None Shall Sleep by Ellie Marney (None Shall Sleep book 1)

“It's 1982, and the innovative FBI Behavioral Science section is breaking new ground. Emma Lewis and Travis Bell, two teenagers with valuable skills, are recruited to interview convicted juvenile killers for information on cold cases.

When they're drawn into an active case targeting teenagers, everything starts to unravel. Over Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between the FBI and an incarcerated serial killer, nineteen-year-old Simon Gutmunsson, who is a super-intelligent sociopath. And although Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's also an expert manipulator playing a very long game ...

Can Emma and Travis stop a serial killer on the loose - or will they fall victim themselves?” - taken from Goodreads.

This book is definitely a teenage Silence of the Lambs but Emma Lewis has a lot more moxie than Clarice Starling could ever hope for and has a reliable partner in Travis Bell. These two are tasked to interview convicted teenage serial killers but soon find themselves in the middle of an active investigation.where teenage victims are active. Fed valuable insights from a teenage Hannibal Lector, they soon learn that they are being played. Can Emma and Travis discover who the killer is before they become the next victims?

The story concludes with Some Shall Break now available.

Visit Ellie Marney’s website.

The Killing Code by Ellie Marney

 

“Virginia, 1943: World War II is raging in Europe and on the Pacific front when Kit Sutherland is recruited to help the war effort as a codebreaker at Arlington Hall, a former girls’ college now serving as the site of a secret US Signals Intelligence facility in Virginia. But Kit is soon involved in another kind of fight: Government girls are being brutally murdered in Washington DC, and when Kit stumbles onto a bloody homicide scene, she is drawn into the hunt for the killer.

 

To find the man responsible for the gruesome murders and bring him to justice, Kit joins forces with other female codebreakers at Arlington Hall—gossip queen Dottie Crockford, sharp-tongued intelligence maven Moya Kershaw, and cleverly resourceful Violet DuLac from the segregated codebreaking unit. But as the girls begin to work together and develop friendships—and romance—that they never expected, two things begin to come clear: the murderer they’re hunting is closing in on them…and Kit is hiding a dangerous secret.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was a great historical mystery that takes place during World War II. Kathleen Hopper was the companion to the sickly Katherine Sutherland. Upon her death, she left her identity to Kathleen so that she could have a better life. On the day she is leaving Arlington Hall for parts unknown, the War Department takes over to use the facilities as one of its code breaking units. As Kathleen is walking out wearing Katherine's clothes, she is asked if she would like a job since it is assumed she was an Arlington Hall girl. Soon Kathleen becomes Kit Sutherland.

Several months later, Kit and her new friends stumble upon a serial killer targeting young women like themselves. Can Kit help discover who the murderer is before the truth about her identity is uncovered? 

Visit Ellie Marney’s website.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath by Garth Nix (The Left-Handed Booksellers of London book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, The Left-Handed Booksellers of London, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“There is often trouble of a mythical sort in Bath. The booksellers who police the Old World keep a careful watch there, particularly on the entity that inhabits the ancient hot spring.

This time trouble comes from the discovery of a sorcerous map, leading left-handed bookseller Merlin into great danger, requiring a desperate rescue attempt from his sister, the right-handed bookseller Vivien, and art student Susan Arkshaw, who is still struggling to deal with her own recently discovered magical heritage.

The map takes the trio to a place separated from this world, maintained by deadly sorcery and guarded by monstrous living statues. But this is only the beginning. To unravel the secrets of a murderous Ancient Sovereign, the booksellers must investigate centuries of disappearances and deaths. If they do not stop her, she will soon kill again. And this time, her target is not an ordinary mortal.” - taken from Goodreads.

Our story now finds us in Bath and Susan Arkshaw is trying to find her way after discovering who her father is. After rescuing Merlin from a mysterious map, Susan, Merlin, and Vivien realize that a magical serial killer is lurking and will soon strike again. As the Booksellers work to uncover the killer’s motives, Susan’s father begins reaching out through her dreams. When the Booksellers discover that Susan is the serial killer’s next victim, will they be able to save her and what does her father want with her? 

After that ending, there has to be another book in this series.

Visit Garth Nix’s website.

As Good As Dead by Holy Jackson (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book 3)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first two books in the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder and Good Girl, Bad Blood, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Pip Fitz-Amobi is haunted by the way her last investigation ended. Soon she’ll be leaving for Cambridge University but then another case finds her . . . and this time it’s all about Pip.

Pip is used to online death threats, but there’s one that catches her eye, someone who keeps asking: who will look for you when you’re the one who disappears? And it’s not just online. Pip has a stalker who knows where she lives. The police refuse to act and then Pip finds connections between her stalker and a local serial killer. The killer has been in prison for six years, but Pip suspects that the wrong man is behind bars. As the deadly game plays out, Pip realizes that everything in Little Kilton is finally coming full circle. If Pip doesn’t find the answers, this time she will be the one who disappears . . .” - taken from Goodreads.com

I loved the first half of this book and really hope that Pip could find a way past her guilt over the Child Brunswick case. I thought her helping to clear a wrongly convicted man of murder was her way to move out of the past. What I was unprepared for was the dark turn that Pip takes in the second half of the story. This was an okay resolution to the story for me. I just wish there had been a more positive conclusion. 

Dead Silence by Kimberly Derting (Body Finder book 4)

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first three books in the series, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the series for you.

“Sometimes the dead can’t be silenced.”

Violet Ambrose is struggling to put her life back together after the events in The Last Echo. She now lives with an ever-present imprint of her own. Forced by Dr. Lee to stay in the FBI team led by Sara Priest, he keeps check on her weekly through unproductive office visits. The only true help he is able to provide Violet is the pills that allow her to sleep, drowning out the imprint. She has stopped her visits to the team’s center. She closed herself off from all of her friends over the summer despite their attempts to reach out to her. Her parents and boyfriend Jay are concerned by her behavior but allow Violet her space.

The start of senior year of high school brings a major surprise for Violet and Jay. Two new students have enrolled, Rafe and Gemma. Violet is further dismayed to find Rafe shares the majority of her classes. Turns out Dr. Lee is responsible for their transfers. Violet isn’t keeping her end of their bargain and fully committing to the team. She will work with Sara priest and the others. Dr. Lee continues to threaten to harm her friends and family.

In an attempt to get into the swing of things, Violet agrees to meet her friends at the lake. On her way there, two echoes cause her to take a detour to follow them. Finding herself at a locked gate to the house, Violet decides to check out the scene herself instead of calling for backup. Inside the house, she discovers three bodies but only two echoes. She knows the only person she can call is Rafe and calling him means letting Sara know as well. She persuades her Uncle Stephen to let her visit the scene again. Placed on a couch are a man, woman and little boy. Violet notices again that the little boy doesn’t have an echo. In looking around the house, she sees a photo on the refrigerator of a young couple dressed for a dance. Not knowing who the girl is, they assume she is the dead couple’s daughter, who is missing. Violet recognizes the boy in the photo. It is Grady Spencer, the boy who tried to forcibly kiss her at a party last year. She lets her Uncle Stephen know.

Back at home, Violet’s mother has found a box of keepsakes that belonged to Violet’s grandmother, the one she shares her ability with. Digging around, she discovers that her grandmother kept journals for many years. At first, she believes reading them would be an invasion of privacy but her grandmother is the only other person she knows who had the same ability. Getting a glimpse into her life, Violet realizes why she didn’t get an echo from the little boy. Calling Sara, she asks if the little boy was missing his heart. Shocked, Sara tells her he was and Violet lets her in on her suspicions.

Uncle Stephen stops by to inform Violet that Grady is a suspect. Even after all that happened between them, Violet doesn’t believe that he is the killer. She goes by his house just to check if he carries an echo. She is relieved her doesn’t but is bothered by the fact that everyone at school gossips about him. Rumors are also going around about the student who discovered the bodies. Violet’s name isn’t mentioned but her friend Chelsea voices her suspicions to Violet.

If Grady isn’t the killer, then who is? What other secrets about her grandmother does Violet uncover by reading her journals? What is Dr. Lee adamant about Violet not quitting the team? Will Chelsea uncover Violet’s secrets? Can Rafe and Jay put aside their differences to be there when Violet needs them?

Visit Kimberly Derting’s website.

The Last Echo by Kimberly Derting (Body Finder book 3)

SPOILER ALERT!: If you haven’t read the first two book s in the series, The Body Finder and Desires of the Dead, Stop! I don’t want to ruin this series for you.

“In the end, all that’s left is an echo.”

Life has dramatically changed since Violet Ambrose began working with Sara Priest and her team of others like herself with psychic abilities. Between high school and spending time with her boyfriend Jay, she is now using her ability to locate bodies that have met with violent ends. For the first time, she doesn’t feel like a freak and now sees that she could truly do something productive with her ability. Even though her teammates’ abilities are still a mystery to her, Violet feels as if she has found a place to fit in. The only problem is Rafe. Violet feels a connection to him but is confused and a bit disturbed by her feelings, especially when the others say he is a different person around her. It doesn’t help matters when Rafe begins to cause some conflict in her relationship with Jay Heaton.When the team begins working on the case of a serial murderer that has been dubbed “the collector” because of the way he cares for his victims, Violet feels that maybe she could use her ability to stop him before he strikes again. What she fails to realize is that “the collector” has set his sights on her.

Will Violet be able to stop “the collector” before she is his next victim? Who exactly is the mysterious Rafe? What is his psychic ability? Will Violet and Jay be able to salvage their relationship?

Violet’s story will conclude with book four in 2013. In the short story anthology Enthralled: Paranormal Diversions edited by Melissa Marr, Ms. Derting has included a short story that provides readers with a tiny peek into Rafe’s background that is touched upon in this book.

Visit Kimberly Derting’s website.

The Body Finder series by Kimberly Derting

The missing dead call to Violet. They want to be found.The Body Finder - Book One

Violet Ambrose has a unique ability, the dead call to her. By using an “echo”, she is able to sense a body’s location through smells, sounds and sometimes colors that they emit but only a body whose life has been cut prematurely short by the actions of another. Not only do the dead have an echo, but the person responsible for their death bears an identical imprint of their victim’s echo as well. A killer whether they mean to or not, cannot hide from Violet. An ability inherited from her grandmother, Violet is the only person who knows the echoes are there.
Violet discovered her first human body when she was eight-years-old while in the woods with her father. Now eight years later, she discovers body number two while celebrating the end of summer at the lake with her childhood friend, Jay Heaton. Soon the small town of Buckley, Washington is terrorized by a serial killer who is targeting young girls. For the first time Violet begins to see her ability as a gift in hopes she can located the killer before there is another death.

But sensing dead bodies isn’t the only complication in Violet’s life. Jay is causing some confusion in Violet’s life. Over the summer, he came into his own and now the girls at school have taken notice and so has Violet. Struggling to deal with her feelings towards her friend since childhood, Jay seems to be the same old Jay, except when someone else takes interest in Violet. When Violet hatches a plan to look for the serial killer, Jay reluctantly agrees to help. When things don’t go as planned and Violet puts herself in danger, Jay becomes fiercely protective and Violet begins to hope that his intentions are more than friendship.

What happens when Violet unknowingly attracts the killer’s attention and she becomes his next target? And can Violet figure out her burgeoning feelings for Jay before it’s too late? Equal parts mystery and romance, readers will be left on the edge of their seats to find out not only who the killer is but whether Violet and Jay will take their friendship to the next level.

Desires of the Dead - Book Two

On a day trip to Seattle with a friend, Violet Ambrose soon hears the echo of a body waiting to be found. When she realizes that it is locked in a shipping container, she places an anonymous phone call. Violet unwittingly draws the attention of the FBI, who realize that she possesses a special talent, even if they are not sure exactly what she can do.

As Violet is trying to figure out the rules of her new romantic relationship with her best friend Jay, she unwittingly becomes the target of someone's obbession. When Jay starts to spend more time with Mike, a new boy in town, Violet begins to flirt with the idea of using her abilities to help the FBI. But when the FBI becomes interested in Mike's family, Violet is drawn in to a dangerous mystery.

There are currently a total of four books planned in the Body Finder series with book three expected to be published in 2012.

Visit Kimberly Derting's website.

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