The girl trips over branches, losing her footing. The darkness swallows her and she grabs thin air as she falls, her scream piercing the night. When she slams into the bottom of the pit, her heart hammers. She can’t believe what she’s seeing—a pile of perfect white bones…

In the small town of Crooked Creek, where the Appalachian Mountains climb into the clouds, nineteen-year-old Mandy’s Spring Break takes a sinister turn. Detective Ellie Reeves races straight to the scene, driving through the winding roads to the abandoned orphanage.

Ellie saves the teenage girl but discovers human remains that have been there for thirty years, ever since the home for children closed down. Her heart shatters at the thought that they might belong to the helpless orphans.

Working day and night on the case, Ellie searches for the orphanage’s files, but they have been stolen—somebody is clearly trying to cover their tracks. As she interviews the residents of the mountain community, Ellie finds out that almost everyone connected to the children’s home has disappeared.

Then a woman is found dead, her body marked with a strange symbol. When Ellie learns that the victim used to work at the orphanage, it’s clear that a twisted killer is trying to stop the truth coming out.

Ellie vows to solve this case that spans decades and, when her research into the meaning of the symbol leads her to a local business at the heart of recent controversy, she’s on the right track. Can she bring the secrets to light before another innocent person is murdered? And when she gets too close to uncovering the truth, will she survive?

A totally gripping and pulse-pounding crime-thriller that will have you holding your breath as you race through the pages! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh.

Detective Ellie Reeves is back with another case!

A teenage girl Mandy falls into a pit…only to find the pit contained human bones dated thirty years near a now abandoned children’s home. Meanwhile, a series of brutal slaying of women is taking place in the town. Ellie along with FBI agent Derrick wondered if there is any similarities between the two and Ellie finds many dark disturbing things about the former child house…

As usual, the author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story. The chapters were short, which made it easy and faster for the reader to read, and there were some twists and turns that you wouldn’t expect. The whole book feels like a roller coaster ride and I was kept at the edge of the seat, wondering what is going to happen next. The ending was unexpected but nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this book and cannot wait for Detective Ellie’s cases again! Worth five stars!

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