Pentacle

Detective Esther Penman #3

by J.K. Flynn

A MISSING GIRL

A SECLUDED CABIN

AN OCCULT SYMBOL

Sixteen-year-old Mila Rose has been missing for three days. As concern for the teenager grows, Detective Sergeant Esther Penman is tasked with finding her.

Esther’s hunt takes her into the Norwick Hills. There, in an abandoned cabin deep in the woods, she makes a chilling discovery.

But odd symbols and evidence of strange rituals are only the beginning. As one sinister revelation follows another, it soon becomes clear that Mila’s time is running out.

And that there are worse things waiting to be found in the hills above Belfield…
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Praise for the Detective Esther Penman series...

'One of the best I’ve read this year’ ★★★★★ - CrimeFictionCritic Review of ‘Vengeance’

'Totally enthralling from first to last page ... Totally recommended.' ★★★★★ – Netgalley review of ‘The Art Merchant’

'Promises to be an excellent series' ★★★★★ - NetGalley Review of ‘Vengeance’

'First class crime writing' ★★★★ – Amazon customer review of ‘The Art Merchant’

'Had me glued to my Kindle' ★★★★★ – Amazon customer review of ‘The Art Merchant’

'JK Flynn has a hit' ★★★★★ – Amazon customer review of ‘The Art Merchant’

Unknown Binding

About the author

I spent over ten years as a frontline police officer in the UK. It’s a job unlike any other, a job that exposes you to aspects of life and society that most people never get to see. It changes your perspective on the world. My time in law enforcement made me want capture that perspective, to write crime fiction with an authentic voice, raw and unvarnished. Detective Esther Penman is the product of those efforts – I hope you enjoy her stories!

Subscribe to my newsletter at jkflynn.co.uk for news on all promotional discounts on my books!

— J.K. Flynn

Reviews

[Crimefictioncritic · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since reading J.K. Flynn’s unusually accomplished debut to launch this series, I’ve been a fan of DS Esther Penman, a brilliant police investigator but a woman who still has her demons to deal with. This third installment in the series is another compelling, character-centrist story that will not disappoint the discerning crime-fiction fan. Flynn is a talented writer with a good sense of place, and I am already looking forward to Penman’s next outing.

Pentacle has all of the ingredients: snappy police procedural details, a fast-paced thriller, sharp sense of place in the UK, and relentless momentum. J.K. Flynn’s outstanding third novel in the series reintroduces our sympathetic lead, DS Esther Penman and her sardonic mentor Detective Inspector Jared Wilcox.

Penman gets assigned a missing person case involving a sixteen-year-old girl at first thought to a runaway. But as Penman and her team delve into the circumstances they discover some occult symbols and sinister rituals that tell Esther the missing girl is likely in grave danger with her time running out.

Flynn uses great pacing and continues ratcheting up the suspense throughout keeping the reader turning the pages to see what happens next. In addition to the engaging police investigation, we get an extended look into the personal side of DS Penman including her continued struggles as a recovering alcoholic and a first meeting with the parents of her partner and love interest Triona.

As much as I enjoyed the first two books in the series, I rate Pentacle as the best thus far. J. K. Flynn’s writing and storytelling just continue to improve with every outing.

[Emerald Maple · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded to 5

Esther is back for book 3 and we start with her sober but stuck at a bar for a retirement party, ready to go home to Triona. She is thinking about the future as Jared will retire in the near future and a desk cop has eyes on his job as a stepping stone for a bigger promotion. Esther is still her own worst enemy as Jared and others help to position her for the promotion but she does seem to settle more into the politics of leadership as the book progresses.

This book is less occultish than I would expected from the title and description. The symbols are more of a distraction as while the characters do consider themselves satanists, there are deeper reasons for Mila's disappearance. After I complained about Esther hating cats in the last book, the author promised me no cats this time but I would have laughed if she was photographed with the 'witch' while petting a black cat by the tabloid guy.

We learn fairly quickly where Mila is and the other characters, so this is very much a police procedural with a side of psychological thriller as Esther races to get to Mila before everything unravels for the others while also dealing with more responsibilities at home and Triona's homophobic mother visiting with her dad.

Overall, a great read. Fast paced and some good twists despite knowing where Mila is and why. We also get introduced to another more junior cop who has potential for the squad when Jared retires. While part of a series, very readable as a standalone book.

*Free copy provided by author for review

[karla_bookishlife · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely thrilling crime novel that is fast paced, intelligent, and will have you frantically flicking through its pages, eager to discover the ending. At its core is a whip-smart detective Esther Penman, who has a real talent and drive for the job and faces opposition from a misogynistic ego on the team, threatened by her rising star in the force. There are those on her team that do see her ability and potential and are rooting for her as much as the reader. In this story, she is chasing down a missing and vulnerable 16 year old, who was last sighted in the same forest where a dead body has been found linked to the scene of a satanic site. The walls were covered in occult symbols - the pentacle in the forefront and a large amount of blood. Finding Mila alive and well is under tight time restraints. The story gallops at speed with quick thinking detective work speeding us through until the nail-biting finale. Pentacle is one of three Detective Esther Penman thrillers. I will be sure to check out the other two soon. #pentacle #jkflynn #crimethriller #detectiveestherpenman

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great addition to the Detective Esther Penman series, this 3rd in the series is terrific.
A teenager has gone missing and when Esther and her team find a brutally murdered young woman as well as a hut containing signs of dark magic, they are desperate to find the teen asap. They don't know whether she left her home voluntarily or something dangerous has happened to her.
The story is a real page turner, I had to keep reminding myself to breathe, especially at the end. Great ending! Esther is a smart woman, true to herself, who doesn't react the way I would to a bully she works with (he needs a good slap!) and is loyal. I really like her.

[Frances Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I so love this book I love the character the story line Couldn't put it down read late into the night I recommend this book But you should read The 1st 2 before you read this 1