Member Reviews

I love this series, but this one started a bit slow and I took me a while to get into it (where normally I am done in a day) but I am so glad I kept going because after the slow start it was just as good as the others.
Katie is as ballsy as ever - and I adore Cisco.
Some real twists kept me guessing until the end.
Maybe I am calling this to early - but I may be team Katie and John!!!
Can’t wait for the next one!

Was this review helpful?

It starts with Detective Katie Scott, who runs the cold case unit. Further to a call received from a lady whose son's birthday is/would be that day, but whose case is still unsolved, Kate looks for fresh leads into the case, reaching out to those who originally worked it. During this time Katie's Aunt Claire is tragically murdered, with the spotlight pointing to her Uncle, who's the current Sheriff.

Determined to prove her Uncles innocence, although going against all rules, to look further into her Aunts case.... whilst Endeavoring to find closure.

It was a good read, not as fast paced as I would've liked, but definitely worth reading. I've not read any books by this author, with this being book 3 in Detective Scott's series, it can still be read as a stand-alone book.

Was this review helpful?

Flowers on Her Grave (Detective Katie Scott Book 3) by Jennifer Chase is another non-stop thriller. I enjoy this series with Katie Scott and her K-9 partner Cisco very much! Katie is still having anxiety which is a result of her two tours in Afghanistan. Since coming home she has been serving as a detective for the cold case unit. After a beautiful celebratory night with her Uncle Wayne and Aunt Claire for their tenth anniversary, the unthinkable happens, her aunt is murdered! Her uncle can not remember what has happened and becomes the prime suspect. Katie is torn with grief and worry for her family as she continues to work a five year old missing person case. I won't post spoilers, but once Katie and McGaven dig into the cold case for Stiles, life gets hectic. It is impressive how the author weaves solving two cold cases and setting a trap to catch her aunts murderer into one story!
Publication Date:March 24, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this story! I have not read the previous books in this series and was honestly not aware that there were others, but jumping in 3 books in made no difference for me. I enjoyed the plot, it was all twisty just like you would expect a crime/thriller to be. There were only a couple of places that I thought Scott was being a little dense and should have taken the shot and figured some things out a bit sooner, but at the end you appreciate her desire to be “I won’t shoot unless absolutely necessary.” I liked all the characters except Martinez, which you’re not really supposed to like! Ha

Was this review helpful?

This is book 3 of the Detective Katie Scott series; i haven't read the first two books, but i loved it. The author gives enough background informations about Katie that I didn't feel lost starting in the 3rd book.

Katie, ex forces, is now a determined detective covering Cold Cases. Her aunt is killed with her uncle set up to be charged for the murder.

Katie takes matters into her own hands to try to discover the real murderer by solving a Cold Case.

A good read with twists and turns. I didn't expect the end which I love!

Thank you Netgalley for the Arc of Flowers on her grave by Jennifer Chase.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy of Flowers on her grave by Jennifer Chase. This is book 3 of the Detective Katie Scott series and I loved it! Katie has settled into her job working cold cases but finds not everyone is thrilled with the new Cold Case Section. When her aunt is killed after her anniversary party, Katie’s uncle is quickly arrested leaving Katie with no alternative but to try and do her own investigation. When a cold case shows strange similarities to her aunt’s murder, Katie knows she on the right track. A great mystery, the team of Katie and McGaven work well together as well as her K9 partner Cisco!

Was this review helpful?

An u predictable roller coaster of a book. Twists on every page. It was a great read I thought I would read just one more chapter.. lt night reading for sure!

Was this review helpful?

A third exciting story in the Detective Katie Scott series. Katie works the cold cases for the Pine Valley Sheriff’s office. She has scars left from her two tours overseas in the military along with PTSD. After the anniversary celebration for her uncle and his wife, Katie arrives at the house the next morning to find her aunt dead with suspicion falling on her uncle, the sheriff. She knows there is no way he killed his wife, but she is warned to stay away from the case. Hoping to find out who would want to harm her uncle and set him up for murder, Katie reviews his cold cases. She notices in one case the similarities to the manner of her aunt’s death and wonders if the killer has struck before. Katie has a unique ability to look at a case and find clues that others often miss. Will she be next on the killer’s list? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Was this review helpful?

Absolutely fun series by author Jennifer Chase. In spite of being a police procedural, the story is so easy to read. I could finish it in a couple of hours.

Katie was back with the toughest case of her life. Her uncle, the Sheriff was accused of murder of his beloved wife. And Katie found a similar cold case with a link to the incisions made on abdomen. She then had to race against time to get to the truth about the cold case as that would indirectly help her uncle.

My third book by this author, I liked the pace with which the book flew. Having read the earlier two books, I knew how close Katie was to her uncle and I knew she would give it her all to help him. I liked her strength and determination.

Katie, to me, was one fascinating character. Her instincts were spot on. She was a veteran of war who had PTSD, and her K9 Cisco helped her in life and at work. Heading the cold case department, she was quite apt in sieving out the important clues.

Emotions were well felt, clues were written in at the right place, a tinge of romance kept it sweet, mystery was kept alive in the fast pace. But it was the race against time to prove her uncle's innocence that kept me gripped to the story,

Overall, an interesting read.

Was this review helpful?

Detective Katie Scott has the worst case of her life to deal with. Her beloved aunty has been murdered and all fingers point to her uncle, the sheriff. While working the cold case unit, Katie puts her life on the line to solve the case.
I love this series and this was my favourite one so far. Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A quick and easy read. This is the first time I have read Jennifer Chase's work. "Flowers On Her Grave" is book 3 in a series but works as a standalone. Detective Katie Scott comes across as more of a Nancy Drew than a Jane Tennison. I felt the plot was a little flimsy and contrived so this book wasn't for me.

Was this review helpful?

In this latest book of the Detective Katie Scott series, Chase takes us on a mysterious scavenger hunt involving both cold cases and a current murder. Katie first helps solve a cold case of a young man's murder, though she and her partner do not get the public credit for their good investigative work. In the relief of a solved case, life throws Katie and her uncle, the Sheriff, for a life-changing loop. A murder close to her heart leads her to investigate another cold case that seems connected to the latest crime. In her search for answers, she decides to set a trap for the murderer by putting herself in danger. The final answers to her quest shocks Katie and us. Katie's romance with her childhood friend, Chad, shows-up in only a few scenes -- never coming close to her relationship with her dog, Cisco. Hopefully, the next book will give us an opportunity to see more of her personal life.

Was this review helpful?

Another great installment in the Katie Scott series. Solid writing, solid character developments, and a really good mystery. Definitely recommend this series (I do recommend reading them order so you can fully understand the main character's personality and character).

Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.

Was this review helpful?

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Flowers on Her Grave, the third novel to feature cold case detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley, California Sheriff’s Department.

The morning after her uncle Sheriff Wayne Scott and aunt Claire’s 10th anniversary party she finds her aunt murdered and her blood covered uncle claiming he didn’t do it. Believing her uncle is being framed and barred from investigating she finds a twelve year old cold case whose victim had similar wounds to Claire.

I enjoyed Flowers on Her Grave which has a good mystery and likeable characters. It isn’t a particularly profound novel but it has an eventful plot that keeps the reader turning the pages and gets quite exciting in parts when Katie gets into tight situations.
The novel is told entirely from Katie’s point of view so the only jumping about is from one plot scene to the next. It means the reader can get fully immersed in Katie’s story and identify with her. As I said it isn’t a deep novel so there is always something that conveniently falls into her hands to push the case forward. In some novels this might be an issue but here it is such a plot driven narrative that it doesn’t have much impact.

Katie Scott is a veteran who served in Afghanistan as an IED tracker with her dog Cisco. They are both retired from active duty although Katie is the only one with PTSD. I liked the way her history was introduced early on in a therapy session. It introduces her to new readers naturally and presents her troubles in a fresh way to series readers. She is a maverick, constantly on thin ice with the brass for ignoring procedure. It’s not entirely credible but makes for good reading.

Flowers on Her Grave is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Was this review helpful?

I so love this series each book gets better and better .Katie is still fighting her own problems she loves her job on the cold cases . her uncle and aunt who are like parents to her are celebrating their wedding anniversary .that night her uncle acting so strange the next morning when Katie calls at house finds her aunt died .and all points to her uncle but Katie not belive it and starts digging in to a cold case that similar to her aunts death will say no more story so addictive I so recomend

Was this review helpful?

Having read the first 2 books in this series I was excited to read this latest instalment, definitely did not disappoint. Great story, kept me guessing until the end. Definitely worth reading

Was this review helpful?

I haven't read the first 2 books in this series but I had no trouble reading this as a standalone. I found the characters to be well developed and the storyline kept me entertained through the whole book. I'll definitely be reading the first 2 books in the series.

Was this review helpful?

Flowers on Her Grave is the third book in the Detective Katie Scott series by author Jennifer Chase. It’s a solid police procedural.

Since the events of the second book, Detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley’s Sheriff Department, and a former two-tour army veteran, has reluctantly decided to give a try to therapy to get rid of her PTSD related troubles. One session, for now.

She heads the cold case department and, in this capacity, decides to work a case alluded to in the previous book, the unsolved disappearance of a mechanic five years earlier. This, on the request of the victim’s dying mother. In spite of budget constraints, she gets to keep the assistance of Deputy McGaven on a part time basis. She’s also allowed to keep her K9 army partner, Cisco, as a tagalong in an official civilian consulting capability (a canine Patrick Jane, working for scratches behind the ears).

Life is very unfair to Katie Scott, who has already lived her share of tragedies. Not long after she starts her new investigation, her uncle’s wife is found murdered in their house, and evidence seems to point to him as the killer. Her uncle being Pine Valley’s sheriff, this puts Katie Scott in a very difficult position. She won’t get help from the undersheriff taking charge as, faithful to a trope lived by many cops in many series, he’s not a fan of the new cold case department, nor of Katie Scott’s habit to disregard rules when she feels it required.

Drowned in grief, she has to juggle pursuing her cold case with secretly shadowing the investigation in her aunt’s death. Another race against time begins again for Katie Scott and her partner. A double one, this time around.

This book can be read as a standalone, but picks up where the previous one ended in terms of characters and their development. However, the author takes good care of informing potential new readers of what has happened before.

Katie Scott is far from being perfect, still trying to take on her trauma alone. And, the pressure she’s exposed to during this very personal case, combined with her habit of keeping things close to the chest, lead her to jeopardize the investigation, to jeopardize herself, and to make some connections later than she should have. This character trait can become frustrating at times to the reader I am, and I hope she’ll seek the help she obviously needs, even more so now.

The secret real protagonist of this series is army K9 veteran, and Katie Scott’s partner, Cisco. Cisco has it better this time around. He gets a giant new playground to train in, wins the lottery, gets personal A/C in his car, gets to track and dig out stuff, and to show off opening doors by himself. He also confirms his status as an all around good boy.

I thought I had guessed who the killer was two thirds into the book. However, I was mistaken. Not mislead as, in hindsight, all the clues were there. But, there were extra ones. Indeed, as the story closes, some questions remain unanswered. If it’s not an oversight on the part of the author, this might be a bad omen looming over Katie Scott were she to return for a fourth book. A return I would welcome.

Cherry on the cake, Jack Reacher’s fans will be pleased to see Katie Scott lives by one of his rules.

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

A story that has its roots in the recent past. Can Katie price her uncles innocence and solve two cold cases. Fast paced and full of twists.

Was this review helpful?

Cold case detective Katie Scott starts to investigate the death of her aunt when she sees a similarity to a cold case that her uncle worked on earlier. Despite being a part of a series, this book could be read as a stand-alone. The narrative is fast paced and made me finish it in one go. The suspense is well maintained to the end. The only hitch I felt was, in the first cold case the questions raised by Katie herself were not explained. An enjoyable read. Go for it.

Was this review helpful?