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A McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller #1
The Girl From Paradise Hill
Tess returns home to bury her father but what she finds buried in his attic makes her question everything she thought she knew about the mild-mannered trucker…
PARADISE HILL, WASHINGTON
The seemingly idyllic mountain town harbors a dark secret: four young girls have disappeared over a forty-year period. With no crime scenes, no leads and no suspects, the cases have gone cold.
Until today.
The remains of one missing girl are discovered in a burned-out cabin at a remote campsite, reopening the case and suggesting the worst may be true – a ruthless child killer is operating in Washington State.
TESS MCCLINTOCK
Crime reporter and amateur cyber-sleuth Tess is obsessed with the cold cases of missing girls in Washington State. As she works to settle her father's estate, she's shaken to her core when she uncovers evidence pointing to his involvement.
FBI SPECIAL AGENT MICHAEL CARTER
On leave after solving a particularly heartbreaking case of child abduction and murder for the FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, Michael is back in Paradise Hill to recover and visit with family. Despite doctor's orders to stay clear of police work, Michael's drawn back in when Tess asks for his help understanding the secrets found in her father's attic.
A RUTHLESS CHILD KILLER
Having escaped justice for decades, he's bored and deliberately stirs the pot, revealing one of the dead girl's bodies. Despite hiding in plain sight, no one suspects that he's really a wolf and not the sheep he pretends to be. He sees Tess and Michael's involvement in the case as a challenge and views Tess as a temptation he can't resist.
AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR OLD COLD CASE
For Tess and Michael, the cases are personal: Tess's best friend in public school, Lisa Tate, was one of the missing girls from Paradise Hill. Michael was babysitting the night little Lisa vanished. The guilt they harbor over their role in her disappearance drives them both.
Desperate for answers, Tess and Michael join forces to track a killer and uncover the secrets Tess finds in her father's attic. Will the answers bring Tess peace or shatter her?
THE GIRL FROM PARADISE HILL is the first book in the McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller Series.
PARADISE HILL, WASHINGTON
The seemingly idyllic mountain town harbors a dark secret: four young girls have disappeared over a forty-year period. With no crime scenes, no leads and no suspects, the cases have gone cold.
Until today.
The remains of one missing girl are discovered in a burned-out cabin at a remote campsite, reopening the case and suggesting the worst may be true – a ruthless child killer is operating in Washington State.
TESS MCCLINTOCK
Crime reporter and amateur cyber-sleuth Tess is obsessed with the cold cases of missing girls in Washington State. As she works to settle her father's estate, she's shaken to her core when she uncovers evidence pointing to his involvement.
FBI SPECIAL AGENT MICHAEL CARTER
On leave after solving a particularly heartbreaking case of child abduction and murder for the FBI's Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force, Michael is back in Paradise Hill to recover and visit with family. Despite doctor's orders to stay clear of police work, Michael's drawn back in when Tess asks for his help understanding the secrets found in her father's attic.
A RUTHLESS CHILD KILLER
Having escaped justice for decades, he's bored and deliberately stirs the pot, revealing one of the dead girl's bodies. Despite hiding in plain sight, no one suspects that he's really a wolf and not the sheep he pretends to be. He sees Tess and Michael's involvement in the case as a challenge and views Tess as a temptation he can't resist.
AN EIGHTEEN-YEAR OLD COLD CASE
For Tess and Michael, the cases are personal: Tess's best friend in public school, Lisa Tate, was one of the missing girls from Paradise Hill. Michael was babysitting the night little Lisa vanished. The guilt they harbor over their role in her disappearance drives them both.
Desperate for answers, Tess and Michael join forces to track a killer and uncover the secrets Tess finds in her father's attic. Will the answers bring Tess peace or shatter her?
THE GIRL FROM PARADISE HILL is the first book in the McClintock-Carter Crime Thriller Series.
350 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 4, 2018
2621 people are currently reading
2398 people want to read
About the author
Susan Lund
27 books89 followersSusan Lund is an emerging author of psychological thrillers featuring amateur sleuth and crime reporter Tess McClintock and her partner, FBI Special Agent Michael Carter.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 263 reviews
April 20, 2019
"A mixed bag"
My initial thoughts were that this was going to be a great story. The further I got, the less convinced I became and when I reached the end my worst fears were confirmed. It was another of the incomplete brigade. Call me old-fashioned but a series used to be a collection of stories featuring particular main characters where you had a beginning, a middle and an end. It might be less easy to start at book #3 or #5 and get the same feeling as those who were there from the beginning but hundreds of good authors find a way to slip in gentle reminders of past events to help explain matters. It's a 'win win' for those authors because they get readers who follow a series AND those who can appreciate a stand alone item. To me, this marketing ploy is flawed. Reviews that decry this strategy are littered throughout these pages. Maybe the penny will drop one day.
My initial thoughts were that this was going to be a great story. The further I got, the less convinced I became and when I reached the end my worst fears were confirmed. It was another of the incomplete brigade. Call me old-fashioned but a series used to be a collection of stories featuring particular main characters where you had a beginning, a middle and an end. It might be less easy to start at book #3 or #5 and get the same feeling as those who were there from the beginning but hundreds of good authors find a way to slip in gentle reminders of past events to help explain matters. It's a 'win win' for those authors because they get readers who follow a series AND those who can appreciate a stand alone item. To me, this marketing ploy is flawed. Reviews that decry this strategy are littered throughout these pages. Maybe the penny will drop one day.
February 26, 2019
This was a good story BUT the writing in places is very peculiar and not great and there's a woeful lack of proper editing. So many times I was going to pack it in but I'd gone over the halfway mark so stuck with it. I did regret doing so a few times, though, as I encountered more and more mistakes.....in the end it became a real chore for me but I needed to finish it to see what happened.
I saw other reviewers complaining that the killer wasn't revealed and it left them hanging but unless I was reading something different the killer WAS disclosed, although it was a sudden ending. However, it is badged as part one of a trilogy so that's to be expected, I'd have thought.
Many of the mistakes I spotted were where the wrong tense was used, it happened a lot. The same with words being repeated in the one sentence as opposed to utilising an alternative word instead. For example:
"She passed the house, which was now dark. Tomorrow, she'd go back to the house"
"First, she was older by three years older compared to the other girls"
"She couldn't imagine the attacker would be so ballsy to show up with a bump on his head. Her attacker probably wouldn't go out...."
"They'll search his house and business to look for evidence. We'll find evidence, if there is any to find"
"Kirsten's still in labor so I came home to take my pills, which I forgot in our rush when Kirsten went into labor"
"....his tender words only made her tears flow harder. She smiled through her tears...."
She really needs to expand her vocabulary in these instances.
In other places, horrible English was used....."Tess drove along the secondary highway led to Paradise Hill" or "CARD was the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and as one of two Crimes Against Children Coordinators, operating out of the Field Office in Seattle".......which was an unfinished sentence altogether, then ".....even inserting themselves into the investigation by offering tips being part of the search team" where a word was clearly missed out. THIS occurred frequently as well and they're obvious mistakes and I find it highly annoying that nobody spotted them. Another gem was this sentence, "Michael replied said" and "Maybe he was an crime buff" and also "Tess glanced up from the bin she was working on as a chill go through her !!" and "I don't they're all linked" and "Tess stood at the window and watched the as the Chief got in his vehicle" then "Your sister thinks she's in labor and so she and your mom drove to Ellensburg to be with her at the hospital" !!
On was written and not one, her and not he (Her kept a journal as a young boy), eve and not even, business and not businesses (more than once), him and not them, apostrophes and commas were misplaced, speechmarks and fullstops dropped altogether here and there......a really shocking state.
As I say, the story itself became a distraction in the end from all the mistakes, which ruined it for me. A real shame as the story WAS interesting. However, I won't be reading the remaining 2 parts of this trilogy. I just couldn't face another experience like this.
I saw other reviewers complaining that the killer wasn't revealed and it left them hanging but unless I was reading something different the killer WAS disclosed, although it was a sudden ending. However, it is badged as part one of a trilogy so that's to be expected, I'd have thought.
Many of the mistakes I spotted were where the wrong tense was used, it happened a lot. The same with words being repeated in the one sentence as opposed to utilising an alternative word instead. For example:
"She passed the house, which was now dark. Tomorrow, she'd go back to the house"
"First, she was older by three years older compared to the other girls"
"She couldn't imagine the attacker would be so ballsy to show up with a bump on his head. Her attacker probably wouldn't go out...."
"They'll search his house and business to look for evidence. We'll find evidence, if there is any to find"
"Kirsten's still in labor so I came home to take my pills, which I forgot in our rush when Kirsten went into labor"
"....his tender words only made her tears flow harder. She smiled through her tears...."
She really needs to expand her vocabulary in these instances.
In other places, horrible English was used....."Tess drove along the secondary highway led to Paradise Hill" or "CARD was the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team and as one of two Crimes Against Children Coordinators, operating out of the Field Office in Seattle".......which was an unfinished sentence altogether, then ".....even inserting themselves into the investigation by offering tips being part of the search team" where a word was clearly missed out. THIS occurred frequently as well and they're obvious mistakes and I find it highly annoying that nobody spotted them. Another gem was this sentence, "Michael replied said" and "Maybe he was an crime buff" and also "Tess glanced up from the bin she was working on as a chill go through her !!" and "I don't they're all linked" and "Tess stood at the window and watched the as the Chief got in his vehicle" then "Your sister thinks she's in labor and so she and your mom drove to Ellensburg to be with her at the hospital" !!
On was written and not one, her and not he (Her kept a journal as a young boy), eve and not even, business and not businesses (more than once), him and not them, apostrophes and commas were misplaced, speechmarks and fullstops dropped altogether here and there......a really shocking state.
As I say, the story itself became a distraction in the end from all the mistakes, which ruined it for me. A real shame as the story WAS interesting. However, I won't be reading the remaining 2 parts of this trilogy. I just couldn't face another experience like this.
April 26, 2019
DNF. I found the synopsis incredibly intriguing but I should have gotten a clue from it before I started: way too much information. I got a quarter of the way through and had to give up because I was still drowning in exposition and I lost all interest in what was going on.
Unfortunately, in addition to numerous typos and errors, Lund bogs down the story with useless background information about the characters; every conversation and every description felt like an info dump. And the information repeated. Every other page I was reminded of the same fact, no matter how important or seemingly unnecessary. With all the issues I had getting through a single page (and these pages are small; I read this on my phone) I wonder if an editor was even involved in this publication.
All the characters felt fleshed out - even if they didn't read realistically, even if they dragged on; they were at least two-dimensional. Except the killer. I liked that Lund gave us the perspective of the story's villain, but he didn't seem to have a real motive. All the crime dramas I watch, all the books I read, all the stories I write - there has to be a motive for the antagonist. I've discussed with readers that the stakes aren't high enough in my own stories, so I've gone through the work of what "counts" as a proper motive for murder. This wasn't it; there didn't even seem to be one at all.
Unfortunately, in addition to numerous typos and errors, Lund bogs down the story with useless background information about the characters; every conversation and every description felt like an info dump. And the information repeated. Every other page I was reminded of the same fact, no matter how important or seemingly unnecessary. With all the issues I had getting through a single page (and these pages are small; I read this on my phone) I wonder if an editor was even involved in this publication.
All the characters felt fleshed out - even if they didn't read realistically, even if they dragged on; they were at least two-dimensional. Except the killer. I liked that Lund gave us the perspective of the story's villain, but he didn't seem to have a real motive. All the crime dramas I watch, all the books I read, all the stories I write - there has to be a motive for the antagonist. I've discussed with readers that the stakes aren't high enough in my own stories, so I've gone through the work of what "counts" as a proper motive for murder. This wasn't it; there didn't even seem to be one at all.
July 24, 2018
Disappointing.
I have to say I did enjoy this book, typos and all but I absolutely hate when a story just drops off the way this one did. It's like falling off a cliff but you never land so you are left hanging in mid-air.
I have to say I did enjoy this book, typos and all but I absolutely hate when a story just drops off the way this one did. It's like falling off a cliff but you never land so you are left hanging in mid-air.
July 12, 2018
Serial Killer Crime Drama! Paradise Hill is revisited by two once neighborhood kids decades ago. Tess is a reporter looking to link unsolved missing girl cases in the state of Washington. Michael is on leave from the FBI's Crime Against Children Task Force. Together this team works at putting puzzle pieces together before more tragedy happens. Great start to this series. No cliff hanger just a satisfying page turner. "A copy of this book was provided by author with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion." IMPATIENT FOR NEXT THRILLER IN THIS COLLECTION BY LUND!
August 25, 2019
Good story but book is poorly edited. Most annoyed to discover that I needed to purchase the other books in the trilogy to solve the murders. Do not expect to buy a book in thirds!
August 29, 2019
The girl from paradise Hill.
I Have written a review already but it has disappeared so I will do it again.
I really enjoyed this book..that is until he last page. There was no ending. I looked to see if I had missed a chapter but no. The author must have run out of ideas! Having told us The identity of he stalker / killer And that he intended stalking again. she just stopped writing.
One of the best things for me when I read a book spending some hours reading ,is a satisfying ending does not have to be a happy ending , but a good finish is as important to me as a good start.
Maybe the author thinks I will rush out to buy the next book to find out what happened, well no.....I will not order another book that might not have an ending.
It’s all part of the enjoyment of a good book . A good conclusion tying up all he ends and rounding the story a good finish. To me it matters. This spoiled the book for me. But maybe that’s just me.
I Have written a review already but it has disappeared so I will do it again.
I really enjoyed this book..that is until he last page. There was no ending. I looked to see if I had missed a chapter but no. The author must have run out of ideas! Having told us The identity of he stalker / killer And that he intended stalking again. she just stopped writing.
One of the best things for me when I read a book spending some hours reading ,is a satisfying ending does not have to be a happy ending , but a good finish is as important to me as a good start.
Maybe the author thinks I will rush out to buy the next book to find out what happened, well no.....I will not order another book that might not have an ending.
It’s all part of the enjoyment of a good book . A good conclusion tying up all he ends and rounding the story a good finish. To me it matters. This spoiled the book for me. But maybe that’s just me.
February 21, 2019
No stars
I enjoyed this book as far as it went but you HAVE to buy/read other books to get the killer and that's so wrong. I don't want half a book, presuming it is half and not a third or a quarter. Bad, bad. Very disappointed.
I enjoyed this book as far as it went but you HAVE to buy/read other books to get the killer and that's so wrong. I don't want half a book, presuming it is half and not a third or a quarter. Bad, bad. Very disappointed.
August 3, 2019
Leaves the Reader Hanging
If a reader chooses this story, they need to invest in the entire series. This book leaves the Reader hanging at the end. I will not finish the series or read this author again.
If a reader chooses this story, they need to invest in the entire series. This book leaves the Reader hanging at the end. I will not finish the series or read this author again.
February 13, 2020
WITH EVERYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED IN PARADISE HILL IN THE LAST 40YRS WHY WOULD IT MAKE THEM FEEL PEACEFUL. REALLY? THE NAME PARADISE HILL SHOULD BE CHANGED TO HELL’S PASS. I WONDERED IF THERE WAS TOO MUCH INBREEDING, CAUSING SO MANY KOOKS IN SUCH A SMALL TOWN. WHY DOESN’T SHE TELL MICHAEL EVERYTHING? SHE SEEMS VERY STUPID TO BE AN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, LEAVES TOO MUCH OUT. SHE REALLY GOT ON MY NERVES. THIS IS A 3/BK SERIES I WASN’T HAPPY ABOUT THAT; I HOPE THE OTHERS ARE AS GOOD AS THIS ONE ;D
June 7, 2024
The Girl from Paradise Hill is a thriller and I have to say it does its job.
I enjoyed this book because it was interesting to see the mindset of the serial killer.
The thought process behind why he does what he does is just thrilling in itself.
I'd read this book if you like to read about murders, and fancy a thriller.
I enjoyed this book because it was interesting to see the mindset of the serial killer.
The thought process behind why he does what he does is just thrilling in itself.
I'd read this book if you like to read about murders, and fancy a thriller.
Want to read
April 9, 2021Author/publisher gift
September 23, 2020
Pretty fair
It was pretty fair to be honest. Not as quick as is have liked, but didn't mind too much as I was still kept interested throughout the book.
The killers perspective was fascinating too, it's interesting to me knowing what goes on in some peoples heads.
It was pretty fair to be honest. Not as quick as is have liked, but didn't mind too much as I was still kept interested throughout the book.
The killers perspective was fascinating too, it's interesting to me knowing what goes on in some peoples heads.
October 20, 2020
The plot is great and I feel like the next two book would also be good reads. I just hope that all the loose ends get tied up nice and pretty like in the next book. That is my only complaint. I understand leaving something to the imagination. I also understand, that someone would choose to leave some things undone to encourage the sale of the following books in this series. But, I was disappointed that so much was left hanging.
February 17, 2020
Very interesting story however overly repetitive. At the end of the story we know who the serial killer is and his background although he has not yet been identified by the police or main characters. The story becomes bogged down except for a few saving graces like the regular references to the statistical mindset and characteristics of serial killers whilst Tess and the FBI agent Michael become involved in new research about unsolved murders of children in the very small town of there upbringing . Both meet up again after many years away when Michael is on a few weeks leave and Tess has returned to arrange her fathers funeral . Both are somewhat mentally scarred from something traumatic that affected them as children many years earlier when a young person known to them was taken away and never found believed murdered. Whilst back home they both contribute to further research and investigation of cold cases of unsolved missing children spanning many years . The reader chillingly follows the thoughts and actions of a serial child rapist and killer who is at the outset describes himself as a long term resident of the small town known to everyone and through family connections is beyond approach as far as possible suspects concerned . The past unsolved crime descriptions are not graphic or detailed although one imagines the horrors experienced by the victims . I feel that the story could easily have been finalised in one novel without the repetition . With a satisfactory ending to the story with reduction of repetition , this novel then would have been a very good story .
December 19, 2025
I was torn between a 2 and 3 star rating, however, by the end of the book I was leaning more towards 2 star.
A first overall statement of the book: This book most definitely needed to be reviewed by an editor at least 1-2 more times. There were some basic gramatical errors as well as some rough descriptions. As a reader that consistently has images playing through her head while she reads, just like a movie, at times the descriptions were confusing and hard to follow. I found myself "erasing and re-drawing" some scenes so to say, as I was trying to place everything in their correct spots to be able to follow along with the book. Also, having so many people be related/have the same last name, kind of difficult to follow and more confusing then anything.
I think the overall story does have potential to be rather promising. Although, like inconsistencies within description, I feel there is some inconsistencies with Eugene. First off, if he has such a preferfence for children as a child predator, then why (even after he says he says he doesn't have any desire for her now that she's older) does he go after Tess? What is the purpose of that? Also, for someone that is so on top of his game that he doesn't get caught for YEARS, how does he suddenly fall sloppy? For someone that is a) so good at remaining a secret, b) only targets children, absolutely nothing made sense to me about him wanting to stalk and attack Tess (especially since I thought he agreed waiting in her room for her and attacking her would be stupid?). The last thing I would say about him, is that I dont really understand the point of him in this book or at least as much. I personally thought it was really cool to have a pov of the killer, although, that was before I learned that the crimes the book ends up focusing on is not related to him. When everything pieced together of Tess' father and his two friends, and their crimes being who/what they focused on, it just collectively made no sense as to why we got so many chapters of him, much less about him stalking and attacking Tess. Additionally, if we weren't going to follow his crimes, why reveal who he was in this book? Why not save that for later and keep some lingering suspense?
Overall, I primarily finished the book because of curiosity. That being said, I will also possibly read the other books out of curiosity. The book ended on such a harsh note, it left me with more of a confused "what?" than an intruiged one. As a result of this, part of me wants to read the others to fill in the gaps left in my brain. I am curious to see where this goes and am hopefully able to make sense of at least some things.
A first overall statement of the book: This book most definitely needed to be reviewed by an editor at least 1-2 more times. There were some basic gramatical errors as well as some rough descriptions. As a reader that consistently has images playing through her head while she reads, just like a movie, at times the descriptions were confusing and hard to follow. I found myself "erasing and re-drawing" some scenes so to say, as I was trying to place everything in their correct spots to be able to follow along with the book. Also, having so many people be related/have the same last name, kind of difficult to follow and more confusing then anything.
I think the overall story does have potential to be rather promising. Although, like inconsistencies within description, I feel there is some inconsistencies with Eugene. First off, if he has such a preferfence for children as a child predator, then why (even after he says he says he doesn't have any desire for her now that she's older) does he go after Tess? What is the purpose of that? Also, for someone that is so on top of his game that he doesn't get caught for YEARS, how does he suddenly fall sloppy? For someone that is a) so good at remaining a secret, b) only targets children, absolutely nothing made sense to me about him wanting to stalk and attack Tess (especially since I thought he agreed waiting in her room for her and attacking her would be stupid?). The last thing I would say about him, is that I dont really understand the point of him in this book or at least as much. I personally thought it was really cool to have a pov of the killer, although, that was before I learned that the crimes the book ends up focusing on is not related to him. When everything pieced together of Tess' father and his two friends, and their crimes being who/what they focused on, it just collectively made no sense as to why we got so many chapters of him, much less about him stalking and attacking Tess. Additionally, if we weren't going to follow his crimes, why reveal who he was in this book? Why not save that for later and keep some lingering suspense?
Overall, I primarily finished the book because of curiosity. That being said, I will also possibly read the other books out of curiosity. The book ended on such a harsh note, it left me with more of a confused "what?" than an intruiged one. As a result of this, part of me wants to read the others to fill in the gaps left in my brain. I am curious to see where this goes and am hopefully able to make sense of at least some things.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 13, 2020
This is a bit of an oddity to review as this book is only part one of a series.
Initially I thought it started out okay, poor editing and typos aside I found it quite engaging and was keen to see how it would develop.
Sadly it didn’t progress or keep any momentum. The investigative skills of the FBI left a lot to be desired. Often he would trample onto crimes scenes with a big ruddy stick, destroying vital evidence and clues that could’ve been left with forensics. There was no effort to follow police procedures with regards to finger printing or post mortem investigations.
Whilst there was a huge emphasis on Tess’s dad and her lack of knowledge about him. Her lack of further involvement with her mum only seemed to hold the case back further. We are told, as a reader, that she is close to Kirsten that they talk all the time etc and yet not once did Kirsten mention that the whole town had rumours about Tess’s father and she only appears once in the book.
Overall a disappointing read that with the correct editing and removal of a lot of repetition and ‘faff’ could’ve earned more stars.
Initially I thought it started out okay, poor editing and typos aside I found it quite engaging and was keen to see how it would develop.
Sadly it didn’t progress or keep any momentum. The investigative skills of the FBI left a lot to be desired. Often he would trample onto crimes scenes with a big ruddy stick, destroying vital evidence and clues that could’ve been left with forensics. There was no effort to follow police procedures with regards to finger printing or post mortem investigations.
Whilst there was a huge emphasis on Tess’s dad and her lack of knowledge about him. Her lack of further involvement with her mum only seemed to hold the case back further. We are told, as a reader, that she is close to Kirsten that they talk all the time etc and yet not once did Kirsten mention that the whole town had rumours about Tess’s father and she only appears once in the book.
Overall a disappointing read that with the correct editing and removal of a lot of repetition and ‘faff’ could’ve earned more stars.
March 2, 2019
While the details aren't shared, the thought that there is a killer out there purposefully targeting young girls is rather disturbing. The chapters periodically switch from Tess's side of the story to the killer's. Partway through the story, the killer becomes known to the reader. Up until that point there was a deliberate mislead on a possible, but I knew that person could not have been it for that very reason & that not much in the way of clues or information were given except the killer mentioned leaving clues that would implicate others. I would have liked to have been given the chance to have figured it out for myself but am not marking off points for it since the reveal works well with this story. Overall, it was an okay read in that it didn't grab me and keep me turning pages ... I could and did put this book down to partially read others before coming back to it. Not sure if I'm fully invested in the characters enough to want to read the next two books in this trilogy. A shame because this plot showed promise early on.
May 7, 2021
The book was ok, though I will say I read this book based off a recommendation and stories about pedophiles are not really my thing.... and this book didn't have an abundance of characters, but many of them seemed to be pedophiles by the end... at least too many for my comfort.
The Pros: This was a true who done it. I like mysteries so I enjoyed that portion of the book. It had all the pieces of an ok mystery novel. You won't be able to guess exactly what happens, but you can probably guess some of it. So I'm giving the book extra points for having an ok twist. The book won't blow your socks off, but if you want a ok-good mystery, it is a solid read.
The Cons: The writing was very repetitive. It seemed that certain descriptor paragraphs were copied and pasted with not much shifting in the verbiage. The second problem was all the familial relationships. It could be because it was a small town and many family ties, but it was a little difficult to keep up with the who everyone was in relation to each other.
Overall a very OK book.
The Pros: This was a true who done it. I like mysteries so I enjoyed that portion of the book. It had all the pieces of an ok mystery novel. You won't be able to guess exactly what happens, but you can probably guess some of it. So I'm giving the book extra points for having an ok twist. The book won't blow your socks off, but if you want a ok-good mystery, it is a solid read.
The Cons: The writing was very repetitive. It seemed that certain descriptor paragraphs were copied and pasted with not much shifting in the verbiage. The second problem was all the familial relationships. It could be because it was a small town and many family ties, but it was a little difficult to keep up with the who everyone was in relation to each other.
Overall a very OK book.
March 4, 2019
This a crime novel that's perfectly fine for passing the time. Spoiler alert - the story does not end in volume one, so you need to get the other ones too, which I might someday.
The murder mystery is built well enough, no one is a complete idiot, the villain is menacing enough and the main characters are actually decent human beings who don't start a romance in the first novel, which is great. Also the book does not go into gruesome details, which is great considering the victims are children. But what is implied is scary enough.
I like some of the points related to guilt and to how someone is perceived more or less as a victim according to their origin, social status and life choices.
There are some issues too. The dialogue is a bit bland and clunky. Some things happen for no reason - Tess is left alone for a day and the thing is highly emphasized and yet nothing happens. It might be interesting to see where the story goes. Overall the book gets the job done.
The murder mystery is built well enough, no one is a complete idiot, the villain is menacing enough and the main characters are actually decent human beings who don't start a romance in the first novel, which is great. Also the book does not go into gruesome details, which is great considering the victims are children. But what is implied is scary enough.
I like some of the points related to guilt and to how someone is perceived more or less as a victim according to their origin, social status and life choices.
There are some issues too. The dialogue is a bit bland and clunky. Some things happen for no reason - Tess is left alone for a day and the thing is highly emphasized and yet nothing happens. It might be interesting to see where the story goes. Overall the book gets the job done.
October 8, 2019
A good story. I would say it has been edited, but then wasn’t re-edited. There are a few occasions where the text does not quite make sense and I would hope had not originally been written that way. For example:
“CARD was the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team and as one of two Crimes Against Children Coordinators, operating out of the FBI Field Office in Seattle. If there was a report of an abduction in the Washington area, he would be the point person and may even be part of the Team, depending.”
It would appear that the second sentence may have continued on. The first sentence has been added in later, but a full stop was used instead of a comma.
There was also a lot of rehashing of the same information with no extra insight.
Unfortunately, this killed the tension. It is a shame because, had the author used an editor, the boy would easily have scored four or five stars.
I am interested in reading the following two (three?) books, but won’t be hurrying off to buy them.
“CARD was the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team and as one of two Crimes Against Children Coordinators, operating out of the FBI Field Office in Seattle. If there was a report of an abduction in the Washington area, he would be the point person and may even be part of the Team, depending.”
It would appear that the second sentence may have continued on. The first sentence has been added in later, but a full stop was used instead of a comma.
There was also a lot of rehashing of the same information with no extra insight.
Unfortunately, this killed the tension. It is a shame because, had the author used an editor, the boy would easily have scored four or five stars.
I am interested in reading the following two (three?) books, but won’t be hurrying off to buy them.
June 25, 2025
This book felt like a guilty pleasure mixed with a dark secret I had to uncover. If you're into small-town mysteries with a little grit, a complicated female lead, and skeletons in every closet (and probably a few in the woods), this one delivers. Emily’s return to her hometown doesn’t come with warm hugs and casseroles—it comes with death, suspicion, and a decades-old mystery that won’t stay buried.
Susan Lund does a great job of painting the eerie undercurrent of Paradise Hill. The story unravels like a cold case podcast you can’t stop bingeing—twists keep coming, people aren’t who they seem, and the pace keeps you turning pages late into the night.
I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery—it has more edge than that—but it’s not gruesome either. The tone sits in that addicting middle: suspenseful, emotionally charged, and built on long-held secrets that finally come to light. Bonus: Emily is a compelling lead with just enough baggage to make her both relatable and unpredictable.
Susan Lund does a great job of painting the eerie undercurrent of Paradise Hill. The story unravels like a cold case podcast you can’t stop bingeing—twists keep coming, people aren’t who they seem, and the pace keeps you turning pages late into the night.
I wouldn’t call this a cozy mystery—it has more edge than that—but it’s not gruesome either. The tone sits in that addicting middle: suspenseful, emotionally charged, and built on long-held secrets that finally come to light. Bonus: Emily is a compelling lead with just enough baggage to make her both relatable and unpredictable.
January 23, 2019
To be honest, only got through about a fifth of this book before i chucked it away. Lazy writing and story telling. Tell me why Tess learns a shocking rumor about her dad, which everyone in Paradise Hill knows, 20 years after the rumor began? She's visited him periodically, sees her best friend Kristen who also grew up in Paradise Hill very regularly, but it's never cropped up? This very disturbing rumor? Ham-fistedly done for the sake of the plot. Author refuses to explore any interesting dynamic between Tess and her parents, who seem so irrelevant to her life, and between Tess and Kirsten, who could have had a strained, guilt-ridden redemption arc, but no. Instead, she forces a bland FBI agent love interest because you can only solve a mystery if you have sexual chemistry with your partner. Ridiculous.
August 26, 2019
What a convoluted mystery, involving multiple individuals, over so many decades! I became so caught up in this story that I am eager to read Books 2 and 3 in this trilogy. In a tiny town in Washington State, three young girls disappeared over decades, and five others disappeared from surrounding towns and counties. Tess McClintock, a former resident, returns from Seattle to prepare her newly deceased father's house for sale. A crime reporter, she also works to investigate cold cases of missing persons. Michael Carter is an FBI Special Agent on leave after a horrendous child abduction case. Both Tess and Michael were strongly affected by the disappearance of a local girl when they were young. Tess uncovers horrifying evidence that her late father hoarded, resulting in someone stalking and assaulting her, but that's only the beginning of the unspeakable revelations.
March 15, 2021
Overall I enjoyed the story, the mystery and the characters, even though I was left hanging at the end as the story fizzled out because it's the first in a trilogy. The only issue I really had was the number of characters I had to keep track of that had the same last name (many people related in this town), which wasn't easy when the author would switch between calling them by their first name, and sometimes their last, even as a character with the same last name was referred to in the next paragraph, so that I'd get lost trying to remember who we were talking about. Or when there was a John and a John Jr. but sometimes the Jr would be referred to only as John, adding to my confusion about who that portion of the story was about. I'll likely move on with the series, since the author did share the identity of a major character and I'm curious to see how/when he's finally found out.
September 17, 2021
This crime mystery is a real page-turner. Well-written and edited, so no distractions from a truly great story about a reporter working her newspaper's crime beat (Tess), an FBI agent in town visiting his mother and officially on R&R who becomes involved in the town's cases of missing and murdered girls (Michael), and the mystery of just who was involved in each case and why. The guilty party is revealed part-way through the book, but the reader is still left wanting to scream at the pages to these two main characters: "HE DID IT! HE DID IT! GET HIM BEFORE HE KILLS SOMEONE ELSE!!!"
This is definitely a worthy read for anyone who loves a great whodunit with a definite plot twist … or two … or three! Bravo, Ms. Lund! You have a winner!
This is definitely a worthy read for anyone who loves a great whodunit with a definite plot twist … or two … or three! Bravo, Ms. Lund! You have a winner!
August 12, 2019
Predictable story, no ending
This book tells the story in multiple voices, including the voice of the serial killer. It is an interesting in that way but very predictable. I knew the killer early on, at the first mention of his character. The rest of the plot is also predictable. Handsome (aren't the heroes always handsome?) man falls in love with beautiful (always?) woman while story unfolds around them. Some threads are tied up too neatly. And the story continues through two more books. There is no resolution and the reader is forced to buy two more books to find that resolution. Books like this should come with a note at the beginning that alerts reader to this.
This book tells the story in multiple voices, including the voice of the serial killer. It is an interesting in that way but very predictable. I knew the killer early on, at the first mention of his character. The rest of the plot is also predictable. Handsome (aren't the heroes always handsome?) man falls in love with beautiful (always?) woman while story unfolds around them. Some threads are tied up too neatly. And the story continues through two more books. There is no resolution and the reader is forced to buy two more books to find that resolution. Books like this should come with a note at the beginning that alerts reader to this.
March 27, 2021
After Tess' father dies she has to go thru his house and get it ready to be sold. Which is a hard task due to the murders over the years in the area, mainly young girls from 10 to 13yrs old. Tess is determined to find out who did all these murders. I like that some of the chapters are from the POV of the killer, they don't tell you the guys name but it's different. What grabbed my attention was the child murderer, you just have to find out what kinda asshat was killing little girls. I like Tess, she's nosey like i am but then again she is a journalist. This is the first book in a series and of course i will have to or listen to the rest. Check out Susan Lund, hopefully you'll like her too.
March 15, 2019
Tess McClintock goes back to her small hometown near Yakima Washington to bury her father. Her mother took her and her brother to Seattle when they were young after the disappearance of one of Tess’s friends. Tess is now a crime journalist and she takes a new interest in the mystery of her friend’s disappearance along with FBI agent Michael Carter. Together they begin to unravel the small town’s secrets as they realize a serial killer lurks among them. This is a trilogy series and book 1 leaves you with a cliffhanger.
March 17, 2019
This was a BookBub free book recommendation that I decided to try. It was good enough that I am going to look at buying the other two books in the trilogy.
While the close knit community and family relationships spanning 40 years of the novel’s back story were essential to the tale I found it a bit difficult to keep track of which character from one family was being discussed as the author often just used the family name to refer to many different characters. It usually would sort itself out in subsequent paragraphs but that is my only complaint.
While the close knit community and family relationships spanning 40 years of the novel’s back story were essential to the tale I found it a bit difficult to keep track of which character from one family was being discussed as the author often just used the family name to refer to many different characters. It usually would sort itself out in subsequent paragraphs but that is my only complaint.
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