"There is something very strange going on here in Rock Creek-and I don't think we can trust the law enforcement." Detective Katie Scott
Oh, my goodness! The Fragile Ones by Jennifer Chase is the best one yet! The action is non-stop, the suspense is believable, and Katie Scott is a warrior woman for justice. Detective Katie Scott goes beyond her comfort zone in this fifth book in the series. As Katie drives a documentary film crew around Rock Creek, she discovers the bodies of two young girls wedged in the crevice of a boulder. Soon she finds herself facing her fear and rappelling down the side of a huge rock wall to investigate the crime scene.
There is something very creepy about Rock Creek! Katie and McGaven are required to go back to Rock Creek and stay until the investigation is completed. Someone does not want them there. The unreported body count in Rock Creek for missing girls is increasing with no explanations. The search for answers is threatened when storms with torrential rain hits the area.
Publication Date: March 8, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley. the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The Fragile Ones, the fifth novel to feature cold case detective Katie Scott of the Pine Valley, California Sheriff’s Office.

The bodies of 12 year old Megan and 11 year old Tessa Mayfield are found at the bottom of a ravine. The girls disappeared from the small town of Rock Creek two years earlier so Katie and her partner in the cold case unit, McGavigan, are asked to investigate. The case throws up more questions when they find a number branded on Tessa’s head and DNA reveals that she is not Megan’s biological sister.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Fragile Ones which is an engrossing read with some good twists. It is told entirely from Katie’s point of view so the reader can get involved in solving the case alongside her. Well, that’s the theory, but in reality I didn’t have a clue and simply rode her coattails as she gradually worked it out. I was surprised by the perpetrator’s identity, bamboozled by the misdirection and slightly disappointed by the lack of detail in the explanation of the motive. Still, the plot held my interest from start to finish.

This is not a long novel so there’s no room for padding. Everything is to the point from the creepy atmosphere in Rock Creek to the action scenes and the sense of tension, that pull the reader in and give those heart in the mouth moments. It’s well done.

Katie is still suffering from PTSD after her two tours of duty, but somehow she always manages to steady herself when an attack happens. This doesn’t ring true to me, but this is only an impression as I don’t know enough about it to make an informed judgment.

The Fragile Ones is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Two missing girls, sisters but not related. Found at the bottom of a ravine, clutching each other in death. One of the girls has numbers branded on to her skull..

When the story starts we think we know what were getting into.. The story of two missing girls that at somepoint in the future Katie and her partner Gavin will be working their case. What I didn't realize then was that when the DNA comes back and they find out the girls aren't biological sisters it throws the whole case on its head..

Katie and Gavin go back to where the girls were taken from and discover a strange town where almost every person even the police aren't what they seem. This case had twists and turns and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out how all these things were connected..

Katie and Gavin have there work cut out for them.. This case is brining up all kinds of memories for Katie from her first case and people seeem to be both trying to secretly help them solve the case, and scare them away..

I am really loving Detective Katie Scott, her awsome dog Cisco, and Gavin The mysteries really suck me in, and I have to find out how its all going to end

I have read this book, and the book before and fully plan on reading books 1-3 before the next book comes out..

It felt like I was waiting a very long time for this - but it was worth the wait! I love Katie Scott and her beaut dog Cisco who is always at her side! When Katie discovers the bodies of 2 missing girls in a ravine she knows it is a job for her and her partner. Solving cold cases is what they do and this looks like it needs their expertise. The small town the girls are from don’t like strangers and they couple are certainly not made very welcome! With weird things happening and a ferocious storm Katie, Cisco and McGaven realise they could be the killers next target! I love this series so much - and cannot wait for the next one - can be stand alone but it’s much better to read them all!

When I requested this book, I didn’t realize it was part of a series. I hadn’t read any of the previous books but I found it wasn’t necessary to enjoy this one. However, I enjoyed this book enough to want to go back to read the others, and I imagine others will feel the same. I loved Katie Scott and I can’t wait to find out what she’ll be investigating next!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the eARC, in exchange for an honest review.

In The Fragile Ones, we follow Detective Katie Scott, a cold case expert, as she works to uncover the mystery of two little girls, whose bodies are found at the bottom of a ravine. The girls were reported missing a couple of years earlier, but the case was never solved.

This is the 5th instalment in the Detective Katie Scott series, but the first I have read. The Fragile Ones has prompted me to want to go back and read the series from the beginning, to get more of an idea of Katie Scott's back story, and her relationship with her partner Chad.

This novel was fairly slow to start with whilst the author built the background to the mystery. I don't mind this with crime/ thriller books, as it helps to set the scene for the mystery to unravel later on, and I felt engaged throughout. Despite the fairly slow start, I found this to be a quick read at less than 300 pages, and I finished it in a couple of days!

I liked the interaction between the characters and I especially loved Katie's dog - although I'm always super nervous when animals are involved that they're going to get hurt in some way (please don't do that to us!!).

My only slight criticism is that I felt that sometimes the author would over-explain/ over-state things, rather than leaving the reader to join the dots about what has happened. That made the book feel a little forced in places. I would also like to know more about the personal relationships, for example with Katie and her partner, but I am guessing these relationships are developed throughout the series.

Overall I enjoyed the read and I will be recommending the series to other crime fiction lovers!

When the bodies of eleven and twelve-year-old sisters, Tessa and Megan, are found at the bottom of a ravine dressed in matching pastel summer outfits, their small bodies broken from the fall Detective Katie Scott is called to one of the most shocking and heartbreaking crime scenes of her career.

This book was wonderful! Kept me intrigued throughout! The characters were great as well! And I absolutely loved the story being told! This was a well written book. With alot of Twists

{Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.}

Detective Katie Scott is escorting a group of documentary filmmakers to the ruins an old settlement when she discovers the bodies of two little girls abandoned in a ravine. The bodies are identified as those of sisters Tessa and Megan who disappeared two years earlier. They soon discover that the youngest of the two was actually abducted as a baby from her biological mother, and has the number 372 branded into her scalp. Katie is worried they may be chasing an active or potential serial killer.

The beginning of the book felt a little slow, with the trek with the film crew described in much detail, then the investigation going nowhere while the detectives feel like everyone is lying to them. Then, on their second visit to Rock Creek, the town where the little girls lived before their abduction, the pace ramps up. The number 372 appears at several locations, they find about other missing children, and a suspect suggests that the killer is someone they know. Suddenly, everyone is a suspect, which makes every interaction detective Scott has with someone really stressful. The final chase and confrontation with the killer occurs in a massive storm, with lightning taking out the electricity and messing with the cell phone signals, trees blocking the roads, and risks of flooding everywhere. It is all very dramatic.

I enjoyed the relationship between Katie and her partners, deputy McGaven and her former K9 army partner Cisco. A dog always makes things better. Because this is the first book I read in a series of five, the romantic relationship between Katie and her boyfriend felt a bit thin, but I assume the real development was done in previous books. The mystery is satisfying but I admit I didn’t fully understand the killer’s motivation. Maybe it would have been unrealistic to have them explain in detail their backstory in the middle of that storm, but the bit they do explain is a little thin. Then again, I generally have little interest in the motivations of serial killers (they are usually misogynistic and simplistic) so maybe it is my bias speaking.

“The Fragile Ones” is a good mystery with a very exciting set piece as a conclusion.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was an excellent story that kept my interest the whole way through. It was thrilling and tense and there a few oh wow moments. I’m really enjoying this series and can’t wait for the next book! A very good book that I can highly recommend, it totally deserves 5 stars.

Detective Katie Scott is enjoying life, finally, her PTSD is under control, boyfriend,  Chad, is the love of her life and work in the cold case division is going well. So, when she is instructed by the sheriff to accompany a film crew looking for local historical sites she isn’t impressed.

When the bodies of two young girls are discovered, having been reported missing two years earlier, Katie and partner, Deputy Scott McGaven, are handed the case. After disturbing facts are discovered both on the bodies and in the small town they lived in Katie realises there is far more to this tragic case than meets the eye.

Determined these two girls won't become another statistic, even with all her experience, Katie shocked by what she discovers. Faced with a town not willing to give up its secrets, and the weather deteriorating rapidly things are running out of control. When Katie and Scott finally identify their killer they realise their chances of escaping are slight.

This is the fifth in the Katie Scott series and I have enjoyed them all. This one, for me, however, didn’t have quite the jeopardy of previous books. The culprit was a surprise, their reasoning well thought out, and I never considered they were guilty which is always good. Katie was once again great to read, I just never felt she wouldn't live to fight another day.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a good read and an enjoyable addition to the series.

Oh yes, Katie Scott is back in town.
Katie Scott, her human partner Gav and her canine partner Cisco are facing a brutal killer once again. She is still struggling with the after effects of her previous job, but little by little she can put them where they belong: in the past. When she is stressed though they come and haunt her, but Katie works through them and does not let them interfere with the case she is working on.
It’s never easy uncovering a culprit, but when you have a case in a small town where people would rather bite their tongue than telling you something, it makes it a lot harder. Strangers are meddling and should mind their own business even though they are only trying to help and put the killer behind bars.
They don’t seem to realize they are dealing with detective Katie Scott. Once she starts investigating a case, she does not stop until she has found out every little detail.
I know I have said that I have a queen of suspense by the name of D.K. Hood and every castle only has place for one queen. Well, I am not a castle so I am allowed to have more than one 😉.
I happily put Jennifer Chase on the highest throne as well. Every story she has written up till now in this series, has had me biting my nails. 5 stars

Thank you, Jennifer Chase and Bookouture

The Fragile Ones by Jennifer Chase thrusts Katie Scott into another deep and dark case - just when her PTSD from her time in the military seems to be getting better. She's tasked by her uncle, who is also the sheriff, to take a film crew to scout locations for their documentary. And, that's when she finds the bodies of two little girls. The case escalates from there! Katie is supported by Gav (he's the best!) and Chad along with her uncle as she tries to unravel these murders. It's the fifth book the in Series, but you can hop right in and get immersed in Katie Scott as Ms. Chase does a great job filling the backstory. And then, you'll want to read the first four. Definitely one of my most favorite characters!