Roll on book 12….. This book has a palpable tension that keeps the pages turning…..simply brilliant… I had to finish this marvelous thriller in one sitting! Taut and incredibly suspenseful, every moment is perfectly crafted to keep me wanting more.

Fans of this series, clear your calendar, get comfy, because you are not going to want to put this one down til it ends!

As I finished book 10, I was left hanging, I believe phrases and words were shouted in my head such as, No! Wait! What about?? You can’t leave me hanging like this!!! I was left chomping at the bit in anticipation of book 11, hoping it wouldn’t be too long a wait to have answers to the cliff hanger that Jennifer gave us, and it delivered!

In book 11 Katie and Gav set up to uncover the mystery of another cold case which quickly escalates to be more than they could have imagined. I love this duo and how they work together, the close relationship they share, and there is as always, no shortage of action, mystery, suspense as they find themselves in danger yet again, and again.

I really enjoyed this read, book 11 in the Katie Scott series, it has everything you need in a thriller. I really like Katie, not forgetting Cisco the dog. The characterisation is good and the plotting is very clever. I would like to see more of Cisco partnering with Katie, just my personal preference but there is plenty of action, tension and suspense to make this a 5* read. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Detective Katie Scott has thrown herself into solving cold cases with her partner, McGaven, and her dog, Cisco, after her fiancee, Chad was kidnapped.

She goes to a farm looking for clues about a teenager that has been missing for fifteen years, and they are shot at. She finds hidden drums, and when the forensic team is called in, they find bodies, believed to be of the missing girl and her dog.

Someone is very interested in keeping Katie away, and to stop her, even if it means killing her.

Oh, wow. I am so pleased to have been fortunate enough to get this ARC! I was so upset that Chad had disappeared, and readers were left wondering in the previous book.

Katie and McGaven are a star team in my opinion, and Katie's keen intuition has not let her down yet. The police work is methodical, and Katie feels that starting at the beginning helps solve the cases. She is correct!

The book kept me engaged throughout, and something major happened in every chapter. It is fast paced and gripping.

Loved it!

5/5 stars from me.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

This book had me gripped from beginning to end. Having read other books in the series I've become invested in the lives of the main characters (at least that's my excuse for the range of emotions it caused!). Saying that, it could be read as a standalone book, but the whole series is definitely worth reading. The current cold case being investigated was a missing person, but it turned out to be so much bigger than that with several suspects and some good news for Katie!

When the police is struggling with cases and they cannot find closure for them, they end up as cold cases. And woho are you going to call to solve them? Well, most certainly not ghost busters, but Katie, Gav and of course the one and only Cisco. Nick, Katie's former sergeant in the army is becoming more and more important as well and then there is Chad of course. Katie's one and only...

Katie is still dealing with the unsolved crime that went on in the previous book, but Katie being Katie, the readers know she will focus on the job although the rest is never far from her mind which is very understandable.

Will this book bring closure and if so will it be a good or a bad result? Or will it feel like closure but is something still lurking somewhere. I had the feeling we don't know it all yet.

I love Katie for the love she feel for het dog and I understand she wants to protect him by leaving him at home sometimes. Maybe though Cisco is not so happy with that because he knows he cannot do his job now: protecting the most important person in his life. I have the feeling he would we of so much more help if she would take him everywhere. :). That is of course a personal feeling. ;)

My conclusion: an amazing series starring an amazing duo or rather trio, another great book with a vicious and very clever killer I enjoyed very, very much and I am looking forward to their next cases. 5 stars

The First Girl (Detective Katie Scott Book 11) by Jennifer Chase is a good addition to this serial killer thriller series.

Detective Katie Scott stares in horror at what she and her service dog Cisco have discovered: seven shallow graves, the bodies of young women, each wrapped carefully in a blanket and buried in makeshift coffins. Miles of abandoned farmland stretches out from the treeline behind her. Has Katie uncovered the horrifying graveyard of a monster who has been stealing Pine Valley’s daughters for years?

The story started getting a little repetitive in the middle and toward the end when the main characters kept returning to one specific farm to search the property. I found myself skimming the last few chapters to get to the conclusion.

The story ended well, and I look forward to more stories about Katie, Cisco, and McGaven.

Cisco, the black German shepherd, is a great character. I am always so nervous reading when he is in a scene, as I don’t want him to get hurt.

The First Girl is tense with interesting red herrings and a good storyline. I would recommend this book and this series.

#TheFirstGirl #NetGalley @bookouture

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of The First Girl, the eleventh novel to feature Detective Katy Scott of the fictional Pine Valley, California Sheriff’s Office.

Katy and her partner Sean “Gav” McGaven are investigating the disappearance of Abigail Andrews fifteen years ago. They come upon an abandoned farm and are looking for clues when they come under heavy and sustained gunfire. Looking more closely at the property they find several graves and now they believe that they are hunting a serial killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed The First Girl, which is an eventful, exciting read with several twists and turns. It is told entirely from Katy’s point of view, so the read is immersive with the reader rooting for Katy all the way.

This is not the novel for any reader looking for realism as most of the characters do careless things in the furtherance of the story and the excitement, so there is a hint of amateur hour with lucky breaks about their investigation. And so what? It might be mildly annoying, but what they find and the tricky situations they get into more than compensate with excitement and tension.

The pace keeps up throughout the novel with a subplot of a good news/bad news story for Katy. She is quite emotional in this novel, and while it doesn’t affect her work it permeates her attitude.

The First Girl is a good read that I can recommend.

I do enjoy revisiting with these characters. I can’t help but feel like there’s something I’m missing or is going to happen with Chad’s story. It just doesn’t feel finished. And that being said I also feel like they (as a couple) are too forced.

As I said I like Katie’s character and I love Gav. And of course Cisco is the best. I just feel like the series has not reached full throttle. OR…it’s just me.

All in all a good read.

Detective Katie Scott and her sidekick, her dog, struggle to save lives and solve crimes. This talented author has written a page turner. With realistic characters, the story moves quickly. Be prepared for red herrings…secrets…murder and intrigue…a mystery that is difficult to solve. Thanks Netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Detective Katie Scott and her partner Gav investigate cold cases. Their current reopened case is looking into a missing girl. When they find dead bodies in feed drums on abandoned farmland they suddenly find themselves being hunted.

Love this whole series. Cisqo the dog is my favourite! This book was great. What started as a missing person case, very quickly spiralled. There were signs early on that things weren’t right (cryptic to avoid spoilers). Like Katie says throughout the book, they were obviously missing something big, and I just couldn’t put this book down until I found it what it was. I really enjoy the team dynamics. Katie and Gav make great partners and always have each other backs. The others like John and the sheriff, Denise and now Hamilton are also really likeable. I enjoy the fact that these are closed cases and with a bit of work they are solved. The storyline running alongside about Chad, Katie’s fiancé also had me hooked. I was desperate to see a positive ending to this one.

All in all a fantastic book, and I am eagerly awaiting the next one!