This book had me feeling all of my emotions..

I thought the story was well written, fast paced, and I couldn’t put it down.

“The Boy” is now one of my favorite characters. My heart just broke into pieces reading about him and I thought the author did an excellent job conveying how an innocent child looks at the world.

I enjoyed The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier. This was volume three in the series with the same detective Jude Fontaine. Not having read the previous two novels in the series, The Body Reader, and The Body Counter, I had some difficulty figuring out the backgrounds on the main characters. Still I would recommend this book, but say to read the previous two in the series first. I liked the way the author fleshed out the characters so that I really cared about what happened to them.

Das Buch beginnt in einer eiskalten Novembernacht in Minneapolis. Eine gehetzte Frau beseitigt vier Leichen über das Geländer in einen See darunter und verschwindet eilig in der Nacht. Doch einige Kilometer weiter verunglückt sie mit ihrem Transporter dann schwer.

Am folgenden Silvestertag findet dann ausgerechnet Elliot, bekannt aus Teil 2, zufällig bei einem Schlittschuh Unfall eine der eingefrorenen Leichen. Spontan fällt ihm nichts anderes ein, als Jude Fontaine zur Hilfe zu rufen. Bei den Ermittlungen finden sich dann Hinweise auf einen 20 Jahre alten Vermisstenfall.

Das Geschehen in diesem Buch beginnt somit ungefähr 5 Monate nach dem Ende von Band 2. Jude hat sich mittlerweile soweit möglich mit der vergangenen Ereignisse arrangiert und sie hat sich im Gegensatz zu vielen anderen damit abgefunden, dass sie wohl nie mehr die „Alte“ sein wird. Ihr Partner Uriah Ashby kann noch am besten damit umgehen und versucht sie nicht in ihrer Situation zu bedrängen.

Dann wird Minneapolis von einem Blizzard heimgesucht und in diesem furchtbaren Schneegestöber setzt eine Frau einen kleinen Jungen ausgerechnet vor Judes Apartmentgebäude aus. Zum Glück kann sie ihn noch rechtzeitig finden und retten. Nur „The Boy“ genannt kann er kaum Angaben über sich oder seine Herkunft machen. Schnell wird klar, dass er aus schlechten Verhältnissen stammen muss und in der Vergangenheit wohl misshandelt wurde. Überraschend kann der kleine Junge Jude berühren ihren Beschützerinstinkt wecken.

Zu Beginn des zweiten Drittels wird durch einen Sprung der Erzählung in die Vergangenheit ein Teil der Vorgeschichte plötzlich klarer, das fesselt spontan noch stärker an die bis dahin sehr rätselhafte Geschichte. Dann macht auch noch die verletzte Frau in der Klinik einen Fehler. Motive und Hintergründe werden durchschaubarer. Diese neuen Hinweise und weitere Rückblicke feuern das Mitraten an.

Zu Beginn des letzten Drittels kommt es zu weiteren überraschenden Taten, die Spannung bleibt hoch, die Erzählung fesselt. Die schockierenden Ereignisse fordern weitere Tote. Die Pathologie hat viel zu tun, mit der Aufklärung der ganzen rätselhaften Todesfälle.

Auch Uriahs gesundheitliche Probleme werden wieder aufgegriffen und spielen eine zunehmend wichtige Rolle. Es zeigt sich, wie nahe sich Jude und Uriah inzwischen stehen.

Zum Ende kommt es zu einem für alle Beteiligten lebensgefährlichen Show Down in Schneegestöber und Dunkelheit. In diesem Buch gewinnt der Winter in Minneapolis durch seine eindringliche Beschreibung fast einen eigenen Charakter. Der haarscharfe Ausgang der Geschichte kann mit der Aufdeckung des Täters überraschen und bringt große Emotionen hervor. Das Geständnis kann alle Fragen klären. Manches, was zunächst nach argen Zufällen aussah, ergibt dann einen Sinn.

Über lange Strecken des Buches dachte ich, dass Judes Vergangenheit nicht eine so prominente Rolle, wie in den Vorgängerteilen spielen würde, aber es kommt zu überraschenden Enthüllungen, die einen Einfluss auf weitere Bücher haben werden. Und so gibt es auch für Jude doch noch eine überzeugende persönliche Weiterentwicklung.

Man folgt auch in diesem dritten Teil gerne diesem ganz außergewöhnlichen Ermittlerpaar mit seinen Ecken und Kanten. Es hat sehr viel Freude gemacht wieder von Jude und Uriah zu lesen. Hoffentlich wird es weitere Bücher geben! Für mich ist Anne Frasier mit diesem 3. Teil der Serie zu einer meiner liebsten Autorinnen aufgestiegen.
Wichtiger Hinweis: Man sollte unbedingt die ersten beiden Teile vorher lesen, sonst kann man der Geschichte und den charakterlichen Entwicklungen nach meiner Meinung nicht in vollem Umfang und mit ganzem Lesegenuss folgen.

This is book three of a series by Anne Frasier, featuring Jude Fontaine, a police detective who has survived a major trauma. The story takes place in the middle of a brutal Minnesota winter. It starts with a bang, as a body is found under the lake ice at a popular ice skating spot.
Although I have not read the first two books of the series, it would have been helpful to understand the backstories of the main characters, but it did very well as a stand-alone. This is such a good book and highly recommended.

The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier. Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries, Book 3. Thomas & Mercer, 2019.

Thanks largely to her father, Detective Jude Fontaine has not had an easy life. In this story, a neighbour who happens to be writing a book about her calls her to report a murder. Her partner, one of the few people with whom she feels comfortable, is ill. And she finds a four-year-old abandoned on her doorstep in a freezing blizzard. As a twenty-year old case start to come together, Jude’s instinct about people kicks in. We respect and admire leading characters and suspect and hate the villains.

This book is written to captivate readers. Although I had not read the first two in the series, I was able to read and enjoy this book as a stand alone. Once started reading, I could not put it down.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Body Keeper for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I highly recommend you read this series in order. While you can jump in here, the depth and understanding of the characters will be a little lost as Jude is unlike any character I've encountered before. This is one of my favorite series simply for the unique, down-to-earth characters and fantastic writing style.

Absolutely brilliant book... kept me gripped... great believable characters and an excellent storyline... the author keeps you hooked til the end. Would highly recommend

Detective Jude Fontaine was kidnapped, tortured and kept isolated for three years before she was able to escape. Still recovering from her trauma, Jude tends to keep to herself and doesn't like to be touched.
From her experiences she has enhanced her empathetic abilities, which she uses in her work. She is able to read both the living and the dead.
When the body of a young boy is found below the ice on a Minnesota lake, she and her partner, Uriah Ashby are called upon to investigate.
More bodies are found, all are twelve year old, blonde haired, blue eyed boys, missing for twenty years.
Then a four year old boy is abandoned at Jude's apartment building during a severe snowstorm. He can't tell them anything about himself, not even his name.
Jude must discover the connection between the boy and the twenty year old case that is putting them all in danger.
This dark, atmospheric thriller really wowed me! A powerful and emotional story.
The great writing and remarkable character development just lured me in and I could not put this one down!
This is the third and maybe final book in the series, but my first one read. This was excellent as a stand alone, but I am definitely going back and reading the first two, and I am really hoping that this is not the end of this spectacular series!
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping Suspense And Non-Stop Action!I

A frozen body is discovered beneath the ice in a lake while people are ice skating oblivious to the horror that has happened in their town and soon every person will be on edge in Minneapolis during this brutal and unmerciful winter.

Jude Fontaine and Uriah Ashby are the detectives assigned to the case of a frozen body found under the ice that may have been dead for at least twenty years and unbeknownst to them this will be the first of many murders that will be linked together in an unspeakable tragedy of events that will also have the two detectives in a fight for their own lives.
It had been snowing all day and turned into dangerous blizzard conditions, while on that same night a small four-year old child is found outside an apartment building almost frozen to death creating another mysterious puzzle which will involve Jude in a complex and emotional journey that she does not want to travel on.

What a terrific action-packed thriller! Strong characterization and gripping tension. I didn't realize this was book three in a series but it was a wonderful stand-alone story and I will certainly read Anne Frasier's other Jude Fontaine books. Hopefully there will be more books to come because Jude is a riveting character and would like to see how she grows and develops in her personal life and her career.

I want to thank Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read this very engaging novel!

I highly recommend for any detective or mystery, thriller readers who enjoy non-stop action and great writing.

I have given this given this book 5 Exceptional 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 Stars!!

I always say Anne Frasier has done it again when I complete one of her books and the Body Keeper is no different. I believe I have read everything that Frasier has published and recommend her books to anyone looking to read something new because yes, she's just that good of a writer. My favorites are always the detective series and following Jude Fontaine has been a wild ride. I love how much research and reality Frasier puts into the settings of her stories, this one in particular taking place in Minneapolis during a treacherous blizzard. As a reader, it's really important and one of the fun aspects to feeling like you are actually there with the characters.
On the night of the blizzard, a small boy is found outside of Jude's apartment and no one seems to know where he has come from. Jude instantly feels a connection to him seeing that he has been horribly neglected.
She is determined to find out who abandoned him as well as who has been abusing him.
Along with this situation, the detectives are on a case where young boy's bodies have been found underneath the frozen lake. The subject matter of this book deals with sex trafficking and I do think it is important that Frasier incorporated this into her series as something the Detectives are having to investigate.
I will admit, that as a mother of several young children this story had parts that were hard for me to read but in all actuality it is a sad reality of our world and is unfortunate.
I do love how Frasier portrays the softer side of Jude in this book though as well as her developing friendship with her partner, Uriah Ashby. We get used to the closed off, hard outer shell of Fontaine because she has been through so much that it is nice to see her warm to the little boy as well as open up more with Elliott and Uriah.
I think this book definitely had a great story line, a lot of twists and turns and kept me guessing up until the end which is something I always appreciate in a read. I wasn't disappointed and was definitely left wanting more to read about Jude and her life so I hope there is more to come in this series.

This series captured my attention from the very beginning. Jude's story is haunting and beautifully told. I'm never disappointed when reading an Anne Frasier book.

Jude Fontaine continues her remarkable career as a homicide detective, this time braving one of the brutal winters for which Minneapolis is so well known. But even the harshest of winters won’t keep the bodies away.

As I’ve come to expect from Anne Frasier, this book is one that begs to be devoured, not letting you go until you’ve finished. The plot is filled with intricate twists and turns with one doozy of a surprise at the end. I enjoyed every moment of intrigue and character development and, as always, I can’t wait to see what comes next from the mind of this talented author!

The Body Keeper could easily have been my book of the year, had I not read an amazing account of the Great Escape earlier. This book is as visceral emotionally as the original The Body Reader and is truly amazing. I’m beyond sorry to see that this is the last of Jude Fontaine because I simply loved her.

All roads lead to Jude. This is especially true here. Her experiences in The Body Reader have irrevocably reshaped her and Jude is still struggling to come up with a new normal. When she discovers a little boy outside her apartment building, her whole world changes again. How this ties into her life remains a mystery I will not spoil. Suffice it to say, it feeds into the ending, which I adored.

Probably the biggest thing about Jude is her isolation. She is marked, different, “empathic” as Uriah tells her. But she is always outside the flow, always looking in and rarely experiencing. Closed emotionally, Jude just feels so real to me. She doesn’t have friends; she has coworkers and people she tolerates.

Boy changes that. Helpless and small, he triggers her protective instincts and opens her heart which is a huge step for Jude. And in opening her heart, Boy opens her to pain – both physical and emotional. There are no limits to what Jude will do to take care of Boy.

Add to that, Jude’s slowly changing relationships with Uriah and Elliott who come to mean more to her than they did previously. I enjoyed watching both characters unfold as part of the story, so naturally. It leads to what I would characterize as a perfect ending.

But that’s just Jude. There is a mystery afoot: the bodies of boys missing for 20 years have suddenly shown up in a lake and the inevitable questions need answers. To get those answers, Jude just may have to give everything. I loved this particular mystery and the story of it. For one, it’s not a common choice of mystery and crime but more, it’s a crime against small boys. And that last part of it is huge. I commend Frasier in her choices here and am so glad she has chosen not to shy away from a very difficult topic.

Overall, I positively loved this book and am so sad this is the last Jude Fontaine book. I want to wallow in this world because I just love the characters and how Frasier hits all the right emotions. Seriously, if you haven’t read these books yet, go get all three. They are well worth it!

This the third book in a series and although it can be read alone, it really is best to be read in order. The Body Keeper follows Detective Jude Fontaine in another homicide, this time involving bodies of young boys found in a frozen lake. The catch, this bodies could be twenty years old. Anne Frasier never fails to hold your attention with her suspense filled mysteries to the point that you can’t put it down. The subject matter is disturbing and horrifying but the author crafted a character that has survived an equally horrific experience who makes the story even more depth filled and the ending a little bit hopeful. The Body Keeper is the last for the Detective Jude Fontaine series but I’m hoping this compelling series still has more books coming.

Plan to stay up all night with this next Jude Fontaine Mystery.
Jude is a women caught in a web of child trafficking linking the past with the present.
This book reminds me of a puzzle and as each piece fallen into place it pulls you deeper into the story. Uriah her partner always seems to hold Jude together but in this book he has some battles of his own to fight. As each of them always finds a way to pull things together, this time is quite a challenge. This is one of my favorite series by as well a favorite author. For a great summer read pick this up and plan on complete consumption by two awesome detectives and a storyline that is one that keeps you on the edge. Must read!

I haven’t read this author before and was worried this wouldn’t read well as a standalone seeing as its part of a series, however I didn’t find that this was necessary. I found this to be an atmospheric thriller with a complex case for the female protagonist of the book. I really enjoyed this book and will defiantly be seeking out more from this author.

Dead bodies are found in a frozen lake, but the bodies are about 20 years old. No one could figure out how they got there. Then a child with no name appears on Jude's doorstep. Jude and Uriah had to figure out what was going on.

The case they were working on was very dark. It was about human trafficking, which is an important but often forgotten about issue. Most people think of human trafficking as something that happens in other countries by people who don't lead normal lives. This happened in America by people who on the surface of things were completely ordinary and unremarkable.

This didn't grab in the same way as the previous two books in the series. Jude and Uriah didn't spend as much time together as they have before although I still love their interesting bond. I'm warming up to Elliott but still don't trust him or like him. Jude made considerable personal growth. Another revelation about her family was revealed that will change the course of things.

The Body Keeper by Anne Frasier is the third in a series about Detective Jude Fontaine. She is a very damaged person with a horrific past. One winter night, 2 bodies of young boys are found frozen under an ice skating lake/pond. When they are removed it is discovered they have been dead about 20 years. Jude is assigned the case and as usual, jumps right in. This case is one the most twisted, depraved stories I've heard. It reaches back years and has connections to events and people in Jude's past. This entry in the series is the best in my opinion. I loved how the characters of Uriah, Jude, and Elliott are delved into more than before. Please make sure to read the first 2 books in the series before The Body Keeper or it will be hard to follow. Anne Frasier has one of the most interesting female characters in a mystery series with Jude Fontaine! Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent story and characters, with a very good flow that makes it easy to read. The plot is fantastic, even though some of it seems highly improbable. I have not read the first books in the series, and had no problem getting into this one, but I would still recommend starting at the beginning.

This series has been AMAZING!!! I am hearing that this may be the end? I hope I am wrong, as I would hate that! I have read Anne Frasier since the beginning and was so happy to find this series! I love the characters of Jude and her partner, Uriah and their struggles to overcome their pasts. As with the first two books, this is very dark in both the subject matters and the fact that Jude is not Little Mary Sunshine. She is struggling to overcome being held captive by a madman and escaping years ago. This case deals with the bodies of two frozen 12 year-old boys found in a lake from 20 years ago. It is a very complex, but not difficult to follow, case. Although you do not have to, I definitely recommend reading the first two beforehand to get the full feel for the characters. This one was actually the best, in my humble opinion, and that is saying a lot.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anne Frasier and Thomas & mercer for the ARC!!!

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