I would particularly like to thank the Bookouture publishing house and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

We learn that an eight-year-old girl has gone missing in California, Chelsea. For Katie Scott it brings back bad memories of that famous summer camp where one of her friends disappeared twenty years ago. She's going to want to fight for what really happened to little Chelsea. Except that the more she advances in the investigation the more she will discover some shocking things, and important in this investigation, like hiding in the middle of the forest a cemetery with a row of graves with a teddy bear in each one. Katie will make the connection between these famous graves and the disappearance of little girls. Until the day another little girl is abducted from the park next to Katie's house. Haunted by her friend whom she could never save, she will race against time to find these little girls alive, if she can do it in time.

A book read in one go because I love the books published by Bookouture. Each time I'm not disappointed, I'm immediately hooked on the story which is so moving, captivating, addictive, full of suspense and twists and turns with very endearing characters. Can't wait to read the rest of this series.

A fantastic read which had me gripped till the last page. It has a fast paced story line which is easy to follow with relatable characters.
Looking forward to reading more in this series.

Little Girls sleeping by Jennifer chase.
This is book 1 of detective Katie Scott series.
I really enjoyed this book. I liked some of the characters. I loved Cisco the dog. Bit slow to begin with but then comes the action when Katie finds the grave. I wasn't sure about Chad. Looking forward to the next book. 5*.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

An enjoyable read that kept me guessing to the near end. I would recommend.

Great story, great plot, great characters. And I love me a female detective and Katie is a good one. Twists and turns aplenty.

I was very happy to see this is a series. Looking forward to the next one.

Thanks Netgalley for this arc. It's a good one.

Really enjoyable read and kept me gripped throughout.
I am excited and look forward to more books surrounding Detective Katie Scott.
Highly recommend.

Recommended reading. Great characters. Unexpected twists and turns, good plot great pace. Good setting. I am looking forward to reading more from this author.

Katie can not forget about her childhood friend who went missing when they were kids. As a detective she vows to find Chelsea if its the last thing she does.
Digging into the cold case she sees the detective who handled the original case did not follow up on a lot of tips and there are a lot of holes in his case.

As Katie digs deeper into the case she starts following where the clues lead her and what she finds will blow up the community and put her own life in jeopardy.

Loved the lead character Katie Scott in this new series and I had no idea who the serial killer was, when it was revealed I was shocked!

Plenty of twists and turns in this one and the book is well paced and has lots of action going on.

I thought it was a decent psychological thriller and I’ll look out for the rest of the series in the future, if this is anything to go by then it’s gonna be a great series!

Really enjoyable read. Good characters and a Good story. Well worth a read. Think others will enjoy.

I loved the strong female lead in this! The language lends to an educated author which is refreshing. The writing was great and the storyline was enough to keep my attention!

This book is part of a new series by Jennifer Chase.

Katie Scott has just returned home from working in the army. She has anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. and is trying to work through her problems with the help of her dog.

She receives a job inputting data at the police station and starts reading through the files.

She takes on one of the cases that is a bit close to home for her.

There was plenty of action in this book and i did not guess the storyline.

This was an OK read. Was a bit slow and repetitive at times but over all not a bad first installment.

My problem with this story was the main character, Katie Scott. She just wasn't likeable enough to me.

Not sure if I'd read the next book in the series because of this.

With thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publishers for a free ARC in return for an honest review.

This was an OK story. I wouldn't say it was brilliant but it was enjoyable enough if not a little predictable.

1st in the Detective Katie Scott series, loved it, can't wait for the next one
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Oh I do love finding a new series and this looks like it’s going to be a belter. Katie Scott comes home from the army and takes a mundane job in admin in the local sheriffs department until she decides what to do with the rest of her life. Soon she’s thrown into the thick of it with life threatening consequences
Brilliant read. I’m looking forward to the next instalment of what Katie (and her German Shepherd Cisco) did next!!

This is the first in a new series with Detective Katie Scott as the main protagonist. Katie comes home from serving in the military with PTSD, her god best friend and a need to find a new purpose in her life. She starts investigating a missing child which leads to her discovery of graves. Where are the girls and can Katie find them?
I enjoyed the story but I did not love it. A lot of it seemed a bit predictable and the book rushed to a finish. Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#Littlegirlssleeping #NetGalley

Looking for a strong female lead in a crime fiction? Meet Katie Scott.. a woman who was a police patrol officer for 2 years before joining the military as a K-9 handler of bomb-sniffing dogs. She suffers from PTSD and along with her dog, Cisco, is trying to figure out what to do next with her life.

Her uncle, a Sheriff in her small hometown has offered Katie a desk job within the force and she happily accepts. All goes well until she stumbles onto a cold case. Four years ago, an eight-year-old girl disappeared and has never been seen since. The little girl reminds Katie of her own childhood friend who disappeared from summer camp more than twenty years ago.

On her own, Katie begins to investigate and with a lot of thought and using her incredible mind, finds the body of the missing child.

That is the good news. The bad news is that there is a second body found. The girls are both in handmade coffins, dressed in a very pretty dress, and holding a sweet teddy bear.

Katie is fighting against the lead detective who first investigated the disappearance, a man who absolutely hates the fact that the rookie .. who isn't even a detective... has shown him to be inept at his job. She has also found a link to a few more disappearances.

She knows there's a serial killer out there, who has been killing for years with no one any wiser. And the closer she gets to the truth .. the more danger she faces.

Someone has eyes on Katie and will stop her investigation any way they can.

This is a well-written crime mystery fiction with plenty of twists and turns and characters that kept me riveted to the story line. Katie is a terrific character ... she's strong, independent, and doesn't scare easily. The secondary characters are also finely drawn and credible.

This is the beginning of a series and the reader learns a lot about Katie's backstory ... her time in the military and how if affects her today. There are also chapters where the killer's thoughts are out there without hint of who he is. Cisco is one of my favorites ... a well trained German Shepard with a personality.

Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own. I look forward to reading the next offering in this series.

Little Girls Sleeping: an absolutely gripping crime thriller

by Jennifer Chase

My general philosophy is “I don’t read thrillers, especially psychological thrillers.” They just hold too much impact for me. I read an online review, however, that led me to believe that perhaps I should make an exception for Little Girls Sleeping, the first in a new series by Jennifer Chase. As I started reading this thriller, I wondered if I had made a mistake as the story involves the disappearance of young girls and gives some insight into the twisted mind of the perpetrator. Soon, however, the tale expands into the story of returning veteran Katie Scott and Cisco, her K9 military companion.

A former police officer, Katie is taking some time to decide her next career move when she comes across a cold case file on her uncle’s desk. For Katie, the case is personal because it brings up memories of a childhood friend at camp who was murdered. The rest of the book tracks Katie’s pursuit of the truth and is part thriller, part mystery, and part police procedural. If you are drawn to K9 stories you will certainly enjoy this one as Cisco plays a major role.

Katie, who suffers from PTSD, is a strong and determined young woman. Her character is likable, and readers will look forward to watching her develop in future books in this series. She has support from a childhood friend, Chad, and from her uncle, Sheriff Scott. The plot line is engaging. At about 60% through the book, I had figured out who the evil “Toymaker” is—but I was wrong, and at about 80%, the true murderer is revealed. At that point, however, the action just gets more intense. I’m glad I read this page turner, and I am happy to report no nightmares as a result.

I would like to extend my thanks to netgalley.com and to Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 5/5

Category: Mystery and Thriller

Notes: 1. If you are interested in the review that inspired my choosing this book, visit blogger/reviewer Shalini.
2. #1 in the Detective Katie Scott Series

Publication: May 31, 2019—Bookouture

Memorable Lines:

The detective didn’t scare her. She had encountered some real tyrants in the army, from sergeants to training officers, so Templeton was like a yapping little dog to her—fierce, but only annoying at best.

Anxiety was a stealthy and unpredictable enemy.

She rubbed her hands together and let the happy memories flood her mind—at least for a short period. Sometimes it was difficult for her to let the positive things into her life. Her experiences had skewed her perception so that everything seemed on the verge of catastrophe. It was as if she had blocked out anything good in her life.

A little detective fiction to start off my fall.

This was a solid mystery. There is a bad guy killing young girls, a flawed detective must use all her wiles to figure out who he is.

I thought this was a good beginning to a new series. Katie, a veteran, returns home with her canine friend and is able to jump into a new career with the help of her family. As the story progresses, we get to meet other people from Katie's past and new people she will be working with throughout her story. And the weird part at the end could make for some interesting future experiences. (Read the story and you will know what I am talking about, no spoilers here).

There were plenty of twists and developments to keep a slow burn feel to this novel. I do not have issues with the pacing, but this was not a fast-pace thriller. Plenty of suspicion flung in a multitude of directions made this one a little harder to figure out; but the guilty party was certainly not too low on my list of possibilities.

I had not read anything by Jennifer Chase before this, but I will be looking at reading both her earlier novels and additional titles in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and share my honest opinion.