Black Orchid Girls (Detective Amanda Steele series Book 4) – ARC Book Review

The first rays of sun filter through the tall trees, casting a faint light on the girl lying at the water’s edge. Her tears have frozen on her pale face, a black orchid rests against her cold white skin.

When hikers find the body of a beautiful young girl on the banks of the Potomac River, Detective Amanda Steele is shaken and confused. What is the significance of the delicate flower resting on the girl’s torso? A sign of affection, or a twisted killer’s calling card?

The girl is Chloe Somner, a local nineteen-year-old ecology student well-known to the park rangers and loved by all her classmates. Searching Chloe’s home, Amanda can’t work out who could have tempted her to the water in the early hours of the morning, but a long night hunting through cold cases gives her a possible lead: twenty years ago another local girl was murdered, a red rose left on her body. But why would this killer strike again now?

Focused on the past, the last thing Amanda expects is the news that Chloe’s roommate has been found dead, another black orchid left. Terrified that more innocent victims will follow, can Amanda uncover the significance of the flowers and stop this cold-hearted killer before he returns for the next orchid girl…?

A totally compulsive crime thriller! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.

Detective Amanda Steele is back with another crime!

Chloe Somner, a college student who is an environmentalist was found stabbed seven times, naked with a black orchid resting on her chest. Detectives Amanda Steele and her partner Trent were assigned to the case and finds many suspects who had a motive to kill Chloe–Josh, her ex-boyfriend, Ashton, who was bullied by Chloe and Josh back in high school, Luke and Stephanie, who thought Chloe was a competition. Luke had feelings towards Chloe who rejected him. Amanda also finds a similar case that happened almost twenty years ago to another college student who died in the similar fashion. Is there a serial killer on loose or does someone have a vendetta against Chloe Somner.

This is the fourth book of the Detective Steele case and so far, this book had been one of my favorite series! Too many viable suspects that you are clueless as to who would have a motive to kill Chloe, the drama, the romance…I felt like I was watching a movie, sitting at the edge of my seat, wondering what is going to happen next. The writing is spot on, the author does a good job of keeping the reader interested and immersed into the story. The forensics, the autopsies all looked like I was watching an episode of CSI or Law and Order and I couldn’t actually wait to see who would be the killer. The killer turned out to be a complete surprise and unexpected that I did not expect that ending. This was a fast paced thriller filled with twists and turns that you didn’t expect.

Overall, this is an unputdownable thriller that will keep you awake at all night! Worth five stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.