Tag Archives: Detective Madison Knight

Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

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Description:
Shivers tear through her, but she must be brave—for herself, for her future. She grips her coat tighter and steps into the night and the cold, pouring rain. Never to be seen again.

An ordinary Monday morning commute turns deadly when a gunman opens fire in the local train station. Detective Madison Knight rushes to the scene, but she’s too late for the victims. Two women were fatally wounded, including an expectant mother, and one is fighting for her life. But it’s the face of one of the dead that has Madison seeing a ghost from her past. She looks just like Madison’s college friend Courtney Middleton, who vanished over fifteen years ago. If it is her, where has she been all these years, and does her resurfacing have anything to do with the shooting?

Eyewitnesses say that a young woman triggered the incident, but both the shooter and the girl seem to have evaporated into thin air. Mounting evidence suggests they may be part of a drug-trafficking operation, the girl being one of their runners. But Madison’s not so sure the girl is the hardened criminal she appears to be.

As Madison races to track down the young woman, more people turn up murdered, and there’s still no sign of the girl. Is her body out there to find or is she on the run? If the latter, is it due to fear or guilt? Could it simply be that the shooting victims were caught in the crosshairs of organized crime? Madison’s not sure, but she can’t shake her niggling suspicion: what if it was something more than that?

 

 

Review:

Girl on the Run by Carolyn Arnold is the 11th book in her wonderful Detective Madison Knight series.  As I have noted a number of times in previous reviews, Carolyn Arnold always gives us exciting suspenseful murder mysteries, led by a great detective like Madison Knight; and Arnold’s knowledge of police procedurals makes these investigations perfect.

Madison, our heroine, is a tough detective for the Stiles Police Department, who will let nothing stand in her way to find the guilty.   She and her partner Terry, are called to the scene of a shooting at the Liberty Station, where two women are dead and one injured.  After interviewing people at the scene, they learn that a young women triggered the incident when she took some things behind the coffee counter, and those on line complained; only to see a man shoot at the ladies on line.  Both the girl and the shooter are no longer on the scene, and Madison and Terry begin a complex trail that will lead to drug trafficking and revenge.

What follows is an exciting, tense, action filled thriller with many suspects, as well as twists and surprising turns.   While interviewing some of the victim’s families, Madison will find herself shocked at a picture of someone in her past, who supposedly died 15 years ago.  Which will lead to Madison going over and above to revisit what happened all those years ago, and how it effects the murders of the present.  With the new evidence, as well as other murders, the last ¼ of the book was amazing with twists that Madison discovered, which we did not expect.

Girl on the Run was another fantastic, exciting, tense, riveting police procedural, so very well written by Carolyn Arnold.  Madison Knight is a great detective, though I thought she seemed a bit annoying early on; with that said, I dislike her Sergeant and still not crazy about her partner, Terry.  I do like her significant other, Troy, as well as the dog, Hershey.  If you enjoy mysteries, police procedurals, a tough as nails cop, then you need to be reading this series, as Carolyn Arnold is one of the best in police procedure stories.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Shades of Justice by Carolyn Arnold – Review

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Shades of Justice by Carolyn Arnold – Review

 

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Description:
Detective Madison Knight has risked her badge—and her life—in the pursuit of justice before, and she just might need to do so again. Two victims are found murdered and naked in the home of Steven Malone, who is the largest contributor to the Stiles PD. One victim is his wife. The other victim is a John Doe. This high-profile double homicide immediately pits Madison against her sergeant, who seems more intent on protecting the Malones’ reputation and retaining a benefactor than catching a killer.
Madison will need to pull on her tenacity and courage if she’s going to follow the evidence without prejudice. In the process, it becomes clear that finding justice isn’t always black and white, and often the shades in between tell the fullest story—and it’s not something she will forget anytime soon.
 
Shades of Justice is a murder mystery with twists and turns that will have readers flipping the pages until the wee hours of the morning. The ninth installment in an international bestselling series, it doesn’t matter if this is the first book you’re reading in the Detective Madison Knight series or not; all the books stand alone!

 

 

 

Review:

Shades of Justice by Carolyn Arnold is the 9th book in her terrific Detective Madison Knight series.  I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and as always, Carolyn Arnold never fails to give us an intense exciting murder mystery, not to mention her expertise in police procedurals.  I have said this a number of times; when it comes to police investigations & procedurals no one does it better than Arnold. 

Madison Knight, our heroine, is a tough detective, who will let nothing stand in her way to find the guilty. In Shades of Justice, Madison and her partner Terry are called to the scene of a double homicide at the house of the wealthy Malone family, who are also big supporters in Stiles and to the police department.  Lorene Malone, the family matriarch, is found murdered with a ‘John Doe’ at poolside.  When Madison tries to get information from family, she finds herself being stymied by her Sargent, who is determined to not ruffle feathers for the Malones.

Despite the Sargent’s constant interference, Madison works with her friends and team (Terry, Cynthia, Troy, etc), to work together to find the clues about the murder, which will have many twists and turns along the way.  There a quite a few suspects, which makes it very difficult to find clues, but never underestimate our intense and stubborn Madison Knight.

With being deeply immersed into solving this mystery, Madison is also involved in helping her friend Cynthia (medical examiner) prepare for her wedding, which is only a few days away.  I do enjoy Madison and Cynthia’s friendship, and the mishaps along the way that lightened things up.  I love that Madison was finally finding a true love in Troy, and hope this does become what our heroines needs..a perfect man in her life.  There is also another story line that seems to be leading more into future books; corrupt police officers and the threat that this will become a dangerous mission in her life. I will note two things I have mentioned before;  Madison’s partner, Terry still annoys me a lot, as I do not like him;  and the sargent was god awful.  With Madison so good at her job, I prefer that she had good people working with her.  But that is my sole opinion.

Rather than give spoilers, Shades of Justice was a great story, with lots of action, precise investigations, many suspects, blackmail, murder, revenge and a thrilling edge of your seat ride.  I could not put the book down; especially with new developments changing constantly.  This story was very exciting and well written.  If you enjoy mysteries, murder cops, police procedurals and a tough as nails cop, then you need to be reading this series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for Review

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Power Struggle by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Power Struggle by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

Power StruggleAmazon / B&N / Kobo / BAM / Book Depository

Description:
One hit man who’s back for revenge.
One detective who’s not going down without a fight.

It’s been ten months since Detective Madison Knight almost died at the hands of Russian Mafia hit man Constantine Romanov. She hasn’t seen hide nor hair of him since he escaped police custody and fled to Russia soon after his arrest, except now her latest murder investigation gives her reason to believe he’s back in town. Seeing as the victim is the man who killed her grandfather, her perspective may be a little skewed, but with the MO smacking of Constantine and the victim’s connections to the mob, she finds it hard to be objective. Still, she’s doing her best to consider all the evidence.

When she receives a threatening letter from Constantine, however, her suspicions are confirmed. And he’s made it abundantly clear that not only does he plan to finish what he started but he has her family and loved ones in the crosshairs, too. Madison vows to do whatever it takes to save them, but as the hours race by, the body count rises. And the stakes only get higher when Madison’s sister, Chelsea, goes missing.

Now, Madison’s only play is to take Chelsea’s disappearance for what it really means: Constantine is calling Madison out for one final showdown. And they won’t both survive…

 

Review:

Power Struggle by Carolyn Arnold is the 8th book in her terrific Detective Madison Knight series.  I have been a fan of this series since the beginning, and Carolyn Arnold never fails to give us an intense exciting story, not to mention her expertise in police procedurals.  Power Struggle, is the best one yet, in this series, as it is an edge of your seat suspense thriller.  

Madison Knight, our series heroine, is a tough detective, who also has a vulnerable side when it comes to family and relationships.  When Madison arrives on a murder scene with her partner, Terry, she senses déjà vu, as the Russian hitman, who almost killed her seems to be back. Madison is still getting nightmares about Constantine, and her fears escalate; especially after she receives a note threatening to finish the job and hurt those she loves.   This changes the game for Madison, as she must maintain her composure, keep her fears secret from workers and family, and find Constantine before he can do anything.  

Madison works with her friends and team (Terry, Cynthia, Troy, etc), to work together to find the clues about the murder, which will have many twists and turns along the way.  Why is Constantine back and are the Russian mob involved? Who is behind these murders?

What follows is an exciting, tense, pulse pounding action thriller, which has Madison running against time to protect her family, as well as her life.  She must also fight her superior’s determination to take her off the case, in order to protect her.  Madison, as tough as she is, becomes emotionally a wreck, desperately trying to keep her objectivity and calm. She will let no one stop her from being involved in a wild dangerous race to save her family.

I noted in my last review that I loved the changes Arnold made in the last book, and I must say I loved it even more in Power Struggle.  Madison still has a vulnerability and lack of confidence in totally bonding with Troy, which will change closer to the end.  But what I did love was giving us a glimpse at seeing her with her friends/coworkers and the closeness between them.  Cynthia, her friend and the medical examiner was great.  Even Terry, whom I have said previously that I did not like, has changed a lot, that I actually like him now.  We got to see all of Madison’s family, which was nice.

Power Struggle was a great story, which not only was exciting and tense, it also pulled a lot of our emotions throughout the book.  I loved Power Struggle, which I could not put down until the very end.  It was a thrilling edge of your seat  ride.  I you enjoy murder mysteries, written so well by Carolyn Arnold, you should be reading the Detective Madison Knight series.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy supplied for review

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Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

 

Deadly Impulse

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Description:
Looks aren’t the only things that can be deceiving…

When a sixty-eight-year-old woman is found dead outside the hospital in a wheelchair with an anti-abortion sign strapped to its back, Detective Madison Knight expects it to be an open-and-shut case. On the surface, there are no signs of foul play, but the deeper she digs, the more convoluted the homicide becomes. And when two more bodies appear, including that of a girl just barely old enough to drink and a homeless man, the direct links between the three murders are anything but simple.

Without a consistent MO, Madison doesn’t buy that a serial killer is on the loose, despite the conviction with which her ex-fiancé and fellow detective tries to convince their superior. But Madison already has enough to juggle without having to defend her reputation. Debilitating flashbacks of being held hostage by the Russian Mafia mere months before haunt her on an almost daily basis, and the promises she made to herself while in captivity are becoming more and more difficult to keep. Learning to trust is hard enough without constant reminders of what destruction—fatal or otherwise—trusting the wrong person can cause.

Now, as both personal and professional friction within the department mounts, she and her partner, Terry, must figure out what motivation could span generations to cause someone to murder these people. But catching this killer is like grasping at straws, and grabbing the wrong one could mean losing not only her pride but also her boyfriend, her credibility, and her faith in humanity…

 

 

Review:

Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold is the 6th book in her Detective Madison Knight series. Once again Carolyn Arnold gives us another thriller, as Madison Knight is in the forefront of a mystifying murder mystery. What starts out as perhaps a simple case of the death of a 68 year old woman, who is found in a wheelchair in front of a hospital. But as we have come to learn, nothing is ever simple for Madison. The case will escalate into a couple more murders that somehow seem related. Do we have a serial killer on the loose?

When we left off in the previous book, Madison had survived being kidnapped by the Russian mob, and in Deadly Impulse, Madison tries to hide the fact that she has been having devastating flashbacks where her life hung by a thread. Trying to solve this complex mystery, with those obstacles makes it even more difficult for Madison. But nothing will ever stop Madison as she preservers despite all the twists and surprises that keep coming at her.

During the investigation, Madison works closely with her partner, Terry, who is anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child; her best friend, Cynthia; and her boyfriend, Troy. As I have mentioned before, for the most part Madison usually stands alone, with not a lot of support from management. Hopefully with the new female chief, this will begin to change, though I am still not a fan of her partner, Terry. In future books though, I do have a wish list. I would love to see Madison become more open, and trusting, with a loyal team behind her. I like what I see with her and Troy, as well as her friendship with Cynthia and hopefully the new chief.

This was an intense and exciting mystery from start to finish, which Arnold always gives us in each and every book in this series. As each new clue or finding is found, we become more stumped as to who is the killer. Very well done, Carolyn. If you enjoy murder mysteries, police procedural, a tough cop, then this series is a must for you.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author

 

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