Only Murder

Sadie Price #1

by Rylie Dark

Special Agent Sadie Price, a 29-year-old rising star in the FBI’s BAU unit, stuns her colleagues by requesting reassignment to the FBI’s remote Alaskan field office. Back in her home state, a place she vowed she would never return, Sadie, running from a secret in her recent past and back into her old one, finds herself facing her demons—including her sister’s unsolved murder—while assigned to hunt down a new serial killer.

Two women are found dead in a remote area of Northern Alaska, near Sadie’s hometown, floating under the ice, their bodies preserved, much the same way Sadie’s own murdered sister was found—a memory that still plagues her. The case strikes way too close to home, blurring Sadie’s judgment, stirring up memories of her estranged father and murdered sister, memories she’s not ready to grapple with.

This part of Alaska—icy, rough, remote, populated by outcasts—proves impenetrable even for a seasoned FBI agent like Sadie. The killer, matching his landscape, is more sinister and smart than anyone Sadie has encountered. Amidst the perplexing clues, Sadie remains sure of only one thing: he will strike again.

Against her wishes, Sadie must team up with Sheriff Logan Cooper—single, begrudging, and with a dark past of his own. Together, they must enter the canals of this killer’s twisted mind and seek help from the locals, however hostile, to solve the pattern of these murders before another girl turns up dead.

With a major storm coming, can Sadie solve the murders before it’s too late? Or will she end up as the next body floating under the ice?

An action-packed page-turner, the SADIE PRICE series is a riveting crime thriller, jammed with suspense, surprises and twists and turns that you won’t see coming. It will have you fall in love with a brilliant and scarred new character, while challenging you, amidst a barren landscape, to solve an impenetrable crime.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Audiobook, Suspense, Crime, Fiction, Mystery Thriller

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 12, 2021

About the author

Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting),of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting).

Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK

ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER

FIRST, MURDER (Book #1)

SECOND, DEATH (Book #2)

THIRD, ENVY (Book #3)

FOURTH, LUST (Book #4)

FIFTH, WRATH (Book #5)

HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

BEHIND YOU (Book #1)

BESIDE YOU (Book #2)

AFTER YOU (Book #3)

WATCHING YOU (Book #4)

JUDGING YOU (Book #5)

TARA STRONG MYSTERY

GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1)

GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2)

GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3)

GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4)

GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5)

SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ONLY MURDER (Book #1)

ONLY RAGE (Book #2)

ONLY HIS (Book #3)

ONLY ONCE (Book #4)

ONLY SPITE (Book #5)

ONLY MADNESS (Book #6)

MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SEE HER RUN (Book #1)

SEE HER HIDE (Book #2)

SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3)

SEE HER VANISH (Book #4)

SEE HER GONE (Book #5)

SEE HER DEAD (Book #6)

CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NO WAY OUT (Book #1)

NO WAY BACK (Book #2)

NO WAY HOME (Book #3)

NO WAY LEFT (Book #4)

NO WAY UP (Book #5)

NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6)

MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

TOO LATE (Book #1)

TOO CLOSE (Book #2)

TOO FAR GONE (Book #3)

TOO LOST (Book #4)

TOO BROKEN (Book #5)

Reviews

[Rich · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author an it was ok. The story was not bad and the main characters were ok but they sometimes felt as if they were all the same-hard to tell the difference at times. I also the the time line of the story was hard to beleieve at tines a lot was done in a few days. The main character was ok and the secondary characters were ok. I just could not believe she was a FBI agent, it was just not there for me. This writer has some talent but needs more experience and maybe a better editor. I was also tired of the plot line of a police officer coming back home to investigate the murder of a sister lol-been done many times. The ending felt very rushed and needed polishing . Will I read he next book in the series when it comes out no. It is not a bad book 3 stars on the dot and if you need something to read and to past the time -maybe worth it. I would say for the most part skip it and do not give it a spin unless short on reading material.

[Wonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Literally every cop novel cliché is in this novel...Cop/FBI beef, FBI agent with a murdered sibling in their past, small town bigotry, and the bright FBI female agent stupidly falling into the hand of their targeted killer...I am hoping it's only up from here...

[The Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

..... I know I read this. I just finished the second book and was familiar with the characters. So, did I really forget to log it? 🤔

[Cj Barwin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inconsistencies

Why would someone fly into Juneau when she needs to be in Anchorage? And then take a taxi (???) between the 2 cities? Almost 900 miles, covered in 9 hours...

Honestly I almost stopped reading that early on. The rest of the story improved, though a good copy editor would have helped.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay I guess. Didn’t like or dislike any of the characters since they were all kind of written the same/cardboard has more personality. Also, when the murderer was revealed all I could think was, who??? I don’t think I’ll continue this series since I honestly don’t give a shit about where any of this is going.

[Jennifer Glugosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this as an audiobook. It kept me interested though some parts were not believable. I have never been to Alaska and am totally clueless to the landscape inconsistencies.

[Cece Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

at first i thought it was going to be another detective thriller with the generic detective thriller formula but i was greatly mistaken with the plot twists, turns & mini cliffhanger this book ended on. so much so that i went and got the second book in this series immediately after reading lmao

[PelicanFreak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good mystery, plus I thought the cover was pretty—that made for my first venture into Rylie Dark and I expect it won’t be my last.

Managed to grip me from the beginning since it basically started out with a body … the Alaskan setting absolutely made it more intriguing. I’m not sure what it is about books set in Alaska but I’ve got a thing for them … is it just me?

I enjoyed the strong female lead, a detective / expert who, realistically, faces lots of adversity from her peers … it’s a good, quick read. Lots of ‘police procedural’ going on.

4 stars.
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️


Audio
This narrators was awful, if you’re picky BEWARE … she sounds like a robot. I actually thought it was a robot, but I see a human is credited with it.

The book was good, but I had to force myself to NOT tune out the awful narrator. I would listen to more from this author IF she uses a different narrator. Also , she repeatedly pronounced Inuit as “in - you - it” , which did NOT help w/ the robotic-vibe. Extremely cringe, and it came up A LOT.

1-star—I can’t even call it a performance, as it was literally just a robot-style dictation—narration.

⭐️

[Kellie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Meh, was just okay. I agree with some other reviews that stated Sadie wasn’t believable as an FBI agent- I saw the end about 1/4 through, yet she didn’t figure it out until the very rushed end… editing left something to be desired too… I kept myself to myself may not be incorrect, but who actually says that? The expression is “I kept to myself.” Yet it was repeatedly used, and niggled was repetitively used as well. It made reading very distracting. I also feel like the storyline was cliche and overdone. Overall, not terrible but not great and I won’t be finishing the series.

[mikey · Rating 1 out of 5]

horribly boring, i literally fell asleep reading it at the climax of the story, follows all the cliches of a stereotypical crime thriller with nothing to set it apart from the rest, all the characters are dull and boring and lack anything to make them memorable or interesting, including our main character. this felt like a filler episode on one of the bad seasons of criminal minds that everyone skips during their rewatches

[Dalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

storia interessante, ma troppi errori ne pregiudicano la lettura
in ogni caso continuerò la serie, la protagonista è un personaggio molto interessante. Inoltre, con questo caldo leggere di un nugolo di gente che vive in alska porta un certo refrigerio mentale

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to this as an audio book while traveling. Enjoyed the book and story line about Sadie coming back home to work with the FBI in Alaska. Excited to read the next book to see what happens with her relationship with her dad

[Scarlet Shumate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I have read and/or listened to five audiobooks this year with the same premise. Young female FBI agent seeks refuge in her hometown from bigwig FBI department that she may or may not have been kicked out of.

[Leighann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audiobook read

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Murder was an enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the plot. Although quick it was engaging throughout. I will read the next in the series!

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

[Siiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

OKEI enemmän semmonen 3.5 mut anyway!
Miksi piti jättäää loppu noin?!!

[Katie Ehresman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anchorage, Alaska FBI Agent 3.75 stars

Sadie Price is my new favorite Alaskan law enforcement officer, fashioned after Jodie Foster’s Liz Danvers (police chief) from True Detective Season 4.
Bodies found in frozen lakes, crazy swirling blizzards, and a dedicated agent who will not rest until the mystery is solved.

[Autumn Eckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written, very descriptive with imagery. I love a good mystery book. This is a series so excited to get into it.

[Abdeljalil Lahmouri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Why did they have to stop such a good story in the part where it got most exciting men

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Murder by Rylie Dark is the first book in the Sadie Price Mystery series. Profiler Special Agent Sadie Price requests reassignment to the Alaskan office, her home state, and where her sister was killed. When bodies of women are found dead in similar circumstances, Sadie ingrains herself into the investigation. An interesting mystery but very short and very much like other similar series and did not really stand out. I loved the descriptions of the Alaskan setting and lifestyle, but didn't really care much for the characters.

[Jess Greeley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often read but this Alaskan thriller provided such great detail that I felt like I was watching an episode of Criminal Minds :)

[Alexandra Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

About half way through it started losing interest unfortunately Idk what happened I'm gonna give this one a reread and give it another shot!

***UPDATE: on the reread i definitely enjoyed the second half more and I'm changing my rating from 3 to 4 stars! I'm absolutely grabbing the next book in this series!

[Rebecca Rothe · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first audiobook & was an easy transition for me from true crime podcasts to mystery audiobooks. But seriously the narrator was comically terrible—she was giving siri vibes for majority of the story, except for when she tried to do impressions of the characters. I was cackling (at her, not with her). It was so bad it was good. The beef between the small town cops & the hotshot fbi agent was way overdone and srsly annoyed me as the book went on. Also, the repetitive use of specific descriptions struck me as lazy writing & took me out of the story in the moment (i.e. the bar had seen better days, the house had seen better days, etc.) Overall, though, it was an easy enough plot to follow & digest and a nice change of pace from all my podcasts!

[Jen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Let me preface by saying I live in Alaska. I love to read books by Alaskan authors. But, I expect some believability. I finished this book as I was compelled by how poorly it was presented. I don't know if it was due to dismal research or no editing. If I could give 0 Stars, I would.

1. A 9 hour taxi ride from Juneau to Anchorage. You can't drive to Juneau. Plus, Anchorage has an international quality airport.
2. I believe the book take place in November. At this point the lakes are frozen over thus making it pretty difficult to dispose of a body.
3. Outhouses are not built large enough to house a table. And, why would you want one there?
4. Nancy Lakes is almost 2 hours north of Anchorage, depending upon traffic.
5. Driving, Author switched between a Jeep and Snowcat while driving out to various locations. Pick the appropriate vehicle for the conditions.
6. Helicopters don't fly at dusk during blizzards.
7. Continuing run and fight while sporting a spurting, arterial neck wound.
8. The cell phones always seem to work in the 'hinterlands.' Most commonly used term is The Bush. Coverage is still not that good everywhere.
9. The author constantly made Anchorage seem like a little, podunk town. It's the largest city in AK, vibrant, intellectual, sophisticated, multicultural.
10. Inuit people live primarily on the NW coastal area. Athabaskan people live in this area.

There are so many of these erroneous lines.

If you want good Alaskan authors/Alaskan settings, try Marc Cameron, John Straley, Dana Stabenow, Sue Henry; this list is by no way a complete.

[Nicole Ribble · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars because I finished the book. And it wasn't a terrible read, entertaining enough to finish.

Otherwise, this is a 1 star book.

It's full of typos and grammatical errors (watch out for those "math" users!). Seriously, get a better editor.

And hardly anything in the story is plausible, starting with FBI Agent Sadie flying to Juneau and taking a cab to Anchorage. What?? You don't have to be familiar with the geography to know that makes zero sense. And she arrived there pretty quickly it seemed.

Then... she goes straight to the FBI office, where she's notified of a dead body. They don't even know the manner of death, but they send the fed out. Okay...

Apparently, the FBI doesn't do background checks, because literally no one knows that Sadie is from Alaska. And she would prefer to keep it that way, but these things have a way of being found out.

She knows the first two main suspects, she went to high school with them. She even dated one! Yet she's allowed to question him alone... yup, no conflict of interest there. Apparently, there is only one actual detective around, that's the sheriff's sister (who is, of course, a total bitch), she's the only one that found out about Sadie's sister, who was also drowned decades earlier in the same area. Hmm...

Overall, this seemed like something I could have written in high school or college. Mildly entertaining to a less sophisticated audience, with little research and no editing, hastily put together to meet an essay deadline.

And the ending... predictable.

Won't read any others by this author.

[Judy Human · Rating 1 out of 5]

Another FBI female lead with childhood marred by neglect from a parent, prompting her to go into law enforcement. Really, artery nicked in the neck and you could run a distance, capturing the killer then driving your reluctant partner to safety, ensuring you still find the latest victim alive. I mean really. A person nicked in an artery would collapse, no matter your superhuman strength or all cylinders firing on adrenaline. Totally impossible. If a vein was nicked, more understandable, not an artery

[Roseanna Gossmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent plot, but this book just really needs a good editor. Fair number of typos and lots of cliche descriptions. And also just a little more research? DC headquarters is not in DC, but Quantico. Anchorage is not small enough to have only one bar, or for her to meet someone from high school in every location she goes to. Anchorage has an airport, and you can only ferry or fly in/out of Juneau. Timeline was unrealistically rushed. No autopsy happens that fast. etc.

[Stephanie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This writer needs to learn to use a map. I couldn't get past the horrendous geographical errors to finish the book.

Most stories about real cities or areas have some truth or accuracy to them. Not this one. Apparently the author has never seen a map of Alaska as evidenced by the nonsense descriptions of travel. And it gets worse from there.

I don't recommend the book to anyone.

[Maryann Hornbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept Me Reading into The Night

FBI Agent Sadie Price relocates from DC to Alaska after a rough case in hopes to unwind and recoop. But the minute she gets to the new office she’s pulled into a case.
Sadie was raised in Alaska, in this very territory so she’s familiar with the climate and terrain. But it’s been years since she left and it was with the idea she’d never return. Her mother died when she was young and left her and her older sister, Jessica, with her abusive and drunken father.
Her sister was found frozen and drown in a local lake and it was never resolved how it happened. As soon as Sadie got out of school she left Alaska. But here she was , back again.
No sooner did she meet her new boss when a young girl is found drowned and bloated in one of the many lakes. The sends her right into action trying to solve this case. Accident or murder? Then another young girls was found the next day. Sadie jumps right into this one too. Is this coincidence or serial killer?
Needless to say, Alaska decides it’s time for a blizzard. Sadie and her new sheriff are chasing every possible lead. And in the back of Sadie’s mind is the nagging question, is this tied to her sister?
The characters, local, and her own history make this a great read and some characters are not what they seem.
I think you’ll love this book as much as I did. It kept me up half the night to finally get the answers.