Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 364
Genre: Crime Thriller
BOOK BLURB:
Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.
When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on. No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.
The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.
Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.
The next day, as second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one. But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?
Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?
An absolutely gripping, dark, and totally unputdownable serial killer thriller that will keep you racing through the pages all night long. Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh will read in one sitting!
FAVORITE QUOTE FROM FIRST CHAPTER:
"Bramble stepped to the edge of the pit and peered downward. Submerged in the muddy earth, and surrounded by puddles of water, lay the naked body of a young woman—her pale skin like porcelain in the early morning light. Lying on her left side, arms twisted precariously, one in front of her bent body and the other behind. She looked like a broken doll that had been carelessly tossed away. The remnants of a rope dangled from her left wrist. Her long chestnut hair, wet and knotted around her face, covered her frozen expression."
BOOK COVER:
Love, love it!
FIRST CHAPTER REVIEW:
Before I begin my review of the first chapter, I must mention the prologue. O.m.g. So two girls are obviously running away from a teenage foster home. This sets up the perfect suspense to begin the first chapter. One of them escapes but the other one tells her that she wants to wait until she turns 18 which is just another year. She has no money and by then she will be prepared. She tells her friend that they will meet at the hiding spot at that time. So the first chapter then begins 5 years later and already I'm wondering what the heck became of either girls, especially the one that stayed behind. But as the first chapter opens, we see that it is not a boarding house anymore. A developer had bought the land and the house had become dilapidated. While they were excavating the property, they had to stop. A body of a young girl was found in a shallow trench. Work came to a complete stop.
KEEP READING?
My, my, my, my, my. I have goosebumps. You know what I really loved about this? The author knew just what to do to build up suspense by adding the prologue with action that drew me in from the get go. If I were reading the first chapter without it, the tension wouldn't have come until the end and who knows if that could have lost a few readers you never know. I know that Chase is a seasoned author and has written quite a few books...you can't tell me that the more you write, the better you get - that's so obvious. But, yes, amazing how the suspense was built up from the get go. Now the question is what happened with the two girls in the prologue? Are we going to go back in time and find out what happened behind the walls of the mansion? What about the girl who escaped? And did the girl who stayed behind end up dying? I will definitely keep reading and will have the full review up when I finish. This first chapter/prologue is a definite 5 stars for me.
Amazon → https://amzn.to/3nQSoAe
Meet The Author
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today BestSelling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS:
Website: https://authorjenniferchase.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist
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