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The Hanging Tree (Doctors of Darkness – 2) by Ellery Kane

What if you couldn’t remember the worst night of your life?
What if you couldn’t forget it?

May 13, 1994.

On her thirteenth birthday, newly orphaned Evie, witnesses a brutal attack at the hanging tree. She wakes the next morning on a bus to Los Angeles, dazed and bruised and desperate to remember. Her best friend died that night—she’s sure of it. But there’s no body, no crime scene, and no witnesses. Twenty three years later, the whole night is still a blur. The murderer, a faceless, nameless man.

Fresh out of a stint in juvie, Butch kills a girl, strangles her. Twenty three years later, he walks out of prison a free man. But a haunted one, the ghost of his past at his heels.

When another body turns up at the hanging tree—a girl, strangled—Evie is certain her lost memory holds the key. Can Butch help her find the faceless man? Or is he hiding the darkest secret of all?

The Hanging Tree is a standalone novel, and the second book in the Doctors of Darkness series.

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Author’s Bio

Forensic psychologist by day, novelist by night, Ellery Kane has been writing–professionally and creatively–for as long as she can remember. Just like many of her main characters, Ellery loves to ask why, which is the reason she became a psychologist in the first place. Real life really is stranger than fiction, and Ellery’s writing is often inspired by her day job. Evaluating violent criminals and treating trauma victims, she has gained a unique perspective on the past and its indelible influence on the individual. And she’s heard her fair share of real life thrillers. An avid short story writer as a teenager, Ellery recently began writing for enjoyment again, and she hasn’t stopped since.

Ellery’s debut novel, Legacy, has received several awards, including winning the Gold Medal in the Independent Publisher Book Awards, young adult, e-book category, and the Gold Medal in the 2017 Wishing Shelf Independent Book Awards, teenage category. In 2016, Ellery was selected as one of ten semifinalists in the MasterClass James Patterson Co-Author Competition.

If you’d like to receive a notification when new books are released, please sign up for Ellery Kane’s newsletter at ellerykane.com. Ellery also signs e-books on authorgraph.com.

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My Review

5 stars

In Evie’s thirteenth birthday she witnesses her best friend, Cassie killed at the Hanging Tree. But she wakes the next morning on a bus, battered, and not completely sure of what happened. It’s been 23 years and she still doesn’t really know who killed Cassie. Now she works as a therapist for sexual predators and still wants to know what happened. So she starts hitchhiking in the same area to jog her memory but finds more than what she expected.

When Butch was a teenager her lost his family and inherited a large amount of money. But without guidance he ends up killing a girl and goes to prison for it. Of course he regrets every day and is afraid that the prison shrink is right and that he will kill again. Thankfully he is out and manages to save Evie from a bad situation. Together they might just be able to solve the mystery of who the faceless man is.

So I loved Daddy Darkest and couldn’t wait to see what was in story with The Hanging Tree. Although this is the same series, it can be read as a standalone book. I feel bad for Evie since she knows something bad has happened to her best friend but she can’t remember what and who did it. Although she has moved on with her life she has decided on drastic measures to try and jar her memory. Thankfully Butch is there to help in her moment of need.

This is a great thriller that has to guessing at who killed Cassie and the other woman found recently. Of course I was wrong with my guess and I have to say the ending completely threw me. I’m still trying to figure out if I really liked it or not. But this is a great story and can be read as a standalone in the series. I also LOVE the cover, so eye catching.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Ari at Candid Book Reviews for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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Time’s Up, Afton (The Afton Morrison Series – 4) by Brent Jones

Some secrets stay buried for a lifetime, but nothing lasts forever.

Connected to a number of high-profile deaths, Afton finds herself not only under scrutiny from the chief of police, but damned in the court of public opinion, as well.

In the aftermath of the fiery assault on Wakefield, a low-level gang has infiltrated the town, flooding its streets with bad drugs, killing several teenagers. As Afton prepares for the final showdown with her tormentor, she marks each gang member as a target for elimination, in a methodical plan to gain the upper hand. What follows is a race against the clock that will keep readers guessing until the very last page, as Afton risks life and limb to fulfill her murderous mission of doing good in the world.

Time’s Up, Afton is the fourth and final part in a new serial thriller by author Brent Jones. Packed with grit and action, The Afton Morrison Series delves into a world of moral ambiguity, delivering audiences an unlikely heroine in the form of a disturbed vigilante murderess.

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Author’s Bio

From bad checks to bathroom graffiti, Brent Jones has always been drawn to writing. He won a national creative writing competition at the age of fourteen, although he can’t recall what the story was about. Seventeen years later, he gave up his career to pursue creative writing full-time.

Jones writes from his home in Fort Erie, Canada. He’s happily married, a bearded cyclist, a mediocre guitarist, and the proud owner of two dogs with a God complex. Subscribe to his newsletter (AuthorBrentJones.com) or follow him on social media (@AuthorBrentJ) for updates.

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My Review

5 stars

Afton has come a long way from the librarian we first met in Go Home, Afton. She has made friends, gained family, learned how crazy her family really is, and taken her murdering desires in surprising directions. Now it’s time for the final confrontation with the man in the shadows. But first she has to deal with a meth dealer and his little cronies first.

This has been a great series and I couldn’t wait to read the ending but at the same time I didn’t really want to leave Afton’s world. She starts to come full circle in this story getting closer to the man in the shadows and her crazy family. But there is so much more going on with the media coverage and the drug dealers causing problems.

Of course Afton is embracing her inner killer as she starts to clean everything up. And I will say that the ending is going to blow you out of the water. I was NOT expecting that. But this is an amazing story and one that you need to check out. Just make sure to read the books in order or you will not get the full effect of them.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank the author for the opportunity to read and share this book.

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