@annefrasisr does it again in The Night I died. Back of the book synopsis reads “Private detective hasn’t been to her hometown since her childhood, not since the night she died.” This psychological thriller was a one sitting read for me as most AF books are. Full of twists and turns, this book had me up until midnight needing to see how all the characters played out. AF is one of my top auto buy authors that I can depend on for a dark and twisted comfort read.

I think the ‘how many times the main character died’ sort of vibe didn’t make a great deal of sense really.

However that being said, the actual storyline was brilliant. Twists and turns I 100% didn’t see coming. Likeable characters. Kept you turning the page.

The book starts off with our main character Olivia welles who gets a phone call from her dead bestfriend sister who happens to be in jail being accused of killing her child. Olivia being a private investigater is curious about the situation but also has a guilt feeling of having to help her.

In the process of going to Kansas she meets a man name will who happens to be a journalist also going to Kansas to research for his crime book he wishes to write. Will being who he is actually knows Olivia and her back story and finds a way to become friends with her.

They both fly to Kansas and travel to the same town and stay at the same motel helping each other along the way trying to solve the murders of the three children and why the town is so evil. Many things happen during there stay in the small town in Kansas. Someone is killed and many believe is will but with the help of Olivia things change.

Olivia finds out the truth of who she really is as well as her past and why she probably hates apple pie. Given that the town they are visiting is where she was born and where the huge train wrecked happen. Little by little she uncovers the truth about her past and if the train wreck was actually a accident.

I Rate the book a 5/5⭐️. First book I've ever read by Anna and I can definitely say I really enjoy her writing. The book was so entertaining and I couldn't put the book down. The ending was satisfying and definitely glad Olivia was told the truth.

Anne Frasier you have a new fan.

The Night I Died is a roller coaster of a ride with twists and turns, secrets, murder, nasty characters and those you love.

All this in the crazy town of Finney that I would not visit anytime soon.

Olivia returns home to help Bonnie who was a survivor in the same fatal accident that she was in

Bonnie needs her help as she has been arrested for the death of one of her children.

Will is a journalist and hooks up with Olivia to try and solve the case but the town is hostile.

Who can they trust if anyone.

The tension mounts, the bodies pile up and the ending is one that will take you by surprise.

This is my first but not last book by Anne Frasier.

Hoping The Night I Died turns into a series

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for a read I wont forget anytime soon.

I had not read any books by this author, I will have to rectify that after reading this one. Olivia Welles receives a call from a woman who is in jail, under suspicion of murdering her child and asks Olivia to come to Kansas and help her. This woman, Bonnie, along with Olivia, Maizie and the driver Ava who is mom to Maizie and Bonnie, were in a car crash when they were young, Maizie perished in the crash, Olivia was first thought to be dead, but at the morgue she was found to be breathing and taken to hospital, this was the first time she had died, she dies several more times, most in the past. Olivia goes to Kansas and along with way ends up with a sidekick of sorts, Will, a reporter who is also going to Kansas to get info so he can write a story about the deaths of Bonnie's child and her previous 2 that had also died. Olivia and Will sort of team up to investigate, Olivia had been a detective in LA, she's supposed to be having surgery on her head to remove the metal plate that was put in when after the accident, she's not sure she'll survive it. The story was easy to read and it flowed very well, I was curious about the past and what was happening while Olivia and Will did their investigating. I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Thomas and Mercer for the ARC.

Something about Anne Frasier’s books are just sneakily addicting… like potato chips. You just keep reaching into the bag for one more chapter.
I read a fair amount of thrillers and I mostly guessed the twists and ending but in no way did that detract from my enjoyment of the book. Like I said, her books are addicting!

I liked the concept of this thriller with a mother accused of murdering her child and a detective dealing with her past. Unfortunately, the only thing this thriller did was bore me. The prose felt stale, with phrases being repeated or just odd dialogue in general. "Bloody Hell" is not typically a phrase we use in the Midwest. Many times setting descriptions were over-described and just became word count fluff. Likewise, after talking with some friends from Kansas, this novel was obviously not well-researched. While the concept of this novel was very compelling the prose, lack of plotting, and lackluster "plot twist" really killed it for me.
Overall, this novel could have had a fair amount of trimming and polishing before publication.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. First the positive, I really liked the idea of the story. A woman who was in a terrible car accident as a child and is now a private investigator returns to her home town in Kansas to help investigate the possible murder of a little boy and the son of her childhood friend who died in the same car accident.
Now the bad, way to many out of the blue references to the Wizard of Oz, the characters weren’t flushed out enough to connect to, and the story just became not believable.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for my copy of The Night I Died.

This was a really interesting read for me. I love domestic thrillers and the more drama there is, the more invested I get. I found the whole concept of coming back to your hometown cause of a murder really interesting. Olivia was a cool character and I enjoyed the discussion of her physical and mental trauma and I feel like it should've been discussed more. I felt like Will was an irrelevant character as this whole novel would work if it's just Olivia since there's so much to unpack. I didn't expect the plot twist but the reveal was so underwhelming. I feel like it just kind of crept out of nowhere.

I did enjoy the pacing of the book. It didn't dilly dally much. All I really wished is that the whole book focused more on Oliva. A good read and definitely recommend.

As a child, Olivia was in an accident that killed several people, including her, although she was revived. When Bonnie, who had also been in the accident, is accused of killing her children, Olivia, now a private investigator, returns to her hometown. This was pretty good. It kind of feels braggy to always say, "I saw this or that plot point coming," but I did see most of it coming. Still 4 stars.

I’m going to be honest and say I’m still scratching my head over this one. There was a lot going on. And please remind me to never go to that part of Kansas. 😳

This author has such an interesting way of weaving a story. And I loved Olivia, Ezra and Will surprised me. But man that town was seriously messed up.

This was an easy read, although predictable and a bit bland. The pacing is off and I never felt connected to the characters. This one didn’t quite work for me but was a quick read. 2.5 ⭐️

Private detective Olivia Welles hasn’t returned to Kansas since the night she died and came back to life after a tragic car accident. When she gets a phone call from fellow survivor Bonnie Ray, she goes running to help her out. Bonnie Ray is in jail for allegedly killing several of her children.

On her way to town Olivia runs into Will LaFever, a journalist looking to uncover the truth about Bonnie Ray. The two form an unlikely friendship and work together to uncover the truth, even when it what they least expect.

This was a fun read with some very interesting twists throughout the book, with the big one at the end being amazing. Olivia was an interesting character. I enjoyed reading about her and her journey. A few things in the book were a little repetitive, but it was still interesting, I just could have done without it. I did find it interesting that there were so many serial killers in Kansas, but then I looked it up and my state has way more. Maybe there is a reason to move to Kansas after all. I found the jokes about living in Kansas to be funny because I’ve been there, but some were over the top. It really isn’t another world, just not much going on. The writing style was, however, entertaining, and held my interest and I will be reading more by this author.

If you are looking for an interesting suspense novel, then I suggest you check this one out.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley, @netgalley, for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Such a great mystery! I really could hardly read fast enough to see what would happen next. Suffice it to say, I never expected the twists and revelations to come. This plot is original and different from any other I’ve read. I’d been to Kansas once as a preteen on the grain combining trail. I remember how flat it was and the fields of wheat and maize ready for the combine to harvest. The author brought the area to life with the wind and vast corn fields.
The main character is Olivia who has lived with death and dying like no one else. The horror of a car meets train left death and forever altered lives. The resulting lifelong injuries she sustained are part of her everyday life. Understandably she moved away as fast as she could and never went back. Her memories have gaping holes as a result of the trauma. She’s now a Private Investigator and a piece of the past has phoned for help. Bonnie had been in the same car with Olivia, another survivor of the accident. Bonnie is in jail accused of the death of her child. As Olivia travels back to the place she has no memory of, she meets Will. He’s a journalist trying to break out with a scoop about Bonnie and her dead children. Olivia and Will get off to a rocky start fighting over rental cars. What follows are crazy capers, crazy criminals, prize winning pies and parades. Olivia is concerned for her life and about Will sensationalizing the events she wants kept in the past. When the unexpected truths come out I was utterly astounded. I’ve read several of Anne Frasier’s books and this is her best yet. Highly recommend!
Thanks so much to NetGalley for providing the digital advance reader copy of “The Night I Died” by Anne Frasier, Published by Thomas & Mercer. These are my own honest personal thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without compensation.

I am so glad I have rediscovered Anne Frasier! This book is amazing and the main character is someone I could relate to and admire.

Olivia Wells is a private detective who has died 5 times in her life. There may be more. If that’s not enough to grab your attention at first, well nothing will. The story gets better from there as you are drawn into her convoluted life. Returning home to Kansas, where her journey began, Olivia looks into the mysterious deaths of 3 children belonging to her deceased friend’s sister. Plus she is hoping returning to the scene of the crime, so to speak, will unlock memories trapped behind the metal plate in her head.

This labyrinth of twists and turns will leave you reeling and as the say, the truth always comes out in the end. And maybe a little poetic justice thrown into the mix.

I so hope this character comes back!

The Night I Died follows Olivia Welles, private investigator, who is returning to her childhood hometown in Kansas to investigate a child murder. While the story sets out to be suspenseful, it unfortunately falls short and lands in the realms of Dull and Predictable. The twists lack subtlety and the writing never gains enough momentum to be the page turning, unputdownable read that it sets out to be. It plods along, spends too much time describing every little thing instead of really sinking into the story. As a bonus, we get descriptions for everything. Even the most basic of things such as standing in line apparently warrants a detailed explanation. Not quite the thriller I had hoped it would be.

SYNOPSIS:
“Private detective Olivia Welles hasn't been to her hometown since childhood, not since the night she died. She has no memory of the world before the car crash, or of coming back to life in the morgue. But now, years later, when fellow survivor Bonnie Ray calls from a Kansas jail begging for help, Olivia feels the tug of a dark and unremembered past. Bonnie looks guilty of murdering her young son-the third child to die under suspicious circumstances. Intrigued and seeking closure, Olivia agrees to investigate. Back in the foreboding town where her heart stopped and started again, Olivia finds an unexpected ally in Will LaFever, a journalist with his own motives for uncovering the truth.

Together they unearth more than they expect about Bonnie, her traumatized family, and the crime. You're lucky you don't remember any of it, Olivia's father used to say. But Olivia's luck is running out.
This time, escaping Finney County with her life might be impossible.”

MY THOUGHTS:
This was such a great, page turning read! I loved the twists and turns and I was hooked from the first page. I didn’t want to put this book down because I was so intrigued by finding out what was going on.

I am a Kansas girl, born and raised here, so I love reading stories that are set in my state. I look forward to reading more from this author!

This book will be out October 24th!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

I love me an awesome crime thriller! This author has a way of putting you right in the story as if you are apart of it. Gripping from the beginning, unputdownable! Excited to read other books by this author!

PUBLICATION DAY: October 24, 2023

Private investigator Olivia was in a serious car/train accident as a child - in fact she died and later came back to life in her father’s mortuary. She has no recollection of the event however. So when a person from her past reaches out, she is somewhat curious to return to the place it all began. But what will she find as she begins to delve into tragic deaths that have recently occurred? Will it bring up the past for her? And if so, what else will it uncover?

PROS and CONS:
This is a first for me with this author, but not the last. I enjoyed her (somewhat) casual writing style, and was invested in the plot. I liked the charming character of Will, and his useful role as sounding block for Olivia. It did give me a second book in a series kind of vibe (it’s not), but once I caught on to the writing style, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

READ IT?
If you’re looking for…a Midwest mystery with a few twists, then this one’s for you!

3.5 Stars

I will absolutely read every single book by Anne Frasier!!!
Absolutely another 5 star read! I'm so excited about this book, I'm afraid to such much because I'll spoiler it haha.

Love love love