The Case of Sampson's Leap by Alison Golden - Book Review

 

Book: The Case of Sampson's Leap

Series: The Detective David Graham Series

Author: Alison Golden

Publication Date: 24 October 2021

 

Synopsis

A confounding case in the present. A precipitous puzzle from the past...

Inspector David Graham knows all about history. After moving to the island of Jersey to recover from a tragic loss, he has done his best to leave painful memories behind. But sometimes it is not so easy to forget...

When Mia, a promising young actress, turns up dead beneath the jagged cliffs known as Sampson’s Leap, suicide seems the obvious answer. But after Inspector Graham interviews the victim’s conniving clan of associates, he’s not so sure. Jealousy, greed, drugs... With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Mia's mysterious death also shines a light on a far older case... The murder of three women, nearly two centuries ago. New evidence suggests that investigative rigor may not have been applied.

Can the dogged Inspector uncover the truth of Mia’s fate? Can a historical injustice be laid to rest? And can Graham finally reveal the secrets hiding in his own heart to the woman who knows him best...?

 

Book Review

 

"I still don't know if she jumped, fell, or was pushed. Suicide, accident, or murder."

The Case of Sampson's Leap by Alison Golden is the eighth book in the Inspector David Graham Mystery Series and my – what – sixth book for Golden.

For those who are unfamiliar with the Inspector David Graham Mystery Series, it's fast; it's addictive; and you can't help but adore Graham.

Each book in the Inspector David Graham Mystery Series can be read as a standalone. So if you start at book 6 or 8, you don't have to worry about not reading the previous books, although I highly recommend them.

The Case of Sampson's Leap comprises 75 short chapters, making the book super-fast-paced. It opens with the death of a film student, Mia Thorne.

But as Inspector Graham and his team investigate and interview her friends, they find themselves in a super thick web of endless lies.

"To a woman like Mia Thorne, Noah Stimms was merely a toy, a dim foil, a moth to a flame, fluttering pointlessly but eternally hopeful around it until, eventually, he got zapped in a flash of scorching heat and acrid smoke. Mightier men had met similar fates with much the same outcome."

At the same time, the island of Gorey is nearing its bicentenary of Sampson's Leap. Sampson, an apothecary – a pharmacist, was accused of murdering three women. When the townspeople gave him the choice to either jump from a hill into the raging sea or be killed, he took the first option, only to jump and survive.

So the townspeople forced him to jump a second time and that was the end of Sampson. But the area where he had jumped had been named Sampson's Leap ever since.

Although the story focuses on Mia's death, we also get bits of history and new evidence comes to light about the 200-year-old Sampson case. After all, both incidents are related to the area known as 'Sampson's Leap.'

When reading The Case of Sampson's Leap, you'll share the police's irritation at the continuous dead ends. Still it's impossible to put this book down. I finished it in 2 or 3 sittings!

Having read several books in this series, there's significant character development for everyone. While David Graham is fully-developed character, his team began book 1 as a group of newbie officers. Now in book 8, they're smarter, faster, and more creative.

"Graham fixed Noah with a look that would have dented body armor."

Alison Golden expertly juggles two mysteries in The Case of Sampson's Leap, leaving readers curious on both ends.  

 

Overall rating for The Case of Sampson's Leap by Alison Golden: 5 stars.

Note: I received a free copy of The Case of Sampson's Leap from its author Alison Golden being a part of her street team. This did not in any way influence my review of the book. I was already a big fan!

And while I originally finished the book in the allotted time, I had a reviewing-block (spent 7 months not writing book reviews). Hence my review is coming quite late.

 

Other books in the series and reviewed on Nadaness In Motion:

The Case of the Screaming Beauty (Book 1 in The Inspector David Graham Series)

The Case of the Hidden Flame (Book 2 in The Inspector David Graham Series)

The Case of the Broken Doll (Book 4 in The Inspector David Graham Series)

Death at the Café (Book 1 in The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Series)

Horror in the Highlands (Book 5 in The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Series)

Killer at the Cult (Book 6 in The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Series) 

Witches at the Wedding (Book 6 in The Reverend Annabelle Dixon Series) 

What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold - Book Review

Book: What We Bury 

(Book 10 in the Detective Madison Knight Mystery series)

Author: Carolyn Arnold

Genres: Hard-Boiled, Mystery, Detective, Police Procedural

Publication date: Wednesday, 28 October 2020

Publisher: Hibbert & Stiles

ASIN: B08DH9X9PK ISBN; 9781989706404

What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold is the 10th installment in the Detective Madison Knight Mystery series and my first read in the series.

And what do I think of it?

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK AND SERIES!

My first read but certainly not my last!

But let me start from the beginning. Madison Knight is a detective with the Stiles PD, who gets a call from her real estate agent on a Saturday morning because…dead body!

Madison heads over there, calls her partner, the lab techs, and the team to begin investigating.

A woman is found murdered in the basement of an elderly couple, who were going to sell their home. Not only does the dead body have no identification, Madison discovers the letters GB written in blood.

"What I'm struggling with is why Doe went to their shed. And did she know it was sitting unlocked or just strike it lucky that way?"

As Madison begins searching for the identity of the murdered woman and the killer, she finds herself and her team in a web of lies, deceit, and false names and identities.

There's literally lots buried in What We Bury. But you'll have to discover that for yourself.

In addition to the mystery, Madison is embroiled in a side investigation into the Russian Mafia in Stiles. We learn that, in the previous book they had kidnapped Madison's sister and threatened her personally.

This personal investigation weighs heavily on Madison's personal life and her relationship with SWAT Leader Troy Matthews becomes tense but Madison keeps avoiding confrontation.  

One of the things I liked about Madison is her humanity, how she feels about murder victims:

"Jane Doe, yep." She hated to think of the murdered as "victims," detesting the assignment of label to the once-living individual, loved by people.

What We Bury reads like a super-fast-paced CSI novel. I loved it and finished it in almost 3 sittings.

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It's interesting how Madison's strength is also her weakness. Her "vow to protect and serve the city of Stiles meant something to her down to her marrow."

This desire and mission to "protect and serve" hurts Madison personally, in terms of her health and strains her relationship with her boyfriend.

Madison is also an obsessive character, whether in regards to the mystery at hand, the side investigation, or her curiosity why her boyfriend Troy hasn't proposed to her.

The latter makes Madison annoying and a bit childish sometimes, but very realistic.

I like how the title What We Bury reflects both the ongoing investigation and Madison's secrets and what's being "buried" and hidden throughout. Novel title puns are common with Carolyn Arnold's books and mysteries and I love them every time!

"As she was pulling away from the house, [Madison] thought about how unpredictable life could be. Alive one minute, gone the next. She doubted anyone woke up thinking, 'Today's the day I die.' Plans were always on the horizon, as if people preferred to play in a world without acknowledging death. It wasn't until it slapped them in the face that people were reminded of their mortality. Otherwise, most harbored fantasies of beating or outsmarting the Grim Reaper. But poor Chantelle Carson had failed, and Madison doubted she ever would have envisioned herself stabbed and bleeding out in a shed."

Having read several books and series by Carolyn Arnold, I'd love to see Madison Knight and Brandon Fisher in one book. It would be epic!

Overall rating for What We Bury by Carolyn Arnold: 5 Stars.

Note: I got a free Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of What We Bury from the publisher Hibbert and Stiles in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my review in any way.

Add What We Bury on Goodreads.

More books by Carolyn Arnold, read and reviewed on Nadaness In Motion:

FBI series, psychological thriller:

On the Count of Three

Past Deeds

 

Historical fiction and adventure:

The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh, Book 2 in The Matthew Connor Series

The Legend of Gasparilla & His Treasure, Book 3 in The Matthew Connor Series

Cozy mysteries:

Coffee Is Murder

Halloween Is Murder

Exercise Is Murder

Money Is Murder

 

Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold - Book Review

Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold is the eighth installment in the Brandon Fisher FBI series. A sniper is taking out men who have been unfaithful to their wives, but is that the only motive at play?

 

"Humans were much like wild animals, feeding of the carcass of misfortune, sucking it bone dry for their own advantages, whatever those may be."

There is lots to tackle when it comes to this newest installment in the Brandon Fisher FBI series. Lots of perspectives, lots of ideas bouncing around, lots of problems in the past. This was one juicy read!

Past Deeds is the eighth book in the series but my second read, and it can easily be read as a standalone. Arnold weaves in each character's past into this one that you can't help but want to read previous installments.

I liked how Arnold brought on a new character from a previous novel, Kelly Marsh, who first appeared in On the Count of Three. And for those who have read the previous book, you can compare Kelly's character, which was a little stronger in On the Count of Three, but now she's a new member of the FBI and is sort of being schooled by Jack Harper, the senior special agent in charge. So there's lots of conflict and bits of humor, especially as Brandon Fisher isn't a big fan of Kelly.

"Sometimes clinging to the normal and familiar was how people coped with tragedy."

One of the things I liked about Past Deeds was the various viewpoints, including the sniper's. I liked getting into her head – and yes the sniper is a woman, which is a five-star move on Arnold's part – and seeing how she's reacting to her surroundings, expressing her emotions and distress. It's actually interesting how for this particular sniper, one can feel much pain and sympathize with her.

"[The sniper] needed to avoid arrest for at least two more days to see her entire operation all the way through and reap the full reward… Even if a cage was where she belonged."

The title Past Deeds doesn't just speak for the sniper, it speaks of all the characters in the book. Each character, whether FBI or culprit or victim had a 'past deed' that either got to them or had them thinking about. The pun and the flow for that theme were simply brilliant!

One of the – MANY – reasons I like reading Arnold's books, whether police procedural cozy mysteries or thrillers like Past Deeds, is the bits of insight Arnold seeps in her book. Like here:

"Keep in mind that the first rule of profiling is never jump to a motive. We do that, and we might as well hand in our badges."

Overall, I loved every bit of this quick-paced thriller; I couldn't put it down!

"She wasn't a killer by nature, but she was good at it –maybe that meant she was supposed to do it."

Note: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) of Past Deeds by Carolyn Arnold in exchange for an honest review. This did not, in any way, affect my review. The book is really good! (I finished the book a few days ago but have been able to sit down and write it for personal reasons)

A while back I featured a guest post by Carolyn Arnold on the 5 Steps to Profiling a Serial Killer.

Also check out my book review of the seventh installment in the Brandon Fisher FBI series, On the Count of Three, which can also be read as a standalone.

Update: I've finally embarked on Carolyn Arnold's Detective Madison Knight Mystery series with the 10th installment: What We Bury and I loved it!

If you're interested in lighter reads for Carolyn Arnold, check my book reviews of her cozy mystery books: Money Is Murder, Halloween Is Murder, and Coffee Is Murder. You can also check Arnold's historical fiction, adventure, mystery Secret of the Lost Pharaoh (got 5 stars from me!)

About the Author:

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the international bestselling and award-winning author of the Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher, and McKinley Mystery series. She is the only author, in her genre, with POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.^TM

Carolyn was born in a small town, but that doesn’t keep her from dreaming big. And on par with her large dreams is her overactive imagination that conjures up killers and cases to solve. She currently lives in a city near Toronto with her husband and two beagles, Max and Chelsea. She is also a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

On the Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold - Book Review

Book: On the Count of Three

Author: Carolyn Arnold

Publication Date: 10 December 2018

Publisher: Hibbert and Stiles

"Our unsub has never been about hiding the identity of his victims. He's always left their teeth intact and never mutilated their faces, making identification easy."

On the Count of Three by Carolyn Arnold is the seventh instalment in the Brandon Fisher series. This is my first read in the series and I didn't feel lost in any way with it being the seventh.

I loved that the book opens with a flashback from the killer, initiating suspense from the first page. The "unsub" appears to seek out recently-released people who were found guilty in drunk-driving accidents.

Miami police department (PD) officer Kelly Marsh investigates a murder and thinks there is a serial killer on the loose. So, she calls former mentor Jack Harper and his FBI team to assist her with the investigation.

A lot of emotions are flying as Kelly struggles with her boss, who doesn't do much but get the spotlight, while Brandon Fisher, a member of Harper's team, feels that there is some kind of history between Kelly and Jack. Throughout the novel, we see Brandon being jealous of Kelly, creating some occasional humour and suspense.

"Not only had they been happy to see each other but every word that came from [Kelly's] lips seemed to make Jack proud. And in contrast, everything I said was frowned upon. Literally."

On the Count of Three reminded me of the show Criminal Minds, and later one of the characters voices my thoughts. I felt that several of the characters were similar to those from Criminal Minds; Zach is a lot like Spencer Reed, and their lead Jack Harper is a bit like Aaron Hotchner.

Also like the series, there were some bits that felt like the quotes they used at the beginning and ending of each episode. Still, the book is different in its own way.

"The BAU?" Her brows rose in perfectly shaped arches. "Like from that TV show Criminal Minds?"

Each character has their pros and cons; I liked the medical examiner with her black humour, and Kelly, a woman hell-bent on bringing justice to those who deserve it and one who views the perpetrators who were murdered by the killer as victims.

My Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC)

One of the things I really liked about On the Count of Three is the use of actual policing and procedures. Arnold provides detailed information about body decomposition and lividity in a way that is both educational and exciting.

There is also lots of conversation throughout the book to keep the pace quick and the reader's mind working.

"Hope was a double-edged sword. It could empower and destroy. In some ways, hope was worse than closure. Especially, when bad news came on the tail end of sparked optimism."

I felt that On the Count of Three had too many perspectives. Nearly all were in the third person, with the exception of Brandon's, which was in the first person. In most cases it was easy to pick up whose perspective the reader was seeing the events from.

The sections where the killer was the speaker were interesting, showing how they felt, spoke, acted and reacted, and so on.

"I would kill to sleep in."

She had no idea how exhausting kidnapping and killing were. How both deserved a nice, long snooze afterward.

Although the book is one of the Brandon Fisher series, Brandon is not the only main character. We see perspectives from various characters including Zach and Kelly. I felt that Brandon wasn't the know-it-all who had all the answers. Again, since this is my first read in the series, I don't know if this is the case with the other books – but it is something I thought worth mentioning.

Overall, On the Count of Three is quick-paced and exciting. The reader is easily immersed in the investigation as the FBI and Miami PD detective seek to uncover clues and pinpoint bits and analyse what is going on to catch the serial killer.

"Charm and charisma were two of the best weapons in any murderer's arsenal. Sweet, yet sticky like honey."

The language is easy and I picked up some new investigative and medical-examiner terminology. I enjoyed Arnold's word choice throughout On the Count of Three, including the quotable bits at the beginning of some chapters. But particularly how the book ends not only by catching the killer but through word choice.

"Chaos and aftermath didn't have to be viewed as horrible. Light came from darkness."

Overall rating: 4.5 stars

Check out this post by Carolyn Arnold on Five Steps to Profiling a Serial Killer.

  

Note: I received an advanced reader's copy (ARC) of On the Count of Three from the publisher Hibbert & Stiles in exchange for an honest review.

Update:

The following book in this series is Past Deeds, which I got as an ARC in 2020 and gave a 5-star review.

Update: I've finally picked up one of the police procedural books in the Detective Madison Knight Mystery series. I started with book 10 What We Bury and I loved it!

More book reviews for books by Carolyn Arnold on Nadaness In Motion: 

Cozy mysteries in the Mckinley Series: Coffee Is Murder, Halloween Is Murder, Money Is Murder and Exercise Is Murder. 

Historical fiction and adventure in The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh

About the Author:

CAROLYN ARNOLD is the international bestselling and award-winning author of the Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher, and McKinley Mystery series. She is the only author, in her genre, with POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT.^TM

Carolyn was born in a small town, but that doesn’t keep her from dreaming big. And on par with her large dreams is her overactive imagination that conjures up killers and cases to solve. She currently lives in a city near Toronto with her husband and two beagles, Max and Chelsea. She is also a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

Halloween Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold – Book Review

Book Title: Halloween Is Murder

(McKinley Mysteries, Book 11)

Author: Carolyn Arnold

Published by: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.

Publication date: 3 October 2017

Synopsis:

Beware of all that goes bump in the night…

Sean and Sara McKinley are excited about the haunted house they’ve set up as a Halloween charity fund-raiser, but things take a ghoulish turn when the reporter covering their story is found dead. With the media keeping mum about how she died, Sara’s curiosity is piqued, and she convinces Sean to take on the investigation through their PI firm.

But this case is not without its challenges. The police are actively investigating it, as well, and it’s not even clear that the woman was murdered. It will take a little cloak-and-dagger, dress-up, and finesse for the McKinleys to get to the bottom of it, but they aren’t the kind to give up.

As they troll for leads and work through the skeletons in the reporter’s closet, they unearth a few suspects, but they’ll need to carve out the whole truth if they’re going to find her killer. If they do so fast enough, there might even be time for a little trick-or-treating.

BOOK REVIEW BY NADANESS IN MOTION 

“I speak if I have something worth saying,” Meredith stated politely. “And I have nothing to do with what you all do. I leave these matters in the hands of the experts.”

“The police?” [Sean] asked. “I agree.”

Meredith winced and shook her head. “I meant the three of you.”

Halloween Is Murder by Carolyn Arnold is the eleventh book in the McKinley Mysteries, and like its predecessors, a cozy mystery standalone.

The book opens with Sara and Sean, a married couple and retired police officers, discussing their Halloween House fundraiser, and considering a Christmas one. The couple, recently turned billionaires, after the loss of a family member, love to do charity work.

As part of coverage of their fundraiser, they show news reporter Chloe Parsons around their House of Horrors for children. Later the next day when they gather to see the story on TV, they learn that Chloe has passed away.

Sara feels that Chloe has been murdered, making their investigation harder as the police are also investigating it as a 'murder'. Plus, it's just a hunch for Sara. Not long after, Chloe's sister comes to their private investigations firm and asks them to investigate her sister's death, giving Sara more momentum to carry on.

Throughout the Halloween Is Murder we see Sean act as the voice of reason, particularly as he doubts that Chloe was murdered. However, he knows it is often best to trust his wife's instincts.

"[Sean] liked to have his action plans anchored in cement."

I loved the punned Halloween-themed chapter names: "The Grim House of Horrors", "Grim Reaper Claims a Victim", "Dreading the Boo"

I liked how Sara converses with Sean simply through nods, eye movement, or minor body language.

"Susannah's gaze drifted to Sara, her eyes full of panic. Sara made eye contact with Sean and tilted her head toward Chloe."

Narrated in the third person, Halloween Is Murder has an even-to-fast pace. Even though the characters are unsure if the mystery at hand is in fact a mystery, the pace isn't slow.

It is interesting to read Halloween Is Murder, when my introduction to the cozy mystery genre was through Carolyn Arnold's Coffee Is Murder (Book 9) in the McKinley Mysteries. The books are all standalones, but it was interesting to see Arnold's writing style again, get cozy with the McKinley's and re-live the series.

"People referred to money as the almighty dollar, but she was one American who worshipped the coffee gods and the almighty bean."

I also liked Sara and Sean's humanitarian side, which made the novel all the more enjoyable.

Halloween Is Murder is light and enjoyable, with a good cast of characters, lots of humour, and a Halloweenish-edge.

Overall rating: 5 stars

(Note: I got an Advanced Reader's Copy (ARC) for Halloween Is Murder)

An interview with Carolyn about Halloween Is Murder can be found on her official website.

More book reviews for Carolyn Arnold on Nadaness In Motion include:

Cozy mysteries in the Mckinley Series: Coffee Is Murder and Money Is Murder, and Exercise Is Murder.

Police procedural and thrillers: On the Count of Three (Book 7 in the Brandon Fischer series), Past Deeds, and What We Bury (Madison Knight series)

Historical fiction in The Secret of the Lost Pharaoh and The Legend of Gasparilla and His Treasure.

About Carolyn Arnold

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

Connect with CAROLYN ARNOLD Online via her Website, Twitter, Facebook, and Newsletter.