A woman who has been missing for three months is found dead with over 200 tally marks carved into her skin. For Detective Amy Sadler, who is still recovering mentally from a past undercover operation gone wrong, the case is as unsettling as it is frustrating. As more bodies appear with the same tally marks, Amy's only solace from the seemingly unsolvable case is the romance blooming between herself and forensic pathologist Dr. Lira Ward, a beautiful soul with a past even she doesn't understand.
But that solace is shattered when the case collides with their personal lives in a way no one sees coming, and Amy is left wondering if she can salvage what they once had.
Homicide detective Amy Sadler and her new wife, forensic pathologist Lira Ward, are enjoying marital bliss when they are hit with a gruesome new case: someone is killing couples and families, with most of their rage directed at the wives. While trying to solve the case, Amy begins receiving threats from someone within the police department who doesn't seem happy about her marriage to Lira. Amy finds herself desperately trying to uncover who is out to destroy her marriage - because she doesn't want to find out how far they're willing to go.
Homicide Detective Amy Sadler is overjoyed: her wife, forensic pathologist Lira Ward, is pregnant with their first child. Life couldn't be better, although Amy soon finds that impending motherhood has made her a little more sensitive to cases involving children, such as the small girl found at the bottom of a pool.
An investigation into the child's family and possibly not-so-accidental death leads Amy into the twisted world of an isolated country church with extreme ideas, a world of child abuse and subjugated women. Amy's gut tells her there are sinister things happening beneath the church's picture-perfect public image, but proving it is another matter.
Then a man shows up claiming to be Lira's father, and everything Lira thought she knew about herself is turned on its head. Now as Amy struggles to prove her suspicions about the cult-like church before more children are hurt, she must also find a way to protect Lira from her own past.
A body is discovered in the woods, tally marks carved into her skin...
Detective Amy Sadler has seen this before. Amy and her wife, forensic pathologist Lira Sadler, find themselves reliving their worst nightmares are more bodies turn up in imitation of cases they have already solved, cases that are particularly personal for them. At the same time, defaming articles appear about them online, and Lira begins finding strange notes.
All Amy and Lira want is to care for their small daughter, Ruby, and to bring a second child into the world, but all of that seems threatened by someone with a mysterious grudge.
It must be someone they know, but who could hate them this much?
I received a free paperback copy of this book in exchange for an honest view.
I enjoyed this first book in what is a most promising series. With a Rizzoli and Isles feel to the content this was a fantastically developed mystery with an amazing plot, that as a reader has you guessing away at the direction only to find what you thought isn’t quite what happens.
Amy and Lira’s characters are unique and bounce off of one another fantastically as their relationship develops and they overcome some awful obstacles thrown in their path. Amy’s brash nature works well to make her a vulnerable and loveable character, where Lira’s bubbly personality has your heart breaking when you learn of all she has to deal with after the ordeal she has to be saved from.
I can’t wait to read the other books in the series, and recommend this gritty crime mystery to anyone looking for a fast pace, exciting, in depth read to get the cogs ticking in their head! Just great!
Bring on book 2!
How amazing was this sequel? AMAZING. Honestly I loved the first book in this series and that has carried on well into the second, leaving me hungry for more and the third book.
Amy and Lira continue to have an awesome dynamic that draws you in as a reader to their characters, relationship, actions and feelings. Connecting with them is easy and they are still overcoming issues from the first book and developing which was great.
I was glued to this story, eager for the details and trying to peace the mystery together with Amy. Nothing was expected, and in the end I was shocked. There is a lot of drama, suspense and emotion packed in here to keep any reader intrigued and guessing until the very end.
Each book is like a little episode of a detective show and is fast becoming my favourite mystery series of this genre. I hope for a lot more exciting stories from this story and the continuing of Amy and Lira’s fabulous relationship.
I highly recommend this book, and the rest of the series.
I already adore the Detective Amy Sadler Mystery series and book three did not disappoint. With a thrilling plotline, and lots of suspense, I struggled to put the book down and just couldn’t stop weaving.
In a style Michelle has, which I love, she has again contained this book as if it were a single episode of a show with a theme that is also cleverly connected in personal ways to both Amy and Lira. It was also nice to find out more about Lira’s background and how it was affecting decisions she and Amy were making in progressing their relationship and building a family.
The book was balanced well with joyous moments, and more sinister ones linked to the case they are both working on and all events were handled well given their sensitive, and quite uncomfortable nature but unfortunately are just realities of a world we all live in. I personally feel Michelle has been very brave to tackle such a subject and she has done so very well, making it realistic but bearable to read even though thinking about the reality and the sad fact this does happen in the world is less so.
However, this is my favourite book in this series and I cannot recommend it enough. It does focus on a taboo subject but not in such depth to be graphic or put any reader off from enjoying what is a brilliant story!!! Highly recommend and urge people really to give this book a go because the emotions and connections you will feel towards the characters and with some of them are immense!
Amazing read, amazing story, and just an amazing book! Looking forward to more mysteries in this series!
AND….She’s back!
This was AMAZING!!!
Amy and Lira back on the case with another mystery that involves them personally. What’s not to love???? But wait, there’s more….
So book four, Michelle Arnold’s really outdone herself this time. The best thing for me about Amy Sadler Mysteries are the clues in each one that build up the story, and then somehow end up in the next, and the next, and the next one, until boom, we see the most intricate mystery Amy has had on her hands so far!
Now, you don’t have to have read the series to read A World of Demons (but if you haven’t seriously, you should!) but there are great links in here that build to Amy finding herself in some rather difficult, and unusual situations.
It really kept me gripped this one, and having read the other three books in the series I found myself hunting out those Easter eggs and trying to work out this mystery with Amy. We thought we had it a couple of times, but….Michelle just kept throwing a curveball in there and it only hooked me in more!
A brilliant addition to my favourite Detective Mystery series and here’s hoping for more!