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Burned: A Carrie Trent Thriller
The misty mountains of Orcas Island are hiding a killer.
When the call goes out for a body discovered on a remote beach in the San Juan Islands, it seems like the perfect assignment for Carrie and her team. Recovering from their first case and the ongoing fallout, what should be a straightforward investigation offers them the opportunity to regain their footing.
Except that nothing on the island is what it seems.
Following a trail of criminal activity, Carrie is shut down at every turn. But she refuses to back off. As the case grows more complicated, she calls on old and new allies to pull the pieces together while evading the mounting threats.
But on an island, there is nowhere to run. From the rocky beaches, quaint towns, ocean inlets, and wooded mountains, Carrie pursues the clues until all that’s left is the truth.
From the bestselling author of The 6th Extinction, Flashpoint, and The Fallen comes the next installment in the Carrie Trent Thriller series, a stand-alone mystery that will keep you up all night!
-Perfect for fans of Marty Stone, D.D. Black, and Frieda McFadden.
When the call goes out for a body discovered on a remote beach in the San Juan Islands, it seems like the perfect assignment for Carrie and her team. Recovering from their first case and the ongoing fallout, what should be a straightforward investigation offers them the opportunity to regain their footing.
Except that nothing on the island is what it seems.
Following a trail of criminal activity, Carrie is shut down at every turn. But she refuses to back off. As the case grows more complicated, she calls on old and new allies to pull the pieces together while evading the mounting threats.
But on an island, there is nowhere to run. From the rocky beaches, quaint towns, ocean inlets, and wooded mountains, Carrie pursues the clues until all that’s left is the truth.
From the bestselling author of The 6th Extinction, Flashpoint, and The Fallen comes the next installment in the Carrie Trent Thriller series, a stand-alone mystery that will keep you up all night!
-Perfect for fans of Marty Stone, D.D. Black, and Frieda McFadden.
119 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 24, 2026
About the author
Tara Ellis
71 books260 followersWith over 50 published books across ten genres, author Tara Ellis is best known for her heart-pounding post-apocalyptic and thriller series. A heavy dose of mystery often underscores her character-driven plots, heralding back to what fueled her desire to tell stories from an early age.
A certified firefighter in the state of Washington, Tara volunteered as a FF/EMT for over eight years. She also responded as a support officer, worked as an emergency room technician, was a 911 dispatcher, and taught life-saving techniques to the public and first responders. As an author of thriller and survival stories, she draws upon her personal experience throughout her storytelling.
Tara lives in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Washington State. When not writing or spending time with family, she can be found hiking the woods while plotting her next adventure.
*Join Tara's newsletter on her author website: Tara Ellis Books
*Check out her women's literature and mysteries under the pen name of Tara Meyers
*Find her on FB under Tara Ellis Author
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
Coming this year, in 2025:
*A new post-apocalyptic series with Aethon Books, The 6th Extinction, releases in April
*A new thriller series co-authored with L.T. Ryan was announced to release later this year!
*The third and final book in The Fallen series, The Redeemed, is coming this summer
*Several new audiobooks will go live throughout the year
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
A certified firefighter in the state of Washington, Tara volunteered as a FF/EMT for over eight years. She also responded as a support officer, worked as an emergency room technician, was a 911 dispatcher, and taught life-saving techniques to the public and first responders. As an author of thriller and survival stories, she draws upon her personal experience throughout her storytelling.
Tara lives in the gorgeous Cascade Mountains of Washington State. When not writing or spending time with family, she can be found hiking the woods while plotting her next adventure.
*Join Tara's newsletter on her author website: Tara Ellis Books
*Check out her women's literature and mysteries under the pen name of Tara Meyers
*Find her on FB under Tara Ellis Author
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
Coming this year, in 2025:
*A new post-apocalyptic series with Aethon Books, The 6th Extinction, releases in April
*A new thriller series co-authored with L.T. Ryan was announced to release later this year!
*The third and final book in The Fallen series, The Redeemed, is coming this summer
*Several new audiobooks will go live throughout the year
Check back for upcoming dates for public appearances and book signings!
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 24, 2026
Short And Sweet!
Burned, book 2 in the Carrie Trent series, takes place in the months after the 911 killer was stopped. The story is excellent, with an antagonist you won't see coming! Carrie has changed significantly since the person she was at the beginning of book 1, both for better and worse. The narrative quality is very clear, with good descriptions of environments and events. Overall, 5/5 stars! Highly recommended for fans of crime thrillers, firefighter thrillers and well written thrillers!
Burned, book 2 in the Carrie Trent series, takes place in the months after the 911 killer was stopped. The story is excellent, with an antagonist you won't see coming! Carrie has changed significantly since the person she was at the beginning of book 1, both for better and worse. The narrative quality is very clear, with good descriptions of environments and events. Overall, 5/5 stars! Highly recommended for fans of crime thrillers, firefighter thrillers and well written thrillers!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Tara once again delivers a thrilling story, one that keeps the pages turning right to the end. Full of suspense and twists, it is a read that you won’t want to put down. And it is nice to spend time with the cast once again. The stories in this Carrie Trent Thrillers series are easy to recommend, as they are both intense and entertaining.
September 26, 2026
Long awaited…letdown
I waited patiently for this book to come out and I feel letdown by the author. This second book is lacking a plot and feels incomplete. I had high hopes for this one after the first book. ☹️
I waited patiently for this book to come out and I feel letdown by the author. This second book is lacking a plot and feels incomplete. I had high hopes for this one after the first book. ☹️
October 13, 2026
Could have been better
All good books need that one hook moment. The moment that it hooks you and draws you in. This book doesn't have that
All good books need that one hook moment. The moment that it hooks you and draws you in. This book doesn't have that
October 13, 2026
I read Burned in a single sitting. Yes it's short, but I think it's the perfect taster
The setting was really immersive and that really helped me get a feel for the plot and characters, even in this relatively short novella. The character of Carrie Trent is really interesting, it feels like she has real depth and that there is a lot to learn about her.
The resolution had a great twist, which was unexpected but completely reasonable in hindsight, and the mystery got to me even through the short page count.
As I started with book 2 in the series, it made me want to go back and read the first one, to get the backstory mentioned here. I understand that other readers wanted it to be longer and it could have been, because there is so much depth, but it works as the perfect taster that makes you want to read the first book in the series for sure.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews