A bond stronger than blood. A connection that could end it all. Madigan Knox and Grace Sheppard became sisters the day they entered their foster home. After living through a childhood nightmare, one brave act set them free, but split them apart into different homes.As adults, they are reunited in the small coastal town they dreamed of living in as children, but the reality of life in Tall Pines … life in Tall Pines is far from what they had imagined.
When a woman is found dead in her home, Madigan reports on the crime while Grace investigates. A dark connection to the victim is discovered, pulling them both closer to the crime and the traumatic past they are desperate to move on from.
With old wounds ripped open and dark secrets threatening their bond, the sisters must rely on each other more than ever before to survive.
Fans of Rizzoli and Isles will love this first book in a new, unpredictable mystery series by Emerald O’Brien that readers are calling “…a beautiful, harrowing tale.” “…with more twists than a red vine!”
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Not really inspiring – characters were predictable and not really believable.
The Girls Across the Bay by Emerald O’Brien is book one of The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries series.
The storyline of this book is truly engaging and I couldn’t wait to get to the end to find out what was happening. The characters, Grace and Madigan were very well written and made reading the book more enjoyable. These girls bonded through tough circumstances and grew to have great strength. The small town setting is beautiful. I truly enjoy stories with these small town settings as it makes the story more relatable.
It was slightly distracting that the characters thoughts were italicized but I was able to overlook the distraction for the whole of the story. I would read the next book in the series.
5 Star
The Girls across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries, Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien is a wonderfully written mystery that had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happens next.I was drawn in and hooked from the beginning and didn’t want to put it down till the end. Madigan and Grace became sisters years ago when they were both in the same Foster Home,and they formed a very strong bond. These two lived through a hellish nightmare and were then split up. Years later they were reunited . When a young woman is found dead ,Grace investigates it. What will happen when old wounds are reopened? What happens when secrets are revealed? Are they in danger? Find out what happens next in this must read Book. I can’t wait to read more from this Author.
The pacing for this book was a bit meh. Similar aspects of detective/police/journalism seemed rushed in one part and nit picked at others. It could be one of those things where the formatting is deliberate and only becomes apparent on a second read. Some of the plot was confusing and I couldn’t really nail down a timeline but it didn’t really confuse me too much. Hopefully the next book will answer some of my questions and resolve a cliffhanger or two.
All in all, this was a very nice read and I am looking forward to the next book in the series
I give The Girls Across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien, 5 stars.
Madigan and Grace met in foster care when they were young and have been sisters ever since. Madigan is a reporter but is frustrated with her job. Grace is a cop who has ended up in a small town since an incident in the city. The two are struggling, but are stronger together. When a murder happens in their small town, the two try to figure out just what happens. But the more they find out, the more it looks like things from their past may be lurking. Will they get to the bottom of it? At what cost?
I really enjoyed this book. Both women have struggled in life, they’re very complicated characters. This makes this book so much more interesting. The other characters just round a good whodunit even more. The story itself is quite interesting too. There are so many twists and turns, which always makes for a great murder mystery. Not to mention all the possible suspects, but you will never know just what happened until the end. I cannot wait to read more of this series.
If you enjoy suspense murder mysteries with strong female main characters, this book is for you.
The Girls Across the Bay is the first of the instalment of the Knox and Sheppard series. It’s a mystery/thriller that follows the lives of two foster sisters, their careers and how they are merged together under some tragic circumstances. This was a detailed read and I loved how much we were thrown into the characters and their world. Although a longer read, I found I couldn’t put this down and finished it in one Sunday-afternoon sitting. If you love a good mystery and strong family ties, this is definitely the book for you!
This is one of those books that had me hooked from the moment I read the blurb. Not only was it creepy, it also mentioned two of my favourite careers to read about: detective and journalist. Don’t ask me why, but I just love characters in these lines of work; I find them so interesting and fun to read! With Grace and Madigan also being family, I knew this was going to be a book I would enjoy. And the story did not disappoint. While it took me a while to get my head around the logistics and connections of the plot, I can’t deny that I was hooked on the story from the very beginning. The elusiveness of Grace and Madigan’s past is enough to keep you interested but throw in a murder, some romance and colleague rivalry, and you have the makings for a really entertaining read. Seeing Grace and Madigan battle with their colleagues was one of my favourite parts of this book, even if it was a little frustrating at times!
The murder of a local women is the heart of the story and let’s be honest, who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? The investigation of the crime was actually really well paced and well written. It didn’t drag on for too long, nor did it feel rushed and unnatural, which can often be the case with mysteries when they are too romance heavy. I liked the twist of having Madigan’s journalist career involved in the investigation, too, as this offered a different perspective to things.
If you can’t already tell, I really enjoyed this book. After being in a bit of a reading slump, this has definitely peaked my interests and got me back into a reading mood, especially for mysteries. This was a fab start to a new series and I know I will be buying the rest of the books. Thanks to the author for such a great read!
The Girls Across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mystery Book 1)
By Emerald O’Brien
My Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Emerald O’Brien takes a look into the lives of three small town residents as they dig into a mysterious death of a local housewife. The past shows its ugly head as unusual clues and coincidences tie them to a second mystery. As the investigation continues, they find that their own childhood nightmare is somehow linked to the crime.
Grace has overcome many obstacles from her childhood to get to where she is today. She is a police detective who is all about the job. So when one fatal mistake finds her struggling to stay on the job, she finds herself starting over in Tall Pines.
Madigan is a reporter for the local newspaper. She finds herself in a daily struggle to get that elusive front page story. Thane, her nemesis, is the editor go-to reporter and he always seems to be just one step ahead of Madigan.
John is a troubled soul who finds his whole world turned upside down when his wife is found murdered in the living room of his home. His past and some mistakes have made him the prime suspect in a crime he couldn’t have committed, or could he?
The author uses easy to read storytelling and unique characters to draw and keep our attention. Her descriptions help to make the characters real and you can almost feel the emotions that they are experiencing. The story unfolds at a quick pace, making this page turner hard to put down. I am excited to read the second book! I highly recommend this book!
The Girls Across The Bay by Emerald O’Brien was a thrilling 5 star read and book one in the Knox and Sheppard series.
Madigan and Grace are sisters by heart, they lived in a foster home that brought on some abusive situations until the foster father was arrested and the girls were split up. We start out with each of them as adults, Madigan is a journalist and Grace is a police officer.
Grace has moved to Deerhorn County, the girls are excited to find themselves close together again. When there is a murder, things take a twist and some things from the past come back.
There were so many twist and turns I didn’t know which way was up at times. I love a story that keeps me wondering and I wasn’t disappointed. We get dual POV so that we can get both girls perspective on things. Overall this was a thrilling mystery with so much going on, Emerald O’Brien does a great job with her writing. I was done before I knew it. I can’t wait to read more from this series. 1-click and get started today.
This mystery shows you that you don’t have to be blood to create a deep family bond that lasts forever! Madigan Knox and Grace Sheppard are sisters, bound together as children through tragic events in foster care that shape the people they will become in ways they don’t even realize. The Girls Across the Bay gives us an in depth look into the minds and hearts of its characters from childhood to adulthood, showing us both their strengths and weaknesses. Madigan is a journalist and Grace a detective in the small town of Tall Pines. As Madigan and Grace work to solve a murder, they take the reader on a ride that keeps you guessing and has you on the edge of your seat page after page! It’s a mental and emotional rollercoaster you won’t want to get off! I couldn’t put this book down and look forward to finding out what happens next!
Loved this book
This book was okay. I’m giving it an average rating. I felt the characters could be better developed with some early insight into their past.
The Girls across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries, Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien
4 Stars
This is my first book by this author and although I seriously enjoyed it, it took me a bit to get in to it, and there were parts I had to go back and reread because at times it was hard to follow or a bit wordy.
This was about 2 young girls that started out as friends and then became sisters and their journey through foster care into adulthood. The storyline was amazing and the attention to detail was done perfectly. Living the same story through two different perspectives was unique and I did by the middle of the story find myself completely invested and I could not put the book down.
I loved the bond between Madigan and Grace and watching them both deal with life in their own ways was awesome. I love crime stories and I love trying to figure it all out with them and I will say this one totally threw me, and that’s what makes me love reading this genre.
I highly recommend this story and I can’t wait for more from this author.
Awesome
The Girls across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries, Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien
5-Stars
The Girls across the Bay by Emerald O’Brien was an excellent mystery novel. I loved the two sisters Grace and Madigan. They were both very strong and determined females. The author did a magnificent job with their development and I loved the background she provided on them. I hate that they were separated for a time while in foster care while they were young but I felt it really helped play into their strength. I also really enjoyed the flow of this novel and descriptive scenery. I found it easy to place myself in the characters shoes to visualize what was happening. This novel is definitely worth the 5-stars and I highly recommend. I look forward to reading more from this author as well as from this series.
This is the first book I’ve read by this author and it it is also the first book of a new series.
The two female leads are well rounded with strengths and weaknesses and are sisters by choice, not by blood. The writing is descriptive and I was able to visualize the story.
This was an interesting suspense told in a voice I have not read before. It is 1st person and 3rd person within the same paragraph so we have total insight into what everyone is thinking.
The ending sets up the next story in the series nicely and I look forward to reading more.
The Girls Across The Bay is the opening to Emerald O’Brien’s Knox and Sheppard series! I fell in love with her writing when I read the opening to another series of hers, the Avery Hart Trilogy! I was fascinated with her style of storytelling, the intricate connections, the subtle hints, the mixing of past and present so I thought I would be ready for The Girls Across The Bay but I wasn’t … she took it up by at least a notch and I cannot wait to see where she will be taking the series to!
Knox and Sheppard are two sisters by choice, Madigan and Grace, and they have seen and experienced way too much for their age … I loved how the writer gave us the story from each of their point of view, the inner dialogues, the building of the foundation to the universe that she placed them into … across the bay … these two work together to solve a mystery that has a dark connection to their past and I promise you that when you find out ‘who did it’, you will be as surprised as ever!
I cannot wait to see what comes next for Madigan, Grace, Mac and John …
5 Stars
The Girls Across the Bay is the first book in the Knox and Sheppard series by Emerald O’Brien. It is quite a clever and thrilling mystery- with plenty of intrigue, suspense, and dramatic moments. I was definitely caught up in the web of intrigue, wondering at all the possibilities, looking for clues, and being suspicious of everyone and everything- all while hunting for the killer. The story twists and turns, which left me guessing- and when I thought I finally had everything pinned down, BAM, another twist.
This proved to be quite a complex and multi-layered storyline, with several threads playing out at the same time and throughout Ms. O’Brien orchestrated everything quite seamlessly. A couple of minor issues for me were that there were moments where the story was a little slow, such as in the beginning as the foundations were being laid out. And there was a lot of inner dialogue from the two main characters, whose perspectives drive the story. Madigan and Grace had been through quite a lot, but through it all had formed such a close bond, which still stood strong after all the years. But some of their inner dialogue was quite negative and defeatist- and I understand why it was written that way, but knowing didn’t make it any less frustrating (for me). And at the same time, I really felt for them and wanted to tuck them under my wing and ‘mother’ them.
I liked that we got to see the characters grow and develop a little over the course of the story, and I hope that they will continue to do so through the rest of the series. I will definitely be reading the other instalments in the series- to see what’s in store for the characters next. I like the ‘direction’ the storyline seems to be heading in, which holds a lot of promise for the other books books.
Thank you, Ms. O’Brien!
This is a wonderful murder mystery. When a dead body is found the two woman report and investigate upon it. While doing this it brings up the past which was filled with foster homes and abusiveness but also how they became friends. The two ladies were wonderfully written as we learned what haunts them as the story moves forward. Sometimes I am not a fan of the past dumped into the present but this time it was done tastefully. The secondary characters were done nicely as well. They helped move the story along without overshadowing the main characters. This is my first book by this author and she wrote a wonderful intriguing story with great characters. I recommend this if you enjoy a suspenseful tale filled with murder and intrigue.
The Girls Across the Bay (The Knox and Sheppard Mysteries, Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien is a mystery thriller and a good start to the series. The story kept me glued to the pages and wanting to know what was coming next. It is a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and the storyline and the plot was well done. There are some dark moments in the book but there is also some light. The story was told in dual POV with the sisters which was great because it enriches the story being able to get inside their minds.
Madigan and Grace met in the foster care system and were manipulated and treated badly by those who should have loved them. Now adults, they are reunited but when a murder happens their past comes back to haunt them.
I look forward to the next book.
I really enjoyed the premise behind this book and found the two main characters very interesting. I was pulled in immediately and invested in the outcome. The author kept me guessing as to how everything would come out in the end. I enjoyed this book and give it four stars
The Girls Across the Bay is the first novel in the Knox and Sheppard series by Emerald O’ Brien. This is my first novel by this author.
I really enjoyed this mystery novel involving two girls that are in foster care and are separated but meet again as adults because of their careers. It made me curious how much the two had changed as the years passed and how much the past affected their lives. The author does an amazing job of weaving the past and present giving the reader just enough information without spoiling too much and still leaving some questions to be answered.
I wasn’t sure if I was going to like this novel or not. Sure it had some flaws such as some things didn’t feel all that realistic but it didn’t take away from the story just because some things were described or in depth.
I loved the characters as well as the twists and turns. I don’t want to give away too much.
This a series I look forward to continuing.