A dark thriller in the Ellie Matthews series from USA Today bestselling author Caroline Fardig.Ellie Matthews is tired of her fifteen minutes of fame. After consulting on a high-profile murder case a few months ago, she wants nothing more than to fade back into obscurity and resume her life as a mild-mannered college professor. But when a family friend goes missing, Ellie finds herself thrust … finds herself thrust back into the grisly world of crime scene investigation.
It isn’t long before Ellie’s young friend is found murdered and her death is tied to a previously unsolved case. Based on the cryptic poems left on the victims, the department soon realizes that the killer’s vendetta is against them.
It takes all Ellie has to push her personal feelings aside and partner with Detective Nick Baxter one more time. The duo must stop at nothing to catch a vengeful serial killer before it’s too late.
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I enjoyed this book. This is the second book in the series but it can be read with as a stand alone. Ellie is back but this time the case is personal. A family friend is murdered and the case involves many people close to her. The entire department has to race against the clock to solve the crime before the killer claims another victim. The author does a very good job with the Indiana setting. I really liked the rural small town setting. I like the relationship between Nick and Ellie. I was surprised by the ending and the who did it. The book moves along quickly and keeps you turning the pages. I look for word to reading more in this series. Enjoy
Yes! Book picks up where book 1 left off and goes full steam ahead. The forensic is so well done it makes me think about trying to go that career route. Ellie and the gang (Nick, Sterling, Jayne) are human, have flaws, make mistakes as you travel down the dark twisted road of a psychopath with them. A page turner, that kept me going and going. My heart hurt for Ellie as she sought relief in all the turmoil. The twist towards the end…..yup flew me for a loop. Thank you Caroline for asking if I was interested in book 2!! Thank you Netgalley and publisher for allowing me an opportunity to read this arc.
Outstanding Mystery!
Was able to understand who the characters were, where, and what part they played in this story. Editing was excellent as there were no grammatical errors, misspellings, or wrong names. The mystery and mayhem played very well and kept the reader involved throughout the book. I must read the first book now as I am very interested in this series! This is a must-read for those who appreciate clean mysteries.
What an intense suspense thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The plot was well-executed with plenty of twists and turns to keep you glued to the story. The setting descriptions were very good, especially in reference to forensics and evidence collection. Love the well-defined characters and found them believable. I found Ellie, the main character, to be a tough cookie. She has issues, but she’s strong enough to try to work through them. She lives with her sister and nephew and family who she loves very deeply. I absolutely adore her partner, Detective Baxter, a sweetheart. There are some elements of romance, but it’s minimized. I highly recommend this series and look forward to the next book.
This is the first book by this author that I have read. I found it to be very good and will read others as I come across them. I read this in one setting it was that good.
Love this series, can’t wait for the next book, if there is one.
This book is very good. Kept my interest and the story line was different and characters were well developed. Would highly recommend this book.
It was ok. Easy read.
I love thrillers, I enjoy crime investigations and Caroline Fardig is doing a terrific job with her series “Ellie Matthews”.
An Eye for an Eye starts right after Bitter Past (Ellie Matthews #1) Ellie is trying to move on after the last incident at Ashland College, trying to have a normal life as a criminology professor, away from the spotlight from the last murder investigation. But when her friend needs her help in finding her niece, she help her right away, so now she is back again on criminalistics. What Ellie didn’t expect was to be personally involved, the sociopath killer wants justice from and old case and wants to get his revenge attacking all the police involved, attacking their loved ones.
I enjoy reading this book, you can tell from the plot to the way the author writes that there has been a lot of research, all the crime investigation is very detailed which make it all more believable. I love to read Ellie and detective Baxter interactions, sadly I think they are not mean to be but at least they’re friends. It was hard to witness Ellie’s struggle but I was happy how the things development and how the story ended.
If you are a fan of thrillers, mystery, crime scenes this book is definitely for you, this book can be read as a stand alone but I suggest to read the first book in this series “Bitter Past”. I hope I got the chance to read more about Ellie’s adventures (if I can call it that way).
Ellie Matthews worked for many years in the field of forensic science for the local police department and is now a professor teaching at Ashmore College. She lives with her half-sister Rachel a college student and Rachel’s 3-year-old son Nate. After spending months consulting for a high-profile case, Ellie is looking forwarding to resuming her life as a professor. But things don’t always go as planned.
When Rachel calls Ellie to tell her that her best friend Jenna has disappeared, Ellie is thrown into another grisly case requiring her expertise. The death of Jenna seems to have ties to an old case and cryptic poems left on a series of victims make the police department realize that there is killer with a vendetta against them.
The characters are well developed, the plot keeps you turning the pages not knowing what to expect, and you find yourself not wanting to put the book down. This is an intense suspense thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. I can’t wait for more in this series!
I can not praise this series enough. The first book was fascinating, and this one was even better. A darker, twisted, thrilling crime novel with exceptionally well-written characters and plot twists you won’t even begin to anticipate, ‘An Eye for an Eye’ ticks off all the boxes. Definitely a series worth reading!
“An Eye for an Eye” earns 5/5 Cryptic Poems…a Nail-Biting Experience!
Let it snow! Let it snow! Let it…murder? Amy Donovan has been murdered, a cryptic poem lodged in her mouth points to vengeance as a motive and a warning, “I’m just getting started.” Sheriff Jayne Walsh is on high alert since the victim is the daughter of her first partner, retired detective Frank Donovan. Ellie Matthews, a well-respected criminologist, had traded in her badge for a professorship at Ashmore College after a grisly murder turned personal. And despite her close friendship with mentor Walsh, she turns down the request to act as a consultant. But, soon Ellie receives a frantic phone call from her younger half-sister Rachel Miller. Her close friend and college mate Jenna Walsh, Sheriff Walsh’s niece, is uncharacteristically AWOL having never returned from her romantic weekend with a secret boyfriend. Ellie can’t refuse the call for all hands on deck, but her personal demons surface when Jenna is victim number two; another cryptic poem is found with the body…a serial killer is bent on destroying friends and family. It’s become personal again.
“An Eye for an Eye” is the second book in Caroline Fardig’s Ellie Matthews suspense thriller. Fans of book one, “Bitter Past,” will be deeply involved, but newbies, like me, need not avoid this intriguing story. Fardig offers several references to the background and character connections found in book one, however no spoilers to interfere with going back to the beginning. The story is deeply engaging, nail-biting at times, well, all the time, and the ultimate challenge the sociopath lays out, revisit a seemingly solved murder case, made this very difficult to put down. Added to the suspense is a myriad of fascinating information about crime scene techniques and evidence testing. Fardig’s descriptions and dialogue keeps one turning the pages, and even in the midst of the drama, we get some witty banter. Well written all around!
The characters are all well-developed, an enjoyable surprise this early in the series, and the relationships are clearly defined and realistic, even when there are disagreements or a history of misunderstandings or just plain dislike. Ellie is strong, stronger than she perceives, with a quick wit that more than equips her with the ability to keep up with seasoned detectives and Federal Agent Vic Manetti. Her relationship with Detective Nick Baxter hit a brick wall in book one, so here they navigate those misunderstandings and frustrations, unaccepted apologies, and an undercurrent of physical attraction is developing. Fardig does an excellent job of illustrating Ellie’s flaws and demons that she desperately tries to overcome for the sake of justice.
Fascinating…all around! “An Eye for an Eye” is definitely a favorite thrill ride. I’ve read several books from Tess Gerritsen’s Rissoli & Isles and Kathy Reich’s Bones series, and Caroline Fardig’s Ellie Matthews book is far more engaging—the story and the characters!