Nightscream

The Thomas Family #2

by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

NO ONE WILL HEAR YOU SCREAM

A serial killer terrorizing a small mountain town sets his sights on those hunting him.

Cody Thomas is an FBI agent working with the Violent Crimes Unit in Los Angeles, California when he takes a week off to decompress in his hometown of Big Bear.

Jilly Reid has left the Central Homicide Unit of San Bernardino and moved up the mountain to her hometown of Big Bear to get away from death and her cheating ex-husband.

HE'S WATCHING

No sooner does Cody arrive in town when he runs into Jilly, a girl he knew in high school. But there's no time to reminisce, she's in a hurry. An incoherent call came into dispatch. A fisherman down in Hunters Cove is carrying on about finding dead women. A lot of them.

HE'S WAITING

Cody blackmails Jilly into letting him ride along. What they find is an underwater graveyard. A serial killer is using the lake to dump his victims. Seven women, brutally tortured, are chained to cinder blocks, their long tresses waving back and forth with the current. Their faces set in a silent scream for all eternity.
HE'S PISSED

At first, Cody and Jilly think the killer is long gone, but soon they learn he's watching them. Taunting them. Then women start disappearing at an alarming rate.

YOU'RE DEAD

Meagan McInnis and Jesse James Thomas go to meet his brother, Cody, at the family cabin for spring break. But relaxing is the last thing they get when Meagan's sister, Bridget, goes missing.

Now the clock is ticking. Can the killer be stopped before time runs out?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Dark

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 23, 2014

About the author

Morgan Hannah MacDonald writes Romantic Thrillers that are NOT for the Faint of Heart. A two-time semi-finalist in the 2016 KINDLE BOOK AWARDS. She's held many positions including a teller where her hands and feet were bound while armed robbers took over the bank. Years later she discovered she'd dated a serial killer. That's when she knew her destiny was in writing, because sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. She belongs to Romance Writers of America and International Thriller Writers. She resides in San Diego, California, where she’s busy working on her next novel. She loves to hear from readers.
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Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Special Agent Cody Thomas is on vacation to one of the places that was his childhood home ... Big Bear, California. What he's planning for his week of relaxation isn't exactly what he gets.

Jilly Reid is the small town's Deputy. Jilly and Cody knew each other in high school and she always had a 'thing' for him, but he was somewhat out of her league.

Jilly and Cody find themselves wrapped up in an investigation of murdered bodies .. lots of them. Someone has used the lake as a dumping ground. They are all mutilated ... all of their bones have been broken with a hammer. A tongue is missing in one. All chained by their feet to cinder blocks.

It really gets interesting when Cody realizes he is connected to all these women in one form or another. So what's the link? Is he being framed? Or is someone sending him a personal message?

And Jilly is very much like the murdered ladies ......

Meanwhile JJ Thomas and his girlfriend, Meagan, is also spending time at the cabin ... until Meagan gets a call from her brother in law telling her that her sister has run off with another man.

With a little help from JJ, they find out that the new man in her sister's life is connected to several missing women. He's also a pedophile ... and her young nieces are his actual target.

Although this is the 2nd book in this series, it also works very well to be read as a stand alone and in no particular order. As usual, I always recommend starting from the beginning.

This is a Romantic Suspense ... heavy on the suspense. There is a small amount of graphic intimate moments between Jilly and Cody.

The story premise is very good ... drew me in from the start. Characters are credible and likeable. Lots of action kept me reading page after page and a twist at the end that completely threw me.

All in all .. a very enjoyable read. I look forward to the next book.

Many thanks to the author for the digital copy of NIGHTSCREAM. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Pamela · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Nightscream” is book 2 in “The Thomas Family Series,” and unlike book 1 “SANDMAN” which I really enjoyed, I didn’t find myself liking this novel very much at all.

There were a lot of aspects of this novel that bothered me, and the one that tops the list is Cody and Jilly, the H/h of the story. I found myself disliking them both more and more as I kept reading. Cody is an FBI agent and Jilly is a former seasoned homicide detective and now a deputy, and they’re both working together to capture a serial killer.

First off, I thought they were both clueless and, forgive me, stupid as well. Jilly doesn’t ponder until much, much later as to why and how her cat was trapped in the hall closet after finding a rattlesnake in her bed. Following that, after cleaning up her room taking the covers off her bed to check for snakes, she gets into bed and doesn’t notice or feel her sheets are wet with blood after finding a human head in her bed. She also seems to have problems driving in reverse, first crashing into another car, later a tree. FBI agent Cody is an idiot, plain and simple (remember this is my opinion). When he pins all the victims’ pictures on a board and they’ve all been identified, FBI agent douchebag doesn’t even realize that he’s dated them all at one time or another. Seriously? Give me a fucking break! When he does identify one of the victims, he doesn’t even bother to tell anyone. Great investigative skills. Cue several eye-rolls.

(Cody) “Stared at the wall. “What am I missing?””

I’d say a brain that works. Hard to believe he’s an FBI agent. More eye-rolls.

I found Jilly to be quite irritating, even annoying at times. She’s constantly harping on about how she doesn’t want anyone telling her what to do; that she’s in charge; and that it’s her case. That’d be fine except she doesn’t know what to do, stands around doing nothing, not even assisting the other officers. Instead she trades barbs with Cody, at times asking him about his love life, and checking out how hot he is.

Most disturbing to me was how unprofessional and immature they both were. Whether it be at a crime scene, at the precinct, or outside her/his home, they spend more time trading wisecracks; flirting checking one another out. I guess looking for the killer isn’t on top of their list. Yep, more eye-rolls. When a headless body is discovered outside of Cody’s home, instead of assisting or directing the officers and coroner who are all at the crime scene, or help look for clues, we find Cody and Jilly both laughing and giggling as they try to beat each other to the kitchen to grab breakfast where Jilly proceeds to dance and sing the Rocky theme, only to continue joking around about having sex on the desk in Cody’s study. Is it any wonder they can’t capture the killer? Cue eye-rolls. Some readers found their banter and antics to be funny. As you can tell I’m not one of them.

The serial killer plot is not the only one the author writes about. She gives her reader another plot that includes Thomas and Meagan from “SANDMAN” who are also front and center as they try to locate Meagan’s sister, Bridget, who’s missing. Both stories run simultaneously jumping from chapter-to-chapter (not every single time but close enough). I think it’s great that the author added another story as it was intriguing and moved along at a good pace. I’m just wondering if she added it to make the novel longer. I’m pretty sure without this plot this would be considered a novella. By the way, I found Meagan’s mother to be a total nitwit. She’s so blasé when Meagan informs her that the man her sister has run away with is not the man he says he is; and that he has a criminal record for serious crimes; that she got all this information from her boyfriend who works for the FBI when he conducted a background check on him. Instead her mother thinks Meagan is worrying over nothing, that he’s a nice guy, and there had to be a good reason he was arrested. Seriously? Glad she’s not my mother.

“Nightscream” is considered a suspense-romance novel. I agree it’s a suspenseful novel even though it’s pretty obvious early on who the killer is. But romance? What romance? Other than having sex a couple of times, I didn’t feel any passion, heat or chemistry between the two. Then after knowing each other for a couple of weeks Cody asks her to marry him. (Huge sigh with a roll of the eye.) Why authors do this is beyond me as it’s completely unrealistic. I should also mention that not once do they ever say “I love you” to one another. Yes, yes, yes I know if they’d said that I’d be ridiculing it as well, but to skip it and just get engaged? Sorry, not only unrealistic but also ridiculous on so many levels.

I’m not going to tell you to skip this novel. Nope. Instead, I’m leaving it up to you. You might like it, perhaps even love it. It just didn’t work for me. Too bad.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book. It started off right away with a lot of action. Deaths, blood, police investigations, questions arise... It didn't lag on and on and bore me. It jumped right into the action and held my attention till the end.
There are quite a few very vivid, horrifically graphic visuals that I could imagine in my head. Morgan really has a way with words. She definitely described things well and made it easy to get into the story- excellent imagery. I like the storyline. It all flowed well as it went from one set of characters to another. It was never confusing. I liked the dynamics between the main characters, Cody and Jilly, as well as between two others- Meagan and Jesse. All four of them were likeable characters.
The story was well developed, there was some humor, and of course a ton of action from beginning to end. There is some romance- a few good steamy scenes too.
There are also a few twists in the book-I always like it when an author can surprise me, and this author did. The book kept me guessing. I had no idea who the killer was until I was told who it was. I like that. I hate when books are too predictable.
The length of the book was decent. I am a really quick reader so it only took me a few days to read, but I felt that it wasn't too long or too short.
This book is not a book meant for children, young teens, anyone who has a weak stomach, or freaks out easily. It is a bit of a dark book, has some gore in it, and some adult situations/scenes. It would really make an interesting movie to see on the big screen, I think.
The ending was a little different that I had expected, but it wasn't a disappointment. I liked it, but didn't love it. I normally like for books to end with a twist or a cliffhanger leading toward another book...but I'm not angry.
I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark read, serial killers, murders, horror, disturbing scenes.

Oh, and by the way, this book is the second book, after its prequel, "Sandman", by Morgan Hannah MacDonald. I haven't read it yet, but sure would love to.

This is the first book that I've read by MacDonald, but I NEED to read more of her books!

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

With a quirky cast of characters this double plot suspense not only has you cringing at the grisly murders but laughing out loud. Now you might think how can humor and a grisly murders work together right.. Somehow the author pulls it off in this page turner.

The small town of Big Bear, California is the backdrop for where the majority of the story takes place. Cody Thomas and his brother Jesse and his girlfriend Meagan (who where the main couple in Sandman) have come to spend some relaxing time at their family cabin. But turns out their vacation is interrupted by two major things.

Jilly Reid who is a deputy in Big Bear accidentally runs in to Cody (with her car) on her way to a call about a fisherman finding women at the bottom of the lake. As Cody is with the FBI’s Violent Crimes Unit he decides he is going to tag along. Jilly isn’t fond of the former bad boy she had a crush on through high school but once its determined they have a serial killer on their hands that makes it the FBI’s jurisdiction and she is forced to work with him.

Meagan gets word not long after getting to the cabin that her married sister has run off. At first it just looks like maybe she was tired of her life as a wife and mother but turns out she got herself into quite the situation as Meagan and Jesse dig into things.

Both plots run simultaneously throughout the book with plenty of shocking moments in both cases. Equal attention was given to both and as a reader I didn’t feel either suffered and both ended with satisfying conclusions.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I rarely give a book a five star rating and I must say this book deserved it. The author grabbed me from the start with the humour she portrayed in this book in the dialogue between Cody and Jilly. There were times I found tears rolling down my eyes I was laughing so hard from the zingers the kept throwing at each other. It was also a treat to have Jesse and Meagan from Sandman have their own storyline in this book. It is very rare that an author is able to have two unique storylines going on at the same time and not have them trip each other up or detract from each other but MacDonald was brilliant in having the characters interact but at the same time have two different things going on. I would recommend to read Sandman first so you have Jesse and Meagan's back story. Overall this was an excellent book and I refuse to give spoilers so I won't say anything more but I do highly recommend this book. I could not put it down.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. Morgan Hannah MacDonald definitely knows how to pull you into a story and make you a part of it. Once I started reading 'Nightscream', I had a hard time putting it down. The storyline was incredibly thrilling. Full of mystery, suspense, humor, romance and some hot and steamy scenes. After reading 'Sandman', the first book in this series, I knew I had to read more. The descriptive way this book was written had me feeling like I was there alongside with what was happening and with each of the characters. The characters were great. Jilly was awesome. A true smart-ass, quick witted and smart. She completely blindsided Cody. He was quite the character. Sexy and smart. I enjoyed the banter between Jilly and Cody. They made a great pair. I look forward to reading more in this series. A must read. Definitely recommended.

[Maranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

MacDonald did not take long to become one of my favorite authors. Read all she has to offer if you have not yet. Jesse James Thomas and Meagan McInnis from the Sandman are present again in this murder mystery. It was great to read about them again and not just as a passing notation. They were as much a part of Nighscream as are Jesse's brother Cody and his love interest Jilly Reid. As in Sandman this story starts with a big hook that pulls the reader into the lives of these characters. A serial killer is again on the loose and getting too close for comfort in Big Bear. Start reading this on a weekend when you will not mind staying up late to find out how it all ends.

[Mark Heath · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW WOW WOW, what a great book, Morgan does it again.
2 sick and twisted minds are on the loose causing havoc.
2 brothers, one a victim of a psycho killer , the other trying to help his family from a psycho pedofile.
Will they survive?
Look forward to the next book in the series.
10 out of 10

[Laura Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Riveting...edge of your seat kind of book.

Riveting...edge of your seat kind of book.

Loved both books. Both had you on the edge of your seat and so many twists, you can't put it down until you've read the whole thing!

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author does not disappoint! This was one of those books I didn't want to put down.

[Charles Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

FBI Agent Cody Thomas takes a week off to return to his hometown of Big Bear to decompress. Jilly Reid left her high-pressure job as a homicide detective in San Bernadino to get away from death and her cheating husband. She returned to Big Bear and became a deputy sheriff, happy in a small town where nothing really bad ever happens. Then, a fisherman makes a frantic 911 call, excitedly explaining that he’s found several women’s bodies attached to cinder blocks at the bottom of the lake.
Suddenly, life in Big Bear takes a turn for the worse as they realize that there’s a serial killer on the loose, and to complicate matters even more, when Cody and Jilly begin investigating the case, the killer puts them in the crosshairs. In the meantime, Cody’s brother and his girlfriend join him in Big Bear, and the girlfriend’s sister is reported to be in the clutches of a suspected pedophile who is angling to get his hands on the sister’s young daughters.
Both cases are time-sensitive, with lives hanging in the balance.
Nightscream by Morgan Hannah MacDonald is the second book in the Thomas Family mystery series. The action is non-stop, and the stakes couldn’t be higher as more women end up dead or mutilated and serious attempts are made on Jilly’s life. The reader is kept in suspense as both perpetrators unfold their fiendish schemes. The ending hits you like a haymaker out of the dark, making this a worthwhile read.
I received a free copy of this book.

[Marsha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The whole book appeared to be a device that the glee for introducing the characters and characteristics of Cody and Jillian. Unfortunately, neither of them was likable and they both were inconsistent and, honestly, deplorable. Cody was a stuck up narcissist, and Jilli was a woman who wanted to prove herself but acted totally irresponsibly and inconsistently. And, of course, by the end, they had both morphed into more consistent and responsible characters. No, this book was nothing like the first in terms of satisfaction and reliable, consistent, characters.
The two stories made for a more interesting tale than it might've been, but they were kind of unconnected. I like the second story better, but as a combination in one book they were lacking. Sigh.

[Katt Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning of this book started off with a bang. It was full of suspense, and the drama kept building. However, towards the end, it started to get a bit predictable, and it ended too abruptly. I would have loved it if the solving of the crime and the arrests were drawn out more. It would have added to the drama, and fed the storyline so much better. There was a lot of blood and gore, so this story is definitely not for the faint of heart. The romance was sweet, and there were some fairly explicit sex scenes. I enjoyed them, but I would be cautious about letting a younger audience read this book. Overall, this was a good read.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This can be read as part of the series or a stand-alone book. It has been a long time since I read #1 & although there were references to the previous story it didn't affect this one if you didn't recognise them.

Probably 2/3rds crime drama & 2/3rd romance there are not many sex scenes & I didn't guess the serial killer identity until the final reveal so well worth reading. No cliffhanger ending is a bonus

[Glenn LaRue · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confused

Enjoyed the first book in the series. Disclaimer in that I only read 67 percent of this novel, but considered the narrative confusing. The events described in how the murder picked is victims as it relates to the two main characters seemed too artificial to be true. Perhaps someone else might enjoy the novel, I did not.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

It used to be a quiet little town

This story like the first Thomas Family book, Sandman, is part police procedure, part thriller, part suspense, and 100% engrossing. In this one you get to meet and know FBI agent Cody Thomas and join in on the search for a serial killer who specializes in killing women.

[bluewindm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

From page 1 I was hooked...read this in 2 days as i needed to know what happened...keep in mind there are 2 stories going on but the main focus is on the new brother Wyatt

[Amanda Griffen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a good book!!! Like the first one in the series, it kept me guessing until the end!

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

well worth a read .

[Kelley Midgett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite an exciting read. Ties in with first book in series. Both are excellent crime novels with just enough romance to make you blush.

[Joy McKinney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good reading

Recommend to any who enjoys thrillers. My first book by MH McDonald but not my last. Did not see the ending coming! Good reading.

[lynda wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great read

Just like book one, this book kept me guessing all the way through it. Great read, roll on book three.

[Carl Strohmenger · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author writes a romping good story.

[chris coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book

Great read a Slam Dunk,
Home Run out the park. A must read . I really really really enjoyed it.

[RedRedtheycallmeRed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read all the books in this series, and if I hadn't read this one last, I never would have read the others. The problem was the two main characters, Cody and Jilly. How they got jobs in law enforcement is mind-boggling. Jilly was formerly a big city homicide detective, but she seems to have no clue how to investigate a murder (any Law & Order fan could probably do as good of a job). Cody is an FBI agent who realizes one of the early victims of the serial killer is his former long-time girlfriend and doesn't recuse himself from the case? Or offer up that information? He'd be fired! Not to mention the fact that she'd been murdered years before and no one ever contacted him? They lived together for crying out loud!

Then, there's Cody and Jilly's romance, which is all kinds of weird and inappropriate. Exhibit A: They're at the scene of a headless corpse and spend most of their time flirting/fighting when they're not chasing each other to get the last piece of bacon (who could eat after finding a headless body?). Exhibit B: They find a woman tied up with her intestines spilling out, still barely alive, and while racing to the hospital there's more flirting/fighting. Gross. How could anyone take them seriously as professionals?

The killer was fairly obvious, and the fact that no one ever tied the victims together was completely unbelievable.

The only thing that saved the book from being one star was the secondary plot involving Megan's (from the first book) sister. I was much more interested in those chapters.

[Lolita Mcmillan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read the first one (Sandman). I loved Meagan and Thomas. These characters worked great together. Jilly and Cody in Nightscream deserve each other. I don't know if anyone else could put up with them. I liked the family drama. The brothers Thomas are awesome. When they find the woman for them, they don't give up. The mystery in each book is very exciting, it kept me reading long into the night. Anyone looking for a good mystery mixed with romance these are the books for you. When I find myself caring about the characters, I know I've found a winner. Morgan MacDonald, please keep them coming. I want to know what happens to Meagan and Jesse, do they finally get married? Where do Jilly and Cody in up?

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Morgan hit's another home run. In this reader's opinion this was another fantastic read. A great sequel to Sandman. I certainly couldn't put this page turner down. It was great to see Meagan and Jesse again and the side story of her sister just enriched this thriller. I loved the new characters Jilly and Cody! Being the daughter of a 40 year law enforcement officer and the mother of a federal law enforcement officer, I could so get their "gallows" humor! I for one am looking forward to seeing/reading more in the Thomas Family Series. Thanks Morgan for a great read!

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again, a generous 3 stars. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the story and it was very gripping but parts of it were also annoying. The early part of the book had a lot of banter between Cody Thomas (FBI agent) and Jilly (a deputy and former homicide detective) that was just inane and unprofessional. The torture meted out to some of the victims seemed over the top. The killer, when finally revealed (although it was pretty obvious by then), just seemed wrong. I just don't think someone so demented would have evaded capture for so long. Anyway, very readable but not great.

[stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome read!!!!

I enjoy many different books but usually always have something to nit pick about! But this book and also the sandman (book 1 in this series) are easy reads and flow so smoothly. They are perfect in length so theyre not too long and tedious but they're not a short story either. The story lines are great and the characters are fully developed and she gives plenty of background info on the characters and details but doesn't drag it out. Perfect read a real page Turner. I can't wait to read the next book in this series

[BeeKay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent addition to the series

I enjoyed Cody and Jilly's story as well as catching up with Jesse (Thomas) and Meagan. This thriller was full of twists and turns but I was able to figure out who the killer was pretty quickly. I still enjoyed the story and will continue on to book 3.