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Winter Black #3
Winter's Redemption
The Preacher is killing again...
The serial killer who slaughtered Winter’s parents has come out of retirement, leaving bloody victims in his wake. Special Agent Winter Black has spent her entire life preparing for this moment, and she intends to end the man who took everything from her and solve the disappearance of her little brother—no matter the cost.
Though she’s taken off the case, it doesn’t take Winter long to discover that The Preacher isn’t after just another victim.
He’s after her.
In his mind, he’s killing Winter over and over. And with each new murder, he’s leaving a message, one that is holy in the most chilling way.
When the madman kidnaps a fellow agent, Winter is desperate to find him before he kills another person she cares about.
The serial killer who slaughtered Winter’s parents has come out of retirement, leaving bloody victims in his wake. Special Agent Winter Black has spent her entire life preparing for this moment, and she intends to end the man who took everything from her and solve the disappearance of her little brother—no matter the cost.
Though she’s taken off the case, it doesn’t take Winter long to discover that The Preacher isn’t after just another victim.
He’s after her.
In his mind, he’s killing Winter over and over. And with each new murder, he’s leaving a message, one that is holy in the most chilling way.
When the madman kidnaps a fellow agent, Winter is desperate to find him before he kills another person she cares about.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 6, 2019
9735 people are currently reading
1934 people want to read
About the author
Mary Stone
216 books2,131 followersTo download my FREE BOOK, click here: https://authormarystone.com/free-book...
Nestled in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, Mary Stone has transformed her peaceful home, once bustling with her sons, into a creative haven. As her family grew, so did her writing career, evolving from childhood fears to a deep understanding of real-life villains. Her stories, centered around strong, unconventional heroines, weave themes of courage and intrigue.
Mary's journey from a solitary writer to establishing her own publishing house marks a significant evolution, showcasing her commitment to the literary world. Through her writing and publishing endeavors, she continues to captivate and inspire, honoring her lifelong fascination with the mysterious and the courageous.
Nestled in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, Mary Stone has transformed her peaceful home, once bustling with her sons, into a creative haven. As her family grew, so did her writing career, evolving from childhood fears to a deep understanding of real-life villains. Her stories, centered around strong, unconventional heroines, weave themes of courage and intrigue.
Mary's journey from a solitary writer to establishing her own publishing house marks a significant evolution, showcasing her commitment to the literary world. Through her writing and publishing endeavors, she continues to captivate and inspire, honoring her lifelong fascination with the mysterious and the courageous.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews
April 8, 2021
After reading several of the previous books I grew quite tired of Special Agent Winter's aloof behavior. I understand she has had her fair share of trauma, and that this book revolves around her trauma from childhood, but allow your team to help out! I guess I missed out on the comradery with the team.
Winter is just the queen of pushing people away. It actually didn't allow for the story really to progress and get more interesting. I have found that I have no interest now in reading the 4th book.
Winter is just the queen of pushing people away. It actually didn't allow for the story really to progress and get more interesting. I have found that I have no interest now in reading the 4th book.
February 7, 2021
Well, that was...petty and disappointing. As much as I adored the first two installments, this one felt super childish, honestly. Immature dialog, unnecessary love triangle, too much angst over relationships and not enough about the serial killer.
I haven’t decided whether to continue with book (4) or not - if the plot line turns back to more crime/case related and less “Winter is a dark, moody goddess” maybe. In the end, I felt her character was diminished. (Noah’s, too.)
The saving grace here? Bree. Her character arc was the only reason I kept reading, in hopes she will make a more prominent feature in the future books.
I haven’t decided whether to continue with book (4) or not - if the plot line turns back to more crime/case related and less “Winter is a dark, moody goddess” maybe. In the end, I felt her character was diminished. (Noah’s, too.)
The saving grace here? Bree. Her character arc was the only reason I kept reading, in hopes she will make a more prominent feature in the future books.
February 17, 2022
I get SOOOO tired of 2 things
1. Going on and on about how skinny Winter is, doesn't touch her food, and when she does, mostly junk. Bothers me because I was very thin at her ages (105, 5'8") and ate more, and better, than she apparently does.
2. Honestly, I can skim over 80% - it's mostly psychoanalysis and it gets boring, maybe because it's not credible? I don't know, I love analysis, but this is redundant and dull. The first book was good, but I'm not bothering with more - the whole 9 books could have been one.
1. Going on and on about how skinny Winter is, doesn't touch her food, and when she does, mostly junk. Bothers me because I was very thin at her ages (105, 5'8") and ate more, and better, than she apparently does.
2. Honestly, I can skim over 80% - it's mostly psychoanalysis and it gets boring, maybe because it's not credible? I don't know, I love analysis, but this is redundant and dull. The first book was good, but I'm not bothering with more - the whole 9 books could have been one.
May 2, 2024
So disappointed in this book. Not only did this book suffer from the same inconsistent details and poor editing as the first two, this third novel added several more issues to the list.
1. It gets cold in VA. 49 degrees is not considered cold in the wintertime or early spring.
2. Stop telling the reader what color everyone’s eyes are over and over and over and over. There are so many other ways to describe characters moods and facial expressions. It’s just poor writing.
3. What happened with Agent Parrish? For three books he’s been portrayed as this conniving and sinister character out to make his career etc.. and it all came to nothing. Very disappointing.
4. It’s completely unrealistic to think any FBI agent would believe they’d be allowed to work on their own family’s murder case.
5. Winter bolting to her grandparent’s after they killed The Preacher, and not answering calls was again lame and poor writing.
6 The nature of Winter’s episodes with visions changed abrupt toward the end of the book. Why wasn’t this explored more?
7. The whole chapter on Noah going to see Winter’s old psychiatrist, Dr. Ladwig, was a complete waste of time and not much of a red herring. Saw that coming a mile away.
The author had a great idea here and it could’ve come together to be a much better storyline with an editor and more thought put into the characters and the plot.
I kept reading only because I wanted to find out if they caught The Preacher, so I will not be reading the next book in the series.
1. It gets cold in VA. 49 degrees is not considered cold in the wintertime or early spring.
2. Stop telling the reader what color everyone’s eyes are over and over and over and over. There are so many other ways to describe characters moods and facial expressions. It’s just poor writing.
3. What happened with Agent Parrish? For three books he’s been portrayed as this conniving and sinister character out to make his career etc.. and it all came to nothing. Very disappointing.
4. It’s completely unrealistic to think any FBI agent would believe they’d be allowed to work on their own family’s murder case.
5. Winter bolting to her grandparent’s after they killed The Preacher, and not answering calls was again lame and poor writing.
6 The nature of Winter’s episodes with visions changed abrupt toward the end of the book. Why wasn’t this explored more?
7. The whole chapter on Noah going to see Winter’s old psychiatrist, Dr. Ladwig, was a complete waste of time and not much of a red herring. Saw that coming a mile away.
The author had a great idea here and it could’ve come together to be a much better storyline with an editor and more thought put into the characters and the plot.
I kept reading only because I wanted to find out if they caught The Preacher, so I will not be reading the next book in the series.
June 5, 2019
My review today is on the Thriller, Winter's Redemption. This is the third book in the Winter Black Series. I want to warn my faithful followers that this book is not a Christian book. It is a book about getting in the mind of a serial killer. There is foul language, sexual innuendos, and dark violence. This book has a great story line. She has been consistent in her characters and I know you will really like them. I can't wait to get the next book.
Winter is not only trying to find the serial killer that killed her family but "The Preacher" is hunting her. He had retired but now seems to be killing Winter with each new kill. Winter is taken off the case. She goes off on her own to hut him down. It takes a while for the team to realize that this madman is after Winter. They must use their skills together if they are going to find this monster. This is quite a journey that threatens Winter's life and her mind. An awesome read!
Winter is not only trying to find the serial killer that killed her family but "The Preacher" is hunting her. He had retired but now seems to be killing Winter with each new kill. Winter is taken off the case. She goes off on her own to hut him down. It takes a while for the team to realize that this madman is after Winter. They must use their skills together if they are going to find this monster. This is quite a journey that threatens Winter's life and her mind. An awesome read!
January 28, 2021
Oh my gosh....I can't believe this book. I am sitting here with my heart racing. Her brother possibly alive!!! Can't wait to find out in book 4. I am so glad I bought the whole series. Can't wait for my friends to read it and tell me their take on this story line. Whoo hoo. Someone hurry up and read this.
January 25, 2021
I know I'm in the minority in my rating, but such is life. Winters character is pretty much an ass in this book and the ending was anticlimactic. I expected more of a personal standoff with Winter and the preacher. Winter and Brees roles should have been reverse. Winter could have still been the one to kill him, but for all the talk of the preacher punishing his girlie in the end, that isn't even close to how the story ended. Even with the hint that Justin is alive, its not enough to entice me continue this series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2022
Very little redeeming of Winter’s character occurred here. She was throughly unpleasant throughout the novel with no improvement or growth. Which is fine but so much was focussed on character development and character dynamics/tension with Aiden and Noah that it detracted from the main story which was fairly flat anyway but more interesting. I really enjoyed the first two novels in this series and for some reason believed this series to be a trilogy but I just noticed there’s 9 books in the series! Wow. Will leave it here for now.
October 13, 2022
Very disappointed in this third book in the series. Apparently the author forgot how she ended book 2. That and poor editing greatly influenced my opinion of this book. Plan on taking a break from this series and author. Don’t know if I will come back to it.
March 6, 2024
Finally in book 3, Winter tracks down the serial killer who murdered her parents ONLY to end the book in another cliff hanger… so I bought book 4!
December 5, 2019
Good book, good series
This is a good book and had interesting twists and turns. Winter is, understandably, hell bent on finding The Preacher for revenge. Which is why she is banned from the investigation but a sequence of events allows her to join in the search. The book ended with some questions that I didn’t get answers to (such as why Winter’s mother was considered a sinner in need of redemption). The book ends on a cliff-hanger, which is ok since I plan to read the series. I grew weary from the testosterone struggle between Noah and Aiden. I disliked Aiden after this book. All in all, a great series and we will no doubt learn more through each book. Looking forward to book 4.
This is a good book and had interesting twists and turns. Winter is, understandably, hell bent on finding The Preacher for revenge. Which is why she is banned from the investigation but a sequence of events allows her to join in the search. The book ended with some questions that I didn’t get answers to (such as why Winter’s mother was considered a sinner in need of redemption). The book ends on a cliff-hanger, which is ok since I plan to read the series. I grew weary from the testosterone struggle between Noah and Aiden. I disliked Aiden after this book. All in all, a great series and we will no doubt learn more through each book. Looking forward to book 4.
June 12, 2022
This was a reasonably good fast moving novel that probably should have been 4 ⭐️ - but I’m honestly 1) fed up with reading about men who get their jollies from brutally torturing and killing women because‘something happened in their past’ and 2) quite sick of solipsistic, stubborn supposedly professional women who get away with their behavior because the men around them, even their bosses who should know better, think they’re “gorgeous, like a too skinny model”.
Is that the way real life works? I’d like people in law enforcement to be competent, level headed, and to do their jobs.
I guess I should be reading Fantasy.
Is that the way real life works? I’d like people in law enforcement to be competent, level headed, and to do their jobs.
I guess I should be reading Fantasy.
April 19, 2023
I had to wait a couple weeks, but my library has finally come through and the next several installments are available to rent! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Well written and well paced, very entertaining, and hard to put down. Very well worth the time to read.
June 16, 2019
Loved it
OMG I can't wait for Winter's Rise. Awesome book. Love the whole series Great writing Mary Stone. It's a must read series
OMG I can't wait for Winter's Rise. Awesome book. Love the whole series Great writing Mary Stone. It's a must read series
May 31, 2021
Terrible! Did not finish.
September 5, 2021
Great series
I’m hooked and will continue to read this series. Winter Black—great main character as are the supporting characters Noah and Aiden
I’m hooked and will continue to read this series. Winter Black—great main character as are the supporting characters Noah and Aiden
August 27, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
This is the 3rd book in the Winter Black Series by Mary Stone. The Preacher is coming unhinged. Every time he sees a woman or girl, he thinks it's Winter. Will this be the end of him?
Mary Stone writes an amazing series. It has FBI agents. It has Serial Killers. Full of suspense. I will say that there was a lot of immaturity between Winter and the other agents. That got on my nerves, so I took 1/2 a star away on review.
#LibbyApp #carlislepubliclibrary #lonokecountylibrarysystem #audiobook #MaryStone #WintersRedemption
This is the 3rd book in the Winter Black Series by Mary Stone. The Preacher is coming unhinged. Every time he sees a woman or girl, he thinks it's Winter. Will this be the end of him?
Mary Stone writes an amazing series. It has FBI agents. It has Serial Killers. Full of suspense. I will say that there was a lot of immaturity between Winter and the other agents. That got on my nerves, so I took 1/2 a star away on review.
#LibbyApp #carlislepubliclibrary #lonokecountylibrarysystem #audiobook #MaryStone #WintersRedemption
February 7, 2022
Nach allem was passiert ist, war das Aufeinandertreffen von Winter und dem Preacher dann doch eher Enttäuschend, ebenso wie der Preacher Charakter selbst.
Werde erstmal ne Pause von der Reihe machen.
Werde erstmal ne Pause von der Reihe machen.
January 29, 2023
Great read!! Hoping to read more of the series. Will check my library.
February 4, 2024
Solid 3rd installment to the series. As always, left me hanging and excited to start the next one.
January 17, 2025
This book had me on my toes!
don-t-bother
August 29, 2025Why Don't Bother: negative reviews hit my hot buttons.
June 15, 2019
Loved this book the winter black series is amazing can't wait for the next installment in the series
August 16, 2024
I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!! but if i don’t get some fucking romance from Winter here soon I’m going to FLIP 🙂
February 13, 2023
There was plenty of suspense in this dark FBI story. As I said before, I can’t leave these characters just yet.
October 12, 2023
Another chapter in Winters quest to avenge her family’s slaughter….
February 24, 2022
Great Read
This series is so good! Definitely keeps your attention! Great story line, and the author is so easy to follow!
This series is so good! Definitely keeps your attention! Great story line, and the author is so easy to follow!
August 4, 2021
I really like this series so far (I just started book 6). The characters are well developed, and the storylines are all interesting. I like that the author didn’t make readers wait too long for The Preacher to be the main storyline, because he is so integral to the development of Winter’s character. The one thing that really bothered me is the discrepancy in continuity between this book and the preceding one. The previous book ended with The Preacher “coming out of retirement” and killing a female minister and her husband. But this book starts with his first killing being a single police detective. There is no mention whatsoever about the female minister or her husband. And in the previous book, the author went into quite a bit of detail on their murder when Winter and Noah got the call interrupting their Christmas with her grandparents. This book starts with the murder of the police detective, and picks up right where the previous book left off. Maybe I only noticed the discrepancy because I am reading the books back to back, but I have noticed a few continuity issues throughout all of the books so far. Other than that, I think the books are well written, and the author does a great job keeping the reader interested in not only the police procedural/thriller aspect, but in the recurring characters and their interpersonal dynamics as well.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2020
I am totally hooked. This is book #3 in the series and while I usually take a break in between books that have series, I cant seem to tear myself away from Mary Stone's Winter Black books. I dont know if it is the story itself, or the amazing woman Winter portrays, but I find myself wanting to know more about her and what happens next in the book.
Like the previous books, Winter is an FBI agent who is not only a great one, but also has a personal agenda in finding the serial killer who killed her family and kidnapped her brother. In this book, she actually finds herself one step behind him and close to ending her nightmare. Along with fellow agents, Noah and Aiden, things get hairy when the killer now takes another agent, Bree in order to draw Winter to him.
And of course we find at the end, there is no end...because the author leaves you wanting more by giving you just a bit of the next story....and so, onto Book #4 to see what happens next. If you are into series, place this author on your TBR list because there are 9 books in this series....lots of reading ahead. #KindleUnlimited #fourstars
Like the previous books, Winter is an FBI agent who is not only a great one, but also has a personal agenda in finding the serial killer who killed her family and kidnapped her brother. In this book, she actually finds herself one step behind him and close to ending her nightmare. Along with fellow agents, Noah and Aiden, things get hairy when the killer now takes another agent, Bree in order to draw Winter to him.
And of course we find at the end, there is no end...because the author leaves you wanting more by giving you just a bit of the next story....and so, onto Book #4 to see what happens next. If you are into series, place this author on your TBR list because there are 9 books in this series....lots of reading ahead. #KindleUnlimited #fourstars
November 19, 2023
FBI agent Winter has a unexplained condition that causes her to see a red color where there is danger or a significant clue that would conveniently move her investigation along. She also has seizures where she is given visions, that also conveniently moves her investigation along. I can role with the special powers thing, but what really annoys me is how bitchy this woman is to her co-workers and how her two paramors pant on the sidelines hoping she will like them back. Their maturity is closer to high school than that of trained agents. well, she is in her 20's and maybe she has some growing up to do. I don't like the main character at all. I'm hoping the author develops a deeper more complex, likable person in the next books. She spent the first three books bent on vengeance.... a little childish. I will read one more to see if she learns how to treat her friends better. Its not all about Winter.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 499 reviews