Tag Archives: murder

WHISPERS IN THE SAND (Detective Kaitlyn Carr 8) by Kate Gable

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WHISPERS IN THE SAND (Detective Kaitlyn Carr 8) by Kate Gable- a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 31, 2023

A beautiful young woman’s mutilated body is found in the sand near the breaking waves of the Pacific Ocean. When Detective Kaitlyn Carr is called to the scene, she discovers that it belongs to Emilia Cruz, an actress on a popular Netflix show, who had just attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards and is still wearing her gown from the night before. As Kaitlyn begins her relentless pursuit of the truth, she uncovers a shocking Emilia had recently joined a wellness cult led by an enigmatic figure who promises enlightenment through unconventional methods.

The cult’s obsession with green juices and extreme food restrictions raises suspicions, but Kaitlyn’s investigation takes an unexpected turn when Emilia’s old high school boyfriend, hailing all the way from Iowa, emerges as a potential suspect. Caught between the chilling possibilities of a fanatical cult and the haunting presence of an obsessed ex-lover, Kaitlyn must navigate a treacherous path to expose the true culprit. With each step closer to the truth, she unravels a dark mystery that threatens to shatter the glitz and glamour of Hollywood.

Meanwhile, as Kaitlyn delves deeper into the investigation, she finds herself standing at the precipice. With her wedding to Luke Galvinson, an FBI agent, fast approaching, Kaitlyn must balance the demands of her personal life and her pursuit of Emilia’s killer. In this page-turning psychological mystery, follow Detective Kaitlyn Carr as she tackles her most perilous case yet, unraveling a twisted tale of deception, obsession, and the high stakes of love and justice in the City of Angels.

••••

REVIEW: WHISPERS N THE SAND is the eighth instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR murder/mystery suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr.

Told from dual first person perspectives (Kaitlyn and Emilia) WHISPERS IN THE SAND follow in the wake of the discovery of a young woman’s body, washed up on the shores of a local beach. With her new partner, Detective Tracie Freeman, Kaitlyn goes in search for clues, including the last know associates of a rising star, a wellness guru who pushes his followers to the brink of starvation. Meanwhile, Kaitlyn and her fiancé, FBI Agent Luke Galvinson make preparations for their upcoming nuptials, an event in which Kaitlyn struggles to get remotely motivated.

WHISPERS IN THE SAND is the story of power and control, indoctrination and madness, betrayal and murder. The premise is fascinating and inviting; the characters are charismatic, desperate and lost-the psychological ramifications of brainwashing and manipulation is evident in the restrictive nature of those desperate enough to believe.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Girl Hidden
Girl Missing
Girl Lost
Girl Found
Girl Forgotten
Gone Too Soon
Gone Forever

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Gone Too Soon/Gone Forever by Kate Gable-review

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Gone Too Soon/Gone Forever by Kate Gable-review

GONE TOO SOON
(Detective Kaitlyn Carr 6)
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, mystery, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 31, 2023

A letter throws Detective Kaitlyn Carr’s life into turmoil…
Settling into a new routine, Kaitlyn believes that her troubles are behind her. But then she receives a letter from a retired FBI agent, which states that everything she knows about her father’s death is a lie.
The FBI agent says that her father was murdered and promises to tell her what really happened, but only if she helps him first.
To find out the truth, Kaitlyn must travel to a place with a near-constant cover of clouds and rain and investigate a series of cold cases that the FBI agent believes are connected to the same illusive serial killer.
Here, the foliage is thick. The rains wash away evidence. It’s the perfect place to bury bodies, or to leave them somewhere no one will find them.
The FBI agent might be a conspiracy theorist and Kaitlyn isn’t sure if she believes any of it until she finds a young woman’s bodyand wonders if her murder is also linked to the serial killer.
Deep in the pines and gloom of the Pacific Northwest, Kaitlyn hunts the serial killer, but what she does not yet know is that she might be the one who is being hunted….

•••

REVIEW: GONE TOO SOON is the sixth instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR mystery/suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr. GONE TOO SOON can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but for back story I recommend reading the series in order as there is an ongoing premise throughout concerning the Detective’s late father.

NOTE: If you have not read any of the previous instalments there may be spoilers in my review.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn Carr) GONE TOO SOON follows several paths that may or may not be connected. Kaitlyn Carr’s father is a former police detective, a dirty cop, who is believed to have taken his own life but Kaitlyn never believed the stories, and a letter from one of her father’s former partners, retired FBI Agent Donald Clark, claims someone else may be responsible for the death of her father. As Kaitlyn goes in search of the truth, she must first look into a series of unsolved murders for the man holding hostage all of the answers to her father’s death, including the recent murder of a single mother Kaitlyn found on the trails near Olympia Washington. As Kaitlyn begins an investigation of her own, a teenage boy asks for help, when his father refuses to accept that anything is wrong.

Kaitlyn’s journey, along with her boyfriend, FBI Agent Luke Galvinson, takes our heroine from California, to Washington, to Oregon as she goes in search of answers to her father’s death but finds herself racing to a three unsolved murders that Agent Clark refuses to let go. As Kaitlyn begins to unravel the clues, she will quickly discover that Agent Clark wasn’t too far off the mark.

GONE TOO SOON is a story of madness and murder, power and control, desperation and obsession, acceptance and revelations. The premise is intriguing and captivating; the characters are desperate, determined and dynamic. GONE TOO SOON ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

Girl Hidden
Girl Missing
Girl Lost
Girl Found
Girl Forgotten

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

_______

GONE FOREVER
(Detective Kaitlyn Carr 7)
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, mystery, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 30, 2023

Kaitlyn Carr’s hunt for the serial killer continues as she delves deeper into the mysteries surrounding her father’s death. After receiving a letter from a retired FBI agent, Kaitlyn’s world is turned upside down once again. The letter claims that her father’s death was not an accident, but a murder. In order to uncover the truth, Kaitlyn and her boyfriend, FBI Agent Luke Galvinson, must help the agent solve a series of cold cases that he believes are connected to the same illusive serial killer.

As Kaitlyn investigates the cold cases, she finds herself in a secluded cabin in the woods where her life is endangered. This is the perfect place for the killer to hide their victims. Kaitlyn wonders if she is getting closer to the killer or if it’s the other way around. She finds herself questioning everything, from her own investigation to the people she thought she could trust.

In this seventh installment of the Girl Missing series, Kaitlyn’s hunt for the serial killer takes her to the Pacific Northwest, a place with a near-constant cover of clouds and rain. It’s a place where the beauty of nature is juxtaposed with the darkness of the killer’s deeds. Kaitlyn finds herself facing a killer who is always one step ahead of her and who seems to know her every move. With twists and turns at every corner, Gone Forever will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end

••••••••

REVIEW: GONE FOREVER is the seventh instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR mystery , suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr. GONE FOREVER should not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of book six GONE TOO SOON.

NOTE: If you have not read any of the previous instalments, there may be spoilers in my review.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn Carr), and several omniscient third person perspectives GONE FOREVER continues to focus on the search for a serial killer near Olympia, Washington. Kaitlyn and her boyfriend Luke had been on vacation when our heroine stumbled across a body, that may or may not be connected to a serial killer. Kaitlyn with the help of boyfriend Luke, begin looking at the possibility of a serial killer in Olympia Washington, with the information provided by former FBI Agent Donald Clarke, a man obsessed with closing the cold case from years before. As Kaitlyn, Luke and Donald close in, several more bodies, and a fragile victim reveal that Donald Clarke may have been right, all along.

GONE FOREVER is a multi-layered story of secrets and lies, madness and murder, law enforcement and struggles, determination and retribution. The clues and information are slowly peeled away, revealing a decades long obsession with unravelling the truth. GONE FOREVER also looks at the ongoing relationship between Kaitlyn and Luke, and the possibility of future plans. The premise is captivating and intriguing; the characters are strong-willed and tenacious.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

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Murder in Times Square (Deirdre Mystery 1) by William Baer-review

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Murder in Times Square ( A Deirdre Mystery 1) by William Baer-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date February 3, 2023

When a young woman in a red designer dress falls twenty-five stories from the roof of Times Square One, the well-known New York fashion model known as Deirdre resolves to unravel the mystery. Capable and determined, Deirdre is relentless in her drive to unravel the mystery and find justice for the victim, while protecting those she loves from looming threats.

Baer, who has worked in the New York City’s fashion district, showcases not only his depth of knowledge of the fashion industry, but also of New York City and its landmarks and history. He weaves an intricate, fast-paced, and spellbinding narrative that takes us through New York City, Atlantic City, the Jersey Shore, and the Caribbean. In Murder in Times Square, Baer once again proves he is a master of suspense and intrigue.

•••••

REVIEW: MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is the first instalment in William Baer’s contemporary, adult A DEIRDRE MYSTERY murder, mystery, thriller series focusing on nineteen year old Deirdre Flanagan.

Told from first person perspective using present day and memories from the past MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE follows in the wake of the murder of a senator’s son, and the death of his ‘date’ from atop a high rise building in NYC. Deirdre Flanagan, known only as Dierdre in the world of supermodel fashion, is the nineteen year old daughter of former super middleweight boxing champion Sean Flanagan, and the niece of NYPD captain Pat Flanagan. At eleven years of age, having spent most of her time alongside her uncle as he investigates the crime riddled city of New York, Deirdre was licensed as a NY investigator, and eventually registered as a legal gun owner. Fast forward to present day Deirdre is caught in a vicious cycle of endless murders and gun fights all seemingly connected to the murder of the senator’s son but clues and evidence begin to reveal a path that leads back to our story line heroine, a path mired in betrayal and vengeance, madness and murder.

Deirdre Flanagan is a nineteen year old super model, at the top of her profession, and everyone and everybody is in love with our story line heroine. From Detective Rick Dempsey, to body guard Carlos Menendez, there are no limits to the number of men and women who want to be a part of the world that belongs to Deirdre Flanagan but Deirdre has always been led to believe she is different, and it is this belief that has controlled a large part of our heroine’s life. An atypical life, with an unconventional upbringing, Deirdre is much older and wiser than most people twice her age.

We are introduced to Deirdre’s father former super middleweight boxing champion Sean Flanagan, and his brother/her uncle NYPD captain Pat Flanagan; ‘bodyguard’ Carlos Menendez, and Detective Rick Dempsey. There is a large ensemble cast of colorful and questionable secondary and supporting characters many of whom will be caught in a web of murder and vengeance.

MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is awash in the name dropping of the famous and infamous; fashion brands and models; sports icons and NY landmarks, as well as the history surrounding many of the important monuments and benchmarks that may or may not have affected the history of one of the busiest and most populace cities in the world.

MURDER IN TIMES SQUARE is a detailed, complex and intricate story of betrayal, obsession, vengeance and murder. The premise is intriguing and thorough but I question the reality of a young child endorsed to own a gun and authorized to investigate some of the most heinous crimes but this is fiction, and meant to entertain. The characters are colorful, energetic, and determined.

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Website / Facebook / Twitter

William Baer, a recent Guggenheim fellow, is the award-winning author of twenty-two books, and his various plays have been produced at over thirty American theaters.  He grew up in the Bronx and Wayne, New Jersey, where his family was actively involved in “little theater.”  A graduate of Rutgers (B.A.) and New York University (M.A.), he completed his dissertation in creative writing at the University of South Carolina under the direction of James Dickey.  After attending the Johns Hopkins’ Writing Seminars (M.A.), he served as a Fulbright at the University of Coimbra in Portugal.  He then attended the University of Southern California’s Graduate School of Cinema (M.A.), where he received the Jack Nicholson Screenwriting Award.  The recipient of a Creative Writing Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, he currently lives in North Jersey.

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COSMIC TRAP (Clay Wolfe/Port Essex Mystery 4) by Matt Cost-review

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COSMIC TRAP (Clay Wolfe / Port Essex Mystery 4) by Matt Cost-a review

 

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Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 21, 2022

The man—about forty, forearms like small oak trees, with a thick beard—told the bartender at the Pelican Perch, “It came right up out of the ocean, hovered just above the water for about ten seconds, and then was gone.”

When Clay Wolfe and Baylee Baker are hired as the local liaisons for a government task force investigating the recent UAP sightings, things get complicated at lightspeed.

They’re also hired to find the missing Alice Smith, whose disappearance increasingly appears to have something to do with the UAPs—the source of which might just be a governmental defense contractor named Seagull Aviation.

But the more they investigate, the more questions pop up. Who is the assassin gunning for Wolfe and Baker? Who is the mysterious man code-named Arrow? When each witness who has seen one of the UAPs is reported missing, the stakes become sky-high.

••••••

REVIEW: COSMIC TRAP is the fourth instalment in Matt Cost’s contemporary, adult CLAY WOLFE / PORT ESSEX murder/mystery suspense series focusing on thirty-six year old, former homicide detective turned private investigator Clay Wolfe. COSMIC TRAP can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.

Told from third person perspective COSMIC TRAP follows in the wake of the mysterious and unexplained sightings on the waters near Port Essex, Maine. Witnesses have talked, and the government has sent in a crew to uncover the truth but when Clay Wolfe is hired to follow a wife suspected of having an affair, the woman’s grizzly death may be a clue to what is happening and how. As Clay and his plucky crew of amateur detectives, family and a former US Navy SEAL follow the clues, hired assassins embark on a killing spree, hitting Clay where it hurts the most.

COSMIC TRAP is a story of what if and how? Of world domination, power and control; of science fiction and fact; of betrayal and obsession. Clay Wolfe is a man, ruled by his sexual drive, and with it, comes the possibility of losing everything and more. The people of Port Essex stumble upon a powerful group determined to dominate and rule, a group that is now the focus of everything concerned. The premise is intriguing, heart breaking and captivating; the characters are determined yet imperfect.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Wolfe Trap
Mind Trap
Mouse Trap

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

Follow: Goodreads / Website / Twitter / Facebook/

Over the years, Cost has owned a video store, a mystery bookstore, and a gym. He has also taught history and coached just about every sport imaginable.

Cost now lives in Brunswick, Maine, with his wife, Harper. There are four grown children: Brittany, Pearson, Miranda, and Ryan. A chocolate Lab and a basset hound round out the mix. He now spends his days at the computer, writing.

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Girl Lost / Girl Found (Det. Kaitlyn Carr) by Kate Gable-reviews

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Girl Lost / Girl Found (Det. Kaitlyn Carr) by Kate Gable-reviews

GIRL LOST
(Detective Kaitlyn Carr 2)
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, murder, suspense, mystery

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk / Amazon.au /

Don’t own a Kindle? Download the FREE Amazon Kindle App for your mobile device or pc

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 5, 2021

Don’t save me…

A newlywed with a secret pregnancy goes missing after a business trip. Her husband isn’t very concerned.

Why didn’t he want to report her missing? Where is she? Why was she keeping her pregnancy a secret? Detective Kaitlyn Carr has to get to the truth.

But back home in Big Bear Lake, her thirteen-year-old sister is still missing and now her friend has disappeared as well under very similar circumstances. The FBI is called in and the agent assigned to the case is none other than Luke Galvinson. But the last thing Kaitlyn needs is a man from her past.

Kaitlyn must not only split her time between these cases but also go further down the rabbit hole of the place she once called home.

Nothing is what it seems.
No one is who they are.
Everyone has a secret.

Can Kaitlyn uncover the truth in time to prevent another death?

•••••••••

REVIEW: GIRL LOST is the second full-length instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR murder/mystery/suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr.

NOTE: There is a prequel novella GIRL HIDDEN that introduces some of the background, characters and players in the series.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn) GIRL LOST continues to focus on the search for Detective Kaitlyn Carr’s missing thirteen year old sister, as well as a new case regarding a missing pregnant woman, and her husband, who has bee less than forthcoming with personal information.

Kaitlyn Carr’s thirteen year old sister has been missing for several days, last seen when she was dropped off at home by the mother of a friend. From there, Kaitlyn’s sister’s whereabouts are unknown. Big Bear Lake is out of Kaitlyn’s jurisdiction but when a second thirteen year old girl goes missing, the FBI is called in to investigate bringing Kaitlyn’s current friends with benefits, FBI agent Luke Galvinson, back into her life.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn has been called in to investigate a missing woman, a pregnant and married female whose husband is less than cooperative with the LAPD. Suspecting the husband but not leaving any stone unturned, Kaitlyn begins to interviews neighbors and friends, sending our heroine on a twisted path of secrets and lies. NOTE: I pegged the personal responsible from the start but the path towards reveal is tangled and messy.

GIRL LOST is an intriguing, suspense filled story about one woman’s struggle to blend, family, friendships, relationships and work into a less than cohesive ball of strife. We are witness to the Kaitlyn’s less than ideal extended family dynamics, and her struggle to have a personal life, on the side. GIRL LOST ends on cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews
Girl Hidden
Girl Missing

Copy supplied for review

Reviewed by Sandy

___________

GIRL FOUND
(Detective Kaitlyn Carr 3)
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, murder, suspense, mystery

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / / Google Play /

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 2, 2021.

Don’t look for me…

A college student is found dead in the apartment of a US Marine who has disappeared.

Where is he? Did he kill her and run? And if so, why? Detective Kaitlyn Carr will stop at nothing to find out what happened.

The marine’s father is certain that his son would never do anything to harm his friend. That’s why he reported the murder and is doing his best to help Kaitlyn find his son. But will this be a regret that will haunt him for the rest of his life?

Back in her hometown of Big Bear Lake, Violet’s disappearance is becoming a cold case. Everyone has been interviewed. All leads have been followed up on. Now what? Kaitlyn keeps trying. She can’t give up.

Will Kaitlyn find out who killed the girl and find the marine before there’s another murder?

Will Kaitlyn be able to find another lead to keep her sister’s case open?

••••••••

REVIEW: GIRL FOUND is the third full-length instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAILYN CARR murder, mystery, suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr. GIRL FOUND should be not be read as a stand alone as it picks up immediately after the events and cliff hanger of GIRL LOST

SOME BACKGROUND: Kaitlyn Carr’s thirteen year old sister has been missing for several days, last seen when she was dropped off at home by the mother of a friend. From there, Kaitlyn’s sister’s whereabouts are unknown. Big Bear Lake is out of Kaitlyn’s jurisdiction but when a second thirteen year old girl goes missing, the FBI is called in to investigate bringing Kaitlyn’s current friends with benefits, FBI agent Luke Galvinson, back into her life.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn) GIRL FOUND continues to focus on the hunt for Kaitlyn Carr’s missing thirteen year old sister Violet but as Kaitlyn struggles with the disappearance of her sister, our heroine begins to reflect on her own life, her family, and previous relationships, but one relationship in particular that involves a colleague and a secret affair.

Although not able to work directly on the investigation into her sister’s disappearance, Kaitlyn, along with FBI Special Agent Luke Gavinson begin to amass a large amount of information from Violet’s friends and fellow students, information that reveals several different sides to the sister she thought she knew.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn is assigned a murder investigation when a body is found in a former Marine’s apartment, a Marine who is currently missing and the prime suspect. Believing the circumstance could be linked to a domestic dispute, Kaitlyn begins to interview the neighbor, a man whose story spins an unbelievable tale.

GIRL FOUND is the ongoing story of Detective Kaitlyn Carr, and her search for her sister; her tumultuous relationship with Agent Luke Gavinson; and our heroine’s assignment that often place her in direct communication with a former love, whose reputation is following a familiar curve. The premise is intriguing, suspenseful and engaging; the characters are charismatic; the romance is limited to as the story focuses on the professional life of our story line heroine. GIRL FOUND ends on a cliff hanger-you have been warned.

Copy supplied for review

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Girl Hidden/Girl Missing by Kate Gable-reviews

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Girl Hidden/Girl Missing (Detective Kaitlyn Carr .5 and 1) by Kate Gable-reviews

GIRL HIDDEN
(Detective Kaitlyn Carr .5)
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, murder, mystery, suspense

-> ebook FREE-Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date May 26, 2021

Don’t run after me…

A family is found dead in their home. The only survivor is the teenage daughter who managed to escape the burning house.

Who killed them? And why? Detective Kaitlyn Carr has to bring their killer to justice.

A year before her disappearance, Violet, Kaitlyn’s sister, comes to stay with her after a bad fight with their mom. She can’t stand living at home as much as Kaitlyn once did and wants to move in with her.

But Kaitlyn was just promoted to detective and her hours are erratic and long. She’s never home and she can’t take care of a teenager. Or maybe she can?

As she gets closer and closer to finding out who killed the Hendrel family, her own family reaches a breaking point.

What happens when her sister asks her to do the impossible? What happens when she can’t say no?

What happens when the dysfunction of her own family threatens to blow up her face and let the killer off for good?

•••••••

REVIEW: GIRL HIDDEN is the introductory novella in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR suspense thriller focusing of LAPD Detective, thirty-something Kaitlyn Carr.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn Carr) GIRL HIDDEN follows Detective Kaitlyn Carr as she and her partner Thomas Abrams of the LAPD, are called in to investigate the murder of four members of a local family. Interviewing neighbors, friends, co-workers and the lone surviving member of the family, Kaitlyn and Thomas begin to see a pattern, a pattern that implodes when the truth is revealed.

Meanwhile, Kaitlyn’s twelve year old sister Violet has turned up at our heroine’s house having fought with their mother, a woman possibly struggling with long term depression. Violet wants to attend a private art school but her mother has refused to allow her pre-teen daughter to dictate her future.

GIRL HIDDEN is an intriguing and suspenseful story of murder, mystery, family, tragedy and revenge. Kate Gable pulls the reader into a fast paced story that introduces Detective Kaitlyn Carr, as she navigates the world of murder and crime.

Own a copy

_________

GIRL MISSING
Detective Kaitlyn Carr #1
by Kate Gable
Genre: adult, contemporary, murder, mystery, suspense

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / B&N / KOBO / Chapters Indigo / Google Play

Release Date: June 7, 2021

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 7, 2021.

Don’t lie to me…

A young girl from a wealthy family is found hanging from a tree in a secluded canyon.

What was she doing there in the middle of the night? How did she get there? Who did this to her? Detective Kaitlyn Carr is determined to find out and bring the killer to justice.

But when her thirteen-year-old sister vanishes on her way back from a friend’s house, Kaitlyn must split her time and confront demons from her own past in order to bring her sister home.

The small mountain town of Big Bear Lake is only three hours away but a world away from her life in Los Angeles. It’s the place she grew up and the place that’s plagued her with lies, death and secrets.

As Kaitlyn digs deeper into both cases, she finds out that appearances are misleading and few things are what they seem.

A murderer is lurking in the shadows and the more of the mystery that Kaitlyn unspools the closer she gets to danger herself.

Can Kaitlyn find the killer and solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance before it’s too late?

What happens when someone else is taken?

••••••••••

REVIEW: GIRL MISSING is the first instalment in Kate Gable’s contemporary, adult DETECTIVE KAITLYN CARR murder/mystery/suspense series focusing on LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr.

NOTE: There is a prequel novella GIRL HIDDEN that introduces some of the characters and players in the series. GIRL MISSING advances the series approximately one year.

Told from first person perspective (Kaitlyn) GIRL MISSING follows two pathways as LAPD Detective Kaitlyn Carr gets a frantic call from her mother that Kaitlyn’s thirteen year old sister Violet is missing. Although Big Bear Lake is out of Kaitlyn’s jurisdiction, our heroine begins an investigation of her own that pushes the buttons of some well connected people. Meanwhile, back in LA, Kaitlyn is called to investigate the murder of a young girl found hanging from a neighborhood tree but the investigation goes nowhere fast until a visit to the family home reveals some disturbing news about the recently deceased.

GIRL MISSING is another fast paced, character driven and tragic story of mental illness, the power of social media, family, secrets, lies and loss. The premise is dramatic, sensitive and intense; the characters are energetic and emotional. We are introduced to FBI Agent Luke Galvinson, and the return of Kaitlyn’s now ex Thomas Abrams-there is a story regarding Thomas that has yet to be revealed.

Copy supplied for review

Reviews by Sandy

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Tell No Lies by Gregg Hurwitz-a review

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TELL NO LIES by Gregg Hurwitz-a review

Tell No Lies

Amazon.com / Amazon.ca / Amazon.uk/ Barnes and Noble / KOBO / The Book Depository

ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 20, 2013

A series of anonymous threats intended for others puts a man—and everyone he loves—in the path of a relentless killer

Daniel Brasher has always been something of a disappointment to his old-money aristocratic San Francisco mother. Daniel left his high-paying job as a money manager to marry his community organizer wife and work at a job he loves, leading group counseling sessions with recently paroled ex-cons. Now he’s ready to move on and start a private practice.

But before he leaves, he finds an envelope in his department mailbox—one intended for someone else that was placed in his slot by accident. Inside it is an unsigned piece of paper, a note that says only “admit what you’ve done or you will bleed for it. you have ’til november 15 at midnite.” The deadline has already passed and the person to whom the envelope was addressed was brutally murdered. But this first warning is only the beginning.

Soon, Daniel finds more warnings in his office mail, to people that the police cannot track down, and to victims that cannot be saved. Daniel’s efforts, however, have alerted the killer to his involvement and next he gets a threat of his own. Now, with the clock ticking, Daniel—with no clue what he’s supposed to have done or to what action he must confess—must somehow appease, or outwit, a seemingly unstoppable killer.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

REVIEW: TELL NO LIES is a contemporary mystery storyline of murder and suspense. This is my first Gregg Hurwitz novel.

The focus is on thirty something Daniel Brasher. Growing up privileged Daniel thumbed his nose at his family’s prestige and wealth and ventured into the world of psychology, group counseling with one-time rapists and thieves. A married man in a loving and committed relationship with his wife, three times per week Daniel leads and challenges a group of ex-cons and parolees to look within themselves at the who and what in their lives. But soon, Daniel will find himself on the receiving end of mysterious envelopes containing misdirected threats of murder and revenge. The messages are cryptic, threatening and contain deadlines for action.

We are introduced to the colorful and diverse group members through a series of one on one interactions where each participant must face the reality of what they have done and how to make amends. And in doing so, the reader as well as our hero will discover that not everyone is who he or she pretends to be. Everyone has a secret to tell.

As the storyline unfolds our hero Daniel is thrust into a world of grisly murders and psychotic killers. The local police detectives have nothing on Daniel as he seems to be able to ferret out the next victim before the authorities have time to blink and in doing so, Daniel places himself into a position where the killer begins to pull Daniel into the mystery that is unfolding before his eyes. But all too soon, the threats become personal and through a series of his own investigations Daniel will discover that the killer intends to make Daniel suffer in the same way the killer has suffered in the past.

This is a story of murder and revenge; a story where the killer believes he has been betrayed down to the deepest part of his soul; and a story where one man’s grief turns ugly with the need to avenge a death that he believes could have been prevented if not for the money behind the rich and powerful. Tell No Lies is also a study of the sociological implications of who has the power over life and death; and the greed of big money, big business and big medicine.

Gregg Hurwitz pulls the reader into a storyline of twists and turns. There is limited foul language; the murder scenes are not as graphically descriptive as are some other storylines I have read, but they do leave nothing to the imagination. The group of counseling characters are an interesting mix of cons, thieves, gang bangers and screw ups who through one reason or another have an axe to grind about how society and the ‘man’ have ruined their lives. And in the end, each will face their demons and come out of the sessions for better or for worse.

TELL NO LIES is a dark tale where one man’s choices will snowball into a story of revenge: where money and power have all of the control; and where the lives of everyone you love will hang in the balance when horrendous grief knows no boundaries or ends.

Tell No Lies takes the reader on a trail of mysterious messages, missing bodies, murder victims and revenge. Gregg Hurwitz writes an interesting story that will captivate the mystery lover in all readers.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netalley

Reviewed by Sandy

About The author

FOLLOW Gregg: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Gregg Hurwitz 1Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twelve novels, most recently They’re Watching, You’re Next, The Survivor and Tell No Lies. His books have been nominated for numerous awards, shortlisted twice for best novel of the year by International Thriller Writers, nominated for CWA’s Ian Fleming Steel Dagger, chosen as feature selections for all four major literary book clubs, honored as Book Sense Picks, nominated for the Galaxy National Book Award, and translated into twenty two languages.

Gregg has written screenplays for or sold spec scripts to many of the major studios, and written, developed, and produced television (including ABC’s “V”) for various networks. He is also a New York Times Bestselling comic book writer, having penned stories for Marvel (Wolverine, Punisher) and DC (Batman, Penguin). He has published numerous academic articles on Shakespeare, taught fiction writing in the USC English Department, and guest lectured for UCLA, and for Harvard in the United States and internationally. In the course of researching his thrillers, he has sneaked onto demolition ranges with Navy SEALs, swum with sharks in the Galápagos, and gone undercover into mind-control cults.

Hurwitz grew up in the Bay Area. While completing a BA from Harvard and a master’s from Trinity College, Oxford in Shakespearean tragedy, he wrote his first novel. He was the undergraduate scholar-athlete of the year at Harvard for his pole-vaulting exploits, and played college soccer in England, where he was a Knox fellow. He now lives in L.A. where he continues to play soccer, frequently injuring himself.

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Good As Gone (Simon Fisk #1) by Douglas Corleone-a review

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GOOD AS GONE (Simon Fisk #1) by Douglas Corleone-a review

Good as Gone

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date August 20, 2013

Former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk works as a private contractor, tracking down and recovering children who were kidnapped by their own estranged parents. He only has one rule: he won’t touch stranger abduction cases. He’s still haunted by the disappearance of his own daughter when she was just a child, still unsolved, and stranger kidnappings hit too close to home.

Until, that is, six-year-old Lindsay Sorkin disappears from her parents’ hotel room in Paris, and the French police deliver Simon an ultimatum: he can spend years in a French jail, or he can take the case and recover the missing girl. Simon sets out in pursuit of Lindsay and the truth behind her disappearance. But Lindsay’s captors did not leave an easy trail, and following it will take Simon across the continent, through the ritziest nightclubs and the seediest back alleys, into a terrifying world of international intrigue and dark corners of his past he’d rather leave well alone.

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REVIEW: GOOD AS GONE is the first storyline in Douglas Corleone’s new murder, mystery, thriller, contemporary suspense series aptly named Simon Fisk. Simon Fisk is our ‘reluctant’ hero; a former US Marshall now working as an independent contractor who searches for missing children kidnapped by estranged parents or vengeful family. But Simon also has experience when it comes to missing children, and it will be his most recent assignment that forces Simon to look deep into the eyes of every child and young teen who crosses his path.

The storyline focuses on Simon’s hunt for six year old Lindsay Sorkin-who has disappeared during a family vacation in Paris. Simon is called into investigate the child’s disappearance and the search will take him through the gritty and murderous underbelly of post-communist Russia, Ukraine and Romania and up close and personal with the potential for treason against the US of A.

The storyline reads similar to a Bourne adventure as our hero encounters mobsters, murderers, thieves, drug dealers and corrupted law enforcement and government officials. Yet throughout the story, Simon Fisk has the uncanny ability to find the right people at the right time while stirring up a bee’s nest of murderous and vengeful hit men. He is a man on the hunt and a man who is hunted.

The storyline is fast paced as the reader is taken on a whirlwind tour of the ‘not so glamorous’ side of the former Eastern Bloc and communist countries. At this point I had quite a number of questions with regards to one man’s ability to get in and out of these heavily guarded countries without so much as presenting a pass port or id, but on many occasions his whereabouts and entry points were known to those in charge. Although this is a fictional storyline, the believability of a good portion of the hero’s abilities remain questionable but everyone loves a great hero.

The writing is simple. There is more narration than dialogue as the storyline is told in first person POV from Simon Fisk’s perspective and much of the detail and investigations are wrapped up via Simon’s recounting of the events.

The main characters are likeable. Simon is a man truly possessed by a past mired in the guilt of another missing child and it is with this guilt that he is pushed into uncovering those responsible for the missing and exploited children. A small romance is building between Simon and Ana, a Polish lawyer whom Simon meets while investigating the missing child. But this is not a romantic storyline and their one on one time in the bedroom is glossed over.

The world building includes mention of many of the most famous and infamous missing and exploited children from recent headlines and the news; in this it gives the storyline a more plausible connection in reality but saying that, there is still plenty to question about the hero’s overall ability to find and locate one missing child among millions when the authorities themselves are lost to the investigations-but again, this is a story of fiction, mystery and suspense. At times we have to believe the unbelievable.

Overall, GOOD AS GONE is an interesting storyline; an adventure of one man’s hunt for a missing child among millions and the guilt that drives him forward with every child that is never found. Douglas Corleone has introduced the building blocks to a new series that is sure to please the mystery and suspense lover in everyone.

Copy supplied by the publisher through Netgalley.

Reviewed by Sandy

About the Author

Follow Douglas: Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

Douglas CorleoneDOUGLAS CORLEONE is the author of contemporary crime novels published by St. Martin’s Minotaur.  His debut novel ONE MAN’S PARADISE was a finalist for the 2010 Shamus Award for Best First Novel and won the 2009 Minotaur Books / Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award.  Doug’s third novel LAST LAWYER STANDING is in bookstores now.  His first international thriller GOOD AS GONE, introducing former U.S. Marshal Simon Fisk, will be released on August 20, 2013.

A former New York City criminal defense attorney, Doug now resides in the Hawaiian Islands, where he is currently at work on his next novel.

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