🔍🪦🚓 “Fatal Forensic Investigation” (Crisis Rescue Team #1) (2022) 🚓🪦🔍 – Book Review
MY REVIEW
Series: Crisis Rescue Team (Book #1)
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (June 28, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1335555110
ISBN-13: 978-1335555113
⬅️ Click Photo for Purchase Information
“Remembering a serial killer’s face…
could be deadly
While interviewing the Coastline Strangler’s only surviving victim, forensic artist Scarlet Wells is attacked and left with amnesia. Now she’s his next mark and has no choice but to work with constable Jace Allen to unlock the criminal’s true identity trapped in her mind. Will they be able to recover the hidden memory and hunt down the killer before he strikes again?”
Thank you in advance to the author, Darlene L. Turner, for providing a complimentary review copy through her launch team. A positive review was not required nor requested, and all words are my own.
Just four months ago, I finished Safe House Exposed, the last book of the author’s first series – Border Patrol. And, I was eagerly awaiting this one.
While I didn’t read her debut book Border Breach when it came out – I eventually ended up reading it when I became a member of her Border Patrol book launch/review team for the second book. After that? I was hooked!
Fun story about Border Breach – I was on a blitz for the debut, ended up winning a gift card, meant to buy the book with the funds, needed to get something else, ended up getting the book with another gift card.
Anyway … here I am now.
It is hard to believe this is the author’s FIFTH (5th) book for Harlequin’s Love Inspired Suspense line, and the first book of her CRISIS RESCUE TEAM.
Turner’s books get better and better with each one released. And, she is definitely a MUST-READ as soon as I read about a new release of hers.
That said …
From the creepy cover to the shocking end – this is definitely a page turner (see what I did there). It was riveting, exciting, and terrifying – but not one to walk away from for any length of time.
Turner introduces us to Scarlet Wells, Jace Allen, and the Coastline Strangler. No characters from the previous books are mentioned – then again, I read this so fast I might’ve missed someone.
This is not a squeamish read, but it is well within the limits of the line.
This action-packed, adrenaline fueled, edge-of-seat, pulse-pounding, heart-stopping fast-paced read is packed full of twists and turns as Scarlet and Jace track down the CLS. Matters are complicated when Scarlet is injured and loses her memory of the sketch and the sketch is destroyed.
If the serial killer line is a bit of a trigger, there are other sensitive topics mentioned – references to infidelity (Jace’s wife), a character’s battle with Alzheimer’s, DUI (Jace’s parents were killed in one), and rape (one of the characters – prior to the story).
The author doesn’t go much into detail on these subjects, but they are part of the characters’ background.
As the book starts, Scarlet Wells has been called in for her forensic artist talents. The CLS has terrorized the Coral Bay area and only one victim has been left alive that has seen his face.
The CLS remedies that by killing the witness, wounding Scarlet, and destroying the sketch.
Jace Allen is one of the officers on the case and wanted Scarlet specifically for her skills – and his past with her. Jace is divorced with a 5-year-old son he keeps safe. It doesn’t help that Jace has personal experience with abduction.
The investigation is hindered by Scarlet’s accident and Jace is attacked – the CLS is not afraid of hurting law enforcement or killing them – in fact, CLS does serious damage in coordinated attacks later on.
CLS isn’t done going after Scarlet and a nurse is killed as well.
CLS does not care who is in their way. Scarlet learns she has a sister – Olive – who will be in the next book – Explosive Christmas Showdown; October 25, 2002.
Olive has a unique talent that she’ll bring to the task force – she is a behavior analyst which comes in handy when the team loses theirs.
Scarlet even speaks to her boss – Sgt. Tobias Xander who sheds some light on who she is … or was. Apparently after an incident, she wasn’t the same and had issues with her co-workers. She doesn’t feel as though this is her true self.
Scarlet has one troubling memory – an issue with fire, particularly a campfire. She learns a devastating truth from her childhood.
She has little time to reflect on her own past as CLS’ misdeeds continue to pile up. The CLS seemingly knows all of the task force’s moves, even before they make them – or so it would appear.
The task force loses their Chief and Jace is forced to step up, particularly when a potential suspect is found – Ian Miller (a postman) … but what is his connection to CLS if he isn’t him? It is clear he is hiding something from what Scarlet can tell.
Then again, there is the cable tech – Kinsley Harrison.
The twist, turns, deviations, and suspense kept going until almost the very end in a surprising conclusion.
This was one of the faster read LIS books for me. Turner’s writing dragged me right in and took me along for the ride beside Scarlet and Jace. It kept me up well past my bedtime. The “one more chapter” before bedtime promise was hindered by the short chapters and addictive storyline.
Turner had suspect after suspect for CLS, who wasn’t who I thought he was. I say “he” because more serial killers are men than women. And, there were far more male suspects (Xander, Ian, a few others, even Heller). For me, I had my own idea, but was wrong.
I wish more detail had gone into Jace’s past and told more about his own incident. Perhaps in future books? It did make the story very exciting.
It is around page 99 where Turner introduces Zac and his dog Ziva to watch Olive – thus setting up the pitch and connection to book #2. I had to smile at the dog’s name. NCIS fans will definitely recognize it. And, there’s definitely a past between Olive and Zac as well.
The author’s fans and followers are sure to note one of the characters with something in Buffalo Plaid. This is a nod to the author who can pull off plaid shirts that would make me look like a lumberjack in a Brawny ad.
Since this is distributed by Love Inspired Suspense, there are going to be references to the Christian faith. This book relies heavily on those themes through the characters’ beliefs.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Turner’s books to fans of the genre, Lynette Eason, Elizabeth Goddard, or Patricia Bradley.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
Next book in the series:
Paperback: 224 Pages
Publisher: Love Inspired Suspense (October 25, 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1335587357
ISBN-13: 978-13355873570
⬆️Click Photo for Pre-Order Information
“A bomber brings terror to Christmas
as the presents go tick…tick…boom.
With
criminal investigative analyst Olive Wells at the center of a bomber’s
dangerous game, she’ll do anything to catch the culprit—even work with her
ex-fiancé and his K-9 detector dog. But with the Christmas rampage drawing ever
closer, Zac Turner’s convinced the attacks are personal. Can they piece
together their ties to the bomber…before another gift explodes?”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darlene L. Turner is an award-winning author and lives with her husband, Jeff in Ontario, Canada. Her love of suspense began when she read her first Nancy Drew book. She’s turned that passion into her writing and believes readers will be captured by her plots, inspired by her strong characters, and moved by her inspirational message. You can connect with Darlene at www.darlenelturner.com where there’s suspense beyond borders.
You can follow her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/darlene.turner.902/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/darlenel.turner/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/darlenelturner/
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