It’s the month of spooks and spells. Also a predator who preys on the precarious in peril. Ellie is up to her elbows in corpses as a deranged killer tries to find his love match. Every time I think this series can’t go any darker, it does. And I keep coming back for more. Several of the scenes are so diabolical I sucked in my breath as I read. Ellie is strong but good lord does the poor woman need a break from all the murder and mayhem. Some things have changed between her and Cord and she and Derrick. I’m anxiously waiting to see where each relationship goes. I know which one I want her to end up with but does Herron agree with me? I’m eagerly waiting for the next book, but am steering clear of Crooked Creek!

Plot - 3/5
The plot started off pretty strong. It was gritty, fast-paced, and I was on the edge of my seat to find out how it all unravels. But, I found the story to lag towards the 60% mark. I got the distinct feeling that there is too much filler content to make up for the lack of intrigue. By the 65-70% mark, I had guessed the plot, and I was no longer invested in the story. Towards the end, I had to resist the intense urge to skim.
Pacing - 4/5
The pacing was truly excellent. Despite the book lacking an intriguing plot, at no point was I bored. The author kept up the interest levels by ensuring tiny, bite-sized chapters which made reading this novel a breeze!
Characters - 3/5
I don't think I can talk fairly about the characters in this case, as this book is the 4th book in the series. I honestly do not have the background of reading the past three books. Hence, I refrain from commenting about the characterization in this book.
But, purely from this book's perspective, I found Ellie to have a dogged determination to find the murderers, which was good.There were a few statements like the one below:
"She couldn't let anyone else die on her watch"
which implied that Ellie could be suffering from a little bit of "God-complex". Nobody can save everybody it's simply not practical or realistic! I am not sure if that's a conscious character trait that the author crafted or an accidental quirk that got inserted.
Setup - 4/5
The mountain set-up was appropriately eerie and I think this could be an apt Halloween read for whoever reads seasonal books and celebrates the festival.
Writing style - 4/5
I found the writing to be rather accessible. The dialogues weren't too shabby either. There were one too many internal monologues though, but I can understand why that could have been necessary to the story.
Review, Recommendation, and Rating
Overall Rating - 3.6
Borrow grade- Book worth borrowing from the library or trading with your friends/family.
Star Rating- ⭐⭐⭐

Frozen Souls – Rita Herron

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from #Netgalley & Bookouture, in exchange for an objective review.
It’s autumn in the small Appalachian town of Crooked Creek, and the townspeople are finally starting to relax after the murders that took place there over the summer. Halloween is coming, and so is some snow – a winter storm is headed for the mountains. Detective Ellie Reeves & fellow Deputy Shondra Eastwood are meeting for drinks to celebrate Shondra’s transfer to the CCPD.

Ranger Cord McClain and his team are being called out to search for a missing 15-year-old girl and her dog who became separated from the family during a hike. After a short search, they locate the teen who had fallen off a small ridge, but she relates a troubling story – as she was heading back to her parents, a man with a knife began chasing her, causing her to fall. Meanwhile the family dog is digging nearby and comes back to Cord holding a human finger in its mouth. Further exploration reveals a frozen female body, and Ellie is summoned to the scene.

As the frozen solid body is brought to the morgue, Ellie begins her investigation, and believes her to be a woman that went missing eleven years ago. But where has she been all this time? And how did her body wind up buried in the woods? Ellie gets a lead from the Detective who investigated the initial disappearance and starts looking for a person of interest from all those years ago - but finds nothing but dead ends.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Derrick Fox is in Atlanta, GA working with Governor Weston, when the governor asks for his assistance in a personal matter. It seems his daughter Ginger had rented a cabin in Crooked Creek to get away from the media but has stopped returning his calls and he’s worried. Ellie heads out to do a well check, and finds evidence of foul play – and no sign of Ginger…

As the investigation heats up, Ellie and her team search for the Governor’s daughter, while attempting to discover what happened to the other victim all those years ago. As the body count climbs, it becomes a race against time to catch a killer who’s rapidly spiraling out of control…

This has been an awesome new series find for me, thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture! While this is the fourth book in the series, it can be read as a standalone, but there are references to earlier events and storylines that remain open ended, promising many avenues for future writings. The characters are likeable, flawed and the story doesn’t let up – this one will keep you flipping pages well after dark! Suspenseful, action packed and a very satisfying read!! I can’t wait for more!!!

This storyteller is one of my favourites and this series keeps going from strength to strength. I loved the plot, the twists infact everything about this book. This is the fourth book to feature Detective Ellie Reeves and so far my favourite. I read this book in one sitting and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. Yes this book is that good!!!!! Infact I am sure that once you have read this book you will be searching out the rest of this series to find out how it all began.Another explosive addition to this gripping and very addictive series and I can't wait to read more!!!!
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Detective Ellie Reeves has been through a lot and it doesn’t look like things are getting better any time soon. A frozen naked body is found abandoned and it leads to the hunt for a serial killer. When the daughter of the governor disappears it looks like Ellie’s case might be linked which brings FBI Agent Derrick Fox back into her life. Together with ranger Cord, Ellie & Derrick race to find the killer. The killer has been getting away with murder for years and they struggle to identify him. Ellie’s troubled past keeps being used to undermine her and she has conflicted feelings for Derrick and Cord. Derrick’s seems to be on a more stable footing now that the mystery from his past has be solved, but Cord still has a backstory waiting to be told. I enjoyed that Ellie was so determined and didn’t seem to have been assaulted by the unsub at every turn. I didn’t like that she was made to doubt herself so much. The story was gritty was lots of heartbroken families, twists and turns. I would like to see Ellie have a bit more peace in future books, but that might not be as interesting.

I am an avid reader of police thrillers. This one did not let me down!! This is a series book, but I read it as a stand alone without reading the prior books.
Ellie is a police detective that has stumbled into a serial murder when a dog uncovered a body buried under the snow. As the story unfolds, the daughter of an official has disappeared, the sheriff is trying to undermine her at every turn and two handsome men are trying for her attention. This is a thrilling twist and turn book that will keep you turning pages until the end!
I am now going to read the other books now!

As a snowstorm wreaks havoc in the mountain town of Crooked Creek, a woman is found buried in ice. Detective Ellie Reeves is first on the scene. Examining the body, she finds frozen blonde hair, pink nail polish and a silver heart necklace engraved with Mine Forever. Ellie has first-hand experience of the monsters that lurk in the mountains––her childhood is testament to that. She vows to catch this one, but she’s up against the brutal weather, with snow covering footprints and making forensics impossible. This book is the 4th in a series and I highly recommend reading the others first as there is background that would be helpful in reading this one. I really enjoyed this book...lots of suspense, a strong female protagonist and a great ending. I had a hard time putting this one down. I am looking forward to the 5th! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Picking up shortly from where the previous book left off (and don't worry you don't have to read that one first), Rita Herron throws Detective Ellie Reeves into a complex murdered and missing women's case... supported by Derrick from the FBI and Cade, Ellie tries to determine the link between this women as well as who could be hurting them. Still reeling from her parents' deception and finding her adoptive mother, the Sheriff is none-too-pleased that Ellie is working a case and does his darndest to undermine her. I loved this book so much - and especially where Ms. Herron left Detective Reeves at the end of the case. I can't wait to see Ellie's next steps!!

Detective Ellie Reeves is back on the trail of another serial murderer. The discovery of a young woman's frozen body sends her searching to identify the victim, but instead she finds another body. While the town prepares for Halloween, a true life scary tale is unfolding in Crooked Creek. Once again, the Appalachian Trail holds the secrets to the solving the mystery. When the governor's daughter appears to be the next victim of the murderer, FBI agent Derrick comes to town and joins Ellie in the search. It's an exciting read, and I look forward to Ellie's next adventure.

So I should have read the first three books as I did struggle at first (my fault entirely but something to watch out for a new reader).

I really did get into the story after I got over that and it was a very interesting and captivating read. I would thoroughly recommend it.

I was given an advance copy by the publishers and netgalley but the review is entirely my own.

This is book four in this series. This book grabbed me from the first page. The scary part is that there are really killers like this in the world today. I really wish Ginger had a better ending, that part did bother me

OMG how disturbed can someone be? Very, is without a doubt the right answer when we are talking about this unsub. 

This story really made my stomach jump up and down a few times and I honestly felt the pain sometimes. It made my skin crawl. 

Ellie really really is a tough one. I don't know how she still can put up a fight after all she has been through already in this and the previous books. On the other hand though that's probably what makes her fight so hard and does not want anyone's pity. She is a very strong willed lady, but with a very big heart.

Of course the unsub is to blame for everything, but is there not a big part of the responsibility that has to be put on someone else's conscience?

This book was blood-curdling and a must read pure and simple, as are the other books in this series. You won't regret it. 5 stars

Thank you

Bookouture....
Thank you so much for yet again another amazing Ellie Reeves book!

Rita Herron has done it again! And honestly book four is just as great as book 1-3!
This was such a roller coaster ride! From the beginning of the chapter to the end of the book,
I was literally hooked into the story, with all the drama, crimes and the quest of finding the killer, which you have know idea who the hell is killing all these girls or women.
The descriptions are vivid and it felt like I was lost in the woods with our characters.
The storyline itself was scarily realistic which made it even better!
Wonderfully done! I love Rita and absolutely love Ellie! I hope this series continues!

A fabulous installment in this fantastic series, probably the best one yet, packed full of action, twists and turns. Looking forward to what trouble Ellie gets up to next

O.M.G!!!!
This story is terrifying, horrific, heart wrenching, and I DID NOT WANT TO PUT IT DOWN!!!!!
Ellie is a Detective in a small town of Crooked Creek. She was happy that the serial killer who had by haunting the county had been caught, and glad that things had quieted down when bodies start showing up again. FBI Special Agent Derrick Fox is brought in again to lead the task force as one of the women who goes missing is the daughter of the Governor.
This story was absolutely spellbinding, and has you rooting for Ellie, Derrick and their friends the whole time.
If you love murder mysteries==DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!!!

OMG fantastic! Really enjoyed this book, the whole series is great and gets better with each book. Really loved it. Had me up late into the night reading was past my bed time but I just could not put it down. A great read and very deserving of 5 stars.

Book 4 in the Ellie Reeves series by Rita Herron. Another seriously solid addition to the series. Read it from start to finish in just a few hours. Can't wait to see what happens next with Ellie in the small town of Crooked Creek.

Definitely recommend reading in order.

Thank you #netgalley and #bookouture for the eARC.

Part of series, recommend reading whole series. Ellie is on the look out for serial killer. Good primary and secondary characters.. Interested in finding out more on Ellie’s relationship with her parents

Detect Ellie Reeves and the folks in Crooked Creek are settled in as an early season storm rages outside. As Ellie settles in, she receives a call from a federal agent asking her to check on the governor’s daughter, who isn’t answering her phone and is hiding out at a cabin in the area. Ellie finds what looks to be an abduction and as they search for the woman, they find the body of another frozen in the snow just off the Appalachian Trail. It appears they have a serial killer in the area.

As Ellie and the team search for the man in question, it seems that he may have been dong this for a very long time. Time is running out to save the governor’s daughter and Ellie won’t stop until she finds the madman preying upon young women. The question is will she find the madman before he stops her once and for all.

The fourth entry in this series is another page turner that captures me from the first page and keeps me there until the very last word. My only gripe is that there are 136 chapters…some of which could be condensed…and every time a new one starts you take a pause for a few seconds. 136 seems like an awful lot for the number of pages in the book. Don’t mind me, it’s a pet peeve and story is really awesome, so give it a read.

Book 4 in the series and I think this might be the best yet! f you are wanting a great escape this is exactly the book you will want to read. You will be so glad you did – I know I was glad I got to read it. The premise of this book sounded interesting from the very beginning. It was a quick, easy read and if you are looking for an entertaining read then this is a great book for you! I received a free copy of this book from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.