Their Last Cry
Detective Madison Harper Book 10
Wendy Dranfield
386 pages
Bookouture
Published May 8, 2026
About the book
A biting wind whips through the desolate campsite as she gazes down in horror at the bodies at her feet; teens the same age as her son, their eyes glassy and their lips a deathly blue. She will stop at nothing to catch the twisted killer who heard their last cries…
Detective Madison Harper is enjoying a night out with her colleagues in Lost Creek when a heart-shattering scream rings out across the diner. Madison sprints outside, adrenaline pulsing through her veins, to find a young girl covered in blood. As the teen collapses in her arms, she locks eyes with Madison and whispers “all my friends are dead. And it was the devil who did it.”
Madison rushes to the site where the girl had been camping with four friends. Three bodies are lined up inside a tent, but fifteen-year-old Cassie, if she is still alive, is unaccounted for. Then a video goes live of Cassie chained up in a basement, and Madison’s blood turns to ice.
Madison pushes herself to the brink hunting down both the missing girl and a murderer while local parents tremble behind locked doors wondering if their own children could be next? With every second that passes the chance of finding Cassie alive gets smaller, but Madison won’t rest. Can she stop this killer from finding another victim? And will she make it in time to save Cassie?
An absolutely gripping and pulse-pounding read perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.
My Review
Oh my, I can’t believe this series has come to an end. I had forgotten she announced that in the last book. Probably because I didn’t want to hear it. But I love that she thought it through and gave them an apt ending. Even though I had my doubts for a while.
This series has such a great premise. The two main characters were wrongfully convicted and are now out and doing what they can giving back in their own way. Solving crimes. Madison as a detective and Nate as a PI.
No animals die in the book, but when Nate takes a moment to notice how Brody, his K9 dog is aging, it almost brought me to tears. As a life long pet owner, this happens way too quickly. There are many small moments like this. And a couple of big ones that made me hold my breath. Never knowing what an author might do in the last book in the series.
The cases in this one are doozies. One about the death of a possible child molester and the other about the death of teenagers. When one teen is still missing, it causes the team on a frantic search to save the last teenager.
While I wouldn’t say the pace was quick, but more methodical as Madison and her team take the time to investigate every lead and every possible suspect. And believe me when I say there were a lot of people acting shady in this one.
I love that in addition to aging. Brody had a little antics of his own. It was a moment to smile in an emotional story.
I also appreciated the note from the author with her last thoughts on Madison, Nate and the clan. I respect her choice, but can also take a moment to miss that there won’t be a next book to look forward in the series. Their Last Cry is also their last hurrah. I hope the author’s next book is full of a new group of characters as wonderful as the ones she’s leaving behind.
If you haven’t read any of the series and are a fan of crime novels or police procedurals, I highly recommend picking up the series and maybe not starting with the end. And if you’ve read any of the series, you definitely need to pick this one up and see all that happens to the team. There were quite a lot of news within the group.
About the author
Wendy is the author of the Detective Madison Harper series. Her novels and short stories have been shortlisted and longlisted for various writing competitions and awards, including the International Thriller Writer Awards.
Visit her website for the most accurate and up-to-date information about her books: www.wendydranfield.co.uk or join her mailing list here.
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