A troubled detective learns that the fires of the past are still burning in this haunting, emotional thriller.When detective Claire Calderwood is called to a grisly murder scene, she’s haunted by memories of her murdered sister. The victim is tied to a motel bed, her head covered in plastic and her body sprinkled with ashes. Claire’s dealt with vile crime scenes before, but this one strikes close … one strikes close to home.
Claire’s boyfriend, reporter Noah Washington, once helped find her sister’s killer, but now he’s a distraction to this new investigation. She wants to help him resolve the mysteries of his past, but Noah has been distant, and Claire knows he’s keeping something from her.
When another girl is murdered like the first, Claire suspects the work of a serial killer. As the case heats up and evidence mounts, she finds herself in profound danger. Claire’s been burned before; now she must decide if she can trust Noah to help her solve the case and uncover the truth that lies beneath the ashes.
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Clever, creepy, atmospheric, and perfectly paced…Poirier knocked this one out of the park. The female lead is tough and relatable, with a dark, softer part to her personality that really draws me in and makes me love her. I’m excited to read more books! Poirier has a fan in me.
Fresh off the heels of solving the case of her sister’s murder, Detective Claire Calderwood is called in to help solve the murder of a girl found bound to a bed in a motel with ashes covering her body. Almost as soon as Claire begins working the case, another young woman is found murdered in the same way. Then, another. As Claire feared, a serial killer is at work.
This was a fast-paced, easy to read who done it/police procedural that kept me turning the pages. I was suspicious of absolutely everyone and shocked to discover who the real killer was. In addition to all the murder, there’s a bit of romance too which I really enjoyed – such an interesting combo for this type of book.
This book is the sequel to Next Girl to Die (which I also loved) however, it can be read as a standalone. I love Claire’s character – she is such a strong, female protagonist. I also enjoyed seeing her progression emotionally (on a personal level) from book 1.
To hear more of my thoughts, check out Unravel The Binding book club podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.
Claire is requested to take on a new murder case. It’s a grisly one and it reminds her of the not so long ago death of her sister. Not having fully recovered from her sisters death and with her boyfriend Noah keeping secrets from her Claire starts the investigation and soon discovers a link to a local hospital. I liked the strong female lead, Claire, and how she never gives up, working hard solving the case before the killer finds another victim.
Great suspenseful thriller! Intense and full of twists and turns. Left me guessing till the end. I really enjoyed Claire and am intrigued about the murder case of her sister so I must go read that too!
Beneath the Ashes is the second in Poirier’s Calderwood series. Detective Claire Calderwood is investigate a murder in a nearby community across the island where she lives. When a girl’s body is discovered tied to the bed of a hotel room and covered with ashes from an ash can. There are no witnesses and the efficacy of the few clues has been diluted with DNA from multiple cigarettes. Claire must handle her past (the death of her sister) while figuring out who killed this girl. When another girl is found, Claire is faced with tracking down one very smart serial killer.
The pacing of the novel is fast and intense enough that I read it in one sitting. The police procedural aspect seems accurate. Claire is tough enough to be a cop, but with enough flaws to be human. Though this is the second in the series and I hadn’t read #1 (Next Girl to Die), I was able to read Beneath the Ashes without difficulty. My only complaint was that Noah, Claire’s boyfriend, isn’t well realized, but that may be because he was well-delineated in book one.
The New England winter is almost a character in itself.
This book might do well read in conjunction with The Winter Sister by Megan Collins. Both books deal with the loss of a sister via murder, but the The Winter Sister is told from the POV of a “civilian” while Beneath the Ashes is told from the police POV.
Detective Claire Calderwood is called to investigate a horrible murder scene of a young woman found bound, tortured, covered with ashes and her head covered in plastic. She’s a seasoned detective, but the scene torments her of her own sister’s murdered some years ago.
As second young woman is found in the exact same circumstances making the idea of a serial killer not such an impossibility. As her investigation finds some definite leads, she finds herself and her temporary partner in grave danger.
The real distraction of this investigation is her boyfriend, Noah, a reporter/true crime author. He’s being secretive and distant and Claire is afraid their days are numbered.
This is a cleverly put together police procedural with some romance thrown in the mix. There’s lots of action, suspense, and the ending is quite surprising. The characters are deftly defined. Although second in the series, this one reads easily as a stand alone.
Many thank to the author / Thomas & Mercer / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
M/F Thriller
Claire is recovering from solving her sister’s murder when she’s asked to help in a nearby community that isn’t used to dealing with murder. What Claire finds when she arrives is a grisly scene. Woman murdered, tied to a bed and covered in ashes. Is this a forensic countermeasure? Someone treating this woman as trash? The questions continue to pile up, without many answers.
When it becomes clear that there is a serial killer among this small community, it will take all of Claire’s investigatory skills, as well as a little help from Noah, to figure out how to keep the young women of the community safe.
Noah is still part of this story, but more in a peripheral setting. He is off working on his own case while Claire is working on hers. While they aren’t together a whole lot, their paths intertwine and they have some issues to work out.
The story is full of suspects. Claire is trying to piece it all together, while racing against the murderer. Just when you think she’s figured part of the story out, a twist is thrown in and you have to start all over again.
Triggers: Murder
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
I enjoyed this book, but what stands out to me is that nothing about it really stands out. It has a decent plot and the author writes beautifully, but I suppose it just didn’t have any extra ‘oomph.’ For example, I read the previous book in this series just a few months ago, but I can’t remember much of anything about it. And the little that this story reveals about it still wasn’t enough. This time around, Claire is assisting the police with murders that are occurring in hotel rooms, where the victim is asphyxiated and cigarette ashes are dumped over the body. The victims are young females who have been recent patients at a local hospital. There’s clearly a connection there, and workers at the hospital are determined to assist the detective as little as possible.
That’s really about it, save for the sub-plot involving Claire’s boyfriend Noah. He travels back home to research a cold case murder he is obsessed with, which may have a new body related to the previous murders. Claire finds out he hasn’t been honest with her about his past and she starts doubting their relationship.
I’m not sure if I’d be too interested in continuing with this series but it holds a certain appeal that readers will enjoy. Especially if Claire’s friend, Roxie, becomes more of a central figure to the story line. She seems like just the right character to give the series the extra spice that it needs.
A woman is found dead in a motel room in Camden, Maine. Since the town does not have an active homicide detective, Detective Claire Calderwood is requested. Claire and her boyfriend, reporter Noah Washington, recently solved the murder of her sister, and her feelings are still raw. This murder is particularly brutal and now another woman has been found, killed in the same manner. As the investigation proceeds, Claire discovers that there may be a link to the local hospital and has to deal with the CEO who only wants to protect the hospital’s reputation. Meanwhile, Noah is out of town on a family matter that he refuses to share with Claire. Claire is a strong female character who refuses to back down and will solve this case, hopefully before the killer strikes again. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
This is the second book in this series and I found it to be a very good read. The story this time with Detctive Claire Calderwood is more in depth and has a few really good twists. The characters and storyline are very well written . A murder mystery book that kept my attention and had me reading until done. Look forward to another in this series.
This is the second book in the Calderwood Cases series and can be read as a stand-alone. Dea Poirier has crafted a detailed novel in which she artistically utilizes the harshness of Maine winter as part of the story’s dark underpinning. Poirier’s plot moves at a steady pace with limited foreshadowing, giving the reader a heighten sense of trepidation throughout the story. Characterization is strong, making Claire’s internal and external conflicts relatable and her character’s attributes really stand out. While the first book highlighted who Detective Claire Calderwood was and defined her background, this story gives the reader a glimpse of what it’s like for her to just exist in the aftermath. Fabulous read. 5 stars.
Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC, which I read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Fresh off the investigation into her sister’s death, detective Claire Calderwood is called to investigate a murder in a nearby community. A girl’s body has been found tied to the bed of a hotel room, covered in ashes. Without witnesses, and with few clues, Claire must figure out who killed this girl while dealing with her own memories and the realization that her boyfriend, Noah, has been keeping secrets about his own past.
And then another girl is found, and another. Now, faced with a serial killer, Claire has to find out how the three girls, text messages from a burner cell phone, and GPS coordinates tie them all together while under pressure from the local police and a very irate hospital CEO to find the killer.
In her follow up to Next Girl to Die, author Dea Poirier has expertly crafted another thrilling who-done-it. The storyline is fast paced and with just as much intensity as book one. Claire is someone you can just identify with, she isn’t perfect, but she’s exactly the person her past has molded her into. While characters in some books seem to act just to advance the plot line, Claire is consistent and genuine. Poirier has also done an amazing job of bringing the details of Maine to life so that the setting acts as another character, helping to bring a stark, harsh richness to an already chilling story. The crime and resolution is just as satisfying as I’d hoped (no spoilers from me!).
Beneath the Ashes (The Calderwood Cases #2) will be released November 19, 2019.
*I received an ARC of Beneath the Ashes from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Beneath the Ashes picks up where the previous book ended – with Clair getting a call from across the bay to assist the Camden Police Department with a murder of a young woman.
With Clair’s experience as a homicide detective she is put in charge of the investigation along with being assigned a wet behind the ears female partner. Their investigation into the one murder slowly reveals that this isn’t the first for this killer.
Clair is still struggling with the death of her sister and with her new relationship with Noah Washington, the reporter that help her find her sister killer in the first book. They both have demons from the past that haunt them today and it turns out that Clair’s current case may have ties to a unsolved murder from Noah’s past.