Her body is broken. Wrapped in plastic. Dumped on the side of the road. She is the first. There will be more.The serial killer thriller that “refuses to let go until you’ve read the last sentence.”The most recent body was discovered in the grease dumpster behind a Burger King. Dismembered. Shoved into two garbage bags and lowered into the murky oil.Now rookie agent Violet Darger gets the most … rookie agent Violet Darger gets the most important assignment of her career. She travels to the Midwest to face a killer unlike anything she’s seen. Aggressive. Territorial. Deranged and driven.
Another mutilated corpse was found next to a roller rink. A third in the gutter in a residential neighborhood.
These bold displays of violence shock the rural community and rattle local law enforcement.
Who could carry out such brutality? And why?
Unfortunately for Agent Darger, there’s little physical evidence to work with, and the only witnesses prove to be unreliable. The case seems hopeless.
If she fails, more will die. He will kill again and again.
The victims harbor dark secrets. The clues twist and writhe and refuse to keep still. And the killer watches the investigation on the nightly news, gleeful to relive the violence, knowing that he can’t be stopped.
A page-turning thriller packed with heart-stopping suspense. Fans of John Sandford, Jeffery Deaver, Karin Slaughter, and Lisa Gardner should get to know Violet Darger.
Praise for Dead End Girl:
“Wow, just wow! If you like scare-you-half-to-death mystery books this is the one for you. It starts with a bang and just doesn’t stop.” — Ada Lavin
“Refuses to let go until you have read the last sentence.” — Bloodymummer
“Violet Darger is a unique, incredible character, and I immensely enjoyed taking this journey with her.” — Cat
“If you liked Silence of the Lambs, you’ll love Dead End Girl… At the same time, there’s so much attention to detail and organic storytelling that this could easily compete with any of Stephen King’s longer works. I found myself completely invested in every character, from the authorities to the killer to the victims themselves.” — eden Hudson, author of Jubal Van Zandt & the Revenge of the Bloodslinger
“A fantastic, twisted, full of suspense read.” — lady g
“This book reminds me of some of my favorite books in the crime thriller genre – Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, The Collector by John Fowles, the Mr. Mercedes trilogy by Stephen King, and of course Silence of the Lambs. It’s not a glimpse…it’s a good long look inside the mind of a killer. It’s fast paced, it’s scary, and it’s satisfying.” — Rain
“Dead End Girl is nonstop action and intrigue that will keep you putting off everything until the story is over. This is a must read if you enjoy action & crime genre stories.” — David C. Taylor
“If you are a fan of Silence of the Lambs, this book is a spiritual successor.” — Amazon customer
“Vargas and McBain spin a fine tale with characters I want to climb inside–but not in a weird way.” — Jeanne Tarrantsmore
Awesome start to a great new series.
In my opinion this book is AWESOME. It’s a lot of Criminal Minds, a little Stephen King (just a little) and a whole lot of suspense. This book grabbed my attention at the prologue and did not let go till the end. L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain know how to write suspense, serial murder with a touch of gross. This book is far better than the Awake in the Dark Series. They did a good job of getting in the heads of the killer and the FBI agent trying to stop him before he kills again. L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain did a good job of keeping the killer under wraps till almost the end. I did not like the ending till I found out there will be more books, this made me happy. I look forward to the next book.In my opinion if you like suspense with a little gruesome and murder, then in my opinion this is worth reading. My only complaint is it’s not fast moving. I believe the reason is the amount of detail in the book. I received an ARC edition for my honest and voluntary review.
A fast-paced thriller. If you like forensic and true crime shows, and/or if you like Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta series, you will enjoy this read. Warning: It is not for the faint of heart!
Violet Darger is an FBI agent in training. She is sent to help agent Loshak and the local police to hunt for a serial killer. This novel takes you into the mind of this killer. There is a heart pounding finish to this investigation.
Violet Darger is a heroine you won’t soon forget. She’s smart, instinctive, and professional. Yet, she has flaws just like the rest of us. Maybe her biggest liability is believing in the basic goodness of humanity; but that’s also the characteristic that makes her relatable. Dead End Girl is a fast-paced, insightful look into the crimes of a serial killer, from the point of view of the hunter and hunted. You won’t want to put this one down until the very end. It’s clever, engaging, cleanly written, and filled with twists and turns. Just what you want in a crime thriller.
I love this series. This is a serial killer who dismembers his victims. It’s interesting to see how they work together, the FBI, the police and everyone else, to put the clues together to catch this killer. It’s heartwrenching at one point. You are drawn into this story and you know you can’t put it down til the end. Very well done!
Good read!
Dead End Girl – a review by Rosemary Kenny
The eponymous girl Sophie, is called Dead End Girl by FBI Special Agent Violet Darger, who’s tasked with finding the so-called Doll Parts Killer.
He’s already killed and dismembered four young women, including his latest victim, drug-dependent Sophie. What upsets Darger so much about Sophie’s murder? What’s wrong with her partner on the case, Agent Loshak? Will she cover for him?
Police Detective Casey Luck becomes an invaluable member of the team, (as his partner McAdoo has a similar health issue to Loshak) and he and Darger become close allies and more.
Is the killer finally caught? Which investigator dies?
In a sensational twist, that will set your adrenaline levels surging and make your heart-rate speed up ready to burst with terror, Dead End Girl nearly becomes Violet’s ‘tag’ in a shocking and totally unforeseen denouement, so riveting and electrifying is the storyline by L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain. It’s my first novel by this very talented duo, but it certainly won’t be the last.Get your copy now!
I usually am not a long book reader but this one kept my interest the whole way. The main character’s role and story line were very well written.
So many interesting characters, so much action, and an exciting unpredictable storyline! Hard to put down because I just had to know… Definitely will continue reading this series!
My rating is really 4 1/2*. The premise of the book was great. Newbie agent teamed up with seasoned agent, lots of twists and turns to take the reader in a ‘red herring’ way, plus a killer that was just a little more than over the top with his kills. What’s not to like? Well, the one thing that had me wishing it was over was the length of the book: 100+ chapters AND an Epilogue..really? I enjoy short chapters, but some of these could have been eliminated all together as they really didn’t progress the story enough to be included. I agree with another reviewer that the details in some chapters are very tedious. Oh and some details were just too graphic for my tastes. But that’s just me. Overall, this is a good read.
This was quite an intense start to this series with FBI Special Agent Violet Darger, and I got swept into the story even though I felt like I’d met the characters before in other books of this genre. It was just all a bit familiar…
*The tough female agent trying to compete with “the boys” and leave her mark.
*The “old-timer” helping the new agent on her first big case and teaching her to trust her gut.
*The young ambitious cop assisting them in the first big murder case of his career.
So while I didn’t feel like this story was anything new, I still enjoyed the book and felt like the author gave just the right amount of details without going too dark and gory. Need to read more in the series to give it a proper review.
This is a quotidian account of a hunt for a serial killer, who dismembers his female victims, by two FBI agents and a host of police officers in rural Ohio. By and large, the writing was good, but the major flaw in the book was that it was much, much too long. Every minute of every day of the investigation is chronicled, sometimes from multiple POVs, and, as in real life, much of it is unnecessary or fruitless. It seems like the authors forgot the first principle of storytelling-leave out the uninteresting parts. For example, a memorial for one of the victims, conducted to lure the killer, was described in excruciating detail over several chapters. He didn’t show. There is a difference between suspense and reader frustration. The authors also left some plot points unresolved, notably, a romantic liaison between the main character and one of the police officers. Ultimately, I had to struggle to finish the book.
Wow! How did I miss these exceptionally talented authors until now! After reading this, I read three more works of LT Vargus and Tim McBain and they are all well done. Unique, horrifying, and exceptional. The characters are well developed and have quirks that make them so realistic. Stories are laid out so fantastically, it’s hard to put the book down. I was like a kid begging to stay up just another hour! If you are unfamiliar with these authors, start here and then treat yourself to Five Days Post-Morten, Girl in the Sand and Image in a Cracked Mirror. All are equally stellar reads.
Not much to like