Chief Maggie Riley Book 2
The little dog trembles and whimpers, but refuses to move. Maggie reaches further into the undergrowth, trying to tempt it out. But as she moves closer, she sees something that stops her heart—a tiny, shivering baby, wrapped in a thin, pink blanket, saved only by its loyal protector.
There’s a ferocious storm heading toward the isolated town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley gets the call every cop dreads. Three bodies have been found on Rattlesnake Mountain, half a day’s hike from civilization. And when Maggie finally reaches the site, exhausted and freezing, she discovers something even more terrifying—a tiny baby girl, kept alive only by the warmth of a small dog who refuses to leave her side.
As Maggie races the baby to safety, she wonders, why on earth the family risked hiking the mountain in this weather? Who were they and who could possibly have killed them?
A former detective, Maggie may be an experienced investigator, but she’s still an unwelcome newcomer. Battling town prejudice, her fears for the orphaned baby, and the increasingly dangerous weather, Maggie soon discovers the case is far more complicated than she could have imagined. The family is not who they seemed. The mother has never had a baby, there’s no link between them at all. So whose baby is it, and where are they now?
With Coyote Cove cut off by the storm, Maggie knows that wherever the killer is, they won’t be able to leave. Stuck in town with a murderer on the loose, Maggie must race to find them before anyone else gets hurt. But she hasn’t counted on the killer taking matters into their own hands, and going after Maggie first…
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Review
I met Maggie in book 1 and I couldn’t not admiring her. Chief of police in a small village, where people do not really like this position being given to a woman. She not only has to prove she can handle it, but she has to fight the baddies as well.
I was hoping the villagers would have accepted her a bit by now, but in book 2 she still is not one of them. Thank God she can count on the support from Sue, the receptionist at the police office and her boyfriend Steve.
This time Maggie is facing another murder case with quite a few people action very strange. Sometimes though, culprits can hide their true nature very well… Maggie has a lot to deal with and the weather gods make it all a lot more difficult and dangerous.
I love the main characters in this series and what I adore about Maggie and Steve is their love for the dogs. People who treat their dogs like they do automatically get a place in my heart.
This author really knows how to entice people to read her next book by dangling a carrot. 🙂 Carrot or not though, I am sold. There is still so much to find out about Maggie and Steve.
So Maggie, I will see you soon in book 3. I can hardly wait. 5 stars
Thank you
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About the author
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.
Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, will be released in January 2023 and is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.
Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
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Author Links
https://www.facebook.com/thiswritersays
https://www.instagram.com/thiswritersays
Website: www.ShannonHollinger.com
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Book Link
Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BZZJLSHN/
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