Disclosure. This post is a review of an e-book I was sent for free. All opinions are my own.

This is the first title in the new Detective Amanda Steele series from Carolyn Arnold. I’m always impressed how many series this author can juggle simultaneously, but this is the first time that I am starting with book one in a series.

The prologue draws you in with a killing in Atlanta over five years ago, before introducing you to the main character Amanda Steele in Virginia, who has just had a hot one-night stand in a motel with a stranger. We soon learn that Amanda lost her husband and six-year old daughter five years ago, killed by drunk driver Chad Palmer and since then life has just held pain and sorrow. She sleeps with strangers and pops sleeping pills.

Not long after abandoning this latest guy, Amanda gets a call from friend and colleague Becky. Chad Palmer has been found dead, days after being released from prison. Even with the conflict of interest, Amanda manages to talk herself onto the case, but Sergeant Malone insists she doesn’t work solo and assigns her a partner, namely new guy joining the team, Trent Stenson. Plus he wants details of her alibi.

So who has killed Chad? How can Amanda investigate the death of a man who destroyed her future? How will she track down her sexy mystery man alibi? Can she work well with new partner Trent? And what is the connection with that prologue?

Lots of strands to this story as the investigation progresses, with plenty of surprises that I would never have guessed. Once again Carolyn Arnold has delivered a real page turner that had me gripped throughout.

The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold is her initial offering in the new Amanda Steele series. Amanda is a police detective, daughter of the former police chief. A drunk driver destroyed her life 5 1/2 years ago and she has survived on drink and anonymous sex since then. Tonight she has reached her limit and, in the middle of the night, knocked on the door of a notorious drug dealer to buy Xanax. She knows she will regret it, but she needs to sleep. Shortly after pulling away from his house, she is called by a friend of hers on the force, with the news that Chad Palmer, the killer of her husband and daughter, who had been release from prison only a couple of days ago, was lying dead in a local motel. She woke right up and was on her way. Working on this case would be such a conflict of interest, yet she had to. Malone, her sergeant knew that and allowed it, but with conditions, none of which were to her liking but she agreed.

This is going to be a terrific police procedural with Amanda finally joining the land of the living. She is tenacious, has a firm set of inner guidelines, is empathetic, and loves her family, both dead and alive. For the first time she is going to be working with a partner, and liking it. Trent Stenson was a rookie detective but he had good instincts and he knew how to handle Amanda. I see great things in the future for this duo. Amanda is reconciled with her family and maybe even has a boyfriend. Things are looking up. This was a riveting mystery with multiple facets, basically unrelated with a very surprise ending. Well worth the time and effort to read. I recommend it.

I was invited to read The Little Grave by Netgalley. All opinions contained herein are solely my own. #netgalley #thelittlegrave

I have read a lot of Carolyn Arnold’s books because I like her writing style and her characters. This new character, Amanda Steele, is a detective who is grieving the loss of her family at the hands of a drunk driver. Unfortunately, more of the book is about her grief than about the case she’s working on.

The case is interesting. The convicted drunk driver has just gotten out of prison and has been murdered. This leads to other cold cases and possible sex trafficking. The results of the investigation lead Amanda and her partner to some surprising conclusions.

Amanda seems to finally be dealing with her grief by the end of the book, and I think in the following books she’ll be more like the strong female protagonists that I like. She even starts to be nice to her partner which was a bit of a shock.

The last quarter of this book was exciting and difficult to put down. Although this wasn’t my favorite Carolyn Arnold book, I’m looking forward to the next Amanda Steel novel. I think it won’t be bogged down with her grief like this one was.

The Little Grave is book one in Carolyn Arnold’s new Detective Amanda Steele series.

Prince William County Police Department Homicide Detective, Amanda Steele, is trying to live up to the lofty reputation built by her former police chief father, while dealing with the aftermath of a tragic accident that took the lives of her husband and daughter. Her latest murder case is only adding to her stress. She’s promised herself to work the case to its end, but will it end her before she ends it?

This is a good start to the series. Amanda, the female protagonist, is a good, complex, if not completely likable character. The story starts slowly but picks up the pace about halfway through and builds steadily till the climatic end. The plot was strong and interesting, even with the slow start. Ms. Arnold introduces some smart, unexpected twists that will keep you guessing. Overall, I enjoyed this novel and will read future installments. I rate The Little Grave 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book. However, the opinions expressed in this review are 100% mine and mine alone.

Five years ago, Detective Amanda Steele's husband and daughter were killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. She also lost the baby she was carrying. She still grieves and she's still angry at the driver ... who did go to prison. She's never been able to move on.

So, it's with a great deal of hesitation that her boss is worried about her investigation when the man who was responsible for the deaths of her family is found murdered in a motel room.

Detective Steel is a good cop .. but she does has issues. She's drinking more than she should, has purchased drugs from a suspect, and needs a nameless man to give her an alibi for when her dead man was murdered.

Torn between her duty and her personal feelings, she works very hard to uncover the truth, and the more she investigates, the more startling facts come to light. To her surprise, his killing is linked to two other killings that have taken place many years ago.

As Amanda edges toward the truth, she gets closer to a secret as personal as it is deadly. Amanda has stumbled upon a dangerous killer, and she must face some terrible truths in order to catch this killer – and save his next victim as she couldn’t save her own daughter…

This beginning of a new series, this is, as are the other books by this author, well written with lots of action. Characters are solidly drawn and they take center stage of this police procedural. The suspense is nicely paced leading to an unexpected conclusion.

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.

The Little Grave is the fantastic new crime thriller by Carolyn Arnold. I’m not usually one for crime/thriller/murder mystery books, but after being introduced to Arnold’s work a few years ago, she is the only crime writer I religiously read when I want to mix up genres. Her fast-paced, keep you guessing writing style always reels me in from the get go, and I find myself playing detective alongside her characters.

The Little Grave centres around detective Steele, a woman who is brought into a case that is deeply personal to her. She knows the victim and with suspected foul play is one of the primary suspects unless she can cement her Alibi. But with each clue, the mystery into the victim becomes a part of something bigger and much more sinister, and it kept me constantly guessing and on my toes.

Steele is a relatable character, you feel her pain and how her life hasn’t quite been the same since ‘the incident’ which altered her world. She goes through the motions, but with the case comes a heightened sense and need for justice, and you chase the thrill alongside her.

There’s action, tonnes of red herrings and a boatload of drama, but above all, there is an incredible plot twist which I totally did not guess despite some clues. Arnold is clever in her story writing technique, enabling me to constantly try and guess and figure things out, but there’s always a thrill in the element of surprise and it made for a real enjoyable story.

I love how Steele is not your perfectly pristine typical cop, and you accept her flaws because she is completely relatable, and you understand her history and character depth. I hope to see her featured again in another book, and I loved Logan!

A brilliantly captivating read which had me gripped, guessing and searching for answers. I’d recommend to those who love murder mysteries, crime thrillers or those wanting a fast paced book to try a taster of something different to their norm. Excellent!

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via Netgalley. This is the first book in a new detective series.

Amanda Steele is a mess. She is still grieving for the loss of her family 5 and a half years ago and has lost all passion for the job. Everyone processes grief in different ways and it seemed to me like Amanda hadn’t really even begun. She closed herself off from everyone and essentially became numb. I could see by the end of the book she had started to feel things again.

I really liked Amanda’s new partner. I think these two will be a really good team. I can’t wait to see more from them.
This book hooked you from the prologue. It was action-packed and extremely tense. When the case does start to unravel it turns out to be a lot bigger than first imagined.

This is the first book I have read by Carolyn and I liked her writing style. The tension just emits from the page! I did not guess the murderer at all. I was very shocked when it was revealed.

A great start to a new series!

A riveting new series by Carolyn Arnold. Detective Amanda Steele is just trying to survive from day to day and year to year. The loss of her husband and daughter due to the actions of a drunk driver makes the survival difficult. When the driver who was responsible for the death of her family is released from prison, she loses herself for one night in the arms of a stranger. Little did she know that driver would be murdered and that she would need to find that stranger to provide her with an alibi. A silver bracelet that belonged to the murdered man links him to a cold case of the murder of the young woman who pawned the bracelet. When Amanda discovers a chip inside the bracelet, it opens up an insidious and far-reaching investigation. She is warned away from the case, but that is not in her DNA. Many exciting twists and turns as a damaged woman, a cop, seeks justice for the death of her husband and daughter. Maybe now she can find peace. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

The Little Grave is the first instalment in the Detective Amanda Steele series, set in and around Dumfries, Virginia. Five and a half years ago on a cool January evening in Atlanta, Georgia, Casey-Anne had just gotten her pole dance underway at Georgia Peaches strip joint when she spots a figure from her past. Rushing home after her set she tenses at every little noise and decides to take a shower. But no sooner had she stepped in, the shower curtain was ripped down to reveal the same guy. He pulls out a gun and asks her for information; the location of something important. But she's too terrified to speak. He shoots and it's lights out. Meanwhile, in Woodbridge, Virginia, it's present-day and Amanda Steele is barely a shadow of her former self. Five and a half year ago she lost her husband of ten years, Kevin, and six-year-old daughter Lindsey at the hands of drunk driver Chad Palmer after she’d urged Kevin to look at a meme on her phone. He'd only been given a meagre sentence for his crime. Stumbling from one day to the next she spends time having anonymous and emotionless sex with strangers and acquiring Xanax from drug dealer ”Freddy” to get her through each day. A detective in the Homicide Unit under the Criminal Investigations Division and Violent Crimes Bureau for the Prince William County Police Department, Amanda gets a call from long-time friend and colleague, Becky Tulson of Dumfries PD.

Becky informs her that Chad Palmer had been released from prison only two days ago, but had just been discovered dead at the dive known as Denver’s Motel. She drives the ten minutes to meet Becky at the scene with her mind whirring. Due to her history with the deceased Becky begs her to leave as it's a conflict of interest, but Amanda is adamant she wants to be there, even if she doesn't know why. She enters room ten and finds 2 empty 1.75ml bottles of whisky and the thirty-seven-year-old Chad sprawled on the bed. But when the medical examiner and forensics teams get involved they quickly determine Chad was murdered and suspicions about Amanda’s involvement arise. What happened, and can Amanda prove her innocence? How are the two cases related? This is a compulsive, compelling and enthralling read and I must admit I was taken by surprise by quite how quickly I became completely riveted by everything that was going on. The cases were both fascinating with many a twist along the way and enough mystery and intrigue to compel you to read through the night. I also loved the fact that Amanda’s tragic personal life is woven in with Chad’s murder as it's a genius method for the author to provide her backstory without it feeling forced. Amanda is a traumatised, broken woman who is certainly existing rather than living and her abrasiveness with colleagues is off-putting but understandable. A scintillating read. Bring on the sequel. Highly recommended.

Rating 3.5/5*

Gosh this is a heartbreaking read . . . it really should come with a warning concerning how emotional it is. Five years ago Detective Amanda Steele's lost her husband, their daughter and their unborn child when a drunk driver hit their car. She's still grief stricken and was devastated when the perpetrator was released from prison a few days ago. When she hears that his body has been found in a motel bedroom, she can't resist going and coercing her sergeant into letting her be involved in the investigation,

This is a page-turner that is filled with grief, but is also a story of someone reconnecting with life to help save others. It is a story of someone effectively locking themselves away from anything that might make them feel again, going through the motions of life but not really living. However, this case triggers so much for Amanda, making her work with a partner is something she resents and she certainly shows it - she's awful to him at times. She still prefers being a loner, shutting everyone else out, including her parents and family. As she investigates the perpetrator's death, though, she finds evidence to connect him to other cold cases, cases involving other deaths, unwittingly putting herself into deadly danger as she seeks to bring another killer to justice.

Don't read this if you're feeling sad and looking for something to cheer you up but don't miss it if you're looking for a dramatic, emotive murder mystery complete with an off the wall twist at the end! It is a real page turner but the amount of grief expressed makes it such a depressing read. However, it is still an intriguing read, filled with surprising twists and turns and I suspect I'll enjoy future books in this series much more!

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

3.5 Stars
It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed in the path of an oncoming drunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband, daughter & unborn baby but Amanda cannot. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, she can’t keep away from the case. Fighting her sergeant to be allowed to work an investigation with such a personal connection to her, Amanda is in a race to prove that she can uncover the truth. But the more she digs into the past of the man who destroyed her future, the more shocking discoveries she makes. And when Amanda finds the link between a silver bracelet in his possession and the brutal unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer, she realizes she’s caught up in something darker than she ever imagined and suspects that more girls could be in danger.
This is the first in a new series & also a new author to me. A well written book but it did dwell on Amanda’s grief a bit too much for me & I hope she's able to move on in future books. I had to suspend belief that Amanda would be allowed to work on a case, which she was so closely involved in plus she was an obvious chief suspect. There are lots of twists & turns & I found myself wanting to find out the outcome. I hope in future books there will be more character development
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I've been expecting some other kind of case for Detective Amanda Steele when I started reading based on the book title. This crime/police procedural story starts with one night stand with no info exchanged between Amanda and the guy that she met at the bar. She gets a call about suspicious death in a motel. When she gets on the scene she recognized the dead man...he is the drunk man who killed her husband, child and unborn baby in the accident 5 and a half years ago. For the first time after her solo work, she gets a partner to work with and they start to investigate the death that turns out to be murder. From one death, they stumble on two more murders that are connected with their case. Among all that mess there is a question of her alibi for the time of the murder, someone who is trying to make her stop investigating, and her way of coping with her grief for her lost family.
From a bit boring start, the story kept me guessing what will happen next, and it surprised me a few times with some of the twists and turns. I was really surprised with the ending. The base of the main characters is strong.
I think this is a good start for a promising series about Detective Amanda Steele. There is still work on developing of her character that I believe will happen in the next instalment. Can't wait to read the next book.

Very focused on the detective's private life🤔

3.5-4 🌟stars
I found the latter part of this story good and exciting with surprises and some light at the end of the tunnel for grieving and depressed Detective Amanda Steele. But the first half of the book was a bit slow and heavily focused on Amanda rather than her murder investigation. It did not hold my attention as well as it should to rate as a really good read until it neared the climax.

The author made Amanda so mentally fragile that it stretches credulity somewhat to have her a respected member of the police team that investigates the suspicious death of the man who crashed into and killed her husband and daughter. She's a loose cannon very close to the edge.

I will probably look for the next book in the series hoping that it focuses more on solving crimes and less on the depressing side of Amanda's private life.

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

I have not read this author before so when I saw that this was the first book in a series I decided to give it a try. And mostly I enjoyed it.

Homicide detective Amanda Steele’s life fell apart when her family was killed by a drunk driver and pretty much she is just going through her daily routine to survive the pain. But when she is called to a motel where a dead body happens to be the drunk driver her senses tell her there is more to the story.

As I said I mostly enjoyed it. The suspense part of it was good. I enjoyed the “who-dun-it” part of the book and because this is book one of a new series I gave leeway to how many times the author introduced us to something new about Amanda but, honestly, I never found myself liking Amanda. There was so much grief in the book that I got tired of it. And the fact that she is even working the murder case, that in all truth, she could have done just doesn’t seem logical at all.

I will say that I will give the series another try when book two comes out, hoping that the author moves beyond the grief/pitifulness and lets us know who Amanda really is.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this. Amanda is a great character and I'm hoping there's more to come from her and Trent.

When Amanda finds out that the person who killed her family has been murdered she is desperate to be involved in the case.... But is it a good idea? Is she too close?

Highly recommend this and I'm excited to read more from this author.

Detective Amanda Steele still lives in the small Northern VA town of Dumfries, VA that she was raised in. Her father a retired police chief she followed in his footsteps and is a homicide detective. After the recent tragic loss of her husband and child, the drunk driver that killed her family is found dead and she wants to bring his murder to justice (and maybe thank them for taking his life).

It may be weird to say, but mystery/thrillers have become comfort reads to me and I love to dive deep into them and read the twists and turns and try to come to the conclusion before the main character. They are an escape from whatever is going on outside! For me there are two things that I rate this genre on, the main character who is doing the crime solving and the ultimate villain. In this book, they were both five stars in my book.

I loved Detective Amanda Steele. She wasn't perfect in any way and was still dealing with the demons that had wrecked her life. The investigation went through great peaks and valleys and I am satisfied with the outcome - of course not spoiling!

I hope there are more to come with this main character and more from this author.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Little Grave’ by Carolyn Arnold in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Although she hasn’t been called to attend, Detective Amanda Steele of the Homicide Division at Prince William County Police Department, joins officers who’ve been called out to a motel where the body of Chad Palmer has been found. Palmer’s just been released from prison after being convicted for drink-driving causing the accident that killed Amanda’s husband and daughter. She’s been told she can’t get involved but Amanda needs to discover whether Palmer died by his own hand or that of someone else.

‘The Little Grave’ is the first book in a new series featuring Detective Amanda Steele and is the first I’ve read by this author. It has an interesting plot and although I found the first half a bit slow from thereon there was plenty of action, drama and suspense, and a huge twist in the final pages that took me by surprise. Detective Amanda Steele seems like a good solid character especially as she has her own private problems to contend with. Her new partnership with Detective Trent Stenson could develop into a good working relationship and be the start of an exciting new series and I’m looking forward to reading more of them.

What seems like a open and shut case of death by alcohol poisoning runs so deep your jaw will drop.
I loved this book! It started a bit slow and not so unique and then it morphed into something so horrifying I couldn’t catch my breath. The ending will blow you away. I adored Amanda’s character and her new partner as well. This book had me turning pages unable to put it down. What an intense ride. I hope the next Amanda Steele book will address the story line that didn’t end about the owner of the second bracelet.
This book is a must read

Amanda Steele Book 1

It's been five years since Detttective Amanda Steele's life was derailed in the path of an onoming dunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, but Amanda can't. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, Amanda can't keep away from the case.

Amanda Steele is a strong chaacter but she does have a bit of an attitude problem with her rookie partner Detective Trent. The drunk driver who killed her husband and daughter had just been released from prison. Now he's dead. There's plenty of twists to keep you guessing but there's parts that seem to drag out. Amanda also finds herself investigating a couple of cold cases that could be linked. This is a good start to this new police pocedural series. I'm looking forward to reading the next installment in the series.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #Bookouture and the author #CarolynArnold for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank You Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC! This review is based on my honest opinion.

This is the new Detective Amanda Steele series and this is the first time I have read from this author. Detective Amanda Steele used to have a happy family until a car accident caused the deaths of her six year old Lindsey and her husband Kevin. The driver who caused the accident was a man named Palmer who was sentenced to some jail time. Now Palmer is released and soon Steele was called to investigate the murder of Palmer, who was found murdered in the motel room he was renting out. With struggles of personal emotions as well as on pursuit of catching the killer, realizing Palmer's murder has connections with two cold cases, Detective Steele along with her partner has to find the culprit soon before it's too late.

The story started a little slow to me but soon, it picked up its momentum and became fast paced with some twists and turns. I like how the author portrayed Amanda Steele's personal struggles as she tried to solve the Palmer murder case even though she thinks he actually deserved it. Some parts of the book were a bit boring but towards the end, when they were close to catching the killer, the story got interesting and intriguing. The ending was a bit emotional but it was good. Overall, it was a good thriller and I am looking forward to read the series.

Worth four stars!