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The Dead of Night (Piper Blackwell – 2) by Jean Rabe

In Spencer County’s history, mysteries are numerous—and lethal…

As Sheriff Piper Blackwell rushes to a clandestine meeting with an aging, paranoid veteran who believes spies are trailing his every move, she is caught in a fierce thunderstorm. Pounding rain drums against the bluff, washing away the earth and revealing a grisly secret someone tried to bury a long time ago.

Putting a name to the skeleton on the bluff, and searching for the thief who robbed the old veteran of his life’s earnings, sends Piper delving into the sleepy towns that dot her rural county. Now she’s digging into pasts perhaps best left alone.

Accompanied by Chief Deputy Oren Rosenberg, Piper seeks to expose a truth someone wants to remain forever hidden. The investigation may have started with a thunderstorm, but Piper aims to finish it and find justice. Uncovering fragments of Spencer County’s history could prove more dangerous—and deadlier—than she ever expected.

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Author’s Bio

Jean Rabe is the author of thirty-eight novels, more short stories than she cares to count, and has edited magazines and anthologies. She’s new the mystery field, as her earlier works were in fantasy and science fiction. The Dead of Night is her second Piper Blackwell book, an uncozy-cozy with a big dash of police procedural thrown in. The first, The Dead of Winter, was released in 2016. Jean attends game conventions, works as a mentor for graduate-level writing students, and tosses tennis balls for her dogs in her spare time. She makes sure she has spare time for three or four toss sessions a day.

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My Review

5 Stars

Mark the Shark is a 90 years old veteran he is and thinks that he is being followed. He calls Sheriff Piper Blackwell to stop whoever is after him. At the same time recent storms have exposed a skeleton on the bluffs. Clearly someone was killed but who were they and why were they killed? Piper and Oran Rosenberg step up to figure out what is going on. But someone wants the past to stay buried and will go to al lengths to keep it so.

Piper has recently been elected as sheriff and is in the middle of rearranging her staff when Mark calls about being robbed. She is hoping that is all that is happening when she gets the news of the bodying being discovered. From here it is a break neck pace as secrets are uncovered and someone tries to keep them hidden at any cost.

This is a great story that will suck you in, keep you guessing with all the twist and turns, and will leave you shocked at the end. I have not read the first book in this series, The Dead of Winter, but I had no problem following along with the story. But after reading The Dead of Night I can’t wait to go back and see that I missed.

I received The Dead of Night from Reading Addiction Virtual Book Tours for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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Degrees of Darkness by Tony J. Forder

Pre-teen girls are being abducted from their homes and their families murdered. When Frank Rogers, once a DI with the Met and now running his own debt-collection agency, is told that his own daughter is missing, his son murdered, he naturally wants to become involved with the case.

Soon Frank’s face is all over the news. In an unexpected turn of events, the killer contacts the police and says he is willing to talk, but only to Frank.

When the body of the first abducted girl is discovered, Frank realizes it is a race against time to save his daughter.

In order to solve the case, Frank must work out how the killer is picking his victims.

But how do you catch a murderer who is hiding in plain sight? And can Frank solve the mystery, when he has so much to lose?

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Author’s Bio

Tony is the author of the acclaimed crime novel Bad to the Bone, which features DI Jimmy Bliss and DC Penny Chandler – who will return in 2018.

Before that, Tony’s dark, psychological crime thriller Degrees of Darkness will be published on 19 September, and in November his fast-paced, action thriller Scream Blue Murder will also be released.

Tony is currently completing the follow-up to Bad to the Bone, and has started work on book 3 of the Bliss & Chandler series, a follow-up to Scream Blue Murder, as well as a brand new thriller series.

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My Review

5 stars

Frank Rogers, a retired detective that makes his living in a debt collection agency. His friend DCI Nicky Loizou pays him a visit he is pleased at first. That is until he realizes that Nicky come bearing bad news. A serial killer has been kidnapping pre-teen girls in the area and he has just killed Frank’s ex-wife, her husband, and his son. Frank’s daughter, Laura has been taken by the killer. It’s now a race against time as Frank tries to be part of the investigation and clashes with another detective that he feels is inept. But then the unexpected happens, the killer calls the police but says that he will only talk to Frank. And since the police don’t seem to be getting anywhere he has no problem stepping up.

This is a gruesome thriller and I loved it. The killers is completely twisted and has some interesting perks that are not the norm for stories like this. Frank is a broken character before the abduction and murders and this might just set him over the edge. He does a great job but then he falls back into bad habits that had me wanting to strangle him.

The one that really got me was Laura, I loved her. She’s in a horrible situation and going to be put through horrible things but she keeps fighting to get away.

I liked this story. It is dark, gritty, and tough to read in some places. But I was hooked and had a hard time putting the book down. I can’t wait to read other books from Tony J. Forder.

I received Degrees of Darkness from Bloodhound Books for free. This has in no way influenced my opinion of this book.

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