Black Orchid Girls by Carolyn Arnold is the fourth book in the Detective Amanda Steele series. The opening scene finds a beautiful young woman in a forest in the wee hours of the morning. Chloe Somner is an ecology student who goes into an isolated area of the state park to look for the 'mystery snails'. A few hours later a couple hiking along the banks of the river find Chloe's naked body with a carefully placed black orchid. Detective Amanda Steele and her partner Detective Trent Stenson are called to the scene. Amanda is concerned as she notices the deliberate stab wounds on the body which indicates the killer has done this before.
The investigation becomes more interesting as Chloe's two roommates are questioned. How much do they really know?
I enjoyed reading the continuation of Amanda's and Zoe's story together!
Publication Date February 10, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the opportunity to read this book.

Black Orchid Girls
Detective Amanda Steele Book 4
By Carolyn Arnold

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Carolyn Arnold pulls you into the world of Detective Amanda Steele.
And she has been through hell and back. I have felt something her since the very beginning of this series. She is strong, independent and always works hard.
I was immediately hooked, when I opened this story up.
Carolyn has masterfully executed this book in a way that made me feel things down deep for Detective Amanda Steele.
The pacing is excellent and the suspense couldn't be better.
A very exciting, intriguing, pulse pounding mystery that had so many twists and turns, keeping anyone glued to their kindle.
Wild, action packed, and with a few twists I did not see coming! I felt the ending was brilliant; it wasn't a cliffhanger but it did leave me ready and wanting to come back for more.
This is a great read for those who enjoy detective novels and pure suspense stories.

Bookouture,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review closer to pub date.

Some detectives love to work alone. They don’t like to delegate because they don’t feel like others can do the job in the best possible way.

When Amanda Steele was forced to work with a partner, she was not a happy camper. Working as a detective is dangerous and it’s always better when there is someone to have your back.

Little by little she starts to realise she can trust her partner Trent and she knows he will do everything he can to put the culprits behind bars and protect people. Their relationship develops from partnership to friendship.

Amanda is the leading lady and the author has already revealed quite some details about her private life. I would love to get to know Trent a bit more too. Maybe that’s something the author will regale us with in the next book(s).

There are lots of suspects in this case and lots of different reasons why they would have killed. I had picked one too. Did I win the gold medal this time or did I, once more, miss the boat completely?

Amanda must stay focused on the case while her personal life is in turmoil too. And why is Sergeant Malone not being the Sergeant Malone Amanda knows?

A lot to deal with and now she is happy to have a partner to stand by her.

I loved it. 5 stars

Thank you

I thoroughly enjoyed Black Orchid Girls (Detective Amanda Steele Book 4) by Carolyn Arnold. I liked this book so much that I scoured the library for other books in this series and her other series. I also have bought some from the bookstore. What I like is the way the author weaves the story. She does not include any unnecessary details or information to pull a reader from the storyline. The writing is crisp, fast-paced, and entertaining. I liked the main characters, and each character was written in reality.

I'm looking forward to more in this series and other Carolyn Arnold mystery series. The book was a good mystery with tense moments that kept my interest. I would recommend this book and others by this author.

#BlackOrchidGirls #NetGalley

Book 4 in the series! This is a rapid-paced, compelling story with masterful execution. The constant action means there is never a dull moment
Good book! This book was filled with suspense, action, intrigue, and lots of good detective work! It definitely was a good murder mystery! The storyline kept me glued to my Kindle through the whole book!

Considering where Ms. Arnold left Amanda Steele at the end of book 3, I was so anxious to dive into Book 4, Black Orchid Girls. In addition to trying to balance her work with her new foster child, Zoe, Amanda and the best partner ever (seriously), Trent, are called to the state park to the body of a murdered college student. With everything going for her and very few clues, Amanda and Trent dig deep on this case... all whilst Amanda is working hard to be present for Zoe. It's a delicate balance and Ms. Arnold does justice to both Amanda's profession and her desire to be a foster mom to Zoe. The mystery here is top notch! You're going to love this series!!

Detective Amanda and her partner Trent are called to the scene of the mysterious murder of a young woman, not long after another young woman is also found murdered in a similar fashion. Are they on the hunt for a serial killer or is there something else going on.
While this book wasn’t as heart stopping as the previous books in this series that’s okay, Amanda and Trent needed something different to sink their teeth into. I enjoyed this book, it’s nice to see Amanda and Trent finding their stride as partners and learning to trust each other.
Looking forward to more adventures as this series continues. Thanks Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC.

I have read all the books in this series and have enjoyed them very much. I was excited to get started on this and it didn't disappoint.! Lots of intrigue and tension and great characters.

Black Orchid Girls is the 4th book in the Detective Amanda Steele series that gives a solid story, but felt a little bland.

Early one morning a girl is found murdered in the Leesylvania State Park and Detective Amanda Steele and her partner Detective Trent Stenson are called in to investigate. The girl turns out to be a local college student, Chloe Sumner, with a heart for the environment and was frequently known to go to the park for the Mystery snail. Soon the detectives are given plenty of leads to begin their investigation, which include boyfriends, roommates, and rivals just to name a few.

Out of all the characters and police interviews, my favorite parts were the dynamics of Chloe's two roommates. The tension between the two felt believable and allowed them to become scene stealers when they entered the story.

My biggest issue is that it felt a little bland. The story and plot was ok and easy follow, but outside of Detective Steele you don't really see any character development. I don't necessarily need to follow Detective Stenson to his home, but at the same time I can't say I know any more about him than when I first started the book. And while we continue to follow what is going on in Detective Steele's personal life, it didn't necessarily always feel like an organic progression.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the advanced reader copy and opportunity to provide an honest review

Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, and some great police work, and a great who done it! The only thing I didn't like that much was when we find out who the killer is, its a bit anticlimactic?! I don't know the killer wasn't really anything shady their reasoning was just blah! It was this big build up then just oh really?! That's why?! Lol but the book was really good before that so I will definitely recommend reading this one! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!