“It turns out crazy people shouldn’t be shrinks.” -Clare Keely, Daddy Darkest Straight from the mind of a forensic psychologist comes an addictive series of betrayal, lust, revenge, and murder. These doctors earned their degrees from the dark side, so be careful when you let them into your head. The Doctors of Darkness e-book bundle contains the first three books in the series: Daddy Darkest, The … series: Daddy Darkest, The Hanging Tree, and The First Cut.
Warning: Side effects may include sleepless nights, frayed nerves, and compulsive page-turning. Proceed with caution.
Daddy Darkest:
Bury your secrets. Bury them deep. A month after her high school graduation, small-town-girl Samantha “Sam” Bronwyn boards a plane with her best friend, Ginny. Destination: San Francisco. But when Ginny disappears inside an airport bathroom wearing Sam’s letterman jacket, it doesn’t take her long to figure out she was the intended target.
Alone in a strange city, Sam’s on a run for her life–drawn into a dark past she never knew existed. A past where secrets aren’t all that’s buried and where revenge comes at the highest price. Who is Sam really–and who can she trust? The mysterious stranger in 4A who secreted a gun in his backpack? The guilty ex-con? The disarming FBI agent? Her own mother?
Only one thing is certain. Someone is after her. Someone who knows more about her than she does. Someone who wants to teach her a hard lesson: There are worse things than murder.
The Hanging Tree:
What if you couldn’t remember the worst night of your life? What if you couldn’t forget it?
May 13, 1994. On her thirteenth birthday, newly orphaned Evie, witnesses a brutal attack at the hanging tree. She wakes the next morning on a bus to Los Angeles, dazed and bruised and desperate to remember. Her best friend died that night–she’s sure of it. But there’s no body, no crime scene, and no witnesses. Twenty three years later, the whole night is still a blur. The murderer, a faceless, nameless man.
Fresh out of a stint in juvie, Butch kills a girl, strangles her. Twenty three years later, he walks out of prison a free man. But a haunted one, the ghost of his past at his heels.
When another body turns up at the hanging tree–a girl, strangled–Evie is certain her lost memory holds the key. Can Butch help her find the faceless man? Or is he hiding the darkest secret of all?
The First Cut:
There’s a thin line between love and murder.
When “Love Doctors” Ian and Kate Culpepper are brutally murdered in their Carmel mansion on Valentine’s Day, Ava knows it’s karma. Because Ian’s leaving her for perfect Kate four years ago had cut her bone deep. And then they had the nerve to show up here, on her turf. With their perfect house and their perfect daughter and their matching perfect smiles.
It’s no wonder Ava can’t stop watching. It’s no wonder she can’t let go.
But Ian is far from perfect, and Ava owes a debt too. For the unforgivable thing they’d done together. The dark deed that severed their marriage in two. When Ava’s name is found inked in blood at the crime scene, a reckoning seems inevitable. Someone knows what she’s hiding. Someone sees what she’s done. And karma is ready to collect its pound of flesh.
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A fantastic boxset. I have to admit on the first book I wasn’t completely sold and it fell a bit flat for me but in the other two things really picked up. I’m so glad I decided to stick with this series.
It isn’t too often I go with five stars –
Daddy Darkest the first in this series absolutely captivated me and would not let me go
As the journey continued I found each book just as captivating and entertaining
There was just something so enticing about the chaos – the tone – the way I kept wanting more with each turn of the page –
If you are looking for a psychological thriller that has intense drama -heart-pounding suspense with slightly twisted psychological undertones- No need to look any further-
This series has it all – All the darkness you seek in a true thriller
Suspense that speeds up your heart rate – small divulgences that cause you to stiffen your spine and tighten your fist –
Kane was a new author for me and I was looking for something that would have me keeping the lights on for a bit after I closed the pages-
I will definitely be looking for more from this series as well as following this author
I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie’s Book Reports.
In the Doctors of Darkness Boxed Set you get three full length stories. Or the First three books in the Doctors of Darkness Series. Daddy Darkest, The Hanging Tree and The First Cut.
In Daddy Darkest Samantha Bronwyn and her very best friend in the world Virginia “Ginny” Dalton are on their way to San Francisco. It is their after graduation trip. However it quickly takes a turn when in the bathroom in Samantha’s letterman jacket Ginny disappears. Sam is desperate to find her but doesn’t know who to trust and the guy they met on the plan that warned them to be careful just keeps showing up all of the places Sam is. Levi Beckett is either a enemy of a foe and Sam just isn’t sure which one. All she knows is their is a serial on the lose and he was proably after Sam. Now can she save Ginny in time? This book is so filled with twists and turns and will have you on the edge of your seat. You will also see how Sam and Levi are linked and how Sam had no idea. This one will keep you guessing and is so worth the read when everything starts to fall in place.
The Hangin Tree is the story of Doctor Evelyn Maddox. She was abandoned as a teenager and was found badly bruised. She has no memeory of how she got there or what has happend to her to suddenly make her a orphan. However as an adult and a doctor she has this interest in a tree that is right outside of her office. She stares at if often and has dubbed it The Hanging Tree. She just knows that it somehow holds the answers to her past. Meanwhile in jail you meet Butch Calder. He has been ther for the past twenty three years. The events that led him there have never been forgotten and now he just needs to know the truth of the things that ended up putting him in jail. I really liked these two characters and the twists and turns that this book took. It will leave you guessing and your mind blown.
The First Cut is the story of Madison Culpepper. When she was four years old her parents, known to everyone as the “Love Doctors”, are brutally murdered in their home on Valentine’s Day. Dr Ava Lawson use to date Ian and is shocked by his murder and feels that it could possibly be karma for how he left her for Kate. However she is now in a happy relationship with police officer Luke Donovan but soon finds herself a suspect in the murders of Ian and Kate. This book is just as good as the first one and I must say this one and Daddy Darkest are my favorite of the two. They leave you breathless and one the edge of your seat and have you guessing all over the place though you know your not going to be able to figure any of this out. This one will put you through the ringer for sure.
If you like good psychological romances that are not easy to firgure out and are good book then you will like this boxset. I am so glad that I got to read this book It is the first time I have ever read Ellery Kane. I enjoyed her writing style and her ability to keep you on your toes with stories that you can not figure everything out in.
1) Daddy Darkest
Samantha Bronwyn and her best friend Virginia “Ginny” Dalton are heading to San Francisco after graduation but their plans change quickly. When Ginny disappears from a bathroom in the airport Sam is desperate to find her but she has no idea who to trust.
Fellow passenger Levi Beckett seems to be everywhere that Sam is but is he really who he says he is and how is his life linked to Sam’s? When a serial killer is out on the loose could he be after Sam?
Can Sam get to the bottom of everything and get to Ginny in time?
This was an interesting read with lots of twists and turns to keep you involved from the start to the end.
I really liked Sam and I can’t imagine what she was going through when she discovered Ginny was gone. I was a little shocked that she was allowed on the trip by herself as I couldn’t imagine going to San Francisco with one friend at such a young age. That being said she was smart but out of her comfort zone and there were a few things she did that definitely had me freaking out.
One of the characters that we meet at the beginning is Levi and initially you have no idea which side of everything that he is on. He was interesting and I liked learning more about him and his back story and how everything linked up with Sam.
It was super interesting reading about Clare Keely and how she factored into the story with serial killer Clive Cullen. It was interesting seeing how the two dealt with everything in prison and everything each of them were up against with how they were treated by others.
There were so many twists and turns that lead you on a super interesting ride and I loved how slowly everything began to fall into place. I was shocked by a couple of things but there were a few other things I was expecting.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
2) The Hanging Tree
Doctor Evelyn Maddox was found when she was 13 years old bruised and battered and newly orphaned with no memories of what happened to her. Now as an adult she stares at a tree outside her office, which she has named The Hanging Tree and knows it has relevance to her past.
Butch Calder has spent the last 23 years in jail but has never forgotten about events that led him to jail in the first place. Now he is off to figure out the truth behind the events.
Can Evie get her memories back in time and will Butch be able to help her or is he just leading her down the wrong path?
This was a good book but I enjoyed the first one more. This one was still enjoyable but not as much and at times I found myself drifting off a little.
I liked Evelyn but initially I found the hitchhiking totally out of character and she really got herself in a bad situation. Yet the more we learn about her we discover how she grew up and how dangerous it had been for her. I was surprised at her job occupation given what had happened to her in the past but it was like something was drawing her to those type of people.
I liked Butch but he definitely made a huge mistake with Gwen. Butch needed answers to his own past and I liked that he was a good guy beneath his gruff exterior which was why he ended up rescuing Evelyn at the beginning before realizing it was her.
There were lots of twists and turns with how everyone was linked together and I was definitely surprised with a few of the revelations.
The end had me worried for sure with the situation that Evelyn got herself into but she was lucky that things turned out the way they did.
3) The First Cut
Madison Culpepper is 4 years old when her parents Ian and Kate are brutally murdered in their home. Known as the “Love Doctors” who could have killed them on Valentine’s Day?
Dr. Ava Lawson is shocked by the murders but can’t help think that it could be karma for Ian leaving her for Kate. Now Ava is dating police officer Luke Donovan and soon she finds herself under suspicion for the murders.
Can Ava clear her name and can she figure out who could be setting her up before she’s found guilty?
This was a great book and it got me engaged like the first one did which made me super excited!
Ava had quite the past and was linked to some unsavory characters through the book but it my heart I was pretty sure she did not commit the crimes! I really enjoyed her tracking people down and trying to piece everything together and I could tell slowly that she was getting closer and closer to the truth.
I wondered what was going to happen between Luke and Ava as suspicion began pointing towards her and I wasn’t surprised with everything that happened between them although I was really disappointed in Luke.
There were various characters that I was mad at through the book for events that happened but things started looking up with a letter that was found although I was mad at what happened next!
I loved when I found out the twist with Kate as I wasn’t expecting it but things just fell into place after that! Things got so intense after that and I could not put the book down!!
The end was super exciting and I was finally a little grateful for Ricky Sherman and who he brought with him! I felt bad that it still wasn’t over for Ava but I was so proud of her at the very end of the book! – By Rebecca
**Presented with an ARC via HiddenGems in exchange for an honest review.**
Move over James Patterson, put your pen down Michael Connelly, there’s a new author in town!
To be completely honest, when I first grabbed up this book, part of me was expecting a mix between Criminal Minds and Nip/Tuck, but it’s so much more than that. So much better.
Within the tale of Daddy Darkest, you meet Samantha Bronwyn, a star basketball forward, and her best friend Ginny. The promise of fun and adventure in San Francisco, a city so unlike the small hometown in Texas they’re from, turns into one of fear and uncertainty, intrigue and mystery as everything Samantha knew is turned upside down, and buried secrets are unearthed.
Past and present are expertly woven together to create one incredible experience. Where the story of Clare Keely will remind the reader of a mix of Profiler and the love story of Harley Quinn and the Joker, the story of Samantha Bronwyn will remind you a bit of Nancy Drew (The CW).
The next two books in this Boxset are just as engaging and captivating, but I want to leave a little mystery for the reader. This is a Boxset I highly recommend to any mystery and/or psychological thriller fan.
First, I want to thank Ellery Kane for providing me with Daddy of Darkness Boxed Set so I can provide you with this review.
Daddy of Darkness Trilogy by Ellery Kane provides you with three amazing psychological thrillers. My favorite two were the Hanging Tree and The First Cut. Both of them I cold not put down. Ellery has an incredible gift in this genre.
The Hanging Tree was on of my favorite books in Ellery Kane’s Trilogy!
WOW!! What an amazing read from Ellery Kane with the Hanging Tree!!! She was not kidding when it said right on the cover some nights were left unforgotten!! This is the second book I have read from her and she did not disappoint me! I love her writing style and chilling story line that draws you into the story like no other does. Now every time I see a big hanging tree it will give me chills!!
This book had everything from widowers, hitch hiking, creepy guys, blasts from the past that you didn’t want to see, murders, investigations, almost rapes, flashbacks to when Evie was young, child molesters, etc.
After reading this book I am never hitch hiking that is for sure!! That Evie was a brave soul! That guy that picked her up was a creepy dude. The author did an incredible job with that whole scene! She made me so fearful for her character!
So many times the book jumps from modern day to back in the day to tell the story. This is so important so you know what happened.
I loved the mystery of the fact that Evie knew who Culder was from her past but couldn’t put her finger on it. Everyone has those moments where they know someone but cant figure out how they know them. Then it hits them and it is like oh wow!
The First Cut by Ellery Kane is the best psychological thriller that I have ever read from her. She grasped my attention at the prologue like no other book of this genre has before. From then on out it just more intense.
Kudos goes out to Giovanni Auriemma for unforgettable covers. Plus, Mallory Rock for the amazing job she has done on artwork inside. She is incredibly talented as I known her to work with other authors I read and review for.
This book was suspenseful, gripping, mind boggling, creepy at times, heart wrenching, lots of twists and turns, it had a celebrity reality show spin to it that I was really into it, a love triangle, a crime, investigation.
Psychological Thrillers are my favorite genres and this book totally blew me away in so many ways. There were two scenes that after I read them, I knew that this book needs to be on the Lifetime Channel! This book was made for that channel!! Ellery if you are reading this you need to submit your manuscript to Lifetime or to Netflix!! That scene I am talking about is when Ava is proposed to by Ian and it is so creepy, she sees his house for the first time with pictures of his late wife still plastered all over the house. Come on that is a red flag there to say no to the proposal!! The other was the opening scene of the book how in-depth that first scene was.
I loved how Ellery kept updating her readers with articles in the paper about the updates of the case in the deaths of the “Love Doctors”. It made the story more interesting in my eyes. Then again I am all about pop culture and if this were true life it would be something I would be following in the news. I also like reading true crime books as well. So, this book was really up my alley as well.
My heart really hurt for was the truly innocent one in all of this. Maddie, their daughter whom is parent-less now. Who is hurting badly because of all this-to the fact where she is mute!! I just want to hold her and tell her she will be ok. No child should have had to witness what she had to!!
The book went from present day to Valentines Day’s in the past so you got a better feel for everything.
There were some amazing quotes in this book about marriage from the famous Ian Culpepper that were very spot on.
There is one quote that stuck out at me big time and I would like to share it with you. “Psychopharmacology has always been an interest of mine. I’d like to understand why some many people believe all their problems can be solved with a pill. You can’t medicate unhappiness.”
All three books in this boxed set are brilliant, chilling, thrilling, and fantastically well written. You won’t be able to sleep until each story has reached its conclusion, and you will probably love every moment like I did!
Daddy Darkest:
This is an expertly written dark and twisted psychological thriller. Having read Ellery Kane’s YA dystopian series already, I had high expectations (and excitement levels) upon beginning this book. I was not disappointed. I found it very difficult to put down this riveting read. I particularly enjoyed the duel perspectives and the refreshingly different tones as the story alternated between those two perspectives. Multiple unpredictable plot twists also keep this fast-paced story fascinating.
The Hanging Tree:
An absolutely brilliant, well-written, disturbing book by Ellery Kane. A real psychological thriller that hooked me from the first page, I was utterly captivated by the characters the author brings to life so incredibly well. An absolute must read for all loves of the genre, and for those who aren’t sure about it as well.
First Cut:
Chilling, haunting, and brilliantly written. I loved this book and admit I didn’t sleep so I could finish it. Ellery Kane manages to squeeze every last drop of terror and psychosis out of her characters, drawing us in so deep that we start to question what we thought we knew about the characters and about ourselves. The lingering doubt, the questions, the nervous biting of nails and clenching of teeth… All the brilliant side-effects of this author’s incredible approach to this genre. Would give six stars if I could.
I haven’t read anything by Ellery A. Kane before this. The blurb sounded really good some of it was really good but some of it wasn’t. By overall they were really good.
They have great suspense and I love suspense.
Daddy Darkest follows Samantha as she searches for her friend, who has gone missing during a graduation trip.
The Hanging Tree is Evelyn’s story. She can’t remember some of her childhood and she struggles to remember as an adult, but she oddly finds herself drawn to a tree outside her office. Then you have Butch, who has been in jail for more than 20 years and is trying to figure out how he ended up their. How it all ends left me saying WHAT!
The First Cut is about Madison, whose parents were murdered when she was a child. Ava was involved with Madisons father before he got married and now Eva is the prime suspect in their murder. So many twists and turns, I couldn’t figure it all out!
1) Daddy Darkest
This was an interesting read with lots of twists and turns to keep you involved from the start to the end.
I really liked Sam and I can’t imagine what she was going through when she discovered Ginny was gone. I was a little shocked that she was allowed on the trip by herself as I couldn’t imagine going to San Francisco with one friend at such a young age. That being said she was smart but out of her comfort zone and there were a few things she did that definitely had me freaking out.
One of the characters that we meet at the beginning is Levi and initially you have no idea which side of everything that he is on. He was interesting and I liked learning more about him and his back story and how everything linked up with Sam.
It was super interesting reading about Clare Keely and how she factored into the story with serial killer Clive Cullen. It was interesting seeing how the two dealt with everything in prison and everything each of them were up against with how they were treated by others.
There were so many twists and turns that lead you on a super interesting ride and I loved how slowly everything began to fall into place. I was shocked by a couple of things but there were a few other things I was expecting.
Looking forward to the next book in the series!
2) The Hanging Tree
This was a good book but I enjoyed the first one more. This one was still enjoyable but not as much and at times I found myself drifting off a little.
I liked Evelyn but initially I found the hitchhiking totally out of character and she really got herself in a bad situation. Yet the more we learn about her we discover how she grew up and how dangerous it had been for her. I was surprised at her job occupation given what had happened to her in the past but it was like something was drawing her to those type of people.
I liked Butch but he definitely made a huge mistake with Gwen. Butch needed answers to his own past and I liked that he was a good guy beneath his gruff exterior which was why he ended up rescuing Evelyn at the beginning before realizing it was her.
There were lots of twists and turns with how everyone was linked together and I was definitely surprised with a few of the revelations.
The end had me worried for sure with the situation that Evelyn got herself into but she was lucky that things turned out the way they did.
3) The First Cut
This was a great book and it got me engaged like the first one did which made me super excited!
Ava had quite the past and was linked to some unsavory characters through the book but it my heart I was pretty sure she did not commit the crimes! I really enjoyed her tracking people down and trying to piece everything together and I could tell slowly that she was getting closer and closer to the truth.
I wondered what was going to happen between Luke and Ava as suspicion began pointing towards her and I wasn’t surprised with everything that happened between them although I was really disappointed in Luke.
There were various characters that I was mad at through the book for events that happened but things started looking up with a letter that was found although I was mad at what happened next!
I loved when I found out the twist with Kate as I wasn’t expecting it but things just fell into place after that! Things got so intense after that and I could not put the book down!!
The end was super exciting and I was finally a little grateful for Ricky Sherman and who he brought with him! I felt bad that it still wasn’t over for Ava but I was so proud of her at the very end of the book!
I have read and very much enjoyed each gripping story in this 3 book set.
Book 1: Daddy Darkest
One moment your graduating high school and hopping on a plane with your best friend to California and the next you’re searching for your best friend who has now gone missing. And top that off with the fact that no one seems to believe you.
Enter a guy named Levi who was on the plane with these girls. And he will play a big part in what is going to take place.
Life takes it’s a toll on a person when nothing you knew all your life is the truth. When your parents turn out to be total strangers and worse.
This book is gripping, suspenseful and downright dark. It held me captivated until I finished it. It’s that good.
Book 2: The Hanging Tree
All I can say is WOW!!!!
This book kept me gripped til I devoured it.
The past, The present, It all collides into one very twisted nightmare for Evie.
Butch whom she had a huge crush on is back in her life and it has helped Evie figure out things she hid deep in her mind.
She is a therapist now but it may seem she is the one in need of therapy. The young Evie went through more things in her short life than any human could possibly cope with and is still standing strong.
Amazing story and I can’t wait to see what this author gives us next.
Book 3: The First Cut
If you have read the first two books in this series then you are going to absolutely love this one.
Book Three starts off with a bang and the chills and thrills just keep getting better throughout the story.
This is a story that keeps you guessing as to who did what and when.
The author has knocked it out of the ballpark with this book and I can not wait to see what she gives us next. ~Absolutely rocks… And your Valentine’s Day may never be the same…