Tag Archives: Brandon Fisher FBI

Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Description:
Some consequences can’t be predicted…

A sniping takes place in Arlington, Virginia, less than fifteen minutes from Washington, D.C., and nets several minor injuries but only one casualty. FBI Agent Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit are called in to determine if the threat is still active and whether they’re looking at an act of terrorism, an isolated incident, or the first in a planned series of shootings. All that seems clear from the ground is they’re looking for a skilled sniper who is former military.

As the FBI investigates, one possible motive has Brandon battling his own demons as the consequences of past choices resurface with a vengeance. He will come to discover how one decision can not only haunt us for the rest of our lives, but spread out and have long- and far-reaching repercussions we couldn’t even begin to imagine.

Past Deeds will have you joining the FBI in following clues and unraveling the psyche of a killer. This book will make you think and reflect—and you just might wonder if any past decisions you’ve made are stalking you, ready to strike

 

 

Review:

Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold is the 8th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series. Refresher:  Our FBI BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) team consists of Jack (leader), Brandon, Paige and new agent Kelly.  I have read every book in this series, and Past Deeds was not as intense as some of the other stories.  I have said this previously, I do not know why Brandon Fisher (I still do not like him at all) is the name of the series; but I think Paige, Jack and the new agent, Kelly were pretty good. 

The story starts with a sniper shooting that kills a prosecutor, which looks very much like the intended target.  The BAU team is called in to determine if this was a terrorist attack or an isolated incident.   Jack, Paige, Brandon and Kelly arrive in Arlington, Virginia to investigate the shooting, which does point to possibly a skilled military sniper; as well as interview the local residents.   Nadia sends them some clues about the sniping and the victim, which reveals that the prosecutor was the 4th similar attack in the last couple of months; now Jack and team need to find how these victims tie in.

As normal in this series, we get to see the POV of the killer, which adds a good element to the story, as well as the rest of the team.  What follows is an exciting, tense, non- stop adventure to find the killer before they strike again. There were some twists and turns along the way, and some surprises leading to the killer.  I do not want to give spoilers, as this is a story that you need to read from start to finish.

I did think that the agents, Jack working with Kelly and Paige working with Brandon were a bit sarcastic and uncomfortable among themselves, as well as with some interviews. Generally, I do like the recurring characters; I do not like Brandon, but I do the rest of the team.  I also point out that Arnold continues to give us glimpses of police procedurals, which is does so well.

Carolyn Arnold once again gives us a well written and exciting story, which keeps us on the edge of our seats. If you have not read the earlier books of this series, which I suggest you do, this can read as a standalone.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

 

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On The Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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On The Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

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Description:
And they thought prison was hell…

When a woman’s disappearance ticks off all the same boxes as two unsolved murders, Miami homicide detective Kelly Marsh is convinced there’s about to be a third. If she’s right and the killer sticks to their previous MO, she only has three days before Jenna Kelter’s decapitated head will show up somewhere in the city. With no time to waste, Kelly reaches out to the one person she knows can help: her former mentor and family friend Jack Harper, who just happens to lead a team with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit.

BAU special agent and profiler Brandon Fisher easily sees the similarities between Detective Marsh’s missing person case and the two cold cases: all three victims served time for DUI vehicular homicide and disappeared three days after being released from prison. But is that enough to assume Kelter has been abducted by a serial killer? Brandon’s not so sure and fears his boss may have let his personal connection to Marsh cloud his judgment. Surely there isn’t any other explanation for why they jumped into an investigation less than twenty-four hours after Kelter was reported missing. Then again, maybe Brandon is letting his own differences with the detective affect his perspective. He’ll need to move past it, though—and quickly.

After all, this killer has evaded capture for the past six years, and they may be looking at a lot more victims than originally suspected. This serial killer is calling the shots and pulling them into a macabre game of cat and mouse. While the team has no choice but to play, if they don’t make the right moves, one of them may not make it out of Miami alive.

 

 

Review:

On the Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold is the 7th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series. Refresher:  Our FBI BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) team consists of Jack (leader), Brandon, Paige and Zach.  Their cases are always violent, intense, squeamish and at times difficult for the agents, especially Brandon. 

We meet homicide detective Kelly Marsh, who trained under Jack to be an FBI agent, and when she investigates the case of a missing woman, she begins to see some similarities of other cases.  Kelly will call Jack and ask him to come to Miami and help with this case.

The team will discover that the similarities of the other missing case, which resulted in decapitation, are indeed the work of a serial killer.  The victims were all sent to prison for DUI vehicular homicide, and shortly after their release, they disappeared, eventually with the head purposely showing up.

Jack was Kelly’s mentor, and is pleased to have her working with them. Not so, Brandon, who seems jealous that Jack and Kelly get along so well.  But Brandon will work with Jack on some investigations and Paige will work with Zach on other people.  Kelly will work with either of them or on her own. 

As normal in this series, we get to see the POV of the killer, which adds a good element to the story, despite being also very intense.  What follows is an exciting, tense, edgy, non- stop dark adventure to find the killer before they strike again.  I do not want to give spoilers, as this is a story that you need to read from start to finish. 

This series is always intense, exciting and filled with wonderful details about how the team breaks down all the clues.  No one does this better than Arnold, and she is an expert on all types of police/FBI procedurals.  The end of the story looks like there will be some changes, and I will also mention that I still am not a fan of Brandon Fisher, but love the rest of the team.

Carolyn Arnold once again gives us a fantastic and graphic story, which keeps us on the edge of our seats. If you have not read the earlier books of this series, which I suggest you do, this can read as a standalone.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Remnants by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Remnants by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

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Description:
All that remains are whispers of the past…

When multiple body parts are recovered from the Little Ogeechee River in Savannah, Georgia, local law enforcement calls in FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team to investigate. But with the remains pointing to three separate victims, this isn’t proving to be an open-and-shut case.

With no quick means of identifying the deceased, building a profile of this serial killer is more challenging than usual. How are these targets being selected? Why are their limbs being severed and their bodies mutilated? And what is it about them that is triggering this person to murder?

The questions compound as the body count continues to rise, and when a torso painted blue and missing its heart is found, the case takes an even darker turn. But this is only the beginning, and these new leads draw the FBI into a creepy psychological nightmare. One thing is clear, though: The killing isn’t going to stop until they figure it all out. And they are running out of time…

 

Review:

Remnants by Carolyn Arnold is the 6th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series.  The FBI team of Jack, Brandon, Paige and Zach are sent to Savannah, Georgia on what will be a very difficult case of floating body parts found in the river by a plantation.  Jack is the leader of this team, and Brandon has now escalated to being full agent, having finished his probationary period.

As we have come to know about this series, the cases are usually violent, squeamish and at times difficult for the agents, especially Brandon.  I like the team, but I still do not like Brandon that much, as I look at Jack as the one who pulls them together.  I do like Paige and Zach.

When the story started, we saw someone drug  a man in the men’s room of a mall, and kidnap him.   The body parts discovered is from different people, some perhaps there for a long time.  During the investigation, Paige and Zach will question those who found the parts, while Jack and Brandon will question others.  Clues are difficult to come by, and the body parts continue to surface, which leads the team to believe that a serial killer is on the loose.  From various conditions of the body, such as blue paint, and heart extractions, it will lead them to suspect that the killer (s) is performing some kind of Mayan cult sacrifice.  Nadia, who is an analyst from Quantico, is able to use her special skills to generate a list of missing people within a radius from Savannah for them to work with.  Other clues are found that makes a local resident a suspect and the race is on to find the culprit, which begins to show that perhaps there is more than one person involved.  There are some twists and surprises and the suspense becomes very exciting and tense. 

This series is always intense, and exciting, as Arnold is an expert in police procedurals and writing amazing crime stories.  However, that being said, I found it difficult to read some parts where the killer was torturing the victim.  Remnants is an intense mystery, with an excellent FBI team, and if you enjoy murder, bad villains and exciting stories, you should be reading this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Violated by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Violated by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

Violated
Brandon Fisher FBI series – Book #5
by Carolyn Arnold
Release Date: April 28, 2016

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Description:
Sometimes the past should stay there…
 
The murder is one of the most heinous Brandon Fisher and his team have ever seen, but that’s not why it has their attention. The FBI is interested because the prime suspect is one of their own, Paige Dawson.
  
But Paige didn’t go to Valencia, California to kill anyone. She had set out on “vacation”–her new lover in tow–only to confront the man who raped her friend twenty-some years ago. While the hands of the law are tied, she wants him to face the fact that he destroyed a young woman’s life and know that, as an FBI agent, she’ll be watching his every move. But instead of accomplishing her goal, she wound up in the back of a police cruiser.
  
Now Paige must face off with a hard-nosed detective determined to stick a murder charge to a fed. But with the trained eyes of the FBI on the case, it’s becoming more and more obvious that the evidence lends itself to a serial killing, not an isolated incident. And as long as the local authorities are focused on Paige, the real murderer is still out there, possibly waiting to strike again…

 

 

Review:

Violated by Carolyn Arnold is the 5th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series. Once again Carolyn Arnold gives us another exciting thriller. Violated was a bit different, as Paige Dawson, one of the main characters of this series, finds herself in jail, accused of murder.  Brandon, Jack and the rest of the team head to California to help Paige.  Jack, who is the leader of the team, is determined to get Paige released, but comes up against a hard-nosed mean detective, who is also bent on proving Paige committed this  heinous murder.  To give you a refresher;  we have known how Paige was determined to avenge her best friend, who 20 years ago, was raped, destroying her friend’s life in the process.  Paige has been privately investigating who the culprit is, and her trip to California, on the guise of a vacation was to come face to face with the rapist.

Unfortunately, the rapist is brutally murdered, and Paige was seen at his house trying to find evidence.  The detective puts her in jail, and it will take Jack to get her out by having the FBI take over this case, which is now designated as a serial killer on the loose.  Brandon, who still has feelings for Paige, which they both hide, works closely with Jack; while Paige works with Zach.  Rather than to give out spoilers, what follows is an exciting nail biting thriller that will prove Paige’s innocence, but after more violent murders,  the team will race against time to stop the killer before another murder takes place.  It will also place one of theirs in the eyes of the murderer.

Paige is also in the middle of a new relationship, and trying to come to terms with her failed romance with Brandon.  Somehow in future books, I sense they will find away to come together. However, the romance is truly just part of the background, as this series if fully about the violent crimes they must investigate.  I have said this before, not sure why, but I really do not care for Brandon.  Jack is a good leader, and all the members of the team, including Brandon make a great ensemble cast.  Violated is a great mystery that has us on the edge of our seat throughout the book.  Carolyn Arnold proves over and over that her knowledge of police procedurals and her writing makes for exciting flawless stories.  If you are a fan of murder mysteries, difficult tense crimes, and a great team, then this series is perfect for you.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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Blue Baby by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Blue Baby by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

Blue Baby
Brandon Fisher FBI series – Book #4
by Carolyn Arnold
Release Date: September 25, 2015

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Description
Happiness is elusive for many, but from the killer’s standpoint, it’s something he creates. And he’s determined to get it right…at least one more time.

The murders were one year apart, but the similarities have the interest of the FBI. Both victims were found in their tubs, dressed in their wedding gowns. But that’s not the worst of it. When a third body is found, Brandon Fisher and his team make the chilling discovery that more than the killer’s method of operation connects the women


Review:

Blue Baby by Carolyn Arnold is the 4th book in her Brandon Fisher FBI series. This is an excellent mystery thriller written so well by Arnold, which covers violent crimes, usually serial killers. I thought Blue Baby was the best book in this series.

Though Brandon Fisher is the series name, and he is more or less the narrator of this series, to me this is an ensemble storyline.   Jack is the leader of the investigative team that handles these violent crimes. Paige and Zach are part of the team, and we get to spend time with all of them.

This was an exciting story about a serial killer who leaves his female victims in a wedding dress, with full makeup and in the tub. We learn early on that the murderer envisions himself to be an angel who gives unhappy woman what they want…happiness in a better world.

The time frame between the two murders that were similar was a year apart, but when another murder happens quickly, the team must race against time before the murderer decides to act again. Jack, Brandon and the rest of the team split themselves to check with each victim to find any clues, and just when they think they are on the right track, they become stymied again.

To say too much more would be spoilers, but this was a tense, exciting adventure from start to finish, with a few twists along the way. I am not sure why, but frankly I am not a big fan of Brandon, though I do like the overall team. I actually like Paige better then Brandon. With that being said, this to me reads as an ensemble group of characters that work together to solve these difficult cases. If you like murder mysteries, serial killers, and a team that finds each of them with their own issues; then you will enjoy this series. Again, I must praise Carolyn Arnold for her knowledge of police procedures and her flawless writing.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

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