***
It’s 4 a.m. when her mom shakes her awake. “Get up baby, we’re going to play hide and seek.” The little girl presses back into the dark space, holding her breath as she hears the shots ring out. She knows she’s next…
When the bodies of a local family are discovered on a quiet street in the small town of Dumfries, Virginia, Detective Amanda Steele takes charge of the case. Brett and Angela Parker were shot three times each, leaving no hope of survival, and their tidy suburban home has been ransacked. But there is no sign of their beloved six-year-old, Zoe.
Zoe is the same age as Amanda’s daughter was when she died, and Amanda can’t bear the thought of another little girl in danger. She’s organizing a search for the child, when she notices something strange about the ottoman at the foot of the Parkers’ bed. She opens it to find Zoe, mute and traumatized, but alive.
With Zoe completely uncommunicative, Amanda must find another way to untangle what destroyed this seemingly perfect family. It’s clear that the killer is searching for something the Parkers had, and until she has this monster behind bars, Amanda fears that he may return for Zoe. When she learns that Brett Parker cut short the family’s recent lakeside vacation, she wonders why. What happened at that lake house, and did it ultimately get them killed?
Amanda heads out to Lake Chesdin on the feeling it might be key to the case, and when she finds a cell phone in the murky waters next to the Parker cabin, she knows she’s made a breakthrough. But then terrible news reaches her from Dumfries; Zoe has been taken from her school playground.
Someone wants to silence the Parker family for good, can Amanda catch them before the little girl she’s desperate to protect pays the price?
***
***
Review
Amanda Steele… what’s in a name? On the outside she seems indeed to be made out of steel, but she did it to protect herself as the result of the tragedy that went on in her personal life a few years ago.
Inside though she has a heart of gold and her steel exterior seems to have lifted a bit too except when she is dealing with crime.
A double homicide. A very young witness who is not speaking. What if the culprit finds out she is still alive? Will they try to silence her too? Who are they and what drove them to commit this horrible crime? That’s all the police force has to work with. A lot of questions and very little to non answers…
The only one the little girl seems to trust and rely on is detective Steele. She will have to walk on eggshells because one wrong sentence or question can make the girl’s mental health take a further step backwards. Will Amanda succeed in uncovering the truth and keep the girl safe?
Meanwhile she has a lot going on in her personal life too. Happy tears and sad tears fight for her attention.
Can this book be read as a stand alone? Yes and no. When you take the murder case pure and simple, yes but everything is so connected to what happened in the previous books, you really should read them all in order to fully understand the whole.
I loved it. 5 stars
Thank you, Carolyn Arnold and Bookouture
***
About the author
Carolyn Arnold was born in a small Canadian town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. As an international bestselling and award-winning author, she has several continuing fiction series, including her popular Detective Madison Knight series. She offers readers nearly three dozen published books in genres ranging from crime thrillers and hard-boiled mysteries to cozy mysteries and action adventures. She currently lives north of London, Ontario, with her husband and two beagles.
***
Author Links
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
***
***
Book Links
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09236T3JFsocial
Apple: http://ow.ly/xODf50EmlNI
Kobo: http://ow.ly/ZPy050EmlFW
Google: http://ow.ly/jl8S50EmlKE
B for Bookreview 