Still recovering from a brutal abduction, psychologist Dr. Skye Johnston is just easing back into work when a mysterious woman stumbles into her office—nervous, cryptic, and gone before Skye can ask the right questions.
Logan Fletcher, newly promoted to detective, is led to the scene of a car wreck with his K9 partner, Riggs. What Riggs finds buried in the woods nearby is more than evidence—it’s a warning. Something dangerous has been moving at the edges of their quiet town.
As Skye and Logan dig deeper, a pattern emerges—one that links the crash, the woman’s strange behavior, and a case that goes far beyond their jurisdiction. With each clue, they’re drawn not only into the heart of a growing conspiracy, but toward each other… despite everything trying to keep them apart.
Perfect for fans of romantic suspense, gripping small-town thrillers, and high-stakes police investigations.
Where Bones Lie by KJ Kalis A Johnston & Fletcher Thriller Book Five Dr. Skye Johnston is still recovering after being kidnapped and tortured four months ago by Dr. Nate McCord. Even though he’s dead, the man is still tormenting Skye both when she’s awake and in nightmares at night. It’s time for her to take her life back, though. After a new client admits to running a car off the road, Skye needs to find a way to inform Logan without compromising confidentiality. She had no idea what was about to break open. Detective Logan Fletcher is just starting as the only detective at Highmill PD. He hoped he was good enough and deserved this promotion. What he didn’t expect was how much work his new job would be when it went from a car in the marsh to three skeletons Riggs found nearby. The pressure was on, especially after an attack of one of their own was added to the list of crimes to solve. I enjoy all of KJ’s thrillers. This series is different in that it has a somewhat romantic relationship between Logan and Skye. I love the characters: Riggs the K9, and Bella, Logan’s little girl. Every story is as good as the one that came before it. https://justjudysjumbles.blogspot.com...
This is a Police Mystery, and this is the 5th book in A Johnston & Fletcher Thriller series. I read the first four books in this series before picking up this book. I loved the characters, and I am so glad to have got to read this book. The books before this one ended with things still up in the air. I really enjoyed this book. I am happy to see Johnston and Fletcher really trying to give them being together a chance. I loved the mystery in this book making me guess what was going on and also making me not want to put down the book. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.
Where Bones Lie is the latest book in the Johnston and Fletcher series. It picks up shortly after the previous book ended, and the suspense and mystery start immediately. KJ Kalis has a talent for taking the reader to the brink of anxiety and anticipation in wondering what comes next. This is definitely a page turner and difficult to put down. You get to see the warmly developing relationship between Skye and Riggs, the K-9 officer, with Skye’s growing trust and comfort in Riggs. Building trust and self-confidence play a large part in this story. Where the relationship between Skye and Logan is going is also an ongoing puzzle. Of course there is or are murders to solve, which add to the intrigue. I could easily visualize sloshing through the marsh and efforts to remove the waterlogged car. Great descriptions throughout which is so characteristic of KJ Kalis books making them very realistic. If you want a book to keep you up reading all night, this one will do it. to the brink of anxiety and anticipation in wondering what comes next. This is definitely a page turner and difficult to put down. You get to see the warmly developing relationship between Skye and Riggs, the K-9 officer, with Skye’s growing trust and comfort in Riggs. Building trust and self-confidence play a large part in this story. Where the relationship between Skye and Logan is going is also an ongoing puzzle. Of course there is or are murders to solve, which add to the intrigue. I could easily visualize sloshing through the marsh and efforts to remove the waterlogged car. Great descriptions throughout which is so characteristic of KJ Kalis books making them very realistic. If you want a book to keep you up reading all night, this one will do it.
Dr. Skye Johnston is doing her best to reclaim her life after the trauma of being kidnapped. Just as she begins easing back into her routine, a strange woman enters her office—nervous, disjointed, and gone before Skye can make sense of the cryptic conversation. Something about the woman’s behavior sets off alarm bells Skye can’t ignore.
Meanwhile, Detective Logan Fletcher and his K9 partner, Riggs, respond to what appears to be a routine car wreck on the outskirts of town. But Riggs uncovers something far more unsettling in the woods nearby—something that suggests this incident is anything but routine.
As Skye and Logan begin piecing together the threads, a chilling connection emerges between the crash, the mysterious visitor, and a long-buried local story. The deeper they dig, the more danger they uncover—and the more their paths, and hearts, intertwine.
Tense, fast-paced, and packed with suspense, this is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep you guessing until the final page. A must-read for fans of small-town mysteries, strong characters, and slow-burning romantic suspense.
A lot of mystery, a little romance, a little of life's real struggles and a great cast of characters make this a fantastic series. There are a few different things going on that new detective Fletcher is investigating. Skye is just getting back to work after some time off to work on her mental health. The two work well as a team even when struggling with doctor patient confidentiality. I found this one very hard to put down once I started it.
Psychologist Dr Skye Johnston is still recovering from her abduction, imprisonment and torture with the help of her love interest K9 Detective Logan Fletcher in the small town of Highmill. Logan is the only K9 officer in the small police station in town and his new boss wants to see about getting another dog and train another officer. His recent promotion to detective has come on the back of his work to find Syke and help rescue her from her abductor, Nate McCord, who ended up shot dead after attacking Logan during the rescue. Syke is still tormented by nightmares and thoughts of still being in the hands of Nate, but four months have passed and she feels ready to return to work in her practice. Logan and her practice manager, Maria, have been helping look out for her after she left hospital, even staying overnight, so she was never left alone. Not being a dog lover, she has actually grown accustomed to Logan’s K9 Riggs, who is very protective of her. Her relationship with Logan has been kind of on the backburner, as she adjusts to a new life after all she went through, especially after they had an argument just before she was abducted, and their relationship was only at its beginning. On her first day back, Skye gets an odd drop-in first time client, who wanted to see someone urgently. This client, Mollie, is clearly wearing a disguise, clothes far too big, glasses and a wig, and wants to relieve herself of feelings of guilt and shame, but she leaves abruptly before their time is up. What she did reveal was that she thought she might have hit a car the previous night on the winding road around the lake, but it seemed to have disappeared instantly! Mollie hadn’t called the police or reported it, and there is clearly more to her story than she has revealed. Skye gets Logan to drive her round to where the accident supposedly happened and she points out a glint in the water. When Logan investigates, he finds a car almost completely submerged in the mud and water, but Skye refuses to say how she knew it was there! Riggs was left in the car with Skye, but when she got out to be closer to Logan, he started to pull in the opposite direction.
Riggs had found a scent and it led to some bones, half submerged in the earth, and Logan now has to call in loads of backup and his boss. But that is not all Riggs finds, as in the following days his strong sense of smell leads them all to so much more. His nose has linked the sunken car to something else and Skye and Logan will get pulled ever deeper into a dangerous case, with a killer that hasn’t finished what they started! Logan is tied by having to follow the law and can’t get even the simplest of details from a car hire company that might have given him a break in the case. Logan has had to rely on his friends to help look after his own daughter, whilst he cares for Skye at times, with him being more wary about her care after she was taken from school. Criteria have been made much safer, but it is a missing parent, not picking up their kids, that brings everything back into focus and finally produces the final clues to who is behind the recent events. Skye is hampered by the rule of confidence to her client, causing friction with Logan, but he has his own issues with confidentiality that slow his investigation. Riggs proves to be a key character in the story as he finds the bones of the title and is the one who proves a link between two seemingly different cases. Logan has taken a lot of extra pressure on himself, both with all the different cases suddenly placed on his shoulders and his care for Skye, with their relationship having to take a back seat. Logan needs to wait for the bones to be identified before he can even figure out what their connections might be to the cases he is working. Skye’s client comes across his path and sparks his police radar, but he doesn’t have enough to stop and question her. Soon enough everything will come together, as yet another event makes everything clearer and Skye is asked to help Logan on his case, like she had before her abduction. It seems to be helping her in her recovery, distracting her from her own problems and bringing them ever closer. A great thriller, with that touch of romance, a close working relationship and a sidekick in his K9 Riggs, who helps to pull seemingly different cases together. Past crimes come to light and are all connected to his current cases, as the strings linking them together get pulled ever tighter. A small town with seemingly random crimes that were thought to not the norm, actually turning out to well planned and all part of a conspiracy that could have been stopped years before if the former chief hadn’t been quite so corrupt!
A great read and a lovely twisting storyline that leaves you guessing at every turn and hopeful for Skye and Logan at the same time. I can’t wait to read more of this series and seeing where the characters go. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout, and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Traffic mishap leads to finding remains of three people and their killer - 5 stars
A traffic mishap by a ditzy private investigator has a raft of unexpected results. A rural town in upstate New York has its police department overloaded after finding a partially submerged vehicle in a boggy area.
From the get-go, the situation is unusual because a psychologist who has just returned from a treatment of her personal trauma, had to deal with professional restrictions on information gathered on a doctor-patient confidential conversation. The psychologist, Skye Johnson, has previously helped the local police department and has a budding relationship with Logan Fletcher, a recently promoted police lieutenant and K9 handler.
A private investigator, Mollie Cunningham, has been snooping in the small town to gather information in preparation for an out-of-state divorce filing. Over a two-week period, local families continue to help each other out. Mollie has many psychological issues and still manages to develop useful information about the person she is tracking. By the time that Mollie has had two sessions with Skye, we learn that Mollie seems unstable, wears a disguise, and has fluency in lying. But is Mollie a criminal?
As the police deal with the fallout from Mollie's poor driving, the relationship between Skye, Logan, and Logan's dog (Riggs) becomes a major focus without becoming a full-on romance. The small town feeling that most people know each other is clear; there is question that professional conduct standards are maintained. Skye is needed for her expertise in reading people and helping to defuse volatile situations.
Skye's assistance is crucial in a confrontation between police and a civilian. At the very end when the full story of violent deaths is revealed, questions about breaking the professional responsibility for confidential patient discussions are finally resolved. A complex plot about serial murders concludes cleanly.
I received an ARC through "Booksprout" and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review,
This story begins with an unknown individual waking up in his car after entering a marsh. The story then picks up with Skye nearly recovered from her near death at Nate's hand. She is finally able to return to her office and able to see patients. For her 1st day back she meets a new patient, Molly, who tells her about feeling guilty over an accident she caused. Before time was over, Molly ran out. That evening Skye had Logan drive near the marsh area where he discovered the car in the marsh. In addition to the car, Logan discovered through Riggs, a dead body. The next day with BCI at the scene, Riggs uncovers two more dead bodies. Now Logan, a newly promoted detective, has his hands full. He now has to find out who the bodies were as well as who killed them. In addition he still needs to learn who caused the accident that forced the car into the marsh.
Read along as Logan tries to figure out the cases. Discover how Skye ultimately plays a role as well as how Molly also plays into the picture and what her reason was for being in Highmill.
In the end you will get all of the questions answered. This is definitely a book well worth reading, don't miss out!
This picks up a few months after the events of the previous book. If you haven’t read that one a lot of the emotions and actions of the main characters are going to be a bit confusing. I will also say that if you have triggers with trauma being detailed then perhaps this isn’t the right book for you. That being said I found this book fascinating. It of course deals with the aftermath of Nate for Skye, Logan and their circle. It’s also Logan’s first week as a detective and what a doozy of a week it is. There’s a hit and run with no apparent injuries but that leads to a grim discovery and a very serious case. I enjoyed how the team worked to put the pieces together. I also like how there are snippets of fun family life that are interspersed to lighten the tone for a bit. I mean who can be grim with three giggling little girls and the adorable dog. Skye and her journey is tough to read but it’s amazing strength she has to overcome and also not loose her compassion and empathy. I’m dying for the author to ship Skye and Logan already! Not for the feint of heart but if you love a good thriller this one doesn’t disappoint!!
A fast paced thriller. This book picks up after the previous books end. It is a stand alone and the author lets you know any thing you would need from the previous books. Logan has finally been promoted to detective. Skye is recovering from her near death experience with Nate. Logan and Maria have been taking turns staying with her and she is finally going to try and go back to work.
Her first day at work she meets with a new patient. The patient tells her she feels guilty for running a car off the road and then she runs out of the office. She is unable to tell Logan about it because of her doctors oath. But she does get Logan to drive on the road the woman described where he finds a car partially submerged in the swamp. When they are investigating Riggs leads them to two sets of bones.
This is an exciting book that will keep your attention to the last page. Its full of unexpected surprises. A great read.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Returning to work after 4 months, Dr. Skye Johnston is still suffering from PTSD, but is ready to slowly take on the world again. The first client comes in heavily disguised and gives very little information other than her name. A mystery to be sure.
Logan Fletcher has an incredible first week as a new detective with a hit-skip accident, multiple sets of bones and a possible home invasion. What are the chances that these are in any way connected or is there suddenly a rash of crime in Highmill? Working with Riggs, his K9 and some help from Skye can any of these offenses be solved?
This new Johnston & Fletcher Thriller is sure to keep you guessing all the way through. An ebook was received through BDM, LLC and BookSprout. These thoughts are my own and were in no way solicited.
Skye is home bound because of the trauma (physical and psychological) suffered and is being taken care by Logan and Maria and in the first day she goes back to work she accepts a new client and is surprised by the information (the woman has caused an accident) and her behavior. She leads Logan to the crash site without realizing she's pushing him to discover a much darker situation. Riggs is able to find the remains of three persons near where the car has sunk and then everything moves really fast to identify and put the culprit behing bars. Where Bones Lie has a lot of mystery, action, romance, friendship and makes good entertainment!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Skye is just getting back to her practice after being rescued by Logan. Her first patient has guilt issues after pushing a car off into the lake. But her guilt is beyond that.
Besides the car in the lake, three skeletal remains are found by Riggs. The remains are old, but when Riggs finds a taillight with blood that ties the person in the accident, things get really interesting.
Beth Ann, Kevin's wife is also attacked. How is she tied to the murders.
Good plot changes that keep you on your toes. An exciting story. Another winner by K. J. Kalis.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This is another series that I absolutely love. I just hope that it goes on and on. This story was so engrossing I just could not put it down till I’d finished it. I loved it. This author certainly knows how to craft a good crime story that’s for sure. I have to mention at this point, I said I would never write any spoilers, but other reviewers seem to take that to the next level. Looking at some of them they’re not reviews but a full on short story. You don’t need to get the book after cos you know what happens. Highly recommended.
This is the fifth book in the Johnson and Fletcher series and picks up shortly after book four, Her Final Lesson. KJ Kalis provides enough background during the story that the reader could understand what happened in the past without reading other books in the series, but it’s worth the time to read them, too. The suspense hooked me from the beginning of the book and carried throughout it. I’m hoping there might be more to Skye’s and Logan’s story for another book in the series!
Another thriller by K.J.Kalis. Skye is recovering from her attack. A big part of Skye's recovery is finally being able to lean on both Logan and her office manager. When another tragic violent attack occurs Logan asks Ske to care for his daughter and two friends then Skye is brought in to help him investigate and assist in questioning two suspects.
I love that KJ's books have strong female roles. And, as an added bonus, they include a smart dog ;-) This book was a quick read, and the character development is always excellent in her books, and this one is no different! I can recommend this book!.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
This book continues with the aftermath of Skye's kidnapping and the mental challenges that she faces from it and this strains the relationship with Logan. This strain is exacerbated by a new patient and what she has to say during a session which causes Skye a serious professional conflict. The investigation makes many twists and turns and ends in an unexpected result.
A strange woman seeks an appointment with a psychologist and confesses to a car collision. When the police start to look for the car in the swamp a trio of bodies are discovered in the woods nearby.
An absorbing mystery story that nicely balances the plot with the character development.