Taken Girls
Detective Amanda Steele #8
by Carolyn Arnold
Published: June 20, 2023
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Hard-Boiled, Mystery, Crime Thrillers, Police Procedural, Organized Crime Thrillers, Serial Killer Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Blurb:
Music from the busy dancefloor echoes into the deserted room where the Prom Queen lies deadly still. A tiara rests on her soft blonde curls, but her face is frozen with fear, and her painted red lips are forever sealed shut in a silenced scream…
When Detective Amanda Steele’s niece, Ava, begs her to look for a missing schoolfriend, she immediately agrees to take on the case. Eighteen-year-old Reese left home three nights ago after fighting with her mother and hasn’t been seen since. But when the teenager’s body is discovered brutally murdered, poised dramatically at the prom venue, Amanda is devastated she didn’t save the girl in time.
Haunted by the scene, Amanda dives headfirst into the case. Chasing every lead, she is horrified when she discovers a potential key witness strangled in her own home. It soon becomes clear that the killer will stop at nothing to silence anyone who might reveal their identity. So when Ava mentions she saw someone acting strangely at the prom venue that night, Amanda’s heart stops.
And when Amanda’s worst nightmare comes true, and her beloved niece is taken, she knows that every second counts to uncover this twisted killer’s identity and bring Ava home safely. But can she crack the secrets of this killer’s deadly game before it’s too late?
A completely pulse-pounding and unputdownable crime thriller, perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
My Review:
Detective Amanda Steele is contacted by her niece Ava asking her to look for her best friend’s missing sister, Reese. Reese, eighteen-years-old stormed out of her home three days before after a fight with her mother. Ava and her friend are worried about Reese as tonight is prom night and Reese is prom queen. They know Reese would be there if she could.
On prom night a body is found posed in the bathroom. The body is that of Ava’s best friend’s sister, Reese. What happened to her? Who would do something like this? Ava like her aunt likes to solve crimes. Without anyone’s permission or knowledge, Ava starts her own investigation into her friend's death which catches the eye of someone unknown who starts to follow her around.
Soon there are a lot of suspects, girls that Reese beat for prom queen plus a few more. Just as the tension and the heat start to amp up another body turns up. Can Amanda and or Ava find the killer before anyone else is murdered maybe even Ava herself?
Taken Girls is the eighth book in the Detective Amanda Steele’s series. Taken Girls kept me on the edge of my seat as Amanda and Ava searched for the killer. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough on many occasions. There were many times I found myself choking up waiting to see what was going to happen next.
There was this one twist that had me in tears. I say a twists as I did sort of see it coming but it did take me by surprise all the same. At this point in the story, there was no way I could lay it down until I knew how it all turned out. I had to know who the killer was and how it all would end.
As with any book written by Carolyn Arnold, I highly recommend Taken Girls. Each book in the Detective Amanda Steele’s series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend that you read them all.
Be sure and check out all the books in the Detective Amanda Steele Series
The Little Grave #1
Stolen Daughters #2
The Silent Witness #3
Black Orchid Girls #4
Her Frozen Cry #5
Last Seen Alive #6
Her Final Breath #7
Taken Girls #8
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