The Body Keeper (Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, #3)

by Anne Frasier

The Thriller Award–winning series continues as Detective Jude Fontaine finds a decades-old connection to missing children that will freeze her blood.

A boy’s frozen body is found trapped in the ice of a Minneapolis lake. The horrifying discovery leads Detective Jude Fontaine and her partner, Uriah Ashby, to more bodies in the ice, all of twelve-year-old boys missing for twenty years.

Then, in one of the worst blizzards the city has ever seen, a four-year-old is abandoned on Jude’s doorstep. The child can’t tell them where he’s from, who his parents are, or how he got there. He doesn’t even know his name.

But in his unspoken language, Jude reads something horrifying—a connection to the dead boys. Now a four-year-old with no name may be the only key to a twenty-year-old, very cold case.

• ISBN10: 1542040248
• ISBN13: 9781542040242
• Publish Date: 4 June 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Thomas & Mercer
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Body Keeper is the third book in the Jude Fontaine mystery series by Anne Frasier. Released 4th June by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint, it's 300 pages and available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a thriller/suspense procedural based around a flawed and fragile female detective with a horrific past. This is the third book in the series, but there's enough backstory given that it could be read as a standalone. I recommend the previous two books in the series for the strength of the writing and for the richness of the multi-book background. According to the author's website blurb, this is to be the last book in the series. I hope she reconsiders, or starts a cognate series. These are good books.

Worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers. This title, and the rest of the series, is available in the KU subscription.

The author is exceptionally adept at plotting and characterization, but really shines in her control of dramatic tension. I can't think of very many authors who have better control over tension driven plot mechanisms. She's a very adept writer, especially in the technical aspects of her writing. Ms. Frasier has a very cinematic style of writing and I could easily see this (possibly toned down in the violence depictions) as a movie franchise.

I recommend the series enthusiastically to devotees of procedural thrillers. Fair warning, the language and depictions are rough. The violence and brooding threat of violence are pervasive, so for readers who prefer 'cozy/light' mysteries, it could be a bit much. This would also make a perfect book club selection and there are even sample questions included at the end of the book to facilitate discussion.

Five stars for the series and five stars for this entry. Checking back over my recent review threads, it seldom happens that I find a series this consistently outstanding.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[kimbacaffeinate]

I discovered this series through ads on my Kindle and devoured the first book describing Anne’s harrowing ordeal. The series is available through Kindle Unlimited and on Audible. This was the strongest novel to date and perhaps the darkest as we delve into child trafficking when the frozen bodies of children appear in the lake and a young boy is left on a doorstep

A blizzard, and discoveries regarding family gave us more insight into this strong, broken, compassionate police detective. We witness first hand growth, acceptance and trust as Detective Jude Fontaine is put to the test. I was completely pulled into the story as Jude fought to find justice for these lost souls and devoured this in a single evening.

There are triggers so be warned. It was hard knowing what these children experienced emotionally, physically and sexually. The story isn’t graphic, and we aren’t present when stronger elements of abuse occur but it broke my heart nonetheless and Fraiser painted a clear enough picture. Child Trafficking is a relevant issues and Fraiser tackled it well.

I am hoping we see more cases with Detective Jude Fontaine. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer