Casey White is a detective, but first she is a mother who lost her child to a kidnapping many years ago. That Mother’s instinct and compassion, coupled with her law enforcement background, makes her a force to be reckoned with when it appears there may be a serial killer in the Outer Banks, targeting families. Not settling for an easy, pat conclusion to the case, Casey keeps digging to get to the motive even once the powers that be are happy with a confession.

Along the way, Casey continues to search for her daughter, whom she has seen in the past year. A Mother’s love knows no bounds and a detective’s instinct knows that persistence is the key to solving open cases and righting wrongs.

While I felt there were some things that would have been clearer if I had read the first book in this series before the second, I was still able to pick up and follow along without out much disconnect. Though I had figured out the whodunit it early on after two clues were dropped. Still, watching it unfold made for a good read. Looking forward to more in this series.

This was an easy to read mystery/thriller. I found the story compelling enough, but there was something missing for me. I'm not sure what, exactly. It just felt like there were some loose ends that were left dangling.

First, I highly recommend reading the first book before jumping into this one. You can probably get away with starting here, but there is a lot of details in the first book that will help you appreciate some of the situations in this one. The author surprises us in this one with a few of the twists I was actually kind of sad about. but it's a great story and I look forward to seeing what else happens in this series

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ARC.

I have not read book #1 of this series, but I have to say that there really seemed to be a tedium and repetitiveness to the passages concerning Casey's missing daughter Hannah and honestly I got a bit fed up with it, preferring to get on with the detective story.

Centered around the Outer Banks of North Carolina, a series of harrowing and gruesome murders begin. Thirteen year old Lisa Pearson witnesses the brutal slaying of her parents as she hides in the bathroom with here dog, narrowly escaping the rented RV on the campsite. The mother's body displays a carved symbol on her torso. Believing Lisa had been abducted by the killer, and deducing that the girl was diabetic from medicine in the RV, the team are racing against time to find her.
On another campsite, Ben is awaiting the return of his fourteen year-old daughter Andrea when he also is brutally murdered and a symbol carved in his chest. Again, Andrea is thought to have been taken by the killer.
Casey's team desperately tries to find a connection between the victims and think they have it when Lisa was identified as walking in the direction of an abandoned church where a charismatic preacher, supported by rock music and flashing lights, enthralled hundreds of people who had been 'invited' to attend.

OK, so I won't continue because there is so much toing and froing within the investigations, circles within circles, wrong tracks and theories, and mostly confusion. I did finish it although I was ready to give up half-way through I'm afraid.

A gruesome double murder brings Detective Casey White to a campsite in the Outer Banks. The body of the dead female had been mutilated and a symbol carved onto her stomach and then the realization that the young daughter of the murdered couple is missing and without her medication could soon be dead too, means Casey and the team must quickly find answers and the missing girl.

But only days later a second murder takes place showing similar signs to the first, another young girl is missing and another carved symbol found on the dead body.

For Detective Casey White the nightmares of her own missing daughter Hannah never stop and with other young girls missing too she desperately needs to find them all.

This fabulous crime thriller with its super mix of characters will keep you on the edge of your seat and deeply engrossed from the very first page to the nail biting twist at the end.

Loved it and deserves all of its 5 stars from me.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

I received an ARC copy of this book from the Publisher via Netgalley and voluntarily leaving my review.

Casey is still determined to find out what happen to her missing daughter Hannah. As she settle down and having a romance with ex Sheriff Jericho she called to scene of couple who been vicious murder and witness by their daughter she runs to a church that appears to be like a cult.


As Casey and her team investigate one of the bodies shows strange pattern carved on the chest as the teams discuss different theories about the pattern but when a second murder happens with strange patterns they learn another young girl is missing.

As the two cases seems connected it leads Casey and team to this church and this strange preacher but as the dive they start to wonder if there more to this church as they race to find the killer Casey starts to wonder will she ever find the missing pieces that can connect to her own daughter disappears.

This was a roller coaster of emotions full with suspense and intrigue. What great second book to this series.

The Innocent Girls. B.R Spangler

Earlier this year I read the first book in the Detective Jane Casey series, and since then I’ve been desperate to get my hands on the next one. So when The Innocent Girls dropped into my inbox I couldn’t wait to get started, and I wasn’t disappointed, what a cracking book.

Jane is now a permanent fixture in Outer Banks North Carolina. The ex big city cop decided to stay as she’s convinced she is getting closer to finding her missing daughter Hannah. She’s also fallen for Ex sheriff Jericho Flynn and is enjoying life as a small town cop, life is ticking along quite nicely

Then a 13 year old girl witnesses the vicious murder of her parents in a motor home, but after she escapes she runs off to a cult like church without reporting the murder to the police.

When the bodies are discovered Casey’s team start to investigate. One of the bodies has a strange pattern carved into their chest and various theories take the team down different avenues.

When a second murder scene is found, with more carvings on the body, the team also realise another young girl is missing.

The two cases have to be connected and Casey soon makes a connection to a strange Cult-Preacher and his pop-up church.

What follows is an investigation into a series of murders that is intriguing in its complexity.

Murders carried out in a vicious manner, mysterious post mortem wounds inflicted on the bodies, links to children in the families, who never seem to be hurt, and as the team try to make sense of it the murders get a bit too close to home.

The story is brilliant. It’s just complex enough to keep you guessing without crossing into the realms of improbability.

The story is made all the better by the team that Casey is building around her, professionally and in her personal life. There are some great characters that are going to be fun to watch develop.

This series has started out with two of the most addictive stories I’ve read for a long time , the very definition of “ page-turners” I really am excited to read what comes next.