Books transport us to other worlds, this we know. But Jennifer Chase’s The Fragile Ones (Book #5 of Detective Katie Scott series) took me on a rollercoaster ride and managed to creep me out – I had to read it in one go to see how it ended.
The Fragile Ones
“Please Mommy, can Tessa and I go play on the swing by the creek?” the little girl begs, pushing a blonde curl from her eyes. “We’ll stay together, and we promise to be safe.” Hours later, their mother waits anxiously for her darling girls to arrive home with a list of reasons why they are late. But the front door never opens…
When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine—dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall—Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.
Carefully picking through the fragile remains, Katie makes the first of many disturbing discoveries: the girls were not biological sisters. The youngest, Megan, is a DNA match to a kidnapping case years before. The tiny number burnt into her skin the mark of a terrifying killer intent on keeping count of his collection.
Her PTSD from the army triggered, Katie is left reeling as she maps other missing children in the local area. Hasthis twisted soul found a way to stay nearby his victims? Could he be watching now as Katie hits one dead end after another?
A wild storm building, matching a fiber found during the autopsy to a nearby boatyard is the break Katie needs. But when another girl goes missing, just as lightning strikes and the power goes out, Katie only has her instincts, her team and her service dog to rely on. As time runs out for Katie to finds the stolen child alive, who will become the next number on this monster’s deadly list?
Fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh, you better buckle-up for the ride of your life! BEWARE – this gripping crime thriller is guaranteed to keep you up all night!
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My Review
Although I haven’t read any of the earlier books in this series, I found the book easy to read as a standalone.
Detective Katie Scott is working on her PTSD, when she is asked to accompany a film crew to film local historical sites for a documentary. It is in the grounds of one of these sites that Katie spots the bodies of two young girls deep in a ravine. These are the bodies of two sisters – Tessa and Megan Mayfield – who had gone missing two years ago. Katie and her partner, McGaven and Katie’s trusted service dog, Cisco set out to solve the case.
Something surprising comes in one of the girl’s DNA and a tattoo with a number is found on one of the bodies. There seems to be attempts to stop them from working on the case. Now everyone around seems to be a potential murderer.
Given that the story was about murders of children, it was incredibly difficult to come to terms with and I had to read through until the case was resolved. There were some red herrings, but I didn’t anticipate the totally unexpected ending. It was scary and thrilling at the same time and I’m certainly going to be reading more of this series.
Meet The Author
Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells.
In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling. She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.
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Read what other reviewers are saying about the book
Thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.