Title: Flowers on Her Grave
Author: Jennifer Chase
Publisher: Bookouture
Pages: 328
Genre: Crime Thriller
~Book Blurb~
On the floor, amongst the piles of freshly pressed laundry, lay the woman’s lifeless body, her pale yellow nightdress soaked in blood. “I didn’t do it…” came a whisper from the corner of the room.
Detective Katie Scott has never seen two people more in love than her aunt and uncle as they danced together on the night of their wedding anniversary party. But the next morning, when Katie finds her aunt’s body sprawled across the floor, that perfect image is shattered forever.
All fingers point to Katie’s uncle, Pine Valley’s beloved sheriff and protector – after all, his prints are all over the antique knife found at the scene. Grieving, but certain of her uncle’s innocence, Katie is consigned to the cold case division after she’s discovered searching the house for clues.
Does someone want to keep her as far away from this investigation as possible?
Ignoring warnings from her team, Katie digs into her uncle’s old case files and discovers photographs of the body of a young girl found tied to a tree after a hike in search of a rare flower. Her body is covered with the same unusual lacerations her aunt suffered. Katie knows it can’t be a coincidence, but every lead she follows takes her to a dead end.
Moments before the sheriff is arrested, Katie realizes that a single piece of thread she found at the crime scene could be the missing link that will stitch old crimes to new.
But how can she prove her uncle’s innocence without throwing herself directly into the line of fire? She doesn’t have a choice, he’s the only family she has left…
~My Thoughts~
Today, I’m excited to be a part of the Book Tour for Jennifer Chase’s new book Flowers On Her Grave with Bookouture and Pump Up Your Book.
This is the third book of the Detective Katie Scott series and, though they are all worth reading, though I absolutely think this can be a standalone. Jennifer Chase does a great job of summing up the previous books inside of the story without breaking up the flow.
In this installment, we find Katie attempting to deal with her past, but being completely overwhelmed by her present. There are multiple mysteries, multiple storylines, which kind of gives the reader an idea of Katie’s scattered state of mind. She is moving too fast with too little regard for herself and is quickly becoming overwhelmed. If she can’t learn to ask for help, she may not be able to make it through her latest cold case.
My favorite parts about these books are the mental health issues dealt with so beautifully. Yes, there are good mysteries, and in this book there are a few, but Katie dealing with her PTSD really grounded the story and added an emotional element not found in a lot of crime novels.
As a person who struggles with mental health issues, it’s so realistic to see Katie try to ignore her symptoms, or deal with them on her own. She hides them from her loved ones, because often, that is exactly how dealing with mental illness goes. It’s not magically fixed and we aren’t necessarily always open to treatment. Sometimes, it takes hitting the point where we can’t hide from ourselves anymore to know we need to seek help.
I also want to give a shoutout to my favorite character in all of the books, Cisco. Cisco is Katie’s former military, canine partner who returned home with her from active duty. They are both retired war heroes, and though he’s not an official police k9, he helps Katie with all of her duties. He’s loyal, brilliant, and is her emotional rock.
I recommend these books to any mystery or dog lover. They are really amazing reads.
~About 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.
★ WEBSITE & SOCIAL LINKS: ★
Website → https://authorjenniferchase.com/
Twitter → https://twitter.com/JChaseNovelist
Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase/
Special thanks to Jennifer Chase, Bookoutre, and Pump Up Your Book for providing a copy of Flowers on Her Grave in exchange for an honest review.
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