Spring Girls is the 3rd book in the Northampton County series and even though I haven't read the first two books in the series, I was able to keep pace without any difficulty. Having said that I will definitely check out the first two books to see how the hunt for the seriel killer, who rapes and kills young women by drowning every spring, started. I liked everything about this book -- the plot, the quick pace of the story, the writing and the well drawn out characters. The characters that really stood out for me were Janey and her young son Christian. Janey's struggle to come to terms with her past, her not so smooth relationship with her son and her fears for and about him gave a human touch to the story.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Thomas and Mercer and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

The third in this series finds Detective Geena and her partner Parker Reed on the hunt for a killer who is habitual and elusive. The twist this time is a survivor. She is scared and a bit uncooperative. The reasons which will raise the hair on your arms. Twist a and turns abound in this story. Geena works to protect her valued source ,all the while fighting against the guilt of putting this survivor in jeopardy. Happy reading

I always seem to pick up books later in a series! No different this time. This is the third crime thriller set in Bangor, PA. First time I’ve read this author and it was a pleasure. She made the characters very real, endearing, frightening, leading us down one path and up another. The story unfolds with another murder of a young girl, the fourth found in Spring. Only the first girl survives, with no memory but one very important and telling twist. As the search for a serial killer heats up, her quiet world comes crashing in on her

I read this book as a stand-alone, and had no problem picking up on all the players. I hope to go back and reread the other two since this story flowed so nicely with just the right amount of suspense.

Thanks to Ms. Katchur, Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

I didn't realize this book was part of a series but it was a good stand-alone story. Great writing, characters, and story make this a great summer read. I'll check out the other ones in the series!

A good strong dective story. This book was exciting and fast paced, likeable characters. I would definitely read more the the series.

Another Spring. Another Dead Girl.

This was a thrilling read that followed Detectives Geena and Parker as they attempt to find the serial killer that has been terrorizing their hometown. Every Spring a new body is found in a nearby lake. The killer has come to be known as the Spring Strangler, and his victims? Spring Girls.

This is the third book in the Northampton County mystery series, but it can be read as a stand-alone.

While we get the point of view from the detectives, we also get the point of view from Janey Montgomery, the first victim. The one who survived. The characters were interesting to read from the perspective of. I liked the main characters, which were mainly Geena and Janey. I liked how they interacted together and I liked how Janey handled herself. She was very obviously a victim of a horrific crime and she acted in a way that a victim would act. By the end of the book she was much stronger and was more sure of herself and she had a lot of character growth.

Overall, I enjoyed this. It was certainly thrilling and took some very unexpected twists and turns. The plot kept me engaged and had me on the edge of my seat. It kept me guessing and led to places that I didn’t expect it to.

The conclusion was good and it didn’t pull any punches. Neither was it totally out of left lane. It was like being in a Criminal Minds episode and I would highly recommend it.

Detective Geena Brassard has a new partner. Detective Parker Reed. Their first case is when a girl is found drowned at Minski Lake. Geena realises that this is another “Spring Girl”. She’d worked the two previous cases with her previous partner, Albert Eugenis, now retired.

Geena and Parker start digging through the previous cases in an attempt to see if any information had been overlooked. They discover that there was a girl who had managed to escape. She appears to be the very first victim, Janey Montgomery. Will tracking her down and questioning her help them find the perpetrator before another girl is murdered?

An excellent novel with many twists and turns and even more fascinating for me – the psychological aspect to the case that Geena and Parker are investigating. I have one reservation, the characters didn’t gel with me. They got the “job done” so to speak, but none made me want to get to know them – with one exception, Janey’s little boy. A child carrying a considerable burden.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

This was an easy and enjoyable read. There are dead girls dying and being put into the lakes all around the springtime. The story stems around Janey, a survivor of the ‘spring girls strangler’ and Detective Brassard, who has been working on the case for awhile now. All while trying to figure out who the killer is we dive into the lives of Janey, her son, Christian and Detective Brassard. Switching between viewpoints, we learn there may be something wrong and odd about Christian as well as something is up with Brassards former partner, Albert.

All the twist and turns this book took to get to the truth was intriguing. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc!

Each Spring a young woman's body is discovered near a pool of water. It is something that Detective Geena looks with dread because it has been happening so regularly. After many investigations and with her senior partner's retirement, she discovers that he has been hiding one fact. That there was one girl who survived the attack but who has selective amnesia and who cannot help at all with any clues. The survivor however has a child and Geena realizes that the dates synchronize with her rape and that this must be the killer's own child. With clues in the form of DNA surfacing from the last killing and DNA from the little boy the circle is narrowing to find the identity of the killer.

Eliminating people one by one from the circle and trying to find a common link between such varying women was not easy and when the discovery comes it is a surprising one. It also comes with so much of cover up within the agency itself that it is surprising that any headway was made in the case. It costs our survivor much in the way of security, her job and the future for herself and her child. But at least the killings will stop.

The book was an emotional read with the killer on one side, the sole survivor who was balancing on a thread on the other and the detectives on the third side.

I'd read the previous two books in this series, and found them to be solid procedurals. Unfortunately, my appreciation for the books seems to have diminished with each one--I liked the first book better than the second, and I wasn't able to finish Spring Girls (the third book in the series). There was nothing wrong with it; I just never seemed to get into the story. While this is book three in a series, you don't need to have read the first two in order to pick this one up.

Excellently thrilling read. With quick twists and turns and intense police procedures, The Spring Girls is an absolutely riveting read. The whole chase is fascinating from start to finish!

As with the previous two books in this series this is an excellent read. It is another that will leave you reeling. Have you holding your breath and hoping for justice to be served. For the cold blooded killer to be found before he can claim another victim. He is pure evil. Ruthless, uncaring, no conscience, no feelings or remorse in any way for what he has done and would do again if given the chance. To many lives have been forever ruined by this cold blooded killer. Time for him to pay.

“A strange kind of calm settles inside her, a dead calm, an acceptance of what is coming, as though she has chosen it herself: a tragic ending to a mostly happy life.”
“She spies the bridge, the pillars, the cold steel rail where signs post warnings about the dangers of jumping; the lone figure staring down at her.”
“This would trouble her for many nights to come, the hindsight of such things, along with the images of the Spring Girls.”
Those were some quotes from the book that told a story of their own.

Two detectives, Geena and Parker, are called to the scene of a body that was found in the water from the lake that was being drained. The body of a dead young woman. She had been brutally raped and killed, bringing the death toll for these young lady’s to three in as many years. How many more were there. How many more would be found? Who is doing this inhuman thing to these young women. Taking their lives before they even had a chance to live. College girls who deserved to live long happy lives. Their families left to mourn and suffer. Always wondering who would do such a horrible thing.

Janey survived. She lived. She wasn’t suppose to, but she did. She lives in constant fear and can’t remember any details about what happened to her. She has no idea who or why. Janey is a single mother who works hard to raise her son, Christian, and deals with the problems he has on a daily basis. He has some issues going on and that makes it harder on Janey, but she loves him unconditionally and will do whatever she has to for him to have a somewhat normal life. With the help of a child therapist Janey strives each day to help Christian make friends. Help him in school. In life. Janey has had way more in her young life than anyone ever should have to deal with. Her parents are close by and they help her emotionally and when she needs them to watch her son. She works very hard to live but she is in constant fear of being attacked again. Your heart will break for Janey and her son many times in this story. You may get frustrated with her and Christian at times also. But you will still root for them to prevail.

This story touches on emotional problems and fears. Anxiety and even depression. Being attacked and trying to move on. Single motherhood and mental problems caused through no fault of their own. A retired detective who knows things that may possibly help find the killer. A wife who is a bit protective, but who should maybe also have kept her mouth shut at times.(you’ll see) A woman alone who is doing her best to move on. Parents who are surviving after losing their daughters. A daughter who just wants some peace and wants to be left alone. A very disturbed person of interest.

This was a very good book and kept me on edge throughout not knowing what was coming next. Wondering who could possibly be attacking these women. I had some suspicions about who the killer was but I didn’t figure that out. I didn’t trust several people in this book and one rightly so.

The characters in this book are very likable. The scenery very well done. You will feel like you are on that riverbank, in that water. Drowning, gasping for breath. Running for your life. Your heart will break for a child and his mother. For the child who is possibly telling the truth but no one believes him. You will feel elated in parts too. The love a mother has for her son is undeniable and strong. She will do anything to protect her child.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KarenKatchur, #Thomas&Mercer for this ARC. This is my own review of a well written book.

I gave it a huge 5 stars and do highly recommend it to anyone that loves a good thriller.

This was a thriller that captivated me from page one. What unfolds makes for a page turning ride.
Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Interesting premise. A woman who survived an attack and rape by a yet uncaught serial killer results in a pregnancy and ultimately the birth of her son. While police continue to try to find the killer as new victims continue to come up, the mother of the serial killer's child begins to wonder if there might really be something to the "serial killer gene" theory when a string of questionable behaviors begin to happen in her now kindergarten-age son.

What I liked about this book, aside from the multiple POV between investigators looking for justice and the surviving victim, was that it wasn't clear until later on in the book, who the bad guy was, not glaringly predictable. There was a point where I started wondering what the deal was with a couple of characters, but I kept thinking the clues were trying to throw me off. It was also interesting that a simple, seemingly innocent, minute suggestion could plant the seed of an idea that would grow into something all-consuming as was the case in this story and how the things that happened after, all seemed to point to one thing that wasn't necessarily true.

Overall, good book and I would recommend.

The Northampton County series features a strong female detective and a clever, twisted killer and Spring Girls can be read as a standalone. Each book in the series is connected through various characters, but they are separate and distinct stories, so you could read them in any order.

In this third novel, set in Bangor, Pennsylvania, Detective Geena Brassard and her partner, Parker Reed, are faced with a complex case. They're searching for a serial killer named The Spring Strangler. The murderer attacks his female, college student victims, strangles them, and then discards them in the lakes and rivers in the local area.

The plot is cunningly constructed, and the frequent changes of viewpoint kept the story effortlessly flowing at a comfortable pace, keeping my curiosity piqued. The concise chapters made it easy to cruise through as I kept squeezing in one more chapter. With buckets of suspense, the compelling and sinister story concludes with some unnerving action and a twist. Now that I've had a glimpse into Geena Brassard's and Parker Reed's lives, I want to revisit! 😊

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Yet again, Katcher brings us a fantastic thriller. Although this book is part of series, it is absolutely a great stand alone read. A wonderfully twisted tale with Detective Geena and partner Parker trying to solve murders by a serial killer. Need I say more? Awesome characters, perfect suspense and police procedure elements. Delightfully addictive.

*Thank you to the publisher for my copy. All views are my own.

First I want to say that I love Karen Katchur and her style as a writer. Her books always promise good suspense. A well written suspense with fast pace and excellent plot and characters. It is a story that allows you to feel inside it and see the scenes as if you were watching a criminal series or a movie on television. I loved it a lot, Excellent title, excellent characters, the famous detectives of the author's book series with a theme although it is of serial killers is not worn out and is well written.
 
I hope to continue reading books by the author who never disappoints me. Thanks netgalley for the opportunity to read it, all opinions are strictly mine and nobody else's.

This is a well-conceived and tightly plotted story that I would describe as 2/3 classic mystery, 1/3 psychological thriller. The book follows a female detective tracking a serial killer in a small town who leaves women strangled in a spring. It also follows the recovery of a survivor as she reconstructs what happened and faces some surprising developments in her life resulting from the attack.

Karen Katchur does a great job here of intertwining both stories and the writing is tighter and better than many of the psychological thrillers out there of late. It also has plenty of detective and procedural elements that are very well-done. I was not surprised to learn Katchur had a degree in criminal justice, as all the police work description and plotting is very well written and feels authentic. Though this book is third in a series, it works well as a stand-alone and there were no parts where I felt lost or at a disadvantage for not having read the others. This book was a little gem I might not have found without NetGalley, and I thank NetGalley, Thomas &’Mercer and Karen Katchur for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review!

This was my first Karen Katchur book and i throughly enjoyed it. I am looking forward to reading the first two. This book was full
os suspense. It was a real page turner

Spring Girls by Karen Katchur is a highly recommended murder mystery/procedural and the third book in the Northampton County series.

Detective Geena Brassard and her partner, Parker Reed, are on the trail of a serial killer, dubbed the "Spring Strangler," whose victims have been given the moniker the "Spring Girls." The killer's victims are always young women who have been strangled, their bodies are left in a body of water, and it happens in the spring. A new victim has been found in a lake in the Appalachian foothills. Geena knows that there was a first victim, one who survived, but her name was kept secret by her former partner, Albert Eugenis, who has now retired. Geena visits with Albert and learns the woman's name is Janey Montgomery. Janey is very reluctant to help and claims she can't remember much from the attack. Although she knows she has information to help the investigation, she also has the most to lose.

This novel features a fast-moving plot and recurring characters. Character development is nominal, but since this is a third book in the series and I have not read the first two, I'm going to assume more development happens in the first two. The first book in the series is River Bodies and the second Cold Woods. Even though Spring Girls is a third installment, it does work as a standalone, especially if you aren't focused on character development and just want to follow the investigation and the clues provided. For me, both the investigation and final big reveal were predictable and a little disappointing. I was especially disappointed in the ending, which is very similar to another novel I read recently. Setting that aside, the investigation itself and the insights into Janey's life and struggles were compelling and held my interest. This is a good choice for escapism reading or those who enjoyed the first two books in the series. 3.5 rounded up

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer.
The review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.