November 07, 2024

Spotlight: Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase

November 07, 2024/ Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: October 30, 2024

Pages: 362

Genre: Crime Thriller

A wind chime sways a sweet melody above several pairs of shoes neatly laid out on the welcome the mat: two large pairs, and three small. On the door frame, a perfect crimson handprint, the color of blood…

Out on her morning run, Detective Katie Scott is stopped in her tracks when her service dog, Cisco, alerts her to something. Weaving through the towering pine trees, Katie is horrified to find a little girl alone in the woods, dressed in a white nightgown. The child sobs into Katie’s arms. She’s unharmed, but clearly traumatized. Scooping her up, Katie follows the trail to a large farmhouse. But what she finds there rips the air from her lungs: one, two, three, four bodies laid out side by side, all in matching pajamas.

The Banks family were attacked in their sleep, but how had the little girl trembling in Katie’s arms escape with her life? What twisted monster would do such a thing, and why leave no trace but a single bloody handprint on the doorframe? Katie vows to find answers for this sweet child who has lost everything and everyone.

Working night and day to piece together why this innocent family were targeted, Katie thinks she has her first lead when she discovers the family were under witness protection. Had they seen something they shouldn’t? Was the aim to silence them forever? Questions are still spinning in Katie’s mind when another family is discovered dead in their beds on the other side of Pine Valley.

With the entire department stretched to breaking point with an unprecedented body count and trace evidence stacking up, it’s going to take everything Katie has to track this twisted killer down. But as she closes in on her target, it’s clear someone close to Katie is keeping a deadly secret. How many more innocent lives will be lost before she can bring them to justice?

Excerpt

Katie stumbled forward onto her knees only to discover a little blonde girl with curly locks, dressed in an oversized white nightgown. The lace sleeves were longer than her tiny arms. Katie also noticed red spots splashed across the front and down the sleeves: blood.

“Good boy, Cisco,” she said, petting the dog, concerned by their discovery.

Turning her full attention to the little girl, she said, “What are you doing all the way out here, sweetheart?” She looked around to see if there was someone else, but it was deserted. There was nothing to indicate why the girl was outside. No footprints. No toys or pieces of clothing. It was as if she had been dropped here.

The sleepy-eyed girl appeared to be about four years old. “I’m cold,” she barely whispered as she shivered.

“Are you hurt?” said Katie as she looked for any injuries. The girl’s skin was icy, as if she had been out in the elements for a while—possibly a few hours. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Em… Emily,” she said.

“How did you get here?”

“Mommy brought me…”

A chill ran down Katie’s spine.

“Okay, Emily. Stay here with Cisco and I’ll be right back. Can you do that for me?” Katie wanted to pick the girl up, hug her, and take her to safety, but she needed to assess the area first. Security was her priority and then getting the little girl to safety.

The little girl nodded. Her blue eyes stared at Katie as she pet the dog. It was a look that Katie wouldn’t soon forget. The pure innocence struck her soul.

Katie stood up and unzipped her hoodie and then wrapped it around the little girl. The cool morning air hit her as she was now dressed in just a tank top. She pulled her weapon, still scanning the area. There was a farmhouse and barn down below the ridge and she assumed that was where Emily lived. There weren’t any other homes within view and most were likely several acres away.

Had the little girl ventured out without anyone knowing? Did the mother really leave her here? Or was there something terribly wrong?

Katie didn’t want to move Emily yet until she knew for sure that everything was safe on the property.

“Cisco, you stay.”

The dog instinctively downed next to the little girl. Emily’s small arms wrapped around the dog’s neck as she snuggled up against him for warmth.

Katie looked around and felt that, secluded in between trees, they would be safe until she could quickly search the area. Reaching into her pocket, she made sure her cell phone had a strong signal—which it did.

“Good boy, Cisco. Bleib… Wache…” She told Cisco to stay and guard the little girl. Her dog’s training words were in German, meaning stay and watch. Katie didn’t need to repeat herself because the dog knew what to do, but somehow it made her feel better. She hated leaving them alone, but it was the best way to proceed under the circumstances. By the time help arrived, it might be too late. She needed to report to dispatch exactly what was going on so that backup wasn’t blindly going into a potentially dangerous situation.

After taking one last look at Emily huddled with Cisco, Katie moved to the edge of the trail and began slowly making her way toward the backside of the house. She wondered how Emily got up the hill; there wasn’t dirt or mud on her gown.

Watching for any movement, Katie carefully stepped down the incline until she was on a walkway leading to the front of a modern farmhouse. There were unusual scrolled architectural details along the rooflines and windows that made it seem to be a custom build. Katie stopped and listened. The wind had died down and she felt the temperature had risen a few degrees from when she first began her run. Even though it was still cool, her skin was warm and clammy. Adrenalin was pumping, making her arms and legs strangely prickly and a bit shaky. She maintained her focus and continued to press forward. With her gun directed out in front of her, she kept moving, expecting anything.

There was a pickup truck and a minivan parked in the semicircle driveway, giving the impression that someone was home. The front of the farmhouse had a large porch with white wicker chairs and colorful pillows. There was a porch swing on one end and potted plants lined up side by side at the other. A cheerful welcome mat said, “Home Sweet Home.” A wind chime hung on the left side of the door and gently swayed a melody. There were several pairs of shoes carefully placed to the right side of the mat. By Katie’s quick assessment, there were two adults and three children that resided in the home.

The front door was wide open. Droplets of red spattered the porch and the entrance inside. Concentrated smudges were around the doorframe as if someone had tried to steady themselves.

“Hello?” she called out, watching her surroundings.

Nothing moved. No sound came from indoors. Katie’s senses were on hyper-alert. Everything seemed more vivid and louder than usual.

She cautiously stepped over the threshold and peered inside. The large open plan made it easy to see the living room, dining room, and kitchen in a quick scan. There were several photographs of the family—and she saw tiny Emily with an older boy and girl. Everything looked neat and orderly. That’s what made the bloody hammer lying in the middle of the floor so horrifying.

Katie stood surveying the room for a moment, taking a deep breath. It seemed that the bloody hammer had been dropped there. There were droplets of blood marking a path to the front door. There were no obvious signs of a struggle—no broken items, chairs overturned, or shelves spilled.

Katie turned and could see that the two main doors of the barn just across the open area were standing wide open. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct or fear that drove her, but she backed out of the house, careful not to disturb anything, and watchfully headed for the barn. Everything remained still and eerily quiet.

Katie kept to the sides of the barn and inched her way slowly to the opening. Her ears pounded. Her breathing shrank to shallow gasps. Staying low, she entered the building. It wasn’t a livestock barn, but rather a type of workshop and storage facility. Katie scanned the interior, taking everything in. Slowly lowering her weapon, she dropped to her knees in misery, only inches from the stagnant pools of blood on the ground in front of her. Barely registering what she saw, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the four bodies of a man, a woman, and a young boy and girl neatly lined up next to each other, still dressed in their pajamas.

– Excerpted from Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

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About the Author

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and USA Today Best Selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor degree in police forensics and a master's degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent psychopath, providing Jennifer with deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.

She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists, and member of the International Thriller Writers.

Her latest book is Count Their Graves.

Connect:

Website - https://authorjenniferchase.com/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/

Goodreads- www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

May 31, 2024

Spotlight: The First Girl by Jennifer Chase

May 31, 2024/ Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: December 19, 2023

Pages: 354

Genre: Crime Fiction / Thriller

The cold night breeze slams the barn door shut with a sickening crash. The girl curled in the corner wakes with a start. Her gold butterfly necklace catches the pale moonlight as she clutches it tight, thinking of her family. Will she ever escape? Or is this the last face she’ll ever see?

Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women each wrapped carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned farmland stretch out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the horrifying graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters for years?

Katie quickly identifies one of the victims as Abigail Andrews, a beautiful young woman who disappeared fifteen years ago. Katie is heartbroken that she’ll have to tell Abigail’s mother her darling girl is gone.

When Katie is ambushed working late at the scene, fired upon by an unknown assailant, she knows she must be close to finding the killer. But the shooter vanishes into thin air. And when a new young woman is taken, dark haired and dark eyed like the others, Katie realizes her time is running out. Can she stay alive long enough to track down this twisted murderer before another young life is stolen too soon?

Excerpt

The soft breeze blew through the open bedroom window, ruffling the sheer curtain. The evening was still warm from the sizzling day and was now gently cooling into the July night. The crickets played a harmony of music that filtered around the farm and across the acreage.

Lara Fontaine suddenly awoke, a loud sound interrupting her sleep. She sat up in bed and looked around the small bedroom but wasn’t sure what she had heard. In the other twin bed, her best friend Desi was still asleep and breathing evenly. What had disturbed Lara? Her first thought was to wake her friend because it was Desi’s house and she might have some idea what the sound had been, but she decided against it. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, where they dangled, not quite reaching the floor. Still contemplating if she should go investigate, she stared at the closed bedroom door. Even though she was twelve, almost thirteen, she had developed a curious mind and wanted to know the answers to so many things. Everything she saw in her world made her more inquisitive.

Lara stood up, feeling the wood floor against the soles of her feet—it too was warm, like the evening air. Wearing only a white cotton nightgown, she decided to explore. Glancing back at Desi, who was still sound asleep, she went to the door and slowly turned the knob. To her relief, the door hinges were well-oiled and didn’t emit any sound.

A breeze hit her as she stepped into the hallway, which seemed strange. It was as if someone had left a door or a window open. She didn’t slow her pace as she moved forward. For the first time since she woke, she heard a noise, as if a chair was sliding across the floor. It was high-pitched and had an eerie quality about it.

As if being pulled by an unknown force, Lara crept toward the sound. She headed down the hallway, passing closed doors, to the kitchen. The farmhouse plank floors creaked beneath her slight weight. She stopped and listened. Leaning her body toward the sound, stretching on her tiptoes, she assumed she would hear more, but it remained quiet. As Lara let out a breath, her previous curiosity had now diminished, she decided she would return to the bedroom and try to go back to sleep.

But suddenly a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and clamped a hand over her mouth. She instantly struggled, but the man’s strength easily overpowered her as he carried Lara to the back door. She could smell stale cigarette smoke on him and some kind of whiskey. The more she struggled against him, the more she weakened. Her whimpers were the only thing she could express.

The outside air hit her. She kept struggling, hearing her attacker’s rattled breathing next to her ear. Realizing they were heading toward the large barn, she tried to put her legs out in front of her to stop their progress, but it was no use.

“Stop fighting,” hissed the man directly into Lara’s ear. “It’ll be over soon.”

Those words resonated in her mind.

What did he mean?

The crickets abruptly stopped.

Silence.

Holding Lara with one arm, the man pulled open the barn door. The hinges made a terrible squeak, interrupting the quiet.

“Stop!” Lara managed to say. “Please, don’t…” Her arm felt as if it would break.

They moved deeper into the barn.

Lara could smell the hay and the alfalfa. But there was a low murmuring sound that she didn’t recognize. She was forcibly put into an old metal chair and immediately her hands and ankles were secured, and a piece of duct tape covered her mouth.

It was difficult for Lara to focus through her tears, but she forced herself to look around. There were wooden crates filled with metal items, tools, and miscellaneous parts from various pieces of farm equipment. Then she saw her.

In a corner, there was a dark-haired young woman. She too was tied to a high-backed chair, unable to free herself. Her arms, legs, torso, and neck were secured. Her eyes were wide in terror, swollen from crying, and blood ran down her arms and neck from struggling against the restraints.

Lara locked eyes with the woman. So many emotions gripped her. Panic. Desperation. Fear.

The man moved around the area, he was dressed in jeans and a white, stained T-shirt. He appeared to be conflicted, confused, and even a bit panic-stricken as he ran his hands through his hair. Moving back and forth, he went from one box to a table, and then back to another box until he decided what he wanted. He carefully plucked out a long instrument that appeared to be some type of sharp, thin knife and stared at it with curiosity and wonder as if seeing it for the first time.

To Lara’s horror, he turned and approached the woman. With his back to Lara, he attacked the woman with vicious intent. She heard muffled screams as the woman writhed in her seat.

Lara could barely breathe. She thought she would pass out, but her unrelenting terror kept her awake as she shook violently in her chair, watching the horrifying ordeal until it finally came to an end.

The man turned slowly, his shirt soaked in crimson. He looked at Lara as if he wondered why she was there. Still with the bloody tool in his hand, he slowly moved toward her. The weapon was still drenched with the woman’s blood.

“No…” Lara tried to say.

He stood in front of her like a monster, reaching out.

Lara took a short breath. It was the last thing she remembered before passing out.

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About the Author

Connect:

Website -> https://authorjenniferchase.com/

Twitter -> https://twitter.com/jchasenovelist

Facebook -> https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJenniferChase

Instagram -> https://www.instagram.com/jenchaseauthor/

Goodreads:->www.goodreads.com/author/show/2780337.Jennifer_Chase

November 07, 2023

Spotlight: Her Dying Kiss by Jennifer Chase

November 07, 2023/ Michelle Bowles

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: July 17, 2023

Pages: 370

Genre: Crime Fiction/Thriller

She wakes to the dawn light streaming through the window and rolls over to whisper good morning to her fiancé. But panic floods her veins. His side of the bed is empty and cold. Blood trails towards the open door. All trace of him is gone…

It’s been one month since Detective Katie Scott’s fiancé, Chad, went missing without a trace. Devastated Katie is still working tirelessly day and night to track down the love of her life, barely sleeping and chasing every new lead. But now the case has gone cold.

When the body of beautiful Gina Hartfield is discovered among the pine needles in a clearing on Lookout Ridge, Katie swallows her own pain and knows she must focus on finding Gina’s killer. The young woman was found with a pink velvet blindfold shading the hollows where her eyes had been removed. Katie is certain she is chasing a sadistic individual who will soon take another life…

But the autopsy reveals Gina’s body was washed before being abandoned, leaving no trace of evidence behind. And with no witnesses to Gina’s disappearance, the women of Pine Valley are terrified to go out alone.

Desperately combing the crime scene, when Katie sees a newspaper article about her previous cases pinned to a nearby tree, she is certain Gina’s murder is personal. Then tire tracks found in the forest are matched to a truck seen following Chad in the days leading up to his disappearance. Katie’s blood runs cold.

Is there a link between Chad’s disappearance and Gina’s brutal murder, or is the killer playing a twisted game with Katie? Can she find out the truth before they take another life?

Excerpt:

Chapter One

One Month Later

Tuesday 1130 hours

There was a dead body, which was the focus of the synchronized police search. A deceased woman had been found by the utility company during their routine check and maintenance of the meters along the roadway. The body was efficiently wrapped in a large piece of dark brown burlap that had been rolled several times leaving only her head exposed. If not looking closely you would misinterpret the body dump for some type of discarded rug.

The victim was a brunette woman with long, perfectly combed hair with the strands resting on the burlap. At first, it seemed she was relaxed and had merely gone to sleep when, in fact, there were pink velvet pieces of fabric covering her eyes, as if shading her view of something.

John Blackburn, Pine Valley Sheriff’s Department’s forensic supervisor, kneeled down and carefully lifted one of the pieces of velvet, revealing the dark empty socket the eyeball had once occupied. The eye had been cleanly detached. It gave the body a more macabre appearance than the usual fixed eye stares of the dead.

John’s face was deeply sad and his mouth was turned down as he prepared to take a few more photos to document the scene before the medical examiner’s office took possession.

He carefully circled the body, taking the appropriate photographs—overall, medium range, then close-up—before collecting any evidence he could find. The young woman looked to be resting as the late afternoon sunshine cast down on her face. Her complexion, pale and ashen, appeared to be scrubbed clean, giving her a waxy doll-like exterior. There were no evident signs of makeup, dirt or blood on her face.

The south district area of Pine Valley was known for several warehouses that had been empty now for more than six months after a manufacturing company had vacated to a newer and more modern facility in an adjacent town. The front area to the one where the body had been found was overgrown, the weeds a few feet tall and garbage strewn around from where it had fallen out of an overturned, rusted-out dumpster. The dreary grey building looked more like emergency bunkers from a long time ago than a plant that had recently manufactured automotive parts.

Parked along the cracked driveway leading to the loading docks were several police cruisers, county vehicles and the forensic van. The main area of interest was near one of the loading bays. There were numerous cones and flags around, marking various pieces of evidence for photography documentation. The emergency personnel monitored the area and were conducting grid searches and making sure that no one was in or around the area that wasn’t supposed to be there, in addition to searching for more potential evidence. Everyone moved with precision and unity for the common goal of maintaining the crime scene.

“What do you think, John?” asked Detective McGaven. His towering height made him noticeable from a distance. His badge and gun were attached to his belt. “Is it the same as the other at Lookout Ridge?”

John walked up to the detective and nodded slowly. “We won’t know for sure until the body is unrolled and examined under controlled conditions, and I can run some tests… but, the signature appears to be similar if not the same, with the removed eyes.”

McGaven scratched his head, still observing the latest victim. His thoughts returned to his partner, Detective Katie Scott, and how he wished she were there examining the crime scene. Her perspective, instincts, and experience over the past year and half had been more than exemplary—her methods sometimes bordering on unorthodox, but always getting results. He had left several messages for her in hopes that she would open communications and ultimately return to work. His expression was solemn. It was as if a part of him was missing without her. He wanted to go to her house, but respected her need for privacy at this difficult time.

“Wish Katie was here?” said John watching the detective closely.

McGaven looked at the forensic supervisor and nodded. “How’d you know?”

“I feel it too. It seems strange not having her here.” He gazed around the area as if he expected to see Katie appear.

“Anything new with this scene?”

John shook his head. “Not that I can see right now. But we’ll know more soon.”

McGaven was disappointed, but knew that John would do everything he could to find any evidence. The last thing the detective wanted was for these homicides to go cold. He turned away and saw Detective Hamilton speaking with the utility workers. It wasn’t his optimum partnership, but he respected the detective and would overlook personality differences to make it work. “Thanks, John,” he said as he walked away, moving carefully around the area, looking for possible entrances and exit locations of the killer.

A young blonde woman with short hair was bent over taking a tire impression with a type of dental stone, waiting for it to harden. She looked up when McGaven approached. “Hi, Detective,” she said and smiled.

“How’s it going, Eva?”

“Good. This is my third impression. Two were consistent to each other and this one is different and definitely older. It’s probably not the killer’s, but John said we needed to be thorough.”

McGaven nodded. “I agree. If this crime scene is connected to the other one at Lookout Ridge, then we need the evidence to tie them together.”

“Ten-four,” she said and continued her task.

McGaven saw that Hamilton was speaking with the officers first on the scene so he took the opportunity to check out around the building. Everything was extremely overgrown, looking more as though it had been abandoned for years, not months. The weeds were extremely tall and had folded over due to their height and weight. There was an area where pallets, recyclable materials, and miscellaneous pieces of metal equipment had been stacked in the deserted area.

Still walking carefully, he was trying not to step on something potentially hazardous or possibly evidence-oriented. The further he walked the quieter it became—the voices around the crime scene seemed to settle to a low hum as he studied the back area. The sun was high and beat down on him making perspiration trickle down his back. He kept walking, but nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He thought about what Katie would do—he had been with her at many crime scenes and knew she would try to get a sense of the area, to look for places where the killer might have been.

The back of the building looked much like the front except more weather-beaten. The grey paint faded in areas and the windows on the second floor were dirty with some broken out. He observed the inconsistencies of the exterior of the building. Even though there wasn’t any graffiti to deface the area, the elements had caused rough and weathered places resembling an industrial mosaic appearance.

As he perused the area, he noticed a trail where weeds had been trampled, not by animals, but by something bigger. A person. Stopping in his tracks, he systematically scanned the area. There were no other signs indicating disruption to the weeds, so he cautiously moved forward. He spotted some paper or a piece of garbage rolled up tightly and wedged into the crevice of an exterior vent. It could have been easily missed or even dismissed, but something in McGaven’s gut made him take notice. He was going to alert John and Eva in order to have them search and document the area, but his instinct drove him to verify the origins of the paper first after quickly taking a photo of it with his cell phone.

Taking two more steps to meet up with the wall, he retrieved his gloves and slipped them on, and then carefully touched the paper. Leaning in, McGaven noticed that it appeared to be consistent to ordinary computer paper that had something printed on it. It wasn’t weathered and the printing was dark and readable. In fact, the paper appeared to be recent.

McGaven gently unrolled the paper. The condition and edges were as if it had been placed recently – there were no folds or fragile areas. As he continued to unroll it, he saw it was an article most likely printed from the internet. To his shock, the title read: Pine Valley Detectives Solve Three Murders in Coldwater Creek.

McGaven took a step back—his senses were now heightened as he glanced around, surmising that the killer had placed this article for them to find.

Why?

Was it the killer’s calling card? Was he taunting the police?

Was there another article hidden at the previous crime scene at Lookout Ridge they had missed?

The article concerned the last case that he and Katie had worked in a neighboring town. All the details flowed through his mind. It had been tough and dangerous. He carefully replaced the paper where he had found it and hurried to alert John.

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