‘Wow, what a book!! I don’t think I drew a full breath for the entire time I was reading… I took it everywhere I went… like—what? It was like they were freeze-framed in the middle of some action. It was like they were dancing.
When loving wife Jeanine Hammond is found dead in a small leafy town in Massachusetts, newly promoted Detective Jo Fournier is shocked to her core. Why leave her body posed like a ballerina? Why steal her wedding band and nothing else? Hungry for answers, Jo questions Jeanine’s husband, but the heart-breaking pain written on his face threatens to tear open Jo’s old wounds. It’s the same pain she felt when her boyfriend was cruelly shot dead by a gang in their hometown of New Orleans. She couldn’t get justice for him, but she’s determined to get justice for Jeanine’s devastated family.
But before Jo can get answers, another woman is found, wedding ring stolen, body posed in the same ritualistic way.
Digging through old files, Jo makes a terrifying link to a series of cold cases. She knows a serial killer is on the loose, but nobody will listen to the truth – not her bosses, nor the FBI. Still, Jo won’t let her superiors keep her from stopping the murderer in his tracks, even if it means the end of her career.
Just as she is beginning to lose hope, she finds messages on the victims’ computers that feel like the crucial missing link. But she knows the murderer is moments away from selecting his next victim. Will she be able to take down the most twisted killer of her career before another innocent life is lost?
An absolutely unputdownable and brilliant new crime thriller series that fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh will devour in one sitting.
Read what everyone is saying about The Dancing Girls:
‘Loved it, loved it, loved it!!… If I could give it 6 stars I would! In this current climate of ‘twists you will never see coming’ – believe me… you will never see this coming!… Cannot wait for the next book!… Best book I have read for some time.’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Holy Freaking Hell when is the next book out?! From start to finish this book is just WOW!… Keeps you on the edge of your seat… full of twists and turns… Talk about mind-blowing… Want to shout about it from the rooftops… I cannot recommend this book enough.’ Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, 5 stars
‘I was just blown away by its climax, wandering around going OMG… Found it totally gripping… impossible to put down.’ Muse Books, 5 stars
‘Wow, Wow, Wow… the most exciting new author I have read for a long time… Extremely addictive and left me wanting more. This book has everything… and a huge unexpected twist you will not see coming. I can’t emphasise enough how much enjoyment I got from reading this… I’ll be queuing up for the next… Well-deserved 5 stars – Wow.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘Wow squared!… A gem of a book and a truly wonderful start of a new series… Left me with an OMG feeling… A brilliant read and I want more. 5 stars.’ B for Bookreview, 5 stars
‘An unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you would find on a Snakes & Ladders board… I felt as though I had been punched in the gut and they left me breathless.’ Ginger Book Geek, 5 starsmore
Wow! This novel is very dark and twisted. I would fit this writer in with Chelsea Cain readers. She doesn’t hold any details back, but also gives bit by bit to explain the rational behind the motive of the killer. I love that she gave that psyche insight of that character. Then when you are wondering just how this is going to wrap up in the last chapter or two she leaves you reeling for more!
Jo Fournier has recently been promoted to Lieutenant and is still trying to get the hang of this new administrative role. She is used to being in the field, following leads, chasing down suspects, data and anything else that might creep up on a case. She is not sure she likes this new position stuck behind a desk, she still has the itch to be out there with the others.
A woman is found strangled in her hotel room, wedding ring missing and no other clues are found and Jo finds herself back on the detective side of things with this case. This is what she loved, what she strived for. But this case is becoming a challenge and Jo is being told to do her job as lieutenant and table it with the other cold cases that came before this one.
Then, when she is visiting her father down south, she comes across an article about a murder in the paper that mimics her case! Do they have a serial on their hands? Jo reaches out to this department and they work together to try and tie the cases together but they just are not convinced it is the same guy and the FBI can’t waste time on two murders with “coincidences”.
Jo is determined to solve this case, even if it means risking her lieutenant position, but will she be able to find the connection to the cases or is this just an isolated case? With her detectives behind her she leaves no stone unturned and just when they are closing in and narrowing down their suspects she gets a call from another department…. the wedding ring from her victim has been found in the drawer of a man… is this who they’ve been looking for?
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for the free book, I will be looking up more by this author! I enjoyed the various character point of views, but this is not for someone who does not like details or the dark side of murder, as this author holds nothing back.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn’t want to put it down and I was blown away by the twist! Overall good read!
Loved this book !
This first book in a police procedure series gives us just as much time spent on the killers POV and finishes with twist you will not see coming.
This is the first book I’ve read by M.M. Chouinard and I really enjoyed it. I love a book that keeps you interested and has characters that you feel drawn to. Recently becoming the Lieutenant, Detective Jo Fournier and her detectives are on a new case. A housewife, teacher and mother was murdered while on a seminar trip. Detective Jo feels in her gut that there is something off about this killing. It doesn’t feel random. The killer only took the victims wedding rings. They have a surveillance photo of a man with a fedora pulled down with her before she was killed. The leads, which are few are exhausted quickly and she was told to let go there are no other leads. Then a second killing of a housewife on a business trip happens in another state Jo happens to be visiting. The killing is very similarly and the killer only took the woman’s wedding rings. Jo is convinced they have a serial killer on their hands. The other agencies are not as convinced as Jo is that this is the work of a serial killer and if she wants to pursue it they can’t add manpower to her theory. Research shows another similar case in yet another state. So far Jo has learned this killer is intelligent. There is no DNA, no finger prints and no paper trail. How is the next kill selected? Can she stop him before he kills again? This story has a twist at the ending you will not guess tell it’s revealed. I know I will be looking forward to book #2 and more of Detective Jo Fournier. Thank you NetGalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this ARC. My review of the book is my honest opinion. If you like a good mystery and books on serial killers it’s a great read! I read it in two sittings as I hated to put it down.
Dark, devious, and sinister!
The Dancing Girls is a crafty, compelling police procedural that introduces you to Detective Jo Fournier, a complex, driven, young woman who finds herself on the hunt for a murderer with a penchant for married women who enjoy spending their spare time immersed in the World of Warcraft and are in need of a little extra attention.
The writing is complex and intense. The characters are a mix of ruthless, cunning, and vulnerable. And the plot told from multiple perspectives is a suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, manipulation, duplicity, intrigue, violence, and murder.
Overall, The Dancing Girls is a creepy, pacey, promising first novel in this new series by Chouinard that highlights just how exposed the internet truly makes us and how easy and quickly it is for those with nefarious tendencies to find and target unsuspecting victims.
This book captivated me from the first chapter! I couldn’t put it down.
Hard to get into this storey line.
Poetic justice is served as Martin meets Diane! And what a cliffhanger! I read through the night, could not put this book down!