The stories for me just get better, character development is still going and it isn't feeling like enough is enough. Overall great story and looking forward to next instalment.
I do not post spoilers

Detective. Amanda Steele is back - a local well known author Felicity Kelley is found murdered and Amanda was the last person she called before she died.
Strangely, a Queen of Hearts card is found at the crime scene, and Amanda realises that the murder could be a mimicry of one of Felicity’s own novels. Then another woman is viciously murdered and the same calling card is left, Amanda links the murders to a cold case from fifteen years earlier that Felicity was researching for her new book. Can Amanda find the murdered before she herself becomes a victim?
Another great book from Carolyn Arnold.
Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC.

I've been a fan of the Amanda Steele series since I read the first book and I always find the mysteries really engaging and this was no exception. I like the books that have a bit more a personal touch and seeing that Amanda was right in the centre of this one did make me a little bit more invested in the outcome. I think Amanda is a great character, it's been a nice transition from the person that she was at the start of the series to having a little girl in her life now, I'm not a fan of the Logan relationship but probably just because I'm team Trent all the way. It's definitely another thing that keeps me coming back to this series though, I think the characters are definitely as interesting as the mysteries that they solve.

Another great read by Carolyn
A twisty police procedure
Detective Amanda Steele and her partner Trent investigate the murder of a best selling author who Amanda knew
Lots of twists and turns
A book you won’t want to put down
Thanks NetGalley

Her Last Words is the 9th book in the crime thriller series, Detective Amanda Steele. The story opens with Felicity Kelley calling Amanda to talk to her about something she is worried about. She met Amanda when she and Trent investigated her sister's death and solve that case. Amanda is on a plane flying home from a vacation so she has to leave a message. When Amanda calls her back, her phone is answered by a police detective working in her department, Felicity is dead. Amanda heads to the crime scene and asks her boss to let her take over the case. Her request is granted and now she and Trent are trying to find a killer where there are very few leads or clues. When a second murder occurs, with the crime looking exactly like the murders in Felicity's last book, they are trying to find the killer before another woman ends up dead.

I really enjoyed this story. It was interesting to see Amanda and Trent dig out clues, information and leads. They were willing to put their necks on the line delving into a cold case to solve this crime. I really like how Trent and Amanda work together. They are such great partners, they can almost read each other's minds. With all Felicity's research and notes missing, they are sure the murder has to do with her newest book that she has not turned in yet, but who knows what is in it, and is there a back up somewhere. This story had me reading it in one day, staying up late to finish. I really enjoyed the mystery and how they went about solving it. I didn't have any idea who the culprit was, until just before it was revealed. Another gripping, twisty book in this excellent crime thriller series. I definitely recommend it.

Her Last Words (Detective Amanda Steele Book 9) by Carolyn Arnold

Carolyn Arnold's detective series never disappoints me and I cannot believe this is the book 9 of Detective Amanda Steele already! I wish this series can go on forever.

Her Last Words is gripping, fast-paced and intriguing read. Like usual, every time when I read Carolyn Arnold, I will write notes down. It is like I am Detective Amanda Steele's team and solving the crime together. That is the fun part of reading Carolyn's book. The characters are also loveable and mostly relatable.

I cannot wait for the next instalment!

Many thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for my copy.

Pub date: Oct 17, 2023

This book is number 9 in the series. I always connect with Carolyns writing and this one was no different. Chockablock full of twists and turns and you wont be disappointed.

Reading Between the Wines book review #137/115(met goal in Sept!) for 2023:
Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷
Book: Her Last Words (Detective Amanda Steele Book #9)
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Available Now!!

Sipping thoughts: Another great Det. Steele book. What I loved about this one was that it was very relative to what is happening in today’s world. This one was hard to figure out and I loved the mystery behind it all. Although I am happy for Det. Steele and Logan, I really want her to get together with her Trent. I am wondering if something bad will happen to Logan, which I hope not but I just think her and Trent are such a great pairing.

Cheers and thank you to @Bookouture, and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @HerLastWords.

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EXCELLENT story line, well written with abounding suspense throughout. Totally RECOMMEND all of the Amanda Steele series for some great intrigue!! Kudos to a super author. Thanks to NetGalley & Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest review.

Every book I have read from the author I have loved Carolyn's latest book was no different. Her Last Words by Carolyn Arnold was another excellent read form start to finish. Especially as its the Ninth book in the excellent Detective Amanda Steele series and a series that has just got better and better........I can see another five stars coming for this book.

Yeap! Another 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ read.

I highly recommend this series

Big Thank you to Netgalley and especially Bookouture for my ARC.

Just returned from vacation Detective Amanda Steel find a call on her answering machine from a local author Felicity Kelley, she just puts off as she is on vacation. Not used to sitting still, she decides to call and police answers
Another great installment!

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

I always enjoy following Amanda Steele's adventures as she pursues the clues to solve murders. We also see Amanda as a human being caring for her adopted daughter and soon-to-be husband.

In this case, Amanda finds Felicity, an author she knows, murdered and left posed in front of the fireplace. The scene is reminiscent of the murder in Felicity's latest book. As the story unfolds, Amanda discovers that Felicity has been privately investigating an unsolved murder from years before.

Before long, another body with the same M.O. is discovered.

Is there a connection among these cases? Can Amanda and Trent solve the crimes before more people are killed?

We are back with Detective Amanda Steele in the 9th book "Her Last Words" by Carolyn Arnold. Since we saw her last, her mentor Malone is back to being the Chief and she is back from spending a holiday with her partner Logan Hunter and daughter Zoe. When she discovers that Felicity Kelley, a famous author, whom she had known in the course of an investigation had been killed, she drafts herself up to the find the person who had killed the person she had grown fond of.

The scene of the murder resembles a murder scene Felicity has in her best-selling book and Amanda and her partner Trent initially think it might be three work of a fan or a serial killer mimicking the book. But when further evidence are unearthed, they lead the team to a cold case which is about 15 years old, based on which Felicity was writing her next book.

Matters are further muddied when another murder occurs in the exact way as the murder in the book and the team are left to wonder which direction their investigation should take. Will the team find their culprit before more murders occur?

There are quite a number of good things in the book. The way Amanda has moved on from her personal loss is heartwarming. She has opened herself up to life once again and that is lovely to see. Inspite of her growing closeness with Logan, she is also still attracted to her partner Trent. The complexities of her personal relationships with people and the way she manages them make for a deep and rich character sketch. The case is also intriguing enough, particularly in the beginning, to hook the reader into the story.

However, I was able to guess the identity of the killer by the time I was more than half way through the book. Arnold did set up a pretty interesting narrative to the final reveal but I partly lost interest because of this. I still was able to enjoy the book and the dynamics between the various people made up for a good reading experience. And I still would love to read more of Amanda Steele.

oh wow. Book 9 in the Detective Amanda Steele series, Her Last Words by Carolyn Arnold has to be her best yet!

Amanda and Trent work brilliantly together while I'm loving her relationships with her life partner, Logan and adopted daughter, Zoe. I felt that Amanda is starting to get over her past tragedies and get her work/life balance in a better place. I do wonder if the spark between her and Trent will re-ignite in future stories but I hope her relationship with Logan is strong enough to withstand it. We'll see.

Although this is book 9, Her Last Words can be read as a standalone but I'd recommend you read them anyway!!!!

Wow, what a thrilling and wonderful book! Absolutely brilliant - each book in this series gets better and better. Just wow! Highly recommend this amazing series and especially this book.

Amanda and Trent attend a murder scene, the victim familiar with to them from a precious case. The victim, an author and the murder seems to be ripped from the scene of one of her books. Is this a random killing or is there a new killer stalking the county basing murders on the books.
Amanda and Trent race to solve this one before the bodies start to pile up. Another great instalment in this series. Can’t wait to see where we go next!

Book nine in the Detective Amanda Steele series, I have been following this series since book three and this is another fab edition to this engaging police procedural drama.

This series continues to entertain with a new case for Amanda and Trent to investigate after her vacation is stopped short, there is honesty in the way Amanda juggles her career and her family.

I'm still unsure were the Logan Trent saga is headed as there's definitely unfinished business simmering in the pot and I'm not sold on Trent's acceptance all of a sudden only time will tell.

An author is killed in the same manner as a character in her latest book. Her final phone call was to Detective Amanda Steele but was never answered so now Amanda is determined to find the killer but he strikes again...
Her Last Words is the 9th book in the Detective Amanda Steele series.
Amanda is on holiday but returns to work early when she discovers an acquaintance has been murdered. She was the last person that the victim phoned but she missed the call and has no idea what it would have concerned. The crime scene resembles that from the victim's latest book although there are some differences and Amanda wants to know why.
The book is written in the third person throughout to show the investigation. Earlier books in the series had some chapters from the killer's perspective but this one didn't. This meant I had no insight into the motive or character of the killer. The focus is entirely on the case as it unfolds from the detectives' perspectives. The chapters are short which means the pace is speedy and twists develop quickly.
Amanda feels huge guilt about being away from her family due to her work commitments. There is also a romantic tension between Amanda and Trent which returned in this book. Amanda's link with the victim makes her even more determined to find the truth. I had no idea of the identity and motive of the killer so was kept guessing until the end.
Her Last Words is an interesting case for a really likeable pair of detectives.

A US detective book. The investigation into the murder of a thriller writer is quite interesting at first. I thought the investigation seemed to lose momentum, lots of chasing around and in some ways jumping to conclusions , but it did pick up again later in the book. I liked the premise of real life being involved with the dead author's book.
Not bad. Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC

I love a good Prologue, don’t you? It sets the hook, and Carolyn Arnold did a great job with the Prologue for Her Last Words, but that doesn’t surprise me. I have read a lot of Carolyn Arnold’s books and she never disappoints me. Yeah, they may not all blow my mind, but they do supply hours of entertainment.

I love Detective Amanda Steele. She is a power to be reckoned with…and, even though she is on vacation, when someone she knows is murdered, she’s on the case. Could she have prevented her murder if she had returned Felicity’s call? See carries plenty of guilt already. Does she neglect her family for the job? Isn’t that a question many of us ask ourselves?

Felicity is a successful crime novelist and Amanda was on the case. Could her success have been the catalyst? Could it be her work in progress? She was known for her in depth, detailed research. Could she has found something someone wanted to left undiscovered?

Carolyn Arnold is good at keeping the mystery alive, giving us a plentiful supply of suspects and motives, throwing out red herrings, trying to lead us down the wrong path. In the end, she brings everything together, like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle. Step by step, clue by clue. We have some danger, but it’s not the dark and depraved kind that I love so much. It’s your normal, everyday murderer that could be your neighbor, your boss, your coworker, your friend…

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