THE DROWNED GIRLS (Angie Pallorino #1) by Loreth Anne White
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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date June 20, 2017
He surfaced two years ago. Then he disappeared …
But Detective Angie Pallorino never forgot the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card—crosses etched into the flesh of his victim’s foreheads.
When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes. Could he be back?
Then the body of a drowned young woman floats up in the Gorge, also bearing the marks of the serial rapist, and the hunt for a predator becomes a hunt for a killer. Assigned to the joint investigative task force, Angie is more than ready to prove that she has what it takes to break into the all-male homicide division. But her private life collides with her professional ambitions when she’s introduced to her temporary partner, James Maddocks—a man she’d met the night before in an intense, anonymous encounter.
Together, Angie and Maddocks agree to put that night behind them. But as their search for the killer intensifies so does their mutual desire. And Angie’s forays into the mind of a monster shake lose some unsettling secrets about her own past . . .
How can she fight for the truth when it turns out her whole life is a lie?
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REVIEW: THE DROWNED GIRLS is the first installment in Loreth Anne White’s adult, contemporary ANGIE PALLORINO mystery/ psychological crime thriller series with the addition of a little forbidden love and romance.
NOTE: THE DROWNED GIRLS contains mature scenarios of graphic violence, abuse and sexual mutilation that may not be suitable for all readers.
Told from several third person perspectives THE DROWNED GIRLS follows numerous paths that focus on the resurgence of a violent rapist who has upped his MO turning to mutilation and murder. Detective Angie Pallorino works the sex crimes division of the Metro Vancouver police department and the recent spate of violent sexual assaults is eerily similar to a couple of unsolved cases from years before. When the latest assault victim dies of her injuries, and another body washes up on shore, Angie finds herself with a new partner-homicide detective James Maddocks-a one night stand that demands something more. What ensues is the search for a killer while Angie and James battle the upheaval in their own personal lives-back home.
THE DROWNED GIRLS is a story within a story; a dark and gritty tale of a psychopath; a serial rapist and murderer who uses religion as his justification for his actions but THE DROWNED GIRLS is also a story that reveals the depths to which the powerful elite will bury their sins for a piece of the pie. The world building takes the reader into the seedy underbelly of a city gripped by fear; of a people controlled by sex and drugs; of a police department that begins to turn upon its self. As the Metro Vancouver PD begin to uncover the truth, secrets, lies, and betrayal become road blocks to stopping a killer who is devolving with every victim and assault.
Similar to Silence of the Lambs with a police department ala Law and Order: SVU THE DROWNED GIRLS is a suspenseful, descriptive story line with palpable energy where the reader looks into the killer’s mind-his needs, his rituals, his rationalization for all the he does-Norman Bates meets Hannibal Lecter with all of the gory details and graphic imagery that a psychological thriller throws at the reader. The character development sets the stage for the who, what, and why ; the world building is rich in technological detailed narration and presentation; the romance is the forbidden fruit between two peoples whose personal lives have fallen into the abyss-Angie Pallorino is desperate to escape Wonderland and uncover the truth.
THE DROWNED GIRLS is a decadent, intriguing and enthralling story line; an energetic and dramatic look the people and places behind the headlines and stories that affect us all. The premise is complex and chaotic; the characters are numerous, sensational and charismatic; the romance struggles in the face of duty, secrets, lies and the unknown. Loreth Anne White’s THE DROWNED GIRLS is a powerful tale with memorable characters, and disturbing situations against the backdrop of Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Copy supplied by Netgalley
Reviewed by Sandy
Loreth Anne White is an award-winning, best-selling author of romantic suspense, thrillers, and mysteries. She has won the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award for Romantic Suspense, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Romantic Crown for Best Romantic Suspense and Best Book Overall. In addition, she is a three-time RITA finalist, a Booksellers’ Best finalist, a multiple Daphne Du Maurier Award finalist, and a multiple CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award winner. A former journalist and newspaper editor who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now resides in the mountains of the Pacific Northwest with her family.
When she’s not writing you will find her skiing, biking or hiking the trails with her Black Dog, and generally trying to avoid the bears – albeit unsuccessfully. She calls this work, because it’s when the best ideas come!
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