Eine Frau verschwindet in tiefster Nacht, während ein unheimliches Verbrechen aus der Vergangenheit wieder zum Leben erwacht.
Als eine mysteriöse E-Mail die True-Crime-Podcasterin Mariella Boucher in den Südosten Alaskas führt, auf der Suche nach der Wahrheit über ihre Vergangenheit, rechnet sie nie damit, kopfüber in Gefahr zu stürzen. Doch als ein Fremder mit einer problematischen Vergangenheit ihr Leben rettet, wird sie in einen fünf Jahre alten ungeklärten Fall hineingezogen, der ihr das Blut in den Adern gefrieren lässt.
Jason Somersby lebt seit der Ermordung seiner Freundin vor fünf Jahren im Schatten des Verdachts. Als eine weitere Frau unter ähnlichen Umständen verschwindet, blickt jeder in der Stadt ihn anklagend an – und verlangt Antworten, die er nicht hat.
Mariella holt die anderen Mitglieder des Arctic Circle Murder Clubs zu Hilfe, um den Mörder zu finden und Jasons Namen reinzuwaschen. Doch je tiefer das Team gräbt, desto unsicherer wird der Boden. Als klar wird, dass einer von ihnen das nächste Ziel ist, müssen sie sich beeilen, den Killer zu stoppen, bevor er ein weiteres Opfer fordert.
Christy Barritt is an author, freelance writer and speaker who lives in Virginia. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover who’s known for spontaneously bursting into song, and a road trip aficionado. She’s only won one contest in her life—and her prize was kissing a pig (okay, okay… actually she did win the Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery also). Her current claim to fame is showing off her mother, who looks just like former First Lady Barbara Bush When she’s not working or spending time with her family, she enjoys singing, playing the guitar, and exploring small, unsuspecting towns where people have no idea how accident prone she is.
This was another exciting and unputdownable installment of the True Crime Junkies series. I don’t know how, but this series just keeps getting better and better.
While looking into a mystery about her and her twin brother’s past, Mariella stumbles upon another disturbing mystery after a young woman disappears in the same place and in a similar fashion as another woman did five years ago. But looking into this case might just put Mariella in the killer’s crosshairs.
This book is focused more on Mariella than the previous books in the series, which had Duke and Andy taking the lead. I enjoyed getting to know her and her twin brother Matthew better, and I found the mystery of their past very intriguing. It took a while for the rest of the Arctic Circle Murder Club to show up, but that didn’t hinder my enjoyment a bit.
If you’re new to the series, this is a good place to jump in. It stands alone perfectly fine. I’d still recommend starting with book one, though, just because the whole series is so good.
3.5 stars "If you want answers to your past, come to Salmon-by-the-Sea."
And . . . . . . let's pivot, turn your attention in a different direction . . . . because that's exactly what happens in this fourth installment of the "True Crime Junkies" series. Up until now, Andi and Duke have been the primary characters, but in this just-as-creepy-eerie story, Mariella Boucher takes center stage as she and her twin brother travel to the small fishing community, aptly named Salmon-by-the-Sea, on the pretense of acquiring footage for their travel podcast, but Mariella has another reason . . . . to find the person who sent her the email about her past.
Upon arrival, Marriella nearly becomes the victim of an accidental drowning, only to be rescued by a handsome stranger with a shady past. . . . . which manages to get shadier when a young woman disappears from a local campground in the exact same manner as Jason Somersby's girlfriend had vanished five years earlier. Something very strange was happening in this bay side town and someone wanted every finger pointed towards Jason . .. . . . again. It's time to call in reinforcements . . . fellow members of the Artic Circle Murder Club.
As the Club works towards proving Jason's innocence (which Mariella is convinced of) or guilt, Mariella gets the feeling that she is being watched .. . . . but, why? Predictably there are multiple moving parts in this story (would you expect anything less??), and Mariella's opinion on the power of prayer takes a gigantic leap towards faith during the process.
" Sometimes prayer doesn't change a situation. Sometimes prayer will change us and how we handle the situation."
Another great story with characters who are becoming familiar favorites.
Read this in about two days, literally could not put it down.
Truly loved this book in a GREAT series and satisfied the series isn't finished. Mostly didn't give five stars because the culprit was super creepy (carrying on weird superstitious acts that were both noise and symbolic). This one is for Mariella, even Matthew is more of a minor character, as she figures out questions to an email she received about her heritage.
Jason was a GREAT character in the story...saves Mariella's life before they've even met and his story turns out to be an epic one. Filled with regret and unfairness, but also hope as Mariella promises to find answers for him as well.
The other members of the crime podcast are on this one, but only briefly, so still more plot questions need to be answered.
I inwardly protested when Jason burned the bow and arrow he found...take it to the police!! He later realizes this, but thankfully it all works out. One GREAT earthquake featured at the end, brilliantly written and a great conclusion! Looking forward to the next one with no end in sight :)
The Dead of Night by Christy Barritt takes the viewpoint of Mariella Boucher, the pretty girl from the twin set. It was nice to see book four feature a different character from the podcast group. Readers who have read the previous three books will be familiar with this group and its characters. Since she is seen as the pretty girl who wears pink and is sometimes referred to as a Barbie doll, it was nice to see her thoughts and her heart. As for the mystery element, I loved that Barritt features the villain’s point of view as I. She does not reveal who the villain is until late in the book. The villains’ reasoning for killing others appeared to be rationalized in his mind. Barritt shows his viewpoint well. Not that readers will agree with him, but at least, it sounds logical in his thoughts. The mystery element was unique and different. A nice, cozy mystery to enjoy and devour.
I received a complimentary copy of The Dead of Night by Christy Barritt, but the opinions stated are all my own.
This installment centers on Mariella. I really enjoyed most of the story. The plot kept me engaged, and although there were clues, I had no idea who the mysterious villain would turn out to be. Justin is a relatable and likeable character. The setting was beautiful and plausible. Relationships were developed in a wholesome manner.
Unfortunately, right at the climax of the story, things fell apart. Suddenly, every page had some incorrect, inconsistent, or implausible detail that tore my attention from the story. My left brain was screaming, "Earthquakes don't work like that!" "Meteors don't work like that!" "Stop yelling! Oh, NOW you decide to be quiet." "You already know exactly where the victim is being taken, so why are you searching randomly?"
I noticed just a few minor typos which were not distracting.
This book is part of a series. It's best to read the books in order, but I think one could start with this book without feeling lost.
Bottom line - Recommended for most Christian Fiction fans, male or female. But if, like me, you have a low tolerance for unrealistic or implausible details, you might want to skip this one.
This is the 4th in the series about the group of friends in Alaska that created the Arctic Circle Murder Club. They do podcasts and also have now added being involved in the unsolved murders.
This one is about Mariella and her twin brother, Matthew. They have travel to the southeast portion of Alaska for what Mariella wants her brother to believe is to record a podcast. He doesn't know that Mariella has received an email telling her about this town and that she will find out about her "real parents". All this time, Mariella has felt in the their family life there was something off about her mother and father.
When she gets to the town, she stumbles into another murder. A girl is missing from a campground. In meeting the man, Jason, who saves her life, she gets pulled into this missing person as everyone in town feels that Jason is responsible, as they felt he was the one that girl the first girl all of those years ago.
The Dead of the Night focuses primarily on Mariella. She and her twin brother Matthew head to Salmon-by-the-Sea because she received an email indicating that they were abducted as babies from there and she wants to find answers. However, she doesn't tell Matthew the truth why they were there. Mariella encounters Jason who has been accused of killing his girlfriend Hannah 5 years ago when she went missing. When another girl goes missing and is found murdered, naturally everyone in the town assumes that Jason is responsible and evidence suggests that he is. Mariella, however, doesn't think so and enlists the help of the rest of the Arctic Circle Murder Club members to clear Jason's name. However, the villain is now after Mariella. This was a wonderful mystery, and I enjoyed getting the villain's viewpoint. Looking forward to the next installment in this series.
I had a BETA copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. Mariella and her brother Matthew go to Salmon by the Sea because she had an email indicating they may have been abducted as babies. While there a young woman is abducted and people in town think Jason Somersby is guilty because his girlfriend had been killed five years prior and people think he did it. Mariella doesn’t think he is guilty, but she feels she is going to be the next victim. She calls in her friends from the true crime podcast to help find the killer. Suspense and strange happenings abound in this book and it will definitely hold your interest.
I admit, I was not sure at first if I would enjoy this 4th book in the True Crime Junkies Series quite as much as the first three, as the story revolved more around Mariella and Matthew mostly on their own, instead of Andi and Duke leading the group. However, I did enjoy getting to know Mariella , more in-depth as she, quite inexplicably befriended a murder suspect, sure that he was innocent of several murders of young women. No matter what anyone else said, no matter what evidence piled up against him, she was on his side and drew in the rest of the true crime junkies to try and prove his innocence.
I received an advance copy of this novel. The opinions are all my own.
Mariella is the main focus for the beginning chapters of the book. She & Matthew have come to Salmon-by-the-Sea, a fishing village, as part of her travel podcast. She has another reason to come there as well. Several weeks before, she had received a mysterious email saying that she & Matthew had been kidnapped when they were only a few months old. They were adopted by their parents. Neither parent had ever mentioned this to them.
As always, there is a new murder of a young college student who came up with a group of friends to go camping. There is twists & turns that kept me guessing till the end of who the crazy murderer is!
The true crime podcasters become embroiled in another dangerous quest to solve crimes in Alaska. This time the voice of their show is personally involved as Mariella Boucher finds herself cheating death on more than one occasion. Who could be behind the deaths of women camping in the area—five years apart? The suspenseful drama sweeps readers into the saga and embroils them in an unusual mystery. Christy Barritt continues to surprise and entertain with her intriguing tales. I received a copy from the author. All opinions are my own.
Another fast paced suspense in the True Crime Junkies series. This book brought a fun twist as it was from Mariella’s POV. Up until this point in the series, Mariella has mostly been depicted as a flighty blonde whose character is mostly skin deep. I love how the author has been slowly changing her character to someone with depth and how in this book we see a brand new side of her. It was fun to have a side characters POV for a change in the series. Highly recommend for a fun, suspenseful read with a hint of romance!
This is a wonderful book of intrigue and suspense featuring the Arctic True Crime Podcast crew. Mariella received a letter leading her to Salmon-by-the-Sea with a cryptic message. She is rescued from Restoration Lake by Jason Somersby. Little did she know that just being seen with him would bring such animosity. He has been living with blame for his girlfriend’s death five years earlier. Now another woman has gone missing and he is the prime suspect. Will the True Crime group be able to solve this one before the wrong person ends up in prison?
3.5/5 stars. This is the 4th book in this series. This book is mostly of Mariella's POV. We are introduced to a new love interest which I think is very interesting. The first 50% is a little bit slow. After page 350, the killer starts making more moves. I love how the killer's POV is always 1st person while the other's perspective is 3rd person. I also started catching on the way she tries to hide the killer's identity so this time, it wasn't as surprising. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend reading the whole series, even though this book can kinda be read as a standalone.
And refuse to see the truth right before their eyes. This is how the towns people and police did Jason and his dad. When Mariella and her team came to town that is when sparks really begin to fly. Then to find out that Mariella and Matthew had been stolen from their parents icing on the cake. Just so you know, you can’t put the book down once you start reading. Enjoy it to the Max.
What a great read on book 4 of this series! I love how Christy Barritt included the Aztec history but I couldn't pronounce the names if I tried! LOL There was even a section of the book where a twig snapped at a pivotal moment and it also happened outside of my house. That is when I went to bed and went under my covers! Now I will have to wait till the end of the month for the next book in the series!
The frigid, unforgiving landscape of Alaska adds depth to the layers of suspense to the Junkie series. The focus on Mariella for this edition gives readers extra insight into her growth and contribution to the podcast sleuths.
I received a complimentary copy of the book without obligation. This review is my opinion.
Great read. This series just keeps getting better with each book. This one centered more on Mariella, and was even more suspenseful than the last book. I was surprised when the bad guy's identity was revealed, and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. This is a series I wasn't sure I was going to like at first, but it is definitely worth reading.
I have been enjoying this entire series, but it was especially good to get to know Mariella better. She has more grit and courage than she imagined! This is another well-written, suspenseful story from an excellent author. Do yourself a favor and don’t cheat yourself out of the entire series.
Marielle is the center of attention and not in a good way
After receiving an email, she decides to investigate on her own luring Matthew under different circumstances. One case turns into two and then things get messy. The gang rally to see justice served-again. Enjoy these crime fighters and their stories.
Book Four: several characters again did “stupid” things. Also, in the novel, the author’s writing has gotten sloppy: words repeat in a sentence immediately following another sentence, that completely jerked me out of the story. Not certain if the author missed this fact, but an editor certainly should have.
I really liked how this book incorporated the Native American customs into this suspenseful novel. The descriptions of the natural resources in Alaska depict the enormity of the land. It was suspenseful and the person who was the last person you would suspect was the guilty one. This a great read!
Once I start reading, I cannot put this series down. Each book as kept guessing who the murder could be. I am loving all the characters. I wish Duke and Andi would just get together already. Can't wait to see what is going to happen in the next book. If you like crime books this is definitely a series worth the read.
If I could leave less stars I would. I grew up in Seward. We are the end of the road, other than a very same community that is nestled next to the water. There is no way another town can be south of Seward. The writing was awful, the plot ridiculous. Has the author ever been in an earth quake? Super disappointed in this story.
I really enjoyed this book. We definitely focused more on the twins in this book, especially Mariella. Really interesting plot with a new killer. Love this series!!!
This being the 4th book in this series is well worth the read. I'm so excited of this series that I just pre-ordered book 5 which is the final one. I highly recommend it and you won't be disappointed.
I liked the characters and the entertaining writing. I couldn't put it down! A mix of adventure, mystery, and romance make it a story that keeps you entertained. Highly recommend.
Engaging characters and intriguing plot. Following our true crime podcasters was fun. The Biblical quotes were thought provoking and insightful. Looking forward to the next story.