Detective Katie Scott and her trusty sidekick Cisco are back for another case. I can honestly say that while this was the most heartbreaking of the five cases (so far), it was also the one I had the hardest time getting into.
It is altogether possible that it’s solely on me for that (and probably is) but it might also be Katie herself.
I’ve enjoyed this series. However, in re-reading my review of the last one (Last Girls Alive) I see that I mentioned that the plot seemed to meander a bit and wasn’t as tight as the previous book. I would have to say the same about this book.
Katie is still sharp and working hard to keep her PTSD at bay. I would have liked to see a little more progress on this front, but I understand why the author keeps it at the particular level.
It’s a condition that can resurface at any time with any trigger – and for many, it never goes away even if the person thinks it has been combatted.
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I do still like the camaraderie between Katie and McGaven. They work well together. I do get a bit annoyed at how Katie’s reputation seems to be that of being wonderful. Nobody is that perfect.
That being said, I guess it could be because of her PTSD that people are amazed at how well she does? But that doesn’t make a lot of sense in the bigger picture, and certainly doesn’t fit with the characters.
One disappointment for me is that it seemed from the last book that the author was setting up for a good showdown of wills between Katie and the new undersheriff, Dorothy Sullivan. But unless I just plain ol’ missed it, there was virtually nothing involving the two of them.
I had high hopes for that, but even a search of the undersheriff’s name in the book gave one return. So I’m not exactly sure if I misread the interactions in the previous book, or if the author just decided to go a different direction.
I will say that I got a chill when it came to the description of Rock Creek (roughly ¾ of the way through the book). That was a nice bit of atmosphere that added to the mood.
Anyway, I did like the book, although this is the second in a row where I kind of felt something was missing. I’ll still read the series though because I like Cisco and I like the cold case aspect.
Author Bio:
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.
