Monster in the Closet by Karen Rose – Review & Giveaway
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Description:
A mother is dead, and now her killer hunts the child that witnessed the brutal crime…
Private Investigator Clay Maynard locates missing children for clients, but has nearly given up hope of finding his own daughter, cruelly stolen from him by his ex-wife twenty-three years ago.
Equine therapist Taylor Dawson has chosen to intern at Daphne Montgomery-Carter’s stables so that she can observe the program’s security director – her father, Clay Maynard. Trying to reconcile the wonderful man she’s getting to know with the monster her mother always described, Taylor never expects to become the target of a real monster, the man who murdered the mother of the little girls she works with at the stable. Neither does she expect to fall for Ford Elkhart, Daphne’s handsome son, who is dealing with his own demons. As family and friends gather for a wedding, Taylor starts to imagine a permanent life in Baltimore.
But not if the real monster gets to her first…
Review:
Monster in the Closet by Karen Rose is a fantastic romance suspense story line. I was not sure what to expect, as I have read only one of her romance suspense books, and none in her Baltimore arc within this series. Monster in the Closet read very well as a standalone, as the author deftly gave us enough information on the other characters, who made appearances and had their own stories.
Taylor Dawson, our heroine, has just started working at Daphne Montgomery-Carter stables, for the Healing Hearts with Horses program, where she works as a therapist for problem children. Taylor has another reason for coming from California to take this job. She wants to meet the man who is the security director, Clay Maynard, and learn about him. Before Taylor’s mother passed away, she told her daughter the truth about the father she never knew. Taylor had spent all of her life fearing her father, who was supposed to be an abusive man, only to find out it was all a lie. Now she travels from her home in California to take this job in Maryland to discover for herself, what her real father was like and what she has missed not knowing him.
Clay Maynard has been searching for his long lost daughter unsuccessfully for 23 years. Clay has a great life in Maryland, wonderful and loyal friends, a wife he loves and a daughter. When Taylor’s new boss, and Ford, calls him to the ranch, Clay will come face to face with the daughter he has been searching for most of his life. This is an amazing story of family, secrets, friends and a slow build romance, which plays a major part of this story. But the real story that drives Monster in the Closet, is a murder mystery, where an 11 year old child, Jazzie comes home from school to find her mother dead, and while she hides, she sees that her estranged father is the murderer. We see this from the beginning, and know who the evil murderer is. But Jazzie doesn’t talk, and no one knows she was at the scene at the time of the murder. Detective Fitzpatrick suspects that Gage Jarvis killed his wife, but he cannot prove it, as Jarvis has an alibi. When a few people are murdered, Fitzpatrick knows Jarvis murdered those people to keep his secret, but he cannot prove it.
When Taylor is working at the ranch, she has the ability to reach out to the young children, and one morning Janie Jarvis, the younger sister of Jazzie, is riding a horse with Taylor’s help. When they get ready to leave, Jazzie hugs Taylor and thanks her for taking care of her younger sister. Everyone was thrilled that this was a breath through. But the police know they need to protect Jazzie, in case her father finds out she was there and can identify him.
What follows is an intense exciting adventure; with Gage Jarvis willing to do anything to make sure no one can identify him. Taylor is put in the middle, as when Jarvis does find out that Jazzie recognizes him, he thinks she told Taylor. All hell will break loose, with Clay, Ford, and Taylor becoming injured. All the people that are part of the ranch, police members who know the Maynards and Montgomeries come forward to help find the murderer before he kills the young girls and Taylor.
A sweet romance builds between Taylor and Ford, who is the owners son. I really liked them together. The family atmosphere and this romance were just enough to release some of the tension of the case. Karen Rose has written a wonderful suspenseful thriller, with a nice blend of family and second chances. Monster in a Closet is one of the best suspense thrillers I have read this year.
Reviewed by Barb
Copy provided by Publisher
Karen Rose’s publisher is graciously offering a paper copy of MONSTER IN THE CLOSET to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe
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