A web of lies and dark secrets. A nail-biting hunt for a serial killer.
For over twenty years, Detective Stella Carrigan has managed to bury the nightmare of being kidnapped from her foster family. Her traumatic childhood motivated her to stand up for others and climb the Chicago Police Department ladder by storm. But when Stella is called to a series of murders of women in the sleepy small town of Vandalia, the past abruptly catches up with her - and brings her to the edge of the abyss. The killer leaves seemingly unrelated clues with each body: A lock of hair, rosebuds, sewing thread - none of the investigators can make sense of any of it. But with each victim, Stella pieces together a picture of horror that brings a terrible suspicion to light: Is this all the handwriting of her tormentor from her childhood? Are the crime scene clues hidden messages that only she can decipher?
Stella must not only face the biggest case of her career, but also the demons of her own past. In the process, one thing becomes clear: the small town of Vandalia has its very own secrets. Dark, murderous secrets. And everyone who tries to uncover them finds themselves in great danger...
I loved this book. There was so much suspense, especially as it got closer to the end. It ended up getting so intense I could feel it in my chest as I was so absorbed in the story with no idea what was going to happen next. I loved the characters too. That being said if you are one of those people who believes the main character must be rock solid and show no emotion this may not be the book for you. Stella cries, she breaks down, she talks to herself, but who wouldn't under that amount of stress? Bodies are piling up quickly, the local law enforcement is not happy with big city detectives calling the shots, especially with the lead detective being a woman. On top of the resistance from the locals Stella is also dealing with PTSD and repressed memories resurfacing. To make things worse still she knows this case has connections to her past but nobody believes her. The memories are coming back in pieces and she must race to try to pull together enough of her memories to figure out what is going on before it is too late. Stella is a very flawed person. She doesn't always have the best attitude or get along with everyone and doesn't always succeed at keeping herself together which I know bothers some people who think main characters must never show weakness but to me that makes me love her even more that she is so real and imperfect. I see her as a very strong individual just for surviving and for not giving up.
This could have been an episode of Law & Order or Criminal Minds because it has everything from murder & small town cops to child kidnapping and the foster system. It wasn't very fast paced in my opinion, but I can say that the author didn't include extraneous information or dialogue either. What's there is needed to unravel the mysteries.
I read A LOT of books, like every other day a new book, so please know that I am exceedingly picky about things like spelling or grammar errors, or something that disrupts the flow of a story such as a repeated mannerism "she flipped her hair" or things that take you out of being there by reminding you that you are reading. This was the very reason I held back from giving more stars. The flow was repeatedly disrupted by " self talk". So much so that I almost stopped reading, I mean it was really annoying on more than one occassion. I completely understand that we, as humans speak aloud to ourselves in various situations, some more than others (cough cough I have no idea why you're looking at me that way), but the beauty of reading a book is that you always get to know what a character is thinking without them opening their mouths and saying it to themselves out loud. Not only did Stella do that way too often, but at one point she had a thought and then confirmed it verbally to herself. That really distracted me and I honestly feel that if the author would limit or even remove it, I would have been able to better enjoy the story.
That being said, if you don't mind going back and forth between thoughts and verbalizations to ones self by the main character, I do believe you would enjoy this book. It had well rounded and likeable characters and a good storyline that kept me reading to the very end. I look forward to seeing if the next book is a bit more developed!
❗️Research age demographics, CWs, and TWs for these books prior to reading to determine whether or not they're appropriate for you.
Stella Carrigan was a nice change of pace for a lead character in a Psychological Thriller. Not being 1 of the Boys puts her in a uniquely precarious position with all the men she works with but she handles it well most of the time.
I started this just a could hours ago and I couldn't put it down. I like that they gave her a low key romance twist but that the primary filler was just good old police work and murder plot twists. I was so Ecstatic that it wasn't placed in ohio or WVA I think I enjoyed it a little more.
Lisa Kent did a great job of portraying what rural towns are like with their stubborn mentality towards outsiders and life long traditions. This was my 1st book by her and I was definitely not disappointed at all. I look forward to reading more of her books!
Detective Stella Carrington is the poster child for the Chicago Police Department, she has gotten the rank of Detective faster than anyone else, and never left a case that wasn't solved. She has had a rather rocky past, grew up in the foster care system, and advocates for women and children. When a series of murders happen in a neighboring small town, her past is thrown in her face. But no one believes her. Someone knows about her past, and is leaving her cryptic notes...but who is it? A very good psychological story. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I liked this book. It moved along smoothly and kept my attention. It reminded me of the old Mary Higgins Clark books, which were pretty much the gold standard back in the day, for the plot twists. There were a few typos and overuse of a couple of words, like “smirked”, but overall it was a really good read. Looking forward to reading the next one. I recommend it.
A little disappointing. Didn’t like the female lead - Stella - and felt the background story was too drawn out. I always finish a book even when I don’t love it and was glad the ending was good. But I don’t recommend this book as it does get really boring in several places. I’ve read this author before and loved some of her other books. Can’t always have a home run, I guess.
Not exactly the fast paced story I was expecting, a little slow at times, but still good. It was entertaining and engaging, although I was disappointed in the ending. It was so fast, it was like a race to see how quick it could be wrapped up. I am voluntarily leaving a review after receiving an ARC.
Stella Carrigan has a past she tries to forget but it rears its head in this frightening murder mystery. Local cops call in the big guns then fight everything they try to do. Meanwhile Stella is dealing with flashbacks that get in her way. Can she keep her mind long enough to solve this one?
Wow! Lisa Kent is another new -to -me author,but I can assure you that if she has written other thrillers that I will be looking for them. My heart rate needs some time to slow down, and this book is extremely creepy! What a fabulous job by Lisa Kent. I would recommend this book to all of my friends who love thrillers! It is exceptional!
You just never know what goes on in the mind of another!!! What makes them tick? When women are murdered in a small town five hours south of Chicago, what connection does it have to do with a female Chicago cop? Can she figure it out before anyone else dies?
Chicago detectives asked to help a small southern Illinois town solve a murder which turns into a series of murders. The lead detective has flashbacks and thinks the murders have a connection to her. Well written psychological thriller. Highly recommend.
A new author and a new series. This was off to a pretty good start. As a reader you will probably see where it is going from the beginning . My only negative comment would be that partners means partners, not leaving one in harms way.
The characters were well played throughout the whole book, a very surprising ending fit right into the story and tied everything together that was happening in the book. Well written to describe the characters for the readers.
The careless grammatical errors annoyed me. The book was fine. Characters were likable. I’ll probably read the next to see if it gets better. Definite potential
I read this book with kindle unlimited. It is a very good who done it. It’s the 1st book in a long time that had me looking for additional time to read.