When a murder echoing a fifteen-year-old cold case rocks the Southern town of Savannah, crime reporter Harper McClain risks everything to find the identity of this calculated killer in Christi Daugherty’s new novel The Echo Killing. A city of antebellum architecture, picturesque parks, and cobblestone streets, Savannah moves at a graceful pace. But for Harper McClain, the timeless beauty and … timeless beauty and culture that distinguishes her home’s Southern heritage vanishes during the dark and dangerous nights. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Not even finding her mother brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve has made her love Savannah any less.
Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.
Harper has seen all of this before in her own life. The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer. At last, she has the chance to find the murderer who’s eluded justice for fifteen years and make sure another little girl isn’t forever haunted by a senseless act of violence–even if it puts Harper in the killer’s cross-hairs…
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The Echo Killing (Harper McClain, 1) by author Christi Daugherty is suspenseful and keeps the reader intrigued! I enjoyed everything about the book, especially that it was set in Savannah, a place I love.
Harper is a crime reporter in Savannah, GA. Her mother was murdered when she was twelve. She is not close to her father who lives over a thousand miles away with his new family. The many unanswered questions about who killed her mother have haunted her and drive her to spend hours investigating crimes which come through the local police department at night.
One day she goes with Miles, her assigned photographer to gather information on a murder. The scene she watches fills her with the remembrance of herself at age twelve. She watches a little girl being led away from the front door of her home after she has found her mother brutally murdered in the kitchen. Harper’s breath nearly stops as she remembers how that same thing feels and she decides she must see the murder scene. Could it possibly be the same as her mother’s crime scene fifteen years ago? Harper is obsessed with finding out more about the victim Marie Whitney and who wanted to kill her in the same manner as her own mother. Could it be the same person?
As Harper pursues answers and follows every lead she will uncover some disturbing information. She finds a hateful letter from her father which was written to her mother before her death. I won’t post any more spoilers, but the character of Harper is so likeable and I wanted her to find her answers.
I am looking forward to reading another Harper McClain story! Great Job, Christi Daugherty!
This is a great book, it grabbed me from the beginning to end. I have the next book on reserve at the library.
I really hoped I could have enjoyed this story more, but it fell flat for me. The overall story had a good premise, but I didn’t connect with the writing style. I wanted to care more about the main character, Harper, and fall in love with the setting, but the story lacked in those keep developmental areas, making it hard.
I really loved this book introducing Savannah, Georgia crime reporter Harper McClain, who is haunted by a murder in her past. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.
Only one way to start this book review of The Echo Killing by Christi Daugherty…WOW, WOW, WOW!!! I read a lot of crime fiction and the majority of those are told from the perspective of police investigators so it was nice that The Echo Killing was a little different. The story takes place in Savannah, Georgia and is told from the perspective of Harper McClain, a 27 year old crime reporter.
One day Harper is called out to the murder scene of victim Marie Whitney and Whitney’s daughter finds her body just like Harper found her mom 15 years ago. Harper’s mother’s murder was never solved and this new murder scene is so similar Harper thinks it may be the same killer.
“It’s like my mother’s death made this huge noise a long time ago. And this murder is the echo of it.”
I love Harper. She has been through so much in her life and for the most part she is keeping it together the best she can. But all the memories from her mother’s murder come flooding back when she sees similarities in the present murder of Marie Whitney.
Harper finds herself in a dangerous situation as she digs deeper into the two investigations. Her character is totally realistic and believable. She is pretty stubborn and not much for listening to people in authority.
Overall I thought this book was a well-written crime fiction debut. The author’s description of Savannah makes it feel like you are there. The plot was intriguing and steadily paced. The ending was unexpected and it leaves the reader with a little mystery to continue to ponder. I can’t wait to get started on the second Harper McClain book called A Beautiful Corpse. Thanks so much to the author and Minotaur Books for sending me a copy to review. I’m giving this one 5 stars and I highly recommend it to all lovers of crime fiction.
Harper McClain is a crime reporter in Savannah where her mother was brutally murdered in their home when she was twelve.
Her mother’s killer was never found, and that unsolved murder left Harper with an obsession that drove her to become one of the best crime reporters in the state of Georgia. She spends her nights with the police, searching for criminals. Her latest investigation takes her to the scene of a homicide where the details are hauntingly familiar: a young girl being led from the scene by a detective, a female victim naked and stabbed multiple times in the kitchen, and no traces of any evidence pointing towards a suspect.
The similarities between the murder of Marie Whitney and her own mother’s death lead her to believe they’re both victims of the same killer.
This is her debut novel as a crime writer & I found it a very accomplished read. I really liked Harper & found other characters well portrayed. The mystery was well written, I did find it to be a slow build & at the start did wonder if I would enjoy it but giving it time proved well worthwhile. The only downside was that not everything was wrapped up & there were quite a few loose ends which whilst I will read the next book I don’t like things to be left hanging
This one took me a bit to get into as the introduction of characters and setting felt a bit slow in the beginning. However, once the story picked up, it made for an interesting read. The book is well-written and the characters are a good mix of likable and not so likable, which is to be expected in a crime mystery. I have to say that Harper frustrated me at times in her dogged determination to find answers regardless of the cost – often jeopardizing not only her own safety and career, but that of others. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but to root for her as she worked to find answers to a brutal murder as well as answers to her own troubled past. The whodunit in this one wasn’t hard to figure out, especially with a couple of red herrings being a bit on the obvious side, but the journey kept me turning pages to see if I was right and how it would all play out. The conclusion comes together quite well and there are a couple of unanswered questions that I’m assuming will be addressed in a future book. I did like that our heroine isn’t perfect and her personal life isn’t all sunshine and roses as so often happens in fiction today. Life is messy and the reality of those messes in Harper’s life adds to the realistic emotional feel of the story. All in all, this crime mystery is worth the read and the questions raised at the end have me sufficiently intrigued to check out a future Harper McClain book.
This was a very well-written tale of suspense and intrigue. The characters were complex and interesting. The plot was well-paced. And, having lived just outside of Savannah, GA, many years ago, I found Daugherty’s descriptions of the town and scenery lush and spot on, evoking a marked sense of nostalgia. I love how the cover of the book echoes what I remember and loved most about Savannah — those majestic trees lavishly draped in endless ribbons of Spanish moss.
I’m really looking forward to more books in this series.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley & St. Martin’s Press in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
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