Thursday, August 3, 2023

BLOG TOUR - Chief Maggie Riley 1 and 2

  


 
Title:  The Girl Who Lied
Author:  Shannon Hollinger
Publisher:   Bookouture
Series:  Chief Maggie Riley #1
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   302
Date of Publication:   August 2, 2023
My Rating:   4 Stars 

DESCRIPTION:

Rain hammers the earth and a vicious wind rattles the trees. Then lightning strikes, the flash illuminating a young girl staggering out of the woods, her brown eyes wide with fright, a silent scream on her lips…


There’s a storm approaching the tiny Maine town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley comes across the body of a man, blood seeping from stab wounds into the damp forest floor. As she desperately struggles to secure the evidence before the rain hits, Heather, a local teenage girl, emerges from the woods, shivering and unable to talk.

 

Maggie, once a high flying big-city detective, lost everything when her four-year-old brother went missing five years ago. Heart-broken, she’s never stopped searching for him: but now she is plunged back into the world she left behind.


The victim, Maggie discovers, knew secrets about everyone in isolated Coyote Cove. It seems there are more local suspects in this case than people she can rule out. And with Heather still traumatised, Maggie struggles to unravel her strange appearance at the crime scene. Until, following a faint, bloody trail deep into the forest, she’s horrified to unearth what the terrified girl’s been hiding…


But when Heather is kidnapped, the battle to identify the killer becomes a race to save an innocent girl’s life. And with the whole town terrified, Maggie is shocked to uncover that this twisted killer is much closer to home than she’d ever imagined. Battling her own demons and memories of her missing brother, how far will Maggie have to go to save Heather? Or will another innocent young life be lost forever...?


A totally addictive crime thriller packed with suspense. If you love Lisa Regan, Louise Penny and Melinda Leigh, you’ll love The Girl Who Lied.


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MY THOUGHTS: 

Becoming the chief of police in a small town certainly presents its challenges for Maggie Riley. Her recent discovery of the body of a dead man is her newest case. Shockingly, when a young girl named Heather suddenly appears, Maggie cannot help but wonder if this girl has anything to do with the dead body. 

What makes this book, and Maggie’s case, so interesting are the multiple points of view, including that of Maggie and the girl Heather. This increased the tension in this excellent start to a new series. 

I loved how this book explored Maggie’s past. Never forgetting a past tragedy in her personal life, as well as to why she left a successful job as a detective in a big city. This rounded out a new character, with enough intrigue and drama to keep my attention. I was fully immersed in the story, and in fact, went right on to reading books two and three in the series, Their Angel’s Cry and The Shadow Girl.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

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Title:  Their Angel’s Cry
Author:  Shannon Hollinger
Publisher:   Bookouture
Series:  Chief Maggie Riley #2
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   334
Date of Publication:   August 2, 2023
My Rating:   4 Stars 

DESCRIPTION:

The little dog trembles and whimpers, but refuses to move. Maggie reaches further into the undergrowth, trying to tempt it out. But as she moves closer, she sees something that stops her heart—a tiny, shivering baby, wrapped in a thin, pink blanket, saved only by its loyal protector.


There’s a ferocious storm heading toward the isolated town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley gets the call every cop dreads. Three bodies have been found on Rattlesnake Mountain, half a day’s hike from civilization. And when Maggie finally reaches the site, exhausted and freezing, she discovers something even more terrifying—a tiny baby girl, kept alive only by the warmth of a small dog who refuses to leave her side.


As Maggie races the baby to safety, she wonders, why on earth the family risked hiking the mountain in this weather? Who were they and who could possibly have killed them?


A former detective, Maggie may be an experienced investigator, but she’s still an unwelcome newcomer. Battling town prejudice, her fears for the orphaned baby, and the increasingly dangerous weather, Maggie soon discovers the case is far more complicated than she could have imagined. The family is not who they seemed. The mother has never had a baby, there’s no link between them at all. So whose baby is it, and where are they now?


With Coyote Cove cut off by the storm, Maggie knows that wherever the killer is, they won’t be able to leave. Stuck in town with a murderer on the loose, Maggie must race to find them before anyone else gets hurt. But she hasn’t counted on the killer taking matters into their own hands, and going after Maggie first…


An utterly compelling and addictive crime thriller, perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, D.K. Hood and Lisa Regan.


BUY LINKS:
MY THOUGHTS:

As if the discovery of three dead bodies isn’t shocking enough, a tiny baby and a little dog are found as well. Desperate to get the baby to warmth and safety, Chief Maggie Riley certainly has her hands full. Why were they all in the mountains in such inclement weather? Even more, how did the baby survive?

Maggie struggles to find the identity of the dead bodies, all while remaining concerned for the welfare of the young baby. As the weather turns worse, Maggie finds herself in a race against time. 

What an excellent second book in a thrilling new series by Shannon Hollinger. Thankfully I was able to binge the first book and also the third book, The Shadow Girl. Maggie is quite an interesting character, and her back story caught my attention, as well as the small town politics she is living with now. Also, the unraveling of Maggie’s past as well as her fiancĂ© Steve’s secrets added an additional layer to this second book. I loved the twists in this story and this is one series I am eager to follow. 

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn't just seen the dark side of humanity - she's been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.

Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.

Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.

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