TRIGGER WARNING: misogyny and violence against women including sexual assault and child sex trafficking, racism
Police pull over a car and discover a body in the boot with a bullet hole in his forehead. The occupants of the car are two wives from the polygamous community and a girl of 12. All of the females refuse to cooperate, leaving detective Eve Bennet with no option but to arrest them all. Finally the girl speaks to beg for help…
Pray For Her is the third book in the Eve Bennet series. I have previously read and reviewed the second book in the series, Lost Little Angels. There are some mentions about events and outcomes from the earlier books so I would advise reading them in order.
Eve has deep concerns about the polygamous comunity that she escaped from. The zealous behaviour of the men eager to please the prophet and the ensuing enslavement of the women makes for very difficult reading. Included in this book is a vulnerable young girl who is due to be married and raped by a much older man. I feel deeply uncomfortable about the depiction of polygamy in this series but I think this is a sign of how vivid the writing, plot and characters are. This book also shows racism but the writer also makes it clear how unacceptable this is.
Once again Eve’s personal life is entangled due to her knowledge and relationships within the community. Her stepfather returns and is given a position of authority and she also clashes horns with the new sheriff. Eve’s life is in danger and this results in a terrible for the team and someone is hurt in her stead. Regardless, the team are determined to find out the truth about the body in the car and not be scared away. The tense atmosphere is maintained until the end and there is also plenty of drama and action.
Pray For Her is vividly written with a gripping plot.
The little girl trembles as a pair of dark eyes watch her every move. She’s been told to dig a hole big enough for a body and her heart races as she wonders who it’s for. She wants to run, but she knows she’ll be caught. So she fights back tears and begins to dig…
When police stop a car in the small town of Hilldale, they shudder as they pop the trunk and look inside. Covered in thick plastic, the body of a man lies totally still. In the car sit two women and a twelve-year-old girl, all refusing to speak.
As DetectiveEve Bennet is called in to investigate, she’s struck by the women’s calm demeanor. No stranger to the secretive local community, Eve knows the women won’t speak to her, but she’s sure she can get the young girl to tell her what happened.
When ten-year-old Beth finally opens up and begs for help, Eve’s blood runs cold. If the man in the trunk is an eminent member of the local church, as Beth says he is, they could all be in serious danger.
But Eve will stop at nothing to make sure Beth is safe, and when her search leads to a family home on a quiet little street, the last thing she expects is to come face to face with someone from her own dark past.
Will she face her demons and unravel the truth behind the man in the trunk? And can she save herself and Beth from the evil that haunts their lives?
Author Bio
Holly S Roberts is a retired homicide detective and the USA TODAY Bestselling Author of Play and Ruck (Completion Sports series). She is excited to announce a new crime thriller series published by Bookouture Hachette, Book 1 ONLY GIRL ALIVE and Book 2 LOST LITTLE ANGELS are now available. Book 3 releases 12/23. For Holly’s spicier side, you’ll love her anti-hero bad boys who will curl your toes (Hotter Than Hell series) and a lighter (not so spicy) humorous paranormal series with shifters and Hellhounds (Marinah and King). She also writes cozy mysteries under the pen name Suzie Ivy. She lives with her two spoiled dogs high in the mountains. Holly is a self-defense instructor and owned a martial arts gym where she taught women to kick butt. Visit wickedstorytelling.com for more info.
