Emma (SCR)'s Review of Last Girls Alive (Detective Katie Scott, #4)

by Jennifer Chase

Half-buried in the muddy earth and surrounded by puddles of water lies the naked body of a beautiful young girl. Her pale skin looks like porcelain in the early morning light. Her fragile arms bent and crooked like a broken doll.

When Detective Katie Scott is called to the discovery of a young girl buried on the grounds of a former children’s home in Pine Valley, California, she’s hopeful it’s the end to a devastating cold case she’s been working on. No one has seen Candace Harlan since she ran away from Elm Hill Manor five years ago. Her death will be a tragedy, but it will also bring peace to those who miss her most. But the girl in the ground is not Candace.

The victim is almost identical to Candace in every way, but fear grips Katie as she takes in the black ink that decorates the girl’s back—a terrifying message tattooed on her skin after she drew her last breath.

Forcing down traumatic memories of losing her own parents, Katie is certain someone mistook this poor soul for Candace, and that this crumbling home for lost girls is at the heart of this terrible crime. She sets to work digging into the tragic history of the owners who lost so many children of their own and tracking down the last six residents and the staff who cared for them—but no one wants to talk, let alone remember.

The next day, as second girl’s body is found down by the creek at high water, the same words etched into her skin. Katie’s worst fear is confirmed: someone is picking off the last of the Elm Hill girls one by one. But what does the tattoo mean? And what monster would target these innocent girls who have already been through so much?

Katie must dig deep to confront her own fears and protect the vulnerable—but as the body count rises further, will there be anyone left to save?

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. I’ve read the other books in this series and was super excited to see what Detective Katie Scott is going to get herself up to this time.
As usual Detective Scott puts herself in situations that have my heart in my mouth. She regularly puts her own life in danger to solve a case and this time is no different. Katie will do whatever she needs to, to solve the case. It was nice to see Katie opening up more in this book about her PTSD and the struggles she faces. It shows how far she has come from the first book.
This case, in particular, has a lot of information but not a lot of leads. Jennifer does a great job of keeping the murderer hidden from the audience with only snippets of what is going through their mind. It’s a real tease and a great way to keep the suspense up. There’s a lot of edge of your seat moments that will keep you turning page after page after page.
I look forward to seeing what new way Detective Scott can put herself at risk next!

Last Girls Alive (Detective Katie Scott, #4)

by Jennifer Chase

Reviewed by Emma (SCR) on Oct 7, 2020

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