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Katie Scott has been promoted and is now a detective, assigned to heading up the cold case department. The first case she chooses is that of Amanda who claimed to have been kidnapped but then refused to cooperate with police after they doubted her in light of no evidence.

Katie makes contact with Amanda and convinces her to trust her, but within days Katie is called to a crime scene with Amanda’s body at its centre. Katie tracks down another potential victim in a psychiatric ward who is too traumatised to remember her own identity. And then they get the news that another victim has been snatched…

Her Last Whisper continues in the narrative style of Jennifer Chase’s previous book in the series, Little Girls Sleeping. Tha majority of the focus is on Katie and her investigation rather than the murderer and victims, although we do have brief chapters showing their perspective to bring out the human element of the case.

Katie remains a strong lead character, supported by her army dog Cisco and new partner McGaven. Her relationship with childhood friend Chad has not progressed since the last book as they have both been concentrating on their careers. Katie’s life is still affected by her army flashbacks and in this book she has a side investigation of trying to locate a fellow vet’s brother (I did wonder if the two cases were linked, suspicious old me.)

The plot is delivered in short chapters which keep the pace flowing quickly and bring new developments to the case with urgency. The conclusion of the book had more explanation than the previous one (which had been my only complaint) so this was a good solid police procedural novel.

Book Description:

Katie focuses her mind, trying to keep another anxiety attack at bay. The victim’s long brown hair is slick and wet, her body rigid in the grass. She looks more like a mannequin than the woman Katie had spoken with only yesterday, the woman she had promised to protect…

When a cold, naked body is discovered by a couple on a jog through the lush woodlands of Pine Valley, California, new recruit Detective Katie Scott is stunned to discover the victim is Amanda Payton – a much-loved local nurse and the woman at the heart of an unsolved case she’s been investigating whilst getting a grip on her crippling PTSD.

Weeks earlier, Amanda had run, battered and bruised, out into the headlights of a passing patrol car. She claimed to have just escaped a kidnapping, but with no strong evidence, the case went cold. The Pine Valley police made a fatal mistake… 

Katie is certain the marks on Amanda’s wrists complete a pattern of women being taken, held captive and then showing up dead in remote locations around Pine Valley – and she won’t let someone die on her watch again.

But then a beautiful office worker with a link to the hospital where Amanda worked goes missing. With only days before the next body is due to show up, can Katie make amends for her past by saving this innocent life?

Totally gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Nothing will prepare you for this nail-biting roller-coaster ride…

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.

Links:

https://authorjenniferchase.com/

@JChaseNovelist