Carolyn Arnold

This is the eighth in the Detective Amanda Steele series, one of my favorites. Although I have read quite a few of them, this would work as a standalone.

When her best friend’s older sister, Reese, goes missing, Ava contacts her aunt, Prince William County (Virginia) Detective Amanda Steele. Amanda drops everything to investigate and interrupts her partner, Trent’s, weekend for his assistance. It is the night of Reese’s prom and she was supposed to reign over it as Prom Queen. When her show more murdered body is discovered at the country club prom venue, the race is on to find the killer. Ava, who just can’t resist doing some of her own sleuthing, soon becomes a target for the killer. There are quite a few potential suspects, from the person Reese beat out for prom queen, to a questionable substitute teacher, to the staff at the country club….or could it be an unknown, someone Amanda and Trent haven’t yet considered?

Yet another of Arnold’s fast paced, engrossing police procedurals, I read it in one day, long into the night, because I could not put it down. Arnold knows how to capture and maintain her readers’ interest. I love the repeating characters, especially Amanda who, despite an earlier tragedy in her life, is a strong, capable, independent female and I enjoy the camaraderie between her and Trent.

Without going into the reason, because it would reveal a spoiler, the victimology and characters in this story gave me a lot to think about; it is still in my head. We have just too many mean girls, boys, and adults in this world.

Thanks to #netgalley and #bookouture for the ARC. show less

Carolyn Arnold is a must read author for me, so I am super excited to share the first book in her new series, Save Her Life (Sandra Vos #1).

If it turned out to be nothing, she’d look the fool.

I wonder how often someone has thought of that when something bad is coming their way.

Sandra Vos is part of the FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group and the Crisis Negotiation Unit. When not in the field, she’s manhunting criminals. She keeps her family’s wealth a secret. She’s forty seven show more years old, not a youngster, and I kinda like that. When she is called into a hostage situation, it makes her a target. The villain wants her to suffer and will use her teenage daughter, Olivia, to force her cooperation.

Carolyn Arnold uses a Prologue to set the hook right out of the gate. That’s why I love prologues. I love stories that get my heart pounding, unable to put the book down and Save Her Life does that very well. And that ending…WOWZA…love it. I can hardly wait to see what Sandra Vos will have to deal with next.

I want to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review Save Her Life by Carolyn Arnold.

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One of the things I absolutely adore about this series if that Madison isn’t as likable as most FMCs - she’s unapologetically flawed, and that makes her feel so much more real. Although I haven’t read every book in the series, I’ve enjoyed the ones I have, and this was no exception. Madison and Terry are back, but I must admit, a past life therapist was an interesting victim. The story moves along at a smooth pace, and there are so many suspects to sort through, that just when show more you’re sure you know who it is, another one starts looking more likely. I loved getting to dive further into Madison’s life, it adds depth to her character, and makes her feel more human than just having her be flawed does. If you enjoy thrilling mysteries with strong FMCs that aren’t perfect, and aren’t afraid to be a bit abrasive, then you absolutely should dive into this series! (This does work fine as a standalone, final note). show less

In The Line of Duty by Carolyn Arnold may not be the action packed, in your face suspense and danger that I love so much, but I do enjoy learning about the step by step procedures of a murder investigation, especially when it is one of their own…and the impact it has on the characters personal lives.

Carolyn Arnold has done her research, including the impact the media has on an investigation. I, too, think they dwell too much on the bad, never telling the whole story.

Madison is a detective show more with the Stiles Police Department and Troy, her boyfriend, is a member of their SWAT team. Their relationship takes a direct hit. Both of them were friends of the murdered officer, but Troy had grown up with him, been his best man and was the godfather of his children.

Troy’s nickname for Madison is Bulldog. She is tenacious, aggressive and determined, sometimes forgetting to eat and sleep. She’s like the energizer bunny, she doesn’t stop. Just the type of person you would want working your case, if you had one.

It takes a real knack to figure out who’s lying, who’s telling the truth, getting the information they need from uncooperative suspects and witnesses and Madison is like a dog with a bone, her mind putting the puzzle together, piece by piece.

I think their situation could actually be a benefit to their relationship if they could let the old baggage go, knock down some walls, and use the knowledge of the nature of the beast, their work, to overcome some of the bumps in the road sure to come their way. Imagine if you were the other half and not a police officer…their late nights, not knowing where they are and what they are doing, and the danger, never knowing if the car they pull over will have a criminal that will blow them away rather than be taken.

I became invested in the characters, even the most peripheral, because they all had their place in the story. Some were good, some were bad, but they all have a ring of truth to them. The police kept their cool, when they could have gunned down the suspects and got away with it. The bad guys did what bad guys do, lie and muddle the investigation.

I do like some humor with my danger and Carolyn Arnold supplied it. Madison and her partner Terry are quite a team and I look forward to more adventures with them

In The Line Of Duty by Carolyn Arnold rings of truth and realism, the slow and steady investigation into the murder of one of their own. I loved following each thread of the mystery, unraveling it a strand at a time, veering this way and that, eliminating one thread only to find another.

I only figured it out right before she told and I LOVE IT! Carolyn Arnold had to break it down for me. That is so rare, that I can only bow down and say I’m not worthy.

I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of In The Line of Duty by Carolyn Arnold. show less