The Little Grave: A completely heart-stopping crime thriller (Detective Amanda Steele, #1)

by Carolyn Arnold

Detective Amanda Steele stops just inside the doorway, recognizing the victim’s face instantly. He seems so vulnerable in death; soft, human, even harmless. But she can never forget the evil he has inflicted. Her heart is hammering as she remembers her precious daughter, with her red curls and infectious laugh, and how she was lowered into that little grave…

It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed in the path of an oncoming drunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, but Amanda cannot. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, she can’t keep away from the case.

Fighting her sergeant to be allowed to work an investigation with such a personal connection to her, Amanda is in a race to prove that she can uncover the truth. But the more she digs into the past of the man who destroyed her future, the more shocking discoveries she makes. And when Amanda finds the link between a silver bracelet in his possession and the brutal unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer, she realizes she’s caught up in something darker than she ever imagined and suspects that more girls could be in danger.

But as Amanda edges toward the truth, she gets closer to a secret as personal as it is deadly. Amanda has stumbled upon a dangerous killer, and she must face some terrible truths in order to catch this killer – and save his next victim as she couldn’t save her own daughter…

A gripping, page-turning thriller full of mystery and suspense. Perfect for fans of Rachel Caine, Lisa Regan and Robert Dugoni. 

• ISBN10: 1800190182
• ISBN13: 9781800190184
• Publish Date: 11 January 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Bookouture
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 324
• Language: English

Reviews

[Emma (SCR)]

This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the first book in a new detective series.

Amanda Steele is a mess. She is still grieving for the loss of her family 5 and a half years ago and has lost all passion for the job. Everyone processes grief in different ways and it seemed to me like Amanda hadn’t really even begun. She closed herself off from everyone and essentially became numb. I could see by the end of the book she had started to feel things again.

I really liked Amanda’s new partner. I think these two will be a really good team. I can’t wait to see more from them.
This book hooked you from the prologue. It was action-packed and extremely tense. When the case does start to unravel it turns out to be a lot bigger than first imagined.

This is the first book I have read by Carolyn and I liked her writing style. The tension just emits from the page! I did not guess the murderer at all. I was very shocked when it was revealed.

A great start to a new series!

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.There are some authors whose books you just have to read whenever they have a new release, no matter how much your TBR is over flowing. Carolyn Arnold is one such author for me. So, you can imagine my level of enthusiasm when I received a copy for review purposes.