The Whispering Girls by a Favorite Author, Jennifer Chase Now Presenting Book 14 of the Detective Katie Scott Series!

 I've been reading Chase since 2009, so I encourage all of you to check out some of the earlier books I have read--and which makes me want to keep on checking out her latest books...

There was a low whine. Katie reached down to pet her black German shepherd, Cisco. He had been by her side ever since she did two tours in the Army as a K9 explosive detections team. She had been extremely lucky to be able to bring Cisco back with her, with a little help from her uncle (and now boss), Sheriff Scott. Not only did she bring back Cisco, but also post-traumatic stress. A mental state that was more like a grief cocktail with highs and lows at some of the worst possible times, but she didn’t let it stop her from performing her job. She was determined it was to be a reality that would take a back seat to her life. Cisco sat up in front of Katie. The jet-black dog with amber wolf eyes watched her with curiosity, slightly tilting his head. It was clear he felt Katie’s moods...

Several loud thumps against the cabin jolted Katie back into the present. Cisco instantly turned his focus toward the interior of the house. His body stiffened and a low grumble vibrated from his chest. He stood still, taking in sight, sound, and smell to catalog the incident. Katie instantly moved quietly back into the house with her cop instincts alert and grabbed her Glock from her suitcase. Straining to listen, she didn’t hear any more sounds despite expecting to hear another thump, a voice, or even footsteps. But it remained hushed. Cisco padded lightly behind her, watching her back. Katie slipped out of her pajamas into a pair of jeans and a hoodie, quickly pulling on her boots. Her mind seemed to always jump to criminal activities instead of thinking it might just be the trees swaying against the cabin or a forest creature making its way across the roof. She inched from her bedroom to the living room and then stopped at the front door. Pausing there, she listened. No other sound. Her nearest neighbor was a couple of acres away and she wasn’t sure if the occupants lived there year-round—it was most likely vacant. There wasn’t a convenient peephole in the door to see if someone was out there. Instead, her hand grasped the deadbolt lock and she quietly eased it clockwise before gripping the doorknob. Furious knocking broke the tense silence. The rapping was fast and frantic, rattling through the cabin. It startled Katie, causing her anxiety to rise. Her breath became shallow, and her hands tensed. Cisco rapid-barked. She turned to the dog. “Nein, bleib,” she said in German to command the dog to stop barking and to stay in place. Cisco immediately stopped and stood in position. His eyes fixed at the door. 

With her gun down at her side, but ready if she needed it, Katie said, “Who is it?” There were soft cries. “Please…” said a female voice. “I… I… need your help.” Katie’s first thought was that someone was trying to bait her as a ruse to get her to open the door, but that was her cop way of thinking. Everything wasn’t always the worst-case scenario. She turned the doorknob and opened the door. A teenage girl, who looked to be about seventeen to eighteen years old, stood there staring at Katie, her eyes wide. The girl wore jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a jean jacket. Her fur-lined leather boots were laced up to her knees. Her long blonde hair was braided and gently laid over her right shoulder. She had several piercings on her ears and wore a leather choker with unusual beads. “What’s wrong?” said Katie glancing around to make sure there wasn’t anyone else. “Please help me…” The girl eyed Katie’s gun. “Please, I saw your car… There’s a…” The teen was clearly distraught and had obviously seen something. “I’m Katie. Can you tell me what’s wrong?” “I found a woman in the woods. She needs help.” Katie’s interest heightened, but she still wasn’t sure if the girl was making complete sense. “Where?” “She’s just a ways. Please… you need to come and help.” Katie glanced back to where Cisco waited. “What’s your name?” “TJ.” “Okay, TJ, show me where this woman is.” Katie grabbed her phone and keys from the small wooden table by the door. She wondered why the girl hadn’t called the police for help. Katie slipped the Glock in her waistband. “Do you have a phone?” She shook her head. Katie thought that was strange, that a teenager didn’t have a cell phone—or at least didn’t want Katie to know she had one. “Please hurry,” said TJ as she began to walk down the gravel driveway. Katie closed her cabin door and locked it, leaving Cisco behind. She wasn’t sure what was going on, so she decided not to bring the dog. It was one less thing to worry about. 

“This way…” the girl said. Katie had to jog to keep up as they weaved their way around trees and across overgrown areas. The brisk morning brought out a strong aroma of oak and pine trees, pushed around by the slight icy breeze. Katie made a mental note of the route they took, as the trees and winding areas began to all look the same. They moved through the wooded area for less than ten minutes before TJ abruptly stopped, her arms at her side. It was as if her feet were glued to the forest floor. Katie could see that she was shaking and her eyes were filled with tears. TJ then raised her arm slowly and pointed. “There,” she barely whispered. Katie looked to where she indicated and instantly sucked in a breath. She blinked twice to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was. About twenty feet away was the body of what appeared to be a woman hanging in a pine tree, her feet barely a foot above the ground, the body swaying slightly. Katie could see bright pink nail polish on her toes and fingers. It was clear by the condition of the body and its disturbingly pale-bluish color that the woman seemed to have been dead for a while, more than a couple of hours. She was dressed only in pale-pink panties and a thin white T-shirt, and there was a brown burlap sack over the woman’s head. The rope around her neck made an eerie creaking sound against the branch as the body rocked back and forth.

~~~

Chase started out with police procedural books and soon won the reputation of local police that her books were right on the mark for her understanding and ability to write about the procedures that police routinely use. Since then, she has moved into various sub-genres, but always with villains who seek out targets that are chosen based upon some type of psychological problem that they possess. I didn't know until the video above, that she had experienced a neighbor with such an affliction, which ignited her desire to know more...and then write about what she had learned. Her ability to dive into a new area, such as with adding Cisco as her ongoing partner, keeps this reader coming back...

It should have been anticipated, but Katie had not expected that she would be pulled into a murder investigation while she was on vacation--a vacation that she had been forced to take since her uncle was also her boss...

Still she was unhappy. She liked to keep busy, to stay on the job and always be working to help somebody in trouble... But this time, she shock of finding a hanging woman had her scrambling as to how and what she might be called upon to do. One thing she knew was that she had to go back to the cabin, find something to help preserve the scene of the crime since snow had abruptly started... She was still at the cabin when the local police arrived. And immediately started asking her lots of questions... You know, like she could be the one who committed that murder!

But, of course, that would change moving further into the story... In fact, with her living so close to the actual crime scene, and just enjoying the area in which she was to vacation, would pull her deeper and deeper--that's how her mind worked out cases...

The crime scene buzzed through her mind. Cisco whined once more and then curled up at Katie’s feet. In order not to forget what happened, Katie typed up her report from the time TJ knocked on her door to the time the police arrived. She found an email for the police department and sent her report and contact information. She then began checking out the town of Echo Forest. She didn’t know exactly what she was looking for but wanted to try to get a feel and understanding of the area. She also checked out the website for the police department. She didn’t find much, but it did refer to Chief Beryl Cooper and his bio stated that he had grown up in Colorado working as a police sergeant for Colorado Springs Police Department. He then moved to Echo Forest five years ago after being appointed to the position of chief. Katie continued to scroll through the site, but it was mostly highlights and not much substance. She let out a sigh. 

Maybe she’d have better luck with the so-called Woodsman. Typing in this name, and ignoring all the results about hunters and lumbermen, she found a ton of information including movies, books, and various blog articles that were based on a type of mythical monster that stalked people, namely children, in forests. There were artistic renderings and people’s accounts, which seemed to cross over into other countries. She then narrowed the search to the specific area and across three surrounding counties. After scrolling through several pages, she found an article from almost fifteen years ago written by local newspaper The Pine Cone that featured “the Woodsman.” There wasn’t much to the article, but it did say a woman was found dead about five miles from where Katie was staying. The case had remained unsolved and the article suggested that something powerful had murdered her. The commentary inferred that something in the forest had killed her—and it had then gone on to cite “the Woodsman.” The article wasn’t very helpful; it was more from the writer’s point of view. Katie couldn’t find anything about local folklore or any evidence related to the cold case. It was all too cumbersome to try to pinpoint what she was looking for. It frustrated her. Katie leaned back in the chair and took a sip of coffee. There was nothing glaring or conclusive, but she found it troubling that TJ had been so terrified of what was most certainly a well-spun tale. It could have been stories she had heard growing up—or, though unlikely, it could be something more. “Well, Cisco… what do you say? Should we go on a hike and check out the location of this cold case from fifteen years ago?” Cisco immediately jumped up, wagging his tail. She dropped the location into her phone and hoped the spotty cell signal would be available when they got there. Even if she found nothing, it would still be nice to get out for some fresh air. Before closing her laptop, Katie decided to check out something. She typed in Jack Thomas, veterinarian, Echo Forest, California. A simple website popped up. It showed some stock photographs of cute dogs and cats. There was an image of an older warehouse with a sign out front: “Thomas Veterinary Clinic.” Katie put the address into her phone: 1216 Timber Road. “C’mon, Cisco,” she said. The jet-black dog hurried to the front door, not missing a step. He breathed heavily at the doorknob. Katie tucked her Glock into the holster underneath her sweater and jacket—just in case. She checked her phone and was surprised she hadn’t received a text message from her uncle—or anyone else. She thought at least her partner, McGaven, would have checked in with her by leaving a funny message. But her phone was quiet. She supposed everyone was giving her rest and privacy. 

Katie and Cisco climbed into the Jeep. Cisco stood in the back seat behind Katie, staring straight over her shoulder. His tail wagged and every few minutes he let out a whine. The little bit of snow that had come down earlier was now melting. The roads were completely clear and the only evidence of the previous flurries was spotted along the tree branches. It took about ten minutes before she came to the downtown area. She passed a couple of trucks with single drivers and one utility van. The traffic was nonexistent compared to what she was used to in Pine Valley. The main street was scattered with a few stores and was about a mile long with adjacent side streets where the grocery, hardware, and supply businesses were located. She decided to stop and get some groceries just in case the weather hit harder overnight. When Katie was back behind the wheel, her GPS told her to turn onto a gravel road and then travel farther west. The longer she drove the more rural the area became. She had just passed the five-mile marker, which was near a hiking trail entrance. There were no other cars parked. She wasn’t sure what she would find, if anything, but she wanted to get a sense of what had attracted the killer to use the densely wooded area to dump a body. 

After making sure the Jeep was secured and locked, she and Cisco headed to the trail. Cisco trotted about five feet ahead, stopping once in a while to sniff something of interest. She tied the dog’s leather collar around her waist in case she needed it. Katie looked at her phone, which amazingly had a signal, and which showed that she was close to the described location. But it wouldn’t give her the exact coordinates. Either way, she estimated they were near the site. Katie slowed her pace, then stopped and surveyed the area, wondering how different the forest was from fifteen years ago. In the article there weren’t any details about the crime scene, just that a woman had been murdered. No name. No details of the scene. No cause of death. No mention of any suspects and so forth. Just that it was a cold case. The article seemed to be a mishmash of information, and most of it not informative. The air was cold and the bitterness of it stung her face, but the wind was so slight as to be almost perfectly still. The forest area around her was quiet—too quiet. Katie noticed that Cisco had stopped and was staring straight ahead. His body was tense, unmoving, looking with intensity at what appeared to be nothing. Katie’s arms tingled. She thought she had heard something, but then dismissed it. It wasn’t because of anything she saw, but rather, something she sensed. She looked around a few minutes, but was satisfied it was a combination of the cold weather conditions and that she was surveying an area that was once a crime scene. “Cisco…” she said. The dog hesitated, but then turned, wagging his tail as he approached Katie. She took another few minutes to look around. It was definitely an overgrown area, but the walking path had been kept clear—most likely by the county for hikers. She didn’t have anything to go on and there wasn’t anything obvious she could scrutinize and she couldn’t even identify the exact location. Katie sighed. The clouds blocked all the daylight. The temperature seemed to drop more, making her shiver. Maybe it was a stupid idea, trying to fill her boring days with something she could sink her teeth into, such as a cold case. “C’mon, Cisco.” She headed back up the trail as Cisco effortlessly trotted ahead. 

That’s when she heard it… a soft whisper in the wind, “Katie…” Katie spun around with her hand on her Glock, expecting to see someone, but there was no one there. She continued to take a slow three-hundred-sixty-degree scrutiny of the forest. There was nothing. Cisco had moved close to her. She felt his warm body at the side of her left leg. His body language had changed, becoming vigilant. She took a few more minutes until she was satisfied there was no one there. Katie took a breath and continued toward her Jeep. One thing was for sure, she had definitely heard her name. She was not imagining it...

~~~

Whether or not she was asked to participate in working the crime, it appeared at least somebody was calling for her participation... And before long, she was happy to welcome McGaven, her partner from back home, who was now there to be by her side...

Soon they were on a trail. And there were signs they they were coming nearer. Katie then saw two sets of feet coming from below nearby bushes... Two bodies were there, with a sign Three down...More to Go...

These investigations were not only the hardest they’d had to investigate, but the twists and turns were both unusual and horrific. It was as if they were being dropped into a play with no script and didn’t know what was going to happen next.

Haven’t you noticed that it’s just enough information and reports to give the appearance of transparency?”

Chase publicizes this book as being addictive--it is... But, no matter what does happen before the book ends, be assured that this author will have the case(s) all tied up and the serial killer identified and convicted... 

Most villains these days remind me of those who spread hate on the news these days... I'm always relieved when the book is wrapped up tightly and the law officers have control again... May we be encouraged to know that many, many people do recognize and know the difference between the good and bad players... May more real-time Jennifer Chases work to help us break down the worst attack ever on the United States Democracy!

GABixlerReviews

Right from the News

Jennifer Chase Presents The First Girl, Eleventh in Detective Katie Scott Series, Perhaps the Most Favorite?

 

McGaven drove to St. Joseph’s Church located in downtown Pine Valley. He was scheduled to meet with semi-retired Detective Richard Jamison—who handled most of the church’s local donations and headed up the support groups for police officers. He had been the detective assigned to the missing person’s case for Abigail Andrews. It was customary in the opening of cold cases, if at all possible, to speak with the investigating officer at the time of the report. McGaven’s mind wasn’t completely on the case as his thoughts fell back to how Katie was doing in the search and if there was progress being made. He had sent her a text earlier but hadn’t heard back. She was in a rural area and the signal was most likely sketchy. There was only a sprinkling of cars in the church’s parking lot. McGaven stepped out of the sedan, glancing around him. The area was quiet and deserted. Walking to the back door entrance, there was a large white pickup truck with boxes neatly stacked in the back. The door was slightly ajar, so McGaven pushed it open. “Hello? Detective Jamison?” “Yeah, come on in,” came a voice. McGaven walked through the back area where boxes, bins, and large storage containers were organized by group and size. He still didn’t see the detective. “I’m over here,” said the voice. McGaven passed boxes identified as household, kitchen, clothes, and medical, until he came across a man in a corner organizing more boxes. He looked to be in his late fifties, heavyset around the middle, and wearing jeans and a T-shirt. His silver hair made him seem older, but his young-looking face said otherwise. “Detective Jamison?” said McGaven. “I’m Detective Sean McGaven.” “Yes,” he replied and came to McGaven to shake his hand. “Nice to meet you.” “You too. Need a hand?” “No, thank you. I’m just getting some boxes ready for pick up.” McGaven looked around and was impressed by the dedication that the former detective had put into this work. “I just made some coffee. Would you like a cup?” Jamieson asked. “No, thank you, I’m fine,” said McGaven. “I’ve had four cups already this morning.” “Where’s your partner?” “She’s on a special assignment today.” “Too bad. I wanted to meet her. You know… you two are quite the topic among us old-timers.” He smiled and moved a box to sit down on and gestured for McGaven to do the same. “Really?” “Of course. A one hundred percent cold-case solve rate is impressive… and not to mention Detective Scott is quite the dedicated officer.” McGaven laughed. There had been so many situations they had been involved in—and some he hadn’t been sure they would survive. “Yes, she sure is…” 

“So, what’s on your mind about the Abigail Andrews case?” the older detective asked. McGaven coordinated his thoughts. “Well, we just reopened the case and have spoken to Mrs. Andrews and looked through some of Abigail’s things. We’ve read through the reports.” “And you want to know my gut on the case. My impressions.” “That would about sum it up. If you can remember.” “Oh, I remember everything about my cases, especially when they were like the Andrews case.” “What do you mean?” asked McGaven, his curiosity piqued. “Everything about the case seemed off. The initial report, the car location, and the area around it.” “We visited the area where the car was found, and it did seem strange. If there was foul play, why didn’t the perp hide the car? It would have been easy and probably no one would have ever noticed it—especially at that location.” “You mean down the ravine?” “Yes.” McGaven reached for his phone and pulled up a photo of the butterfly necklace. He showed it to the retired detective. Jamison put on his glasses and looked at the photo. “You found it where?” “Down that slight hillside.” “I see.” He nodded. “I remember those butterfly pieces of jewelry in her room at her mom’s house.” He examined the photo longer. “You think this was the girl’s?” “Don’t know for sure. But one of the forensic techs is searching the area—just in case there is anything else that might have belonged to her. It could answer some questions, like if there was indeed foul play or not.” “What else could it be?” said Jamison as he looked at McGaven over the top of his glasses. “We’re just reviewing evidence and eliminating things—trying to generate new leads.” The older detective sighed. 

“Not to rain on your parade of a perfect cold-case solve rate, but this may be the case you can’t crack.” McGaven chuckled. “I’ve thought that same thing about some of our other cases, but we manage to solve them. But we can only try.” He wasn’t going let anyone derail their cold case at the beginning. Jamison scrutinized McGaven for a moment. “I like your attitude and your resourcefulness.” “What other things stuck out to you?” “Well, the victim’s friends for one. We couldn’t really get solid alibis, but we searched both of their homes and work. Nothing we found seemed suspicious. But each one had the opportunity to make her disappear.” “You mean Anthony Drake and Teri Butler?” “Yeah. Teri seemed genuinely upset that Abigail had gone missing and her car was found. But the boyfriend—Drake—acted a bit cagey about some of the questions we asked. I think it was more due to the fact he had been arrested on some minor substance use charges.” “What about the mom?” “Nothing panned out from there. She seemed truthful and there was nothing that waved a red flag. And don’t forget Mr. Andrews was still alive then. He was angry and frustrated. I get it. I’ve had my own problems with my kids in the past. Thankfully they’ve straightened up and are living great lives now.” He smoothed some tape on a box and seemed to be rehashing things from the investigation over in his mind. 

“Do you think that whatever happened to Abigail was because of her lifestyle? Or was it something else? Like wrong place, wrong time?” “At the time I leaned toward her lifestyle. We couldn’t get a beat on why she was at that location to begin with. We worked the case from the perspective that it had been someone close to her, like family and friends. I actually thought we’d find her body too.” “That’s what makes this case difficult,” said McGaven. “The body is everything. It’s what puts the pieces together of what happened and then leaves the who and why for us to figure out.” McGaven thought that was a good way of describing it. “If you were working the case today… what would you revisit first?” He waited patiently for the detective to answer. He already knew what he and Katie were going to do, but still, he respected the detective’s opinion and experience. “I think it starts at the car and finding a connection to it, whether it be some other location, someone who was linked to it, or one of the farms near where it was found. We did a canvass twice, but never turned up anything.” He took his phone and made a note in his day reminder. “I have some of my personal notes from my cases that might have something that would help your case. I’ll email them to you.” “Thank you.” 

McGaven felt that Detective Jamison had been consistent with the reports, which meant he did remember his cases well. “Was there anything about the car you noticed at the time? Like if there’d been car trouble?” “No, the keys were in it, which seemed odd.” “Did it start?” said McGaven. “It did, but there was an intermittent starter problem. You know, like when the alternator is failing. It was possibly what happened to her that day.” McGaven nodded and thought it was an interesting point. “Anything I can do, let me know,” said Jamison. “And if I remember anything else that might help, I’ll be sure to contact you directly.” “Thank you, that would be great. It seems like this case doesn’t have much to go on, but I’m optimistic we’ll find something.” McGaven smiled. “After hearing and reading about your partner, I don’t doubt it.” He stood up. “I’m sorry that I wasn’t more helpful. Oh, and please, let me know if you solve it.” “Of course.” 

“It would put an unsolved case to bed for me. One less thing to obsess about. You’ll understand when you get older or when you retire. There are always those cases that haunt you.” “I appreciate your time. And it helps to get more perspective on the case. Thanks again.” As McGaven walked back to the car, Detective Jamison’s words rolled through his mind. The body is everything. It’s what puts the pieces together of what happened and then leaves the who and why for us to figure out.

~~~

So many books, so little time! I've been reading Jennifer Chase books for nearly 15 years and have always enjoyed them. (Search Jennifer Chase in the right-hand column to find reviews of other books.) But, as her talent, experience, and creativity has grown, so has her completed books! Wow, The First Girl is an outstanding thriller! It is complex, excellent with location scene descriptions, and keeps readers hooked until the very last page! If I were younger, I would start from the beginning and move through to catch up on this series. Above is the trailer for the 10th book where you will find that the main character, Katie Scott's fiancée has disappeared... So readers will be hearing of Katie's emotional loss as she strives to keep her mind on her latest cold case.

And, as Katie finds it harder to keep her mind on point, I, too, found a reminder as the evil is discovered that has gone on for years resulting in violence--death--against others... Hamas terrorists merged with what was happening in the book...

I love characters as a primary reason for reading fiction. In this series, Detective Katie Scott, together with her partner,

Detective McGaven are a duo that can't be beat. Scott has an intuitive methodology to her actions, while McGaven provides the logical, the rules-based point of view. I chose the lead characters from the earlier television show Ghost Whisperer, where the roles seem to match the book description of the two... The team are permanently assigned to cold cases. One of the reasons is that Katie is related to the head of the office and other officers have had feelings of nepotism... In this book, though, as things get extremely complex, one officer, in particular, began to see exactly who and why Katie is in her position, and it has nothing to do with anything other than her unique qualities...

But in this book, perhaps as a carry over from the previous, the villain is exceptionally conniving, so much so that Katie has been unable to grab hold of any pieces of the puzzle to begin to put the case together... Until she realizes that they couldn't look just at what was happening. They needed to go back to The First Girl--the beginning and then move forward.

Deep investigation resulted in a possible location where the villain once lived. Katy was once again instrumental in using her extraordinary perception tools, finding a hidden basement which led outside into an area where bodies were found... This was after an accidental location of burial of a girl and her dog was discovered. Only to learn that these were not the only sites of burial... Indeed, still another site was discovered when they found Katie's fiancée, who had been held for months, until he had worked to sharpen plasticware from previous meals and was ready the next time that somebody came...

Readers are left up in the air, though, because almost immediately Chad left to recuperate at his mother's home... But how could Katie recuperate. After all, she had been just as affected about Chad's abduction. And, once he was discovered, there were times when somebody was following Katie and even ran her off the road... Who was doing this--and for which case!??

And then there is the star of the show for everyone... Meet Cisco, a K9 dog with whom Katie served with in the military and who is now constantly by her side... In fact, it was through his efforts that the first site find was made...

...[from] his ex-workers, he confirmed that Dayton would probably stay close and not completely leave the area.” “Why? It seems stupid.” “People who get away with things so long, like Dayton has, have this arrogance and high-mindedness that they like to sit back and watch the police—even clean up clues or people who might get in the way.” “Well, he’s sitting back now.” “Take me to him,” she said. “I don’t know. Shouldn’t you call it in?” “I’m not calling it in until I have proof. Then we would be bringing all the cops here attracting too much attention.” Katie was ready to go, and she wanted to get her hands on Dayton. She could never get the images of those bodies out of her head. She wanted to get this guy no matter what it took. Nick studied her for a moment. “We need to check things out, but you have to promise me that you will call in your troops.” “Of course.” “I mean it, Scotty.” “I will,” she insisted. “I don’t want anything to go wrong to make this guy walk.” “Okay.” “What about Cisco?” “I wanted you to bring him so that you wouldn’t be alone.” “You mean so I would have backup.” She smiled.

And, of course, the statement about getting away with things reminded me of the anniversary, tomorrow, of the January 6th Insurrection... Remember, there are ongoing arrests, but there are still many who have not yet made it into the courts for the accountability that we all want, but is still being denied by MAGA minority followers.

For me, reading fiction novels where the police work to bring the guilty in for  accountability is ensured is not only important but gives us a sense of satisfaction which we greatly need these days... And, Jennifer Chase gives me those respites from reality that is needed to keep going, knowing that we must work to ensure accountability continues in America as many are using disinformation across the nation to create a violent atmosphere, which, has proven to be a continuous period in today's world that must be stopped! Watch our President on television today remembering what happened on January 6th!

God Bless,

Gabby