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The Fragile Ones by Jennifer Chase Also by this author: Little Girls Sleeping , Her Last Whisper, Flowers on Her Grave, Last Girls Alive
Series: Detective Katie Scott #5
Also in this series: Little Girls Sleeping , Her Last Whisper, Flowers on Her Grave, Last Girls Alive
Published by Bookouture Genres: Crime, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 299
Format: eARC
Source: from Netgalley
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When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.
Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.
Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area. Has this twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?
A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!
Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. I love Detective Scott so I was very excited to see what trouble she got herself into this time.
Katie is finally getting a grip on her PTSD when it is triggered again by this case. Jennifer shows that no matter how far you think you have got and how under control you are unfortunately you can always be triggered. Katie does show us that you can overcome these moments and keep going. Katie is resilient and will never give up on her case. I was exhausted just reading everything she goes through in this book so I can only imagine how she felt.
The case itself is complex. The killer is very disturbed and is an extreme manipulator. Jennifer had me tense and on edge until the very end. She really puts her characters through the wringer! I was shocked when everything was finally revealed. Jennifer did such a good job of layering the story and providing that shock ending.
This book will grip you from the first page until the last. I can’t wait for more!
About Jennifer Chase
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
Jennifer Chase was born and raised in California and still lives there with her husband, dogs and cats. In addition to writing and consulting, Jennifer enjoys spending time outdoors, both at the beach and hiking, and engaging in some amateur photography.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
@JChaseNovelist Thank you!