Blog Tour Review, The Girls in the Fire

posted in: blog tour, Sherry | 0
The Girls in the Fire
Dea Poirier
302 pages
Bookouture
published March 4, 2022

Book Synopsis:

Harlow looked down at a photo of her victim and couldn’t reconcile it with the body found by the lake. Here was a young and carefree woman, gazing at the camera with her striking emerald green eyes, her long black hair waving in the breeze. But within an instant her future had been extinguished. Harlow had to find out why.

When the remains of a young woman are discovered on the edge of Saranac Lake in upstate New York, local law enforcement immediately call Detective Harlow Durant. When she arrives at the scene, she instantly knows this case will get under her skin. Lying just beyond the picturesque lake popular with families are the remains of a victim who has seemingly been burned to death. With very little evidence remaining, Harlow begins scouring missing persons reports.

The victim is identified as twenty-six-year-old Ellie Gordon—a fun-loving young woman who worked in the bookstore and enjoyed going out with friends. When her mother comes to ID the body, she reports her daughter’s gold crucifix missing and the hunt begins to locate it and any potential DNA evidence. But as Harlow starts to piece Ellie’s last movements together, another body is found. The victim was killed in exactly the same way and worked with Ellie.

Witness statements identify a local man who was obsessed with both women and when Harlow sees video evidence of him pawning the gold necklace, she thinks she has her man. But when he too winds up dead, Harlow has to start over. The only other link to the women is Gavin Croswell, one of the most powerful men in the town. But with a whole host of alibis, pinning the murders on him is almost impossible.

With time running out to find the killer before another woman loses her life, the case soon becomes personal when Harlow’s car is violently run off the road. Someone wants to warn her off the case and they will use anything they can to threaten her. Even if it means exposing her own dark secret.

Can Harlow confront her demons to save another innocent life from being lost? And just how much is she prepared to sacrifice?

An absolutely addictive serial killer thriller perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, and Robert Dugoni’s Tracy Crosswhite series.

My Review

As I started this book, I didn’t realize I had read book one. I will quite often pick up a book in the middle of the series and if I like it, go back and read the back list in the series. I think I may have liked this one more than the first.

I really like that instead of being all about the stand alone story, there is a bigger plot running in the background. And don’t worry if you haven’t read the first one, the author gives you enough to pick up on that story. But I do think you should read them both.

Harlow’s father was a serial killer and as a child, she knew and kept his secret to bring her family together. What a reason to go into law enforcement. And you can imagine not all of her coworkers appreciate her choices when they find out. I really like that Harlow and her partner Lucas are yin and yang and make a complete team. I also like the chapters from Harlow’s stalker which we don’t know if he is the killer or maybe has another agenda.

And in this book’s crime, there are two serial killers in a sleepy town where everyone knows everyone else. One killer is mutilating people, while another is burning young women. There is no shortage of suspects and I was most of the way through the book when I figured out a motive for the killer. And as the book ends, there is little doubt whether the series will continue as there is another new body. I can’t believe I need to wait for the next book.

I really enjoy this series and think all crime readers will appreciate it.

Sherry

Author Bio:
Author Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science and Political Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp. She spends her days at her day job as a President of Digital Marketing, and her nights writing manuscripts.

 

 

Sharing is caring!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *