Her Final Breath (Detective Amanda Steele, #7)

by Carolyn Arnold

[Nadz@Totally Addicted to Reading]

Her Final Breath, the seventh book in Carolyn Arnold's Amanda Steele series, delivered another suspenseful, intense and gripping police procedural. Fans of the genre will want to pick up this installment and follow Amanda and her partner, Trent, on their trail of yet another serial killer.


Her Final Breath began when a dog walker witnessed a fire and called the fire department. While putting out the fire, they discovered a shallow grave which held the bodies of a mother and child. They called Detective Amanda Steele to the scene. Their investigation led them to missing report filed by the victims’ husband/father. In cases like this, the husband is usually considered the prime suspect and in this situation; it seemed likely seeing that the body of the mother showed signs of abuse. But did the husband do it, or was someone else responsible?

The attention grabbing prologue set the tone for the rest of the story. The suspense, intrigue and drama builds as the story progresses, slowly pulling the reader in and holding them captive to the end. This will not be an easy book to put down, as one will want to see how the story unfolds. It will keep you guessing from start to finish. 

Like all their case this one hit close to home, especially for Trent. He had a hard time keeping his personal feelings out of this one. However, Amanda provided the support he needed to remain objective. As with the previous books, Amanda continues to balance work and family. It’s hard being a single mother while juggling the demands of the job, but she makes the best of it. Having a good support system also helps. Amanda has come grown throughout the series and which each installment my respect for her grows. 

I loved how this installment built on Trent’s character. Readers get more details of his life and see the impact this case had on his mental state. Readers also get a glimpse of their new Sergeant’s human side, while learning more about her background. It made me see her in a different light. ,

Once again, Arnold showed her skill at weaving intriguing story lines, which has the effect of making readers feel like they are living the story. I look forward to Amanda and Trent’s next case, which promises to be as intense as their previous cases.This review was originally posted on Totally Addicted to Reading