Exposure by Ramona Emerson

 

The plot:  Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer with the Albuquerque police department. She can also see the ghosts of murder victims. And since her last case, when she almost died, the ghosts won't leave her alone. It's making her sick. She heads to her grandmother's house in Tohatchi hoping to find some healing on the Navajo reservation. But she gets drawn back into a murder investigation in Gallup, where a detective suspects that a serial killer is stalking and killing indigent Native Americans.

My thoughts:  I loved Emerson's first novel about Rita Todacheene; Shutter was a magical mix of Navajo myth and culture, mystery, suspense and ghostly hauntings. Rita is a fascinating character. This novel picks up where Shutter left off. It's more character-driven, with chapters alternating between Rita with all her current struggles and the serial killer's own story, which was more sad than creepy/scary. It also focuses on the plight of Native Americans in places like Gallup. It's both heartbreaking and enraging. This was a different mystery than what I was expecting, but it's a compelling read and I continue to be a fan of Rita Todacheene.  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Please Tell Me by Mike Omer

 

First lines:  Kathy limped alongside the road in the dark, hugging her doll to her chest. The doll was scared, because of the shadows, which was why Kathy clutched her so tightly. Sometimes, when you're scared, the only things that helps is a hug.

The plot:  Kathy is eight when she's abducted; when she shows up on the side of the road a year later she won't tell anyone where she's been. In fact, she won't speak at all. Child therapist, Dr. Robin Hart, is called in to help. She uses play therapy to help Kathy process her traumatic memories. "But as their work continues, Kathy's playtime takes a grim turn: a doll stabs another doll, a tiny figurine is chained to a plastic toy couch. In every session, another toy dies. But the most disturbing detail of all? Kathy seems to be playacting real unsolved murders." Which makes Robin turn to the police. Because if there is a serial killer out there, Kathy just might hold the secret to his or her identity. 

My thoughts:  The chapters in this quietly suspenseful psychological thriller flip between Robin, Kathy's mother, Claire, and Nathaniel King, the police detective working on the case, as well as a few chapters from the POV of the killer himself. My favorite part was Robin's work with Kathy; I found their play therapy interesting. I also really liked Nathaniel.  My least favorite character was Robin's selfish and narcissistic mother. What a piece of work! The mystery was well-paced. And the murders, though dark and based on horror movie murders, are never described in graphic or gory detail, which I appreciated. And I thought the ending was very gripping. All in all, I really liked this mystery. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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The First Death by Kendra Elliot

 

Deschutes County, Oregon

When Rowan Wolff was five, she and her brother, Malcolm, were kidnapped. Rowan was saved; her brother was never found. Now, twenty-five years later, Rowan helps to find the lost and the missing with her SAR dog, Thor. And every year on Malcolm's birthday, she returns to the forest where she was found to search for his remains. On one of these searches, she discovers the body of a young woman. Her death seems to match the recent murders of two other young women. Detective Evan Bolton, who's assigned to the case, suspects they might have a serial killer on their hands. And the more he investigates, the more convinced he becomes that these cases relate somehow to Rowan's and her brother's kidnapping.

My thoughts:  Kendra Elliot knows how to craft a compelling mystery with some very engaging characters. Her Mercy Kilpatrick series is a favorite of mine, which is where she first introduces readers to Evan and Rowan. But now they have their own book. And I loved getting to know them better. Thor, too, of course! Elliot does an excellent job of weaving Rowan's past experiences in with Evan's current investigation. And the ending, as the truth of the situation finally comes out, is both exciting and satisfying. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to check out The Next Grave, and read more about Evan and Rowan and their developing relationship. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Other Kendra Elliot novels I've posted about:

A Merciful Secret

In the Pines

My Child Is Missing by Lisa Regan

 

The plot:  Two go into the woods, but only one comes out. That's the legend of The Woodsman. And it's spreading across Pennsylvania--scaring elementary-age children, challenging the teenagers. Detective Josie Quinn knows it's just a story, but when two sister go missing, and only the younger girl is found, she also knows something sinister is going on. The investigation into Kayleigh's disappearance is hard enough, but Josie's not sleeping because of some recent traumatic events, and then she learns about two other murders linked to the story of The Woodsman... and she starts to wonder if they have a serial killer on their hands.

My thoughts:  This is the eighteenth Josie Quinn book, and another excellent mystery in this addictive series. Josie and her partner, Noah Fraley, are so good together. I've liked seeing how their relationship has developed and grown over the course of these mysteries. And I found this particular mystery nicely twisty and unexpected. I've been reading this series in order, which I recommend, because Josie's past is fairly complicated. But all the books in this series aren't long and they read fast. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Other Josie Quinn mysteries I've reviewed:

Vanishing Girls (#1)

The Girl With No Name (#2)

Her Mother's Grave (#3)

Her Silent Cry (#6)

Cold Heart Creek (#7)

The Drowning Girls (#13)

Watch Her Disappear (#14)

The Hunter's Daughter by Nicola Solvinic

 

First line:  The first time I killed a man was on Tuesday.

Plot summary:  Anna Koray is a sheriff's lieutenant in rural Bayern County. It's where she grew up. But no one knows that. Just like no one knows her father was Stephen Theron, the notorious serial killer known as the Forest Strangler. For a long time, even Anna didn't know it because when she was young, a psychiatrist helped seal away her memories of him. But those memories are starting to return. And she's blacking out and losing time. Not only that, they just found a murdered young woman posed in a way that eerily resembles her father's victims. Is it a copycat? Her father returned from the dead? The Forest God he served? Or is it her?

My thoughts:  Taut. Eerie. Dark. Atmospheric. Disturbing at times (though never graphic or gory). And very compelling. The Hunter's Daughter is a layered mystery that kept me guessing until the end. Anna is a complex character haunted not only by her childhood memories, but by her father's legacy. There are times when she questions her own sanity. She's tried to be a good person and a good police officer, but people keep dying around her. And she's desperate to keep her past a secret, even to the point where she interferes with the murder investigation. I liked how I was never totally sure if I could trust her or not, though I really wanted to, because she's also a very sympathetic character. There were a lot of twists and red herrings along the way, but good hints and clues, too. And the ending was satisfying. I liked this one a lot. 

My rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Watch Her Disappear by Lisa Regan

 "In all the years she had been on the Denton police force, Josie had never encountered a dead body on prom night."

 

The plot:  Gemma Farmer, a fifteen-year-old girl who went missing in January is found dead on her sixteenth birthday wearing a brand new prom dress. The way she was killed is eerily similar to another missing girl's murder two decades ago. That girl, who was also found on her sixteenth birthday, was Chief Bob Chitwood's younger sister. How are the two girls connected? Who helped lure them away from their homes in the middle of the night? And can Detective Josie Quinn and the other members of Denton's small police force find the murderer before he kills another teenage girl?

My thoughts:  This is the fourteenth book in one of my favorite mystery series. Lisa Regan writes a taut crime thriller. I've come to really like Josie Quinn, Noah Fraley, and her other characters. And the mysteries themselves are sometimes dark, always puzzling and often unexpected. Normally I recommend starting with the first book in this series, Vanishing Girls, but I think you could easily jump into this series with this book because the mystery is not tied to Josie's personal history and past like so many of the other books in this series are. Watch Her Disappear is well-written, fast-paced, suspenseful and compelling. Another solid 4-star read. 

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Girl 4

         The first three girls took a lot of planning, but even with my letters, my clues, the tip-offs, only one detective seemed concerned. But they'll start to take me seriously after Girl 4; they won't have a choice.
         So I write another letter. I give them the chance to stop me before it happens.
         How long will it take them to piece everything together? I give them everything they'll need apart from the name.
         Girl 4.
         She changes everything.

 So begins a cat-and-mouse game between Detective Inspector January David and an elusive serial killer. The pieces of this chilling psychological thriller come together in a masterful puzzle of mystery and suspense. I really liked the way Will Carver weaves together his different narrative voices. And it reads fast! January David is a complicated character:  he's imperfect, drinks too much, and has visions, but he's completely dedicated to his job and solving these horrific crimes, even as the serial killer continually stays two steps ahead of him. I liked him. Be warned, though, this novel is dark and parts of it are a little graphic. But it's still a good read and there's a twist at the end I did not expect. (Which makes it a good choice for my "Twisted" Reading Bingo square.) All in all, I'd read Carver again, especially with D.I. January David as the main character.

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Similar read:

     Five by Ursula Archer