I did not read the first book in this series but was easily able to jump in!

The office politics at the beginning was a little vague and distracting—I was more interested in getting to the details of the case. Once the murder investigations got going I was hooked into the book.

I would have liked a little more forensic detail—more evidence and science leading the investigation—but Agent Prusik seemed more like a local detective doing interviews and proposing theories, even at times profiling the killer.

While overstepping seemed to be Prusik’s MO and a source of tension with her bosses, it made it a little hard for me to root for her. Christine’s “rule-breaking” felt self-serving at first, because I didn’t get a firm sense that local law enforcement would do nothing without her, or that her unique skills were being sidelined. It felt like she was approved to do her forensic job there, but she kept trying to do other people’s jobs too. It got better as the plot unfolded, but I struggled to get fully behind all her efforts.

To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that some of her decisions near the end annoyed me because they didn’t seem to fit with what an agent should do in dangerous situations.

There were a lot of side characters and POV shifts to navigate, but overall this was a quick, easy read with a good pace, lots of tension, and a few solid suspects until the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

This book, had some interesting parts and some parts that lagged with too many characters and details. Wish it focused more on her work as forensic agent of the FBI, what made it different than other agents. I would try another by this author but this one was mixed for me 3.5

Christine Prusik of the FBI will stop at nothing to catch the killer targeting college women. Even defying a direct order. I did not read the first book with this character, and still was able to fly through this book with no issues whatsoever in following the story. Loved that the killer was asexual and suffered from a persecution complex, found it an interesting disorder. I like learning new things while immersed in a book. Engaging fbi procedural thriller that had spelunking as an added bonus, again I love learning about new topics while enjoying a novel.

Thanks to Harper collins and to William Morrow books for the arc of this amazing thriller.
Solid 4 stars.

Maidens of the Cave is an entertaining and complicated weave of FBI Special Agent Christine Prusik racing against time to find a serial killer. He seems to target highly intelligent college students. The only problem is that her FBI field office in Chicago is being reorganized, and her bosses are trying to find a mole, so they basically try to bench Christine.

But Christine realizes that she's dealing with an escalating serial killer, and lives are on the line. She's not going to let her superiors get in the way of savings lives. I really love Christine's personality and the way she works. To hell with what the boss says! 🙂

The story starts out a little slow for me, but about halfway through, things started moving, pieces started coming together, and sh!t got real. I loved the conclusion of this story. I loved the development of many of the secondary characters, especially the antagonist. I wish we had gotten more of Christine's backstory. We got a little, and more was hinted at. (I'm not sure if this was part of the first book in the series, which I haven't read.)

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it if you enjoy complicated mysteries and strong-willed heroines!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Maidens of the Cave by Lloyd Devereux Richards is an exciting read about Christine Prusik who is a special agent with the FBI. In performing her duties, she is entrusted with solving murders and sometimes finding the murderers. The book is part of a series, but can be read as a stand alone without missing out on too many details.

In the book, Christine is called in from Chicago to Indiana and southern Illinois to investigate what happened to a young woman who appears to be a drowning victim. This seems odd because she is on the college swim team and should be a decent swimmer, and her body was found on the shore, out of the water. While investigating, another body is found in a cave, but there seem to be similarities to the other body.

Christine needs time to put things together and she needs her team to be able to address forensic material. But there is the interminable desk work. She is battling with a new supervisor who thinks Christine should spend more time in the office, not out in the field where she needs to be to solve the crime. Christine pretty much ignores orders and does what she needs to do and the solving gets intense.

The plot is clever and involves some science and frogs, to culminate in an ending that is hard to predict. A very good read and I look forward to future installments.

caves, crime-thriller, due-diligence, FBI, forensic-anthropology, interstate-crimes, laboratory-investigation, mystery, office-politics, poisons, psychological-thriller, read, research, researcher, serial-killer, serial-murder, suspense*****

The author takes us inside the head of the killer and inside the head of FBI agent Christine Prusik who is a highly motivated forensic anthropologist with no patience for the bureaucracy of the Chicago field office and its petty politics. At issue is her persistence in investigating a series of peculiar murders with a definite signature despite push-back from her superiors. This has escalating urgency, suspense that just keeps ratcheting up, and some really recognizable characters. Fantastic.
I requested and received an EARC from William Morrow via NetGalley. Thank you!

I have not read the first book in the series but I was able jump in and understand everything for this book. I really enjoyed this read and was on the edge of my seat when the killer’s identity started unraveling. The foreshadowing was done well too. The character’s were all written well, all characters that were supposed to be disliked I would eye-roll whenever they did something funky. Christine was such a fun and well likeable MC as well! Definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Although I was skeptical, this turned out to be a fun summer read! Although I hadn’t read the first in the series, it was easy to catch up. I always enjoy forensic thrillers and this was no exception. Well written and exciting, with many unexpected twists and turns. Highly recommended! Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this.

What a great thriller! The characters were well developed and their interactions and relationships with each other easy to follow. The plot was.a wild rollercoaster ride of suspense, mystery, action and thrill. I had not read the previous book in the series, and had absolutely no trouble following along. For anyone looking for a great suspense thriller, this is a must read.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, Action, intrigue, murder, mystery, poison, great police work, a great who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Lloyd Devereux Richards, is back ! The Tiktok sensation following his young daughter plea to read his story, LDR has followed up Stone Maidens with a new story about FBI agent Christine Prusik. Prusik is a strong willed forensic anthropologist with a strong sense of justice. Nothing can stop her when she commits to solving a crime - not even a few rules. Join Christine as she has to buck the new administration to prove that her gut is correct - there is a clear connection between the bodies found in caves in Illinois and Indiana.

I especially loved the introduction of the new admin and their rules, reports and paperwork. So, so, so much like teaching these days, I am sure LDR had this experience in his own role! Great story - loved the plot and look forward to following Prusik again!
#WilliamMorroa #MaidensOftheCave #LloydDevereuxRichards

Forensic anthropologist/FBI agent Christine Prusik is back to investigate again. This time, she is investigating the dead bodies of college females that keep appearing in caves.

I liked the plot fine here, but the writing style is just not for me. I think the author is still trying to find the right voice to write Christine in because it feels clunky in points but fine in others. I also don't love the way he writes the female protagonist overall. He also has a tendency, I noticed in his first book in this series too, to switch frequently between using a person's last name and first name, even with the same chapter. For people that doesn't bother, the good news is that you don't have to have read the first in this series to understand what is going on. Maybe a few relationships, but no major plot points or anything!