Detective Amanda Steele #13
by Carolyn Arnold
Published: February 20, 2025
Publisher: Bookouture
Genre: Hard-Boiled, Mystery, Crime Thrillers, Police Procedural, Organized Crime Thrillers, Serial Killer Thrillers, Murder Thrillers
Blurb:
As
the wall is peeled back, everyone falls silent. Then they see her.
The near-perfect remains of a young female, two jelly bangles and a
neon necklace being the only clues to how long she had been hidden
there. But who was she? And who could have possibly wanted to take
such an innocent life?
When
the body of girl is discovered in the walls of a Woodbridge
church, Detective
Amanda Steele is
immediately called to the scene. On arrival she meets FBI Special
Agent Sandra Vos who explains that while negotiating a hostage
incident moments before, a gun was fired. The bullet missed its
target but exposed human remains.
The victim has been
perfectly preserved, her jewellery and summer dress taking Amanda
back to her own teenage years. DNA quickly confirms that the victim
was taken over thirty years ago. Thinking about her own daughter,
Amanda cannot imagine the devastation for the young girl’s family
and vows to find the killer.
Amanda and her
partner Trent determine
the suspect behind the attempted shooting, Cameron
Cofell,
had a very clear reason for exacting revenge on the church’s
priest. As they question the wider community, a neighbour reveals her
long-held suspicions too. But when she is found murdered, Amanda
knows this killer is prepared to do whatever it takes to keep their
dark secret from ever coming to light.
Soon the
investigation takes Amanda and Trent to an abandoned farmhouse—a
place that haunts Cameron’s nightmares—where they find a faded
photograph that holds the mystery of another chilling cold case. But
just how far back does this evil go, and how much will Amanda and
Trent need to sacrifice to find the killer?
A
totally addictive crime thriller that will leave you breathless and
have you racing through the pages. Perfect for fans of Kendra Elliot,
Robert Dugoni and Rachel Caine.
My Review:
Hidden Angels is the thirteenth book in Carolyn Arnold's Detective Amanda Steele series. As always with a Carolyn Arnold novel, Hidden Angels captivated me from the very first page and never let go. I have read every book in the Detective Amanda Steele series and loved each one.
Hidden Angels kept me glued to the pages as the secrets and suspense poured out page after page. Hidden Angels is a great yet sad story. I love how Carolyn starts with the end and then leads us through how it happened.
In Hidden Angels, an eight-year-old girl was taken in broad daylight while her parents were right there. Twenty-three years later, the girl's body was found inside the wall of a church. The priest was shot in the process, which led to the discovery of the body. Did the shooting of the priest have anything to do with the body in the wall?
Detective Amanda Steele and her partner, Detective Trent Stenson, have a long list of suspects to question, as the priest is not revealing anything about his congregation. Is the priest trying to protect his congregation, or is he covering up for himself? What is going on with this priest? Why was he shot? Who shot the priest?
Amanda and Trent’s investigation uncovers many hidden secrets that do not want to be revealed. Each clue leads to another, and just when you think you have it all figured out bam! You’re turned in another direction, taking you back to where you began, trying to figure out again what happened.
Amanda and Trent’s investigation reveals the girl's life story in the wall and what may have happened to her over the years. Who took the girl and why? I love the profiling aspects of stories like these. I also appreciate how crime scenes have their own stories to tell.
I have to say that Carolyn Arnold is one of the best storytellers I have ever read. Her stories keep me glued to the pages, and once I start reading, I know I won’t be able to stop until I find out what happened. Yes, I know that once I start one of Carolyn’s novels, I’ll be tied up for a while.
I highly recommend Hidden Angels to all crime thriller fans! Grab a copy of Hidden Angels today!
Be sure to 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
Her Last Words #9
Missing Before Daylight #10
The Wildfire Girl #11
Her Deadly Rose #12
Hidden Angels #13
Goodreads

0 comments:
Post a Comment