blonde girl with curly locks, dressed in an oversized white nightgown. The lace sleeves were longer than her tiny arms. Katie also noticed red spots splashed across the front and down the sleeves: blood.

“Good boy, Cisco,” she said, petting the dog, concerned by their discovery.

Turning her full attention to the little girl, she said, “What are you doing all the way out here, sweetheart?” She looked around to see if there was someone else, but it was deserted. There was nothing to indicate why the girl was outside. No footprints. No toys or pieces of clothing. It was as if she had been dropped here.

The sleepy-eyed girl appeared to be about four years old. “I’m cold,” she barely whispered as she shivered.

“Are you hurt?” said Katie as she looked for any injuries. The girl’s skin was icy, as if she had been out in the elements for a while—possibly a few hours. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Em… Emily,” she said.

“How did you get here?”

“Mommy brought me…”

A chill ran down Katie’s spine.

“Okay, Emily. Stay here with Cisco and I’ll be right back. Can you do that for me?” Katie wanted to pick the girl up, hug her, and take her to safety, but she needed to assess the area first. Security was her priority and then getting the little girl to safety.

The little girl nodded. Her blue eyes stared at Katie as she pet the dog. It was a look that Katie wouldn’t soon forget. The pure innocence struck her soul.

Katie stood up and unzipped her hoodie and then wrapped it around the little girl. The cool morning air hit her as she was now dressed in just a tank top. She pulled her weapon, still scanning the area. There was a farmhouse and barn down below the ridge and she assumed that was where Emily lived. There weren’t any other homes within view and most were likely several acres away.

Had the little girl ventured out without anyone knowing? Did the mother really leave her here? Or was there something terribly wrong?

Katie didn’t want to move Emily yet until she knew for sure that everything was safe on the property.

“Cisco, you stay.”

The dog instinctively downed next to the little girl. Emily’s small arms wrapped around the dog’s neck as she snuggled up against him for warmth.

Katie looked around and felt that, secluded in between trees, they would be safe until she could quickly search the area. Reaching into her pocket, she made sure her cell phone had a strong signal—which it did.

“Good boy, Cisco. Bleib… Wache…” She told Cisco to stay and guard the little girl. Her dog’s training words were in German, meaning stay and watch. Katie didn’t need to repeat herself because the dog knew what to do, but somehow it made her feel better. She hated leaving them alone, but it was the best way to proceed under the circumstances. By the time help arrived, it might be too late. She needed to report to dispatch exactly what was going on so that backup wasn’t blindly going into a potentially dangerous situation.

After taking one last look at Emily huddled with Cisco, Katie moved to the edge of the trail and began slowly making her way toward the backside of the house. She wondered how Emily got up the hill; there wasn’t dirt or mud on her gown.

Watching for any movement, Katie carefully stepped down the incline until she was on a walkway leading to the front of a modern farmhouse. There were unusual scrolled architectural details along the rooflines and windows that made it seem to be a custom build. Katie stopped and listened. The wind had died down and she felt the temperature had risen a few degrees from when she first began her run. Even though it was still cool, her skin was warm and clammy. Adrenalin was pumping, making her arms and legs strangely prickly and a bit shaky. She maintained her focus and continued to press forward. With her gun directed out in front of her, she kept moving, expecting anything.

There was a pickup truck and a minivan parked in the semicircle driveway, giving the impression that someone was home. The front of the farmhouse had a large porch with white wicker chairs and colorful pillows. There was a porch swing on one end and potted plants lined up side by side at the other. A cheerful welcome mat said, “Home Sweet Home.” A wind chime hung on the left side of the door and gently swayed a melody. There were several pairs of shoes carefully placed to the right side of the mat. By Katie’s quick assessment, there were two adults and three children that resided in the home.

The front door was wide open. Droplets of red spattered the porch and the entrance inside. Concentrated smudges were around the doorframe as if someone had tried to steady themselves.

“Hello?” she called out, watching her surroundings.

Nothing moved. No sound came from indoors. Katie’s senses were on hyper-alert. Everything seemed more vivid and louder than usual.

She cautiously stepped over the threshold and peered inside. The large open plan made it easy to see the living room, dining room, and kitchen in a quick scan. There were several photographs of the family—and she saw tiny Emily with an older boy and girl. Everything looked neat and orderly. That’s what made the bloody hammer lying in the middle of the floor so horrifying.

Katie stood surveying the room for a moment, taking a deep breath. It seemed that the bloody hammer had been dropped there. There were droplets of blood marking a path to the front door. There were no obvious signs of a struggle—no broken items, chairs overturned, or shelves spilled.

Katie turned and could see that the two main doors of the barn just across the open area were standing wide open. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct or fear that drove her, but she backed out of the house, careful not to disturb anything, and watchfully headed for the barn. Everything remained still and eerily quiet.

Katie kept to the sides of the barn and inched her way slowly to the opening. Her ears pounded. Her breathing shrank to shallow gasps. Staying low, she entered the building. It wasn’t a livestock barn, but rather a type of workshop and storage facility. Katie scanned the interior, taking everything in. Slowly lowering her weapon, she dropped to her knees in misery, only inches from the stagnant pools of blood on the ground in front of her. Barely registering what she saw, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the four bodies of a man, a woman, and a young boy and girl neatly lined up next to each other, still dressed in their pajamas.

– Excerpted from Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

 

About the Author

 Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  

She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers. 

Her latest book is Count Their Graves.

Website & Social Media:

Website – https://authorjenniferchase.com/ 

Twitter – https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist 

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase 

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/ 

Goodreads- www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

 

Sponsored By:

Book Review: Echo Road by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh

 

ECHO ROAD by Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh

Publisher: Montlake Publishing

Release Date: July 2^nd, 2024

Genre: Crime Fiction, Contemporary, Suspense, Fiction

Available at Amazon

My Rating: 4 Stars

Two coasts and murder connect them both. For Sherriff Bree Taggert and FBI Agent Mercy Kilpatrick, joining forces to solve a crime that encompasses East and West Coasts and will challenge these two women with everything they got. For if they don’t solve the case, the danger to Mercy, Bree and the woman missing from the West Coast.

 My Review of Echo Road:

Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh bring their respective characters (Ms. Elliot’s Bree Taggert and Ms. Leigh’s Mercy Kilpatrick) together in a story that will keep you glued to the very end of the book. I know I couldn’t put this one down as the twists and turns the authors threw in the storyline kept me guessing till the very last chapter. I know I am not the only one when I heard that two of my favorite authors were bringing two of their characters together in a book, I was thrilled and curious to see how they would combine them in a cohesive way. ECHO ROAD delivers all the wonderful ways these two authors singularly deliver in their characters series books and makes it a double fun ride for readers.

 

Mercy and Bree are staring at a crime that spans East and West Coast, with a ton of twists I sure didn’t see coming. We start out with Bree Taggert’s double murder she is investigating while simultaneously Mercy is trying to figure out the missing daughter case of a sitting Senator. When both cases collide in New York, well things take an interesting turn. Ms. Elliot and Ms. Leigh deliver a pulse pounding ride from start to finish with a devious killer that will stop at nothing to safeguard their secret as ‘The Master’ even as they manipulate the case in ways that make both women try to figure out what the heck is going on.

 

With nothing to lose and time running out, The Master delivers a climatic ending that will have both women in danger even as they try to solve the case and save the victim. But what gives me happy feels is how Mercy and Bree worked together to help one another solve their respective cases amid adversity and other issues that will test both Bree and Mercy to their core. I always loved these two authors singularly in their respective books but with ECHO ROAD, they deliver a tour de force that makes me want more collaborations between Bree and Mercy in the future.

This is an Objective Review and Not an Endorsement.

Find more about Bree Taggert Series by Kendra Elliot HERE

Find more about the Mercy Kilpatrick Series by Melinda Leigh HERE

Tour Stop/Giveaway: Death Secrets by January Bain

 

Welcome January Bain to the Reading Nook and check out their newest book, Death Secrets, today. Make sure to enter the tour wide giveaway as you could win  limited edition print of a wolf family to a randomly drawn winner. The tour is sponsored by Goddess Fish Promotions and you can check out all the tour stops HERE.

DEATH SECRETS

Author: January Bain

GENRE:  Crime Thriller

 A gripping thriller that explores the lengths one will go to for family, and the resilience needed to stand against the darkness.

 

In the shadow of Alaska's towering peaks, Anna Hale is haunted by a past painted in flames and betrayal. Marked by the tragic death of her mother and the scars of a childhood marred by violence, Anna has fought tirelessly to build a semblance of normalcy, only to have it shattered again and again. The latest blow comes when her sister, Tia Pace, vanishes without a trace, reigniting old wounds and casting Anna into a nightmare where she's the prime suspect.

 

As she grapples with her stepfather's execution and the weight of suspicion, another crisis looms: Zoe Pace, her other sister, has disappeared in an eerily similar manner. The only clue a sinister black rose and a chilling letter. When her brother Josh, now a dedicated cop in the Anchor Police Department, begs for her assistance, Anna is pulled back into the fray. Despite the agony of reopening old wounds, she embarks on a desperate quest to unravel the mystery of her sisters' disappearances.

 

Faced with the unforgiving Alaskan frontier, Anna must confront a tangled web of corruption and deceit, with a copycat killer moving in the shadows. With every tick of the clock, Anna's hope for a normal life slips further away, but her resolve to find her sisters and bring them home burns fiercer than ever. Will Anna's journey through the cold, dark paths of Alaska lead her to her sisters, or will she find herself lost in the depths of a conspiracy that threatens to consume everything she holds dear?

Sneak Peek Excerpt:

“Mom, are you okay?” She rushed to her side.

 

She looked so tiny, so worn out, though she’d had her when she was only sixteen. She tried to speak and failed, her mother’s eyes pleading with her. A stream of blood dripped down the side of her face making Anna’s stomach roil with worry.

 

“Take my hand. We’ll go next door. Get help.” She crouched, put her arms around her, and tried to get her to sit up. Before she could manage it, her stepfather was on her, slamming her hard and knocking her off her feet.

 

“You got something coming as well, you little bitch.”

 

A ringing in her ears drowned out any further words, but the blows to her body and face echoed deep inside. She tried to roll over onto her mother, arms flailing to protect her, and she partially succeeded just before the world went dark.

 

The stench of something burning woke her. It took a few seconds for the haze in her mind to clear, to realize how dim the light in the kitchen was. She began coughing uncontrollably, her lungs trying in vain to force the heavy smoke out. Her heart raced with the effort, eyes streaming tears. Her mother was so still, curled up on her side, her body half over hers.

 

“Mom, wake up, we gotta get out of here!” She crawled onto her knees and shook her shoulder, but she didn’t move, didn’t respond at all.

 

The sounds of sirens in the distance. Help was on the way. But she had to do something. Now. She touched her throat, felt a faint pulse under her fingertips.

 

“It’s going to be okay. I’m going to get you out of here.” She tried to pick her up, but her arms flailed like a rag doll. She was heavier than she thought.

 

She’d have to pull her mother along the floor. At least the smoke was less dense near the ground. Sweat dripped in her eyes, stinging. She ignored the pain and began tugging her mom toward the back door. It was only a few feet. If she could just get her outside, into the fresh air, she would come around.

 

But she never did.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

 

January Bain is an award-winning author who firmly believes that stories unite us, that good stories help us to discover the commonality of the human experience by supporting values, empathy and understanding. She writes with her heart, mind, and soul, hoping that her novels will touch your life, giving you moments of freedom as you fly with her to other worlds.

 

Bain has had the pleasure of select novels being turned into games, and her work is also available in different languages.

 

January and her husband live in rural Canada on peaceful acreage where a variety of wildlife comes to visit regularly and expect to be fed and paid attention to.

 

Blog Address - http://januarybainjourney.blogspot.ca/

Twitter Name – https://twitter.com/JanuaryBain

Facebook Page – https://www.facebook.com/january.bain

https://www.facebook.com/JanuaryBainAuthor/

Goodreads -  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6437282.January_Bain

Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/january.bain

TikToc: http://www.tiktok.com/@januarybain