About the Book
When firefighters tackling a blazing house in a quiet suburb of Pine Valley,
California discover human remains, Detective Katie Scott races to 717 Maple
Street. She calls a halt to the excavations the moment she sees the full number
and size of the bones; someone has buried a whole family down here.
Working night and day, it’s up to Katie to prove her theory that the fire was
no accident, that someone wanted to expose the secret in the basement. Tiny
traces of explosives residue found at the scene is all the proof she needs. But
the Cross family have been missing for months––leaving friends and loved ones
in agonizing pain––what twisted soul would do this now? And why?
The case takes another heart-shattering turn when Katie’s suspicions over
recent renovation work on the house leads to the discovery of more bodies in
the back yard: two little girls, buried years apart. What other devastating
secrets are hidden in this perfect family home?
It’s a dead end at every turn as Katie tracks down anyone who knew the family.
Just when it looks like all hope is lost, reports of the Cross’s landlord harassing
the family before they went missing gives Katie a crucial lead. With a menacing
grey sedan following her every move, how many more innocent lives will be lost
before Katie can dig up the truth?
“Edge-of-your-seat suspense to the very end! … Clear your schedule… you will not want to put it down!” Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
“Love, love, LOVE… I absolutely adore this series!!” Goodreads reviewer, 5
stars
“Grabbed me from the very first page! It was so intense, and enthralling. I
stayed up until 11pm two nights in a row so I could finish it.” NetGalley
reviewer
Available on Amazon.
Excerpt
PROLOGUE
Four Years Ago
The heat was even more scorching than usual. It wasn’t a
surprise to the special army team whose mission it was to find bombs and
insurgents in Afghanistan while keeping civilians safe. It was late afternoon,
barely 1700 hours. Still, the temperature raged at one hundred ten degrees and
wasn’t showing any remorse.
The assignment was to enter a small village, search it, and
maintain a presence while waiting for further orders. They had intelligence
information that the enemy had possibly used the village for storing
bomb-making paraphernalia. The inhabitants were not known hostiles, merely
farmers, and would not pose any type of danger.
Katie Scott took point, which meant she was holding the most
exposed position leading her unit. She trudged forward, feeling every muscle
ache in her body. Her gear seemed heavier than it had only two hours ago. She
adjusted her helmet and, keeping her weapon poised and ready, watched the black
German shepherd pad along the roadway. The dog’s posture was almost regal and
he was on high alert, ears perked forward as his head moved from side to side
catching scents from the open area. Cisco was Katie’s constant companion and
partner, one who had alerted her team to danger on several occasions. The dog
was invaluable in so many ways, thwarting multiple potential dangers and
keeping the team safe.
They finally entered the village. A couple of elderly
townspeople acknowledged the American soldiers with a subtle nod but stopped
what they were doing immediately to take refuge in their small, makeshift
homes. There were supposed to be families with children in the village, but now
Katie could only see two young men out and about.
It seemed strange.
Something was out of place.
Katie slowed her pace and her sergeant caught up with her.
“What’s up, Scotty?” he said quietly, still keeping his eyes
on any movement around the village.
“I don’t know…” she said softly. “But something is wrong.”
They stopped.
The rest of the team spread out and kept a watchful eye
around them.
Cisco stopped too. He stood completely still, taking in the
sights and sounds as the hot breeze ruffled his black fur. He growled and
turned his attention ahead toward a group of buildings.
“He senses something,” she whispered to her sergeant.
The sergeant gestured for the rest to follow in that
direction.
The company moved out. Each soldier had their position,
watching for any movement as they covered each other’s backs.
Katie could feel her heart beating hard. She shivered even
though the temperature was blistering. Moving cautiously in the direction that
Cisco had headed, she brought the dog close by her side. She was ready to
return fire or take cover. She took a deep breath to steady her nerves and keep
focus. They continued to advance.
A building made of mud bricks and concrete with blocked up
windows sat silent. It didn’t appear to be the same structure type as the
family homes around it. On one side of the dwelling the windows were crumbling,
appearing more ancient than the rest.
Katie watched Cisco slow his pace. His fur bristled down his
spine.
The team stopped just before the entrance. There was no
visibility as to what was inside.
Under the direction of the sergeant, two team members opened
the door and then cleared the entrance, heading farther inside.
Katie heard gasps from her group. She cautiously entered
behind them, directing her weapon in front of her. The musty stench hit her
first—it was an unmistakable odor. As her vision slowly became accustomed to
the dim, dusty lighting, she saw what her teammates had seen. Death.
At first, it appeared to be a large pile of clothes. Katie
saw shoes and various materials, but she then realized that the clothes were
covering bodies that were by now mostly bones but there were some that were in
the first stages of decomposition. There were smaller bones that had been
children.
She gulped and took a few steps back. Her mouth went dry and
her heart hammered. Her team searched and cleared the building before moving
out in formation.
Cisco kept close to her side as Katie tried hard to erase
the horrific spectacle from her mind. It had been a massacre. Parents had still
had their arms wrapped around their children. She had seen tiny shoes and part
of a toy.
Without warning, gunfire bombarded them, peppering off the
old clay walls. Smoke filled the air. The team took their positions and
returned fire. Katie tucked into a safe place with Cisco next to her. She began
to help hold off the ambush attack by firing in the direction of the threat.
Later on, Katie realized that it had been the longest gun
battle she had been in, lasting nearly thirty minutes. But the worst part
wasn’t the shooting. It was that now she could never forget the image of the
town whose inhabitants had been systematically murdered just to keep the enemy’s
weapons safe. Something had changed in her perspective that day. The incident
fused into her soul, and she would always now carry it with her.
About the Author
Her latest book is the crime thriller, Three
Small Bones.
You can visit her website at www.AuthorJenniferChase.com or connect with her on Twitter, Facebook and Goodreads.
This book sounds good.
ReplyDeleteintriguing
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a real page turner and one I would love to read this winter season.
ReplyDeleteheather hgtempaddy