I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Stolen Mothers by Stacy Green Also by this author: The Girls in the Snow , One Perfect Grave, Lost Angels, The Girl in the Ground
Series: Nikki Hunt #9
Also in this series: The Girls in the Snow , One Perfect Grave, Lost Angels, The Girl in the Ground
Published by Bookouture on 15th July 2024
Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 274
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
Goodreads
Children run through the streets in their Halloween costumes, giggling happily, not noticing the blood on the house is real. A baby girl is tucked up asleep in her room. Her mother’s body lies motionless in the front yard, pink petals on the ground beside her…
Arriving in the quiet community of Mulberry Creek, Special Agent Nikki Hunt is shocked that amongst the chaos of costumes and fake, silver spider webs, a new mother called Kiania Watson has lost her life. A blooming rare flower placed carefully in her cold, bound hands. Nikki’s legs go weak: it’s the mark of a serial killer she’s met before.
Nine years ago, Nikki fell in pursuit of a masked man who’d killed a young girl at a cabin in rural Minnesota. Seeing her cradling the bump of her pregnant belly, he’d spared her life. She was told he’d died in a shoot-out days later. But the pink flower only grows at that cabin: it’s a message to Nikki.
Nikki’s team are quick to suspect Kiania’s abusive husband. But Nikki finds two further, similar murders in other states. Flowers were left in their palms when they died. Nikki’s heart breaks when she realizes all the victims were mothers to newborn babies.
Digging desperately into old case files, Nikki finds blood on a rock she secured nine years ago, which has never been tested. But not before receiving a desperate call that another woman has just been taken. This twisted killer is playing a deadly game, and Nikki must risk her own life if she has any chance of returning this mother to her child alive…
A dark, twisty and heart-racing thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat, reading it in one sitting. Fans of Kendra Elliot, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni will be addicted to the suspense in this tightly-woven page-turner.
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley. This is the 9th book in the series but could be read as a standalone.
I am a huge fan of this series and really love Nikki and her team. The team have worked together for a long, long time and work like a well-oiled machine. They trust each other and
This case was a scary one. It was brutal, especially as a new mother myself. I struggled a bit with the motive on this one. I didn’t really understand why the murderer was killing these women.
I really liked the story and found I was racing through page after page before I knew it, I was over halfway through the book. It was gripping, and the stakes were very high.
We got a bit of personal life from Nikki in this one but I would have liked to see a bit more. I like that Nikki wasn’t punished for being a working mother and an FBI agent by her family which does happen in other stories. Rory is very supportive as is Lacy.
This was an excellent addition to the series and I can’t wait for the next book!
About Stacy Green
Stacy Green is the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy. ALL GOOD DEEDS (Lucy Kendall #1) won a bronze medal for mystery and thriller at the 2015 IPPY Awards. TIN GOD (Delta Crossroads #1) was runner-up for best mystery/thriller at the 2013 Kindle Book Awards. Stacy has a love of thrillers and crime fiction, and she is always looking for the next dark and twisted novel to enjoy. She started her career in journalism before becoming a stay at home mother and rediscovering her love of writing. She lives in Iowa with her husband and daughter and their three spoiled fur babies.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2024 Goodreads Challenge
- 2024 Netgalley Challenge
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