I feel a bit conflicted after finishing “The Girl In The Moss”. On the one hand I thought this was a great book, but on the other I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t like Angie Pallorino.
Angie is one hot mess. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more self destructive character than her. Any possible way to screw up her life, she finds it. And what’s more is she does it on purpose. I just couldn’t understand it. Or her for that matter.
The book opens with Angie and James Maddox on a fishing trip, trying to get their relationship back on track. She has lost her police job and is trying to become a private investigator, while James has been promoted to having his own interagency major crimes unit. As a result, their relationship is suffering. And as death and doom seem to follow Angie around like a bad smell, she and Maddox are part of a group that find the remains of a young girl who went missing 24 years ago in the area.
When I was reading book 2 in this series, I truly felt for Angie. I understood her obsession and drive to find out the truth. To her, the notion of truth meant everything. But in “The Girl In The Moss” I found her need for the truth, her drive to find answers was almost pathological. She was so bullheaded she didn’t seem to care who she hurt in her quest. And she did hurt people. So, so badly.
In the last quarter of the book, the number of lives that are ruined because Angie just had to know absolutely everything is astonishing. And I felt that Angie didn’t really care or maybe even comprehend the damage and pain she was inflicting.
And that is why I have to say I didn’t really like her in this book. Don’t get me wrong, I loved this book. The storyline was great, the mystery surrounding the bones was very intriguing, I honesty had no idea were it was going or how it was going to end, but I’m not really sorry to see the end of Angie’s series.
But let me say, that if Ms. White writes a series featuring Kjel Holgersen I would read that any day of the week. I hope she does, I feel like his story hasn’t been completed, there is still a lot of mystery left there. Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

The Girl in the Moss is the third book in the Angie Pallorino series. This can be read as a standalone, however prior case information is mentioned in this book. If you hadn’t guessed it already this is a romantic suspense, thriller, and mystery book about ex-cop Angie Pallorino.

This book is a combination of crime scene investigation work, detective work, and Angie’s desire to start her own private investigation agency.

Her lover, Sergeant James is a recently promoted homicide detective. James is Angie’s romantic interest. This stage of their relationship is in limbo as Angie works on regaining her independence after discovering some shocking news about her upbringing.

Angie is determined to rebuild herself professionally and romantically after being fired, due to the media circus involving Angie and her final case as a cop. In order to prove herself as a private investigator Angie takes on a cold case from twenty-four years ago.

Everything that occurred in the prior two books led to this moment. Her exposure in the media and her notoriety is what brought forth this old cold case. It’s a personal case with the client seeking closure about her granddaughter.

I enjoyed the story when Angie was working the Moss Girl case. It’s one of those books that is hard to finish in one read, yet difficult to follow after taking breaks.

This is a character driven story, due to the nature of it being a crime case. The story takes the reader on the step by step process of investigating unsolved cold cases, from the past, by updating information in the hopes that circumstances will change the outcome of how people disclosed information.
I struggled with the beginning, having not read the prior two books. It took some time to get acclimated to these characters and their past cases. Eventually, I reached a point where this cold case took hold of the situation by providing the necessary details.

I love all the possibilities and angles. Every character had probable cause and motive, in regards to Jasmine.

This is about secrets and finding out the truth. Closure is the purpose for reopening cold cases. Circumstances change, technology advances, and people break their silence. The layers of secrets was exciting with plot twists and more secrets. All in all, I’d say this is another hit for Loreth.

I loved this book so hard. We really get to see Angie’s character evolving. There are plot twists and a lot of angst on Angie’s part. Lots and lots of action. I was up until 3 A.M. reading this book. I could not put it down! I was so riveted!Received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

I was lucky enough to get to read this book before it hits shelves in June. Loreth Anne White did not disappoint in the third installment of Angie Pallorino. She captured mystery, suspense, and female empowerment all in one scoop. There were quite a few memorable quotes that will be sticking in my brain for a while. I'm so sad that this story is over. I have grown quite attached to these characters.

And may I say, James Maddocks is one of my new book boyfriends. *heart flutters* My heart sails when I read his name :)

I highly recommend this series and anything Loreth Anne White writes!

Third book in the Angie Pallorino series. After being fired by the police department, Angie is working on getting her private investigator license and is hired to look into the life of a young woman whose body was found 24 years after her disappearance and presumed drowning. This was really good. I think each book in the series has been better than the last. I read a lot of this type of book, and it's unusual for me not to see at least some of the plot twists coming, but this book had me surprised over and over. I think I even gasped at one unexpected event. 4.5 stars, rounding to 4. Can't wait for the next book!

Loreth Anne White has angled the prize winner with The Girl in the Moss.
It is the story of Angie Pallarino, a disgraced ex-detective turned private
investigator, who sets out to find the truth to the twenty-four year old
disappearance of a beautiful, seductive young woman during a women's only
fishing trip/adventure. The answer is shrouded in backwoods secrets, deception
and coverups. One mystery leads to another, leading to a coverup, leading to more
secrets and lies. It is a beautifully written and crafted book. It is one of those
books I could not put it down from start to finish. If you like being taken on
an emotional and suspenseful ride, you must read this book. It's one of those
books that leaves you thinking "WOW, I did not see that coming".

With The Girl in the Moss, Loreth Anne White wraps up the story of Angie Pallorino, and I'm so very, very sorry to see her go. This book was a stellar 'end' to the series, and left the door open for spin-offs, and check-ins with our beloved cast of characters. I hope White will peek through into this world in future books and give us glimpses of Angie's life - she's a formidable character. Unapologetically fierce, smart, sensual, complicated and armed with that old-fashioned word, gumption, Angie is a breath of fresh air when it comes to heroines in this genre.

The Girl in the Moss opens with Angie on a fly fishing trip with her boyfriend, Detective James Maddocks. What is supposed to be a romantic night on the river ends with the two camped out beside a skeleton, unearthed in the moss by a local man who flags down the crew of their boat, begging for help. It's fitting, really, for Maddocks and Angie, who are often surrounded by death and by mystery. But it underscores the vital differences between them - Maddocks is still a cop, with all that implies. Angie has been fired from the force, and is desperately trying to find work as a PI so she can open her own firm. What once brought them together seems to be driving the two apart, and they spend much of this book going their separate ways.

When the skeleton is found to be Jasmine Gulati, a woman who disappeared over Plunge Falls in the Niahmish River while being filmed for a fly fishing documentary twenty-five years earlier, Angie is hired by Jasmine's grandmother to investigate her last days, the people who went on the trip with her and crucially, why autopsy evidence indicates Jasmine gave birth before she died. Her family were unaware she was pregnant, and there is no evidence of a fetal skeleton with the body. It's a cracking mystery from White once again - and she isn't shy about ensuring the victim herself is a well-rounded, meaty individual. Jasmine is no shrinking violet, nor is she particularly nice, but that doesn't deter Angie from bringing secrets to light in the name of justice.

Her journey into Jasmine's past will take Angie on a quest into the dark heart of a town, bloody with its own terrible past. It will bring her into intimate contact with the others who were filmed for the documentary, including the mysterious filmmaker, her husband, and daughter, the handsome and rugged river guide, who now lives on the river with his family, and the townspeople inadvertently caught up in the crossfire of Jasmine's smart mouth.

As her investigation brings her dangerously close to peril, and the knowledge that the case of Jasmine Gulati may have even farther reaching consequences than she imagined, Angie must navigate the increasingly volatile nature of her relationship with James Maddocks, the pull of her own past, and wrestle with the question of her own happiness. It's scintillating reading, and the complexities that White weaves often had my head spinning.

By the end, I felt like I was on the edge of my seat, driving toward an inevitable conflagration. You might think you know what's to come, you might think you've reached the conclusion, and then the twists and turns keep appearing, and you realize Loreth Anne White has you on the ride of your life.

The Girl in the Moss is a fantastic mystery, rivaling some of White's best and it really shows how assured she has become as a writer, interlocking threads of plot together with seamless grace, until the end comes, and the reader is left gasping, watching the fabric come together to reveal a rich, thrilling and vibrant tapestry. Not to mention, White has an utterly fabulous sense of place and of atmosphere. From the boiling mists of the river to the shadowy forests, the driving snows and ice, the bitter winds and cozy backyards, Maddocks' boat with Jack-o snoozing on the rug, Angie's apartment with its whiteboards and gas fire and lonely bedroom, you always get the feeling of being exactly where you're supposed to be. That's so rare, and I'm very grateful to find a writer who can capture the essences of locations & places without 'telling'. White always 'shows', and it's a gift.

I'm sad to see Angie go - but I look forward to where White will take us next. I can guess, given the ending of this book, and I hope I'm right - this character has the potential to be a worthy successor to Angie's badassery.

5 enthusiastic stars. Recommended for anyone who loves psychological thrillers. I would highly suggest you read the others in the Angie series before beginning this, as White carefully layers Angie's history through the text.

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this book and provide an honest review. It's much appreciated as always!

Dazzling. Just dazzling. I could end the review right there and have perfectly said all that needed to be said. But I won’t. "The Girl in the Moss" is dazzling in plot, characters, settings and endings.
I ended my review of "The Lullaby Girl" mentioning Tom Petty’s song “I Won’t Back Down”. Nothing has changed for Angie. She won’t back down in trying to establish herself professionally and in her relationship with Sgt James Maddocks. She won’t back down in her determination to see justice done, even if the need for justice is from 24 years ago. None of this is easy, since Angie keeps setting up roadblocks to her own road forward in trying to do right for others. She just sometimes forgets to do right for herself.
This review might seem like an essay on Angie Pallorino. It is in part because she is one of the most fascinating characters I’ve come across. In "The Drowned Girls" her sense of identity began to crack. In "The Lullaby Girl" her identity was totally destroyed. She came through a crucible of destruction and started to put herself back together after losing almost everything except for Maddocks. AKA, no, I won’t go there. Read the other books. Although Loreth Anne White does a great job of catching readers up in the third book, it would be a crying shame to not read the first two.
In "The Girl in the Moss", Angie and Maddocks are on a romantic fly fishing trip. While returning to the lodge where they are staying they are hailed by an old man who shows them skeletal remains partially buried in moss.
The discovery of the skeleton brings home to Angie that she is no longer a cop. She is trying to become a private detective, currently working for her license under supervision of an established detective agency. This comes to a quick end for Angie after the discovery of the body. Quelle surprise!
The bones are quickly identified as a woman who went missing on a fly fishing trip 24 years ago. Since Angie was present at the discovery of the skeleton, she is hired by the missing woman’s grandmother to explore what led to the woman’s death on another fly fishing trip.
For a number of reasons, Maddocks is mostly MIA, my only complaint with this book. For the professional reasons Maddocks is MIA, he is busy setting up a new serious crime squad with Metro Victoria PD. He sets up a sub-squad, reviewing cold cases, consisting of the oddly charming, but still mysterious, Kjel Holgersen, and Angie’s nemesis Harvey Leo.
Kjel soon discovers several cases possibly relating to a recent missing woman case. A case Angie had worked before her spectacular fall from grace.
Angie asks Kjel to accompany her back to where the skeleton was found. Cue the banjo music. Cue also shocking twists leading to heartbreak and breathtaking danger.
Characters, even the villains are fully dimensional, with stories and motives that matter. The twists are awful, but the trail is there. The reader may feel gobsmacked, but they won’t feel cheated.
Loreth Anne White’s writing just flows, whether she is describing the local fauna in a remote Canadian forest or if she is describing the bully boys who try to intimidate Angie. There is a rhythm to the writing that just soothes then racks up the tension, stomach churning tension. This series is hard hitting, gritty crime fiction.
Don’t look for much romance; but there is love: maternal love, twisted love, fraternal love, paternal love, and romantic love.
Despite the wonderful darkness of this series, Angie is incandescent, her light showing the way to recovery and forgiveness. Eventually, even for herself. (less)
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

This is the third book in a series and in my opinion, the best. I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the suspense of not knowing what twist was coming next.

The Girl in the Moss is the third outstanding book in the Angie Pallorino series written by author Loreth Anne White. I hope this series continues. Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the advance.

The Girl In The Moss is the third and last in the Angie Pallorino series . Ex-cop Angie Pallorino is making a new start working as a private investigator . Angie and her boyfriend , homicide detective James Maddocks are on a quiet getaway camping , when human skeletal remains are found in a nearby mossy grove . The remains appear to have been there for decades . Angie is hired by the victim's grandmother to investigate what was going on in the last months of her granddaughter's life . This investigation puts Angie's life in danger . It seems to connect to one of her cold case's from her days as a cop .
WHOA !!!! This book got right under my skin ! This was a mesmerizing , heart pounding thriller that was beautifully written with sharp characters that were so alive ! First rate plotting that builds the tension with dark suspense , dark secrets , action sequences ending with a fabulous twist ! I just can't say enough about how much I loved this series ! ! It's a perfectly crafted work of art !! Thanks to Loreth Anne White and Montlake Romance for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #LorethAnneWhite #MontlakeRomance #Netgalley #TheGirlInTheMoss

With her career as a cop in the toilet, Angie Pallorino is starting over as a P. I. Before she hangs out her shingle, though, she and her boyfriend, homicide cop, James Maddocks decide to take a short vacation to rekindle their romance. Of course, nothing goes according to plan and a body, or what’s left of it, is found in a nearby grove of trees. It looks like an old missing persons case has just become a homicide, and while Angie sees this as a great way to kickstart her career, it put pressure on her relationship with Maddocks. White does a good job creating a character caught between her career and her love life

Another great Angie Pallorino book! I love this series. I can't wait to read the next one -- there will be a next one right?! Highly recommend this series to anyone that loves to read mysteries.

There is a saying, that “nothing is consistent but change.” This is true for Angie Pallorino and she isn't dealing with it well. She lived her life for so long on the dark side – working sex crimes seeing the worst of the worst, then finally getting on the homicide team only to have her that dream yanked away from her. For so many years she dealt with her inner demons by having random sex with strangers and now that she is in a relationship with MVPD detective James Maddocks she is having a hard time adjusting to being in a committed intimate relationship. Her horrific early childhood has left her with PTSD, trust and intimacy issues. She is at a crossroads in her life and feeling insecure. Knowing the one thing she wants most in the world – being a police officer – is no longer an option she has to decide if becoming a PI will fill the void that was left after loosing her job.

In the previous books we mainly saw the hard side of Angie. In this book we get a look at her softer more vulnerable side but yet still mixed in with her exceptional investigative skills on ferreting out the truth.

As Angie is going through a crisis of self it's fitting that the majority of this book is just Angie working on finding out what happened to a young woman 24 years ago when her missing body is discovered in a mossy grave. I can tell you any guesses as to what really happened you might have while reading Angie interviewing and investigating will not be right as the author throws one heck of a twisted ending you don't see coming.

As the reader we also get to witness Angie finally finding her inner strength and esteem and this in turn helps her decide what she really wants for her future both professionally and personally in her relationship with Maddocks. Loved the final chapter of the book and cant wait to see what is next..

WOWZERS! This was just awesome. A great thriller with so many twists and turns with secrets and lies holding everything together. Throughout the whole story I felt the fear and terror in the pit of my gut. Just as I thought I knew what was happening the story threw another twist. So many different characters involved in a complex storyline yet they all came together to tell a thoroughly entertaining and engrossing story. I can't wait to see what comes next......

Full review to be published online in mid June.

Good mystery/thriller read, if a tad predictable in places. The twisty ending, however, blew me away. Sad, and more than a little freaky. I like this author and series a lot; and have always enjoyed reading Cold Cases. There was also significant forward momentum in Angie's relationship with Maddocks. As always, Kjel was mysterious and secretive. I always want to know more about him and his shrouded past.

On the whole, this was a win read for me. If the quality of the writing and the stories stays this high; I’m hoping for a long series about Angie Pallorini - former homicide detective and now PI. Loreth White has made me a big fan of her books.