On the floor, amongst the piles of freshly pressed laundry, lay the woman’s lifeless body, her pale yellow nightdress soaked in blood. “I didn’t do it…” came a whisper from the corner of the room.Detective Katie Scott has never seen two people more in love than her aunt and uncle as they danced on the decking the night of their wedding anniversary party. But the next morning, when Katie finds her … the next morning, when Katie finds her aunt’s body sprawled across the floor, that perfect image is shattered forever.
All fingers point to Katie’s uncle, Pine Valley’s beloved sheriff and protector – after all, his prints are all over the antique knife found at the scene. Grieving, but certain of her uncle’s innocence, Katie is consigned to the cold case division after she’s discovered searching the house for clues. Does someone want to keep her as far away from this investigation as possible?
Ignoring warnings from her team, Katie digs into her uncle’s old case files and discovers photographs of the body of a young girl found tied to a tree after a hike in search of a rare flower. Her body is covered with the same unusual lacerations her aunt suffered. Katie knows it can’t be a coincidence, but every lead she follows takes her to a dead end.
Moments before the sheriff is arrested, Katie realises that a single piece of thread she found at the crime scene could be the missing link that will stitch old crimes to new. But how can she prove her uncle’s innocence without throwing herself directly into the line of fire? She doesn’t have a choice, he’s the only family she has left…
A totally jaw-dropping crime thriller with an ending you will never see coming! Perfect for anyone who adores Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh.
What readers are saying about Flowers on Her Grave:
‘It feels like being caught in a whirlwind. Love it!… Totally, utterly, amazingly good book.’ B for Book Review, 5 stars
‘Never have I been so emotionally invested in a book… I was hooked from page one, and finished reading in one day… outstanding.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A super addition to the brilliant series… hooks you right in… looking forward to the next explosive read!’ Goodreads reviewer
‘An unpredictable rollercoaster of a book. Twists on every page.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I was seriously on the edge of my seat, gripping my kindle so tight with all the tension.’ Star Crossed Reviews
‘I have found my new favorite, badass female lead!… I can’t get enough!!!… perfectly paced and had me on the edge of my seat. I look forward to devouring the rest of this series! Jennifer, please write faster!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN!!!!!… I was literally holding my breath… I HAD TO KNOW!!!!! As for the explosive ending WOW definitely not what I was expecting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 starsmore
Detective Katie Scott finds her aunt stabbed to death in her home. Her uncle, the Sheriff, says that he didn’t do it …although it’s one of his knives at the crime scene. Being the prime suspect, he is arrested, much to Katie’s dismay.
Katie is assigned to work cold cases and is warned to stay away from investigating her aunt’s murder. But Katie finds a way to work around that …. she finds a cold case that her uncle had investigated years ago. She’s a smart enough detective that she can look into two cases at once … right?
With her partner and a few friends from her military days, and a link to a murder committed 12 years earlier, it becomes a hunt for a serial killer. What’s their connection? The closer to the truth Katie gets, the more danger she is in. There are eyes watching her every move.
Katie suffers PTSD following her two tours in Afghanistan as a member of the K9 team . She is secretly seeing a therapist to help with the flashbacks, panic and anxiety she suffers daily. My favorite ‘person’ is Cisco, her partner K9 while in the military. She managed to bring him home with her and they work together almost as one.
This is a well written action-filled page turner. There are twists and turns with multiple suspects to follow. Characters are solidly defined and I enjoyed how they all relate to each other .. sometimes with sarcasm, sometimes with humor. The mystery suspense starts with the very first page and hold steady until the final unexpected conclusion.
Although 3rd in this series, this is easily read as a stand alone, however, I do recommend reading them in order.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Detective Katie Scott returns in this third installment as the newly appointed head of the cold case unit within the Pine Valley Sheriff’s Office and she definitely has her work cut out for her! Following the murder of her aunt and with all fingers pointing to her uncle, Katie begins to piece together the clues that may not only vindicate him, but might also finally close the unsolved murder of a young woman.
Suffering from anxiety, PTSD, and panic attacks, this book brought fresh perspectives to Katie’s life as it built and added to her story as a veteran working in a high stress law enforcement position. She is still reeling from her time as a soldier and learning to adapt in a post-war environment. I greatly appreciated the insight into how Katie is working through her triggers with the use of professional therapy and seeking help from trusted friends. She is beginning to understand how important it is to ask for assistance, and that in doing so, she is not weak or a burden. Unlike the previous books, this one did not fill in the blanks as well for readers just entering the series, so I would definitely recommend starting with the first book to completely understand everything that is going on.
While I have consistently felt that Katie is an incredibly well developed character throughout this series, I will say that this book showcased just how detrimental her headstrong nature can be. She has never made apologies for how impetuous she is, but now she often came across as more of a rogue agent, blinded to anything other than finding her aunt’s true killer and saving her uncle’s reputation. Looking at the entire series as a whole though, she continues to be likeable and just vulnerable enough to make her more relatable to readers. Having served in the military myself as well as dealing with my own diagnoses of anxiety and PTSD, I greatly appreciated the level of authenticity presented throughout the story. There was never a moment when I didn’t believe or empathize with Katie’s struggles to cope with her previous experiences. Her emotions are so honestly expressed that readers regardless of their own experiences and emotions surrounding trauma can’t help but empathize with her circumstances and condition.
I cannot stress enough in my reviews that Katie’s character is a testament to the author’s level of research and the advisers she consulted in creating an authentic work of fiction that could be enjoyed by laymen. You don’t have to have a background in criminology to recognize how well written these stories are. Additionally, Katie’s character provides the strong representation that service members and law enforcement officials greatly appreciate seeing reflected across all media formats.
Fast-paced chapters keep the tension and suspense mounting until the very unexpected end. This series continues to be a great example of what a compelling police procedural should be! The plot grabs your attention, but the author’s deft storytelling keeps the pages flying! I will say however that this time around when the dialogue and interactions between characters moved into friendly banter within scenes far removed from any criminal activity, it felt contrived and awkward.
Katie’s work in the Army as an explosives detection dog handler allowed her to bring her retired dog, Cisco, to the department as her canine partner. I felt the previous books displayed their bond better, but this one provided more understanding into the work that he now does for the Sheriff’s office and more information on his continued training. Regardless, their connection is undeniably beautiful to read about and highlights the exceptional and important work dogs provide to humans.
I continue to be such a fan of how the author uses her experience with criminal behavior to craft such compelling cases and characters from aspects of both the investigative and criminal sides of law enforcement. She masterfully captures the realism that only someone with so much insight in the field would be able to express. The use of forensics and profiling make this a riveting read that will satisfy any fan of true crime or crime thrillers. Her books are completely underrated and an absolute steal for the quality of writing she delivers every time!
Detective Scott is a force to be reckoned with that’s for sure, and I certainly hope we haven’t seen the final chapter.
I like this series. I think the premise of the investigations being cold cases is unique, especially since the cold case in this book links to a current one. And this time, it’s personal to Katie. The author did a fine job of tying it all together. I did think that Katie’s personal life seemed a little short-changed, and I wished that there had been a bit more background on the killer’s motivations. But it was a good read, and I look forward to following Katie through more cold cases. 3.5 stars. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
Flowers on Her Grave is my first book by this author. While being the third in the series, the book is easy to keep up with a Detective Katie Scott quickly captures the reader’s attention. A former military k-9 trainer, Katie is now the main detective in her uncle, the sheriff’s cold case division with a knack for solving cases. After her aunt is murdered and her uncle framed for the murder, Katie does a deep dive into her uncle’s old cases to find the most likely candidates for the setup. An old cold case turns up eerie similarities to her aunt’s murder but the suspects list just keeps growing as Katie runs into danger to solve the murders. With characters that fuel the imagination and a mystery that keeps you guessing, the pages flew by for a suspenseful, fast paced mystery that you do not want to put down. The only thing keeping this from a five star read for me is that the story reached the climax so abruptly (like a page or two) after building for so long I felt a little unsatisfied. The ending works towards a happier Katie and leaves me wanting to come back for more. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.
The morning after her aunt and uncle’s 10th wedding anniversary party – a huge soiree – Detective Katie Scott arrives at their home for a planned meet-up.Her uncle is a bloody mess and her aunt is dead. Her uncle is the prime suspect and recused of his duties as Sheriff. Katie is warned, of course, to stay away from the case but she can’t leave this wholly to another detective. Katie continues her work in the cold case unit, while quietly following the investigation of her Aunt Claire’s murder and sleuthing herself. Digging into her uncle’s cold case files she finds a case where the victim suffered injuries consistent with Claire’s. Following this trail may exonerate her uncle, if she can find the killer before the killer finds her.
I liked Katie, an army veteran dealing with PTSD, and her dog Cisco, who was her K9 partner in the service. She’s smart, persistent, strong, and cares deeply for her friends and family, including friends from the army and current co-workers. The plot is interesting and complex. In addition to the plot regarding Claire’s death and the possible related cold case, Katie and her partner investigate an unrelated missing persons case, which is also interesting and well-paced. Although this is the third book in the series, I had no trouble beginning with this novel.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC. The opinions in this review are honest and my own. #policeprocedural
A third exciting story in the Detective Katie Scott series. Katie works the cold cases for the Pine Valley Sheriff’s office. She has scars left from her two tours overseas in the military along with PTSD. After the anniversary celebration for her uncle and his wife, Katie arrives at the house the next morning to find her aunt dead with suspicion falling on her uncle, the sheriff. She knows there is no way he killed his wife, but she is warned to stay away from the case. Hoping to find out who would want to harm her uncle and set him up for murder, Katie reviews his cold cases. She notices in one case the similarities to the manner of her aunt’s death and wonders if the killer has struck before. Katie has a unique ability to look at a case and find clues that others often miss. Will she be next on the killer’s list? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
Flowers on Her Grave (Detective Katie Scott Book 3) by Jennifer Chase is another non-stop thriller. I enjoy this series with Katie Scott and her K-9 partner Cisco very much! Katie is still having anxiety which is a result of her two tours in Afghanistan. Since coming home she has been serving as a detective for the cold case unit. After a beautiful celebratory night with her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Claire for their tenth anniversary, the unthinkable happens, her aunt is murdered! Her uncle can not remember what has happened and becomes the prime suspect. Katie is torn with grief and worry for her family as she continues to work a five year old missing person case. I won’t post spoilers, but once Katie and McGaven dig into the cold case for Stiles, life gets hectic. It is impressive how the author weaves solving two cold cases and setting a trap to catch her aunts murderer into one story!
Publication Date:March 24, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Another great installment in the Katie Scott series. Solid writing, solid character developments, and a really good mystery. Definitely recommend this series (I do recommend reading them order so you can fully understand the main character’s personality and character).
Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.
Detective Katie Scott is back with her toughest case yet. Proving that her uncle, Sheriff Wayne, did not kill his wife.
Katie has her hands full in this one as she is the only one that believes her uncle is innocent. As per her usual she ignores her peers and starts digging into his old cases and is shocked to find there is an old murder with a similar MO. Its Katie’s determination of pulling thread after thread that finally leads her to the killer but as with most killers he doesn’t want to be found and will do what it takes to keep his secrets hidden.
Katie is also moving along in her personal life. Seeing a psychiatrist more to deal with her PTSD and she is more open to starting a relationship with her childhood friend Chad Fergison.