About The Crying House: Strands of blonde hair escape from beneath the sheet and catch the dawn light creeping through the window. Silence falls as the fabric is drawn back to reveal the body of a young girl, her hands folded on her chest, her long lashes resting on her cold, pale cheeks.
When Detective Casey White finds the body of a teenager perfectly preserved in salt in an abandoned beach vacation home, her heart shatters. Tina Somners has been missing since she set off to meet her friends for spring break. Her parents will be inconsolable at this tragic end to their search.
Determined to find justice for this sweet girl who was looking forward to a summer full of laughter, Casey delves into old case files and gets her first lead: years ago, a man murdered his wife, totally covering her body in salt. But he’s been locked up in prison all this time.
Casey is racing to interview him when another perfectly preserved body is found just down the beach from the first crime scene. A cryptic, unfinished note is clutched in the girl’s hand. Are the bodies being kept this way so the killer can pass on a message?
Certain that there’s more significance to the salt than just preservation, Casey tracks down a man Tina’s friends say they saw watching them on the beach—and unlocks a terrible secret. But then a final threatening message arrives, addressed to Casey herself. Can she bring this twisted monster to justice before more young lives are destroyed forever?
An absolutely unputdownable read that will have you reading late into the night and gasping at the shocking twists. Perfect for fans of Kendra Elliot, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh.
My Thoughts: I enjoyed this fourth book, The Crying House, as much as the first three in the series. Casey White is a great detective, being a determined, smart, and compassionate woman, though she carries emotional baggage. The other characters are also well created and developed, especially ex-sheriff, trustworthy and amiable Jericho Flynn. Casey and Jericho's interactions were interesting to read as they set about looking for someone "mummifying" bodies. Set in Outer Banks, North Carolina the plot pacing was frenetic with plenty of action, and there was certainly no room for tedium or boredom. The story was fascinating and I revelled in the problematical investigation. Enthralling to the very end, I shall be watching out for the next in the series and I'm immensely keen to see where the talented B.R. Spangler takes Detective Casey White next. A highly entertaining and absorbing police procedural which I recommend without any hesitation.
Disclosure: Thank you to Bookouture via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Crying House by B.R. Spangler for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.