Ten Days Gone (A.L. McKittridge, #1)

by Beverly Long

They know exactly when he’ll strike… They just have to find him first.

In all their years working for the Baywood police department, detectives A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan have never seen anything like it. Four women dead in forty days, each killed ten days apart. With nothing connecting the victims and very little evidence, the clock is already counting down to when the next body drops. A.L. and Rena will have to act fast if they’re going to find the killer’s next victim before he does.

But identifying the killer’s next likely target is only half the battle. With pressure pushing in from all sides, a promising breakthrough leads the detectives to Tess Lyons, a woman whose past trauma has left her too damaged to appreciate the danger she’s in. Unwilling to let another woman die, A.L. and Rena will put everything on the line to keep Tess safe and end the killer’s deadly spree once and for all—before time runs out again.

• ISBN10: 0778309584
• ISBN13: 9780778309581
• Publish Date: 18 February 2020
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Mira Books
• Edition: Original ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Linda]

*I received a free copy of Ten Days Gone. This has in no way influenced my voluntary review which is honest and unbiased.*

This was exactly my kind of mystery / crime novel. I loved the two detectives, A.L. and Rena. They had their own lives, their own worries, and their own hurts. However, they were both good at their jobs, and eager to get to the bottom of this horrible new case that scared their whole community.

A.L.'s dry, sarcastic humor and Rena's insight made the story more than it would have been without them. And the mystery was very hard to figure out - which is a plus - even with some clues that were given out.

I'm going to be looking for more A.L. McKittridge novels in the future for sure.

[Quirky Cat]

I received a copy of Ten Days Gone through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Ten Days Gone is the first in a new mystery series, A.L. McKittridge, by Beverly Long. It’s a mystery series following two detectives (one of whom the series it named after). And it’s also already proving to be a series worth following.

Four women have died so far. Each and every one of them was found ten days apart, with each scene looking nearly identical to one another. If A.L. McKittridge and his partner, Rena Morgan don’t do something quickly, in another ten days, a fifth body will be found.

So far, they’ve found no connection between the victims. But they have plenty of reasons to be concerned since their killer has been smart enough to hide all traces. So far. But even an expert killer must mess up eventually, right?

“The headline after the third murder had been expected. Baywood Serial Killer Strikes Again.”

Warnings: So most of the warnings are pretty (okay, seriously) obvious in this case. There are kidnappings and murders. There’s also a quick reference to animal deaths, and some mentions/implications about mental health. Also worth noting; there’s a subplot involving fertility issues and complications.

Ten Days Gone was a brilliant start to this new series. I found myself enthralled within the first chapter, and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. I just had to find out what happened next – and more importantly, who was behind all of these killings.

The start of this novel intrigued me right away. It’s not every day you pick up a mystery where four bodies have already been found. It established a pattern (or lack thereof, depending on what you’re looking for), but it also jumped the plot farther ahead than I expected. It ended up being an excellent decision, as it clearly caught my attention.

I’ll admit that it took me a bit of time to become attached to the detectives newly introduced in this series; A.L. McKittridge and Rena Morgan. I love how these two work together, and the glimpses into their lives did make them feel much more human, so all of that helped.

As for the mystery itself? I really enjoyed following it along, trying to figure out how it all connected before the final moment. I love it when a mystery novel leaves just enough breadcrumbs to make it possible – but not easy. I feel like that balance was found here, and is arguably one of the reasons why I enjoyed it so much.

On the whole, I really enjoyed Ten Days Gone, and am very much looking forward to continuing the series as more come out. I know that I’ll be adding A.L. McKittridge to my pull list!

Check out more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks