FROZEN LIVES (Coroner’s Daughter Mysteries Book #4) by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is an edge-of-your-seat crime thriller/amateur sleuth mystery featuring Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford who gets pulled back to her small hometown of Freeport, Michigan when her best friend and son go missing. This is easily read as a standalone crime thriller and the author does a great job of intertwining Emily’s life from the previous books, so I never felt lost with her current relationships.

Emily is happy sharing a surgical practice in Chicago with her boyfriend, but she just cannot let go of her small town roots and all of her friends in Freeport, Michigan. She receives a call for help when her best friend Jo’s son, Jeremiah, goes missing. He is discovered a few days later unharmed, but the man who took him is still free. With accusations only ramping up the tensions in Jo’s crumbling marriage, Emily feels the need to support her friend.

As they all try to get back to a normal routine, no one knows the danger has not passed them by and it is about to become a race to find a twisted kidnapper and rescue Emily’s friends from a possible watery grave.

I could not put this book down and I am surprised that I had not read any of this series previously. If you have not either, this is a good book to jump in on because the author does a great job of giving the reader enough of Emily’s past and relationships so as not to be confusing. That said, I will be going back to read the previous three books because I enjoyed the author’s fast paced crime plot and hope the other three are just as interesting and well written. Even knowing who the kidnapper/killer is does not distract from the increasing tension and emotional involvement as the book races to a climax. I am excited to read the next book now that Emily has accepted the role she was born to have and to see what happens with her surprise personal ending.

I highly recommend this crime thriller/amateur sleuth mystery and look forward to reading more in this series.

What a terrifying story - it could've come out of today's news! Jo's two eldest, Jeremiah and Jessica are left at the beach park while she goes off to get her nails done.
While she is gone, Jeremiah goes off towards the icy pier to touch the nearby lighthouse, a dare done by many children.
But there is a stranger there too, he grabs Jeremiah and takes him to a boat in the harbor as a prisoner, Jeremiah is heard singing and is rescued, but his nighmare has just begun...

This is a really interesting story that is a continuation of a series that has the Coroner’s Daughter back in her hometown and her world
in another spin. Dr. Hartford is an interesting woman. She’s in Boston, working in a surgery center with her former finance ~ they just cannot seem
to get their lives in sync to settle either in Emily’s hometown, which Brandon hates, or their careers in Boston, which has not been working for
Emily. When a catastrophe strikes in Emily’s small hometown, the focus should be on the situation, and Brandon tries, but he’s really not the
right man for Emily, and the time for her to learn that cannot be right now ~ she’s got (another) a case to work, and she’s learning where her
heart lies is where she belongs. I loved this story, so much.
My thanks to Blackstone Publishing, Inc via Net Galley for the download copy of this book for review purposes.

Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush was a book that I could not put down. Dornbush showed who the villain is pretty early on in the novel. Normally, I do not like this when reading a suspense novel. But the way she crafted the novel, it was like watching a car wreck happen, and then stick around for the aftermath. You knew it was horrible, but you wanted to know how it played out. I wanted to know the villain’s mental issues. Why was he doing what he was doing? How long would the horrors happen before the rescue? Dornbush does a good job at leaving little clues and pushing the victims harder and harder. Emily and Brandon had to come to terms with where their relationship might be headed. If readers are familiar with the previous books, they would understand this plot line. As a word of Caution, there are some cuss words in the story, but they were spoken when a character was angry, so I just them and kept moving forward with the plot. It does help cement the anger of the person. Dornbush does leave the story in a cliff-hanger. Now I need the next book as soon as possible. I need to know answers to this ending. Overall, Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush was a wonderful suspense novel. I think it was the best book in the series. I recommend this novel.

I received a complimentary copy of Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush from Blackstone Publishing, but the opinions stated are all my own.

This was a wonderful read, I was intrigued from the very beginning, and the excellent writing kept me interested until the last word.
It was a gripping tale with suspense and mystery that had me angry, wanting to find the culprit myself and then feeling sorry for the villain and that ending had me tearing up.
This was the first book of Jennifer’s I’ve read, and it was fantastic, I already want the next one (it’s not out yet ☹). Be warned it ends on a cliffhanger.

If you like mystery, crime and suspense you should definitely check this out, it will be published on 29 October 2024.

This novel has a little of everything. Love, heartbreak, family ties, trauma, joy and a killer to boot. You will eat this up right until the last page. It will leave you wanting more.

I absolutely LOVE this series. I was hooked from book one and was so happy I had the opportunity to read and review this ARC of Frozen Lives. Like the rest of Jennifer Dornbush's books, the character writing is so good. I always feel like I really know the characters and the setting. Maybe it's because I'm from and live in Michigan, but the writing really rings true to my reality. Once again, she did not disappoint. Full of suspense, domestic relationships, and a plot revolving around a missing boy who is found and the secrets that come from it in this small town left me anxious for what happens next. Solid 4 out of 5. I really hope she continues this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for the advanced read.

I have read and enjoyed each book in this series. This newest addition did not disappoint. I loved the multiple story lines. Well-written, enjoyable read.

Thank you #netgalley and #blackstonepublishing for the eARC.

Frozen Lives by Jennifer Graeser Dornbush is the 4th book in the Coroner's Daughter series. The author writes from her own experience as a medical examiner's daughter and her work in death investigation and forensics, which gives the story authenticity.

This book can be read as a standalone. I have not read all the books in this series, but I was able to follow along without difficulty. There were a lot of characters to keep track of in this story and its side stories.

The story was enjoyable; a good mystery with solid writing and a good main character.

I would recommend this book and this series.

#FrozenLives #NetGalley @BlackstoneAudio

This novel has a large cast of characters, namely family and best friends that are developed nicely among this terrifying mystery. While part of a series, I didn’t feel left out for not reading the prior books. While the protagonist is a doctor turned coroner, there is very little about this in the novel. It is more about a missing boy and the tragic events that follow. It was a good mystery! Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.

I received this book as an ARC. I wouldn’t put it as a mystery but I enjoyed it just the same. It’s my first book from this series and author. It’s was an easy read, funny, kept my attention. I will be adding her first three books from this series on my TBR.

There’s a lot going on in this book. There are a number of side stories in addition to the main story of the missing mother and son. There’s not so much of the thriller about it though, as we are clear fairly quickly about what has happened and who is responsible. Despite this, the book is worth a read, and is an entertaining easy read

I've devoured every installment of the Coroner's Daughter mystery series, and this latest addition is just as captivating as the rest.

In this fourth installment, we continue to follow the journey of Dr. Emily Hartford, a skilled surgeon in bustling Chicago, who also happens to be the daughter of a former coroner from the quiet town of Freeport.

When Jeremiah, the son of Emily's closest friend Jo, disappears from a Lake Michigan beach, Emily finds herself drawn back to her hometown. Although Jeremiah is eventually found alive, the small town is shaken by the suspicion that one of their own may be responsible for his disappearance, and the ordeal is far from over.

I found this book to be thoroughly satisfying, maintaining the series' trademark blend of suspense and action. Each chapter left me eager for the next, and I appreciated how Dornbush skillfully lays the groundwork for the series' conclusion in the final book.

A heartfelt thank you to Jennifer Graeser Dornbush, Blackstone Publishing, and Netgalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Mark your calendars for the release on 10/29/2024 and take note of trigger warnings for themes including serial killers, murder, kidnapping, suicide, and overdose.

Rating this 4 stars solely because I managed to predict the conclusion.

Jennifer Graeser Dornbush's The Cororner's Daughter series is one of the absolute best around. Dr. Emily Hartford is back in her hometown of Freeport, Michigan, as the son of her best friend, Jo Blakely, has disappeared. Normally, Emily resides in Chicago where she shares a surgical practice with her off-and-on boyfriend, Brandon. Emily is still trying to heal from the loss of Nick Larson - the love of her life. Emily works with local law enforcement to find Jo's son, Jeremiah. Soon after he's rescued, both Jeremiah and Jo go missing. It's all hands on deck with Brandon coming up from Chicago and Delia (the best baker and former FBI agent) supporting law enforcement's efforts. This book is really about growth for Emily - determining what she wants out of life and where she should live her life. The ending... OMG - is swoon-worthy! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing for an advanced reader of this book. The opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC copy of Frozen Lives. This is a riveting story. This is my first read of Jennifer Graesar Dornbush and her The Coroner's Daughter Series. I really enjoyed this book and will look forward to next in the series and will seek out the previous books.

Great book! Wow I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! This book had great suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, kidnapping, delusions, serial killer, a crazy who done it! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I highly recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!
Chicago surgeon Emily Hartford has never quite shaken off the dust of her hometown in Michigan. She may be a professional success and have a princely boyfriend in the Windy City, but she can’t seem to let go of being “the coroner’s daughter” from Freeport. Once again, she finds herself pulled back upstate during a wintery late March when Jeremiah, the eleven-year-old son of her best friend, Jo goes missing on the frigid shores of Lake Michigan. To everyone’s relief, Jeremiah turns up days later, alive and unharmed. But tensions remain high, and suspicions of every sort continue to grow. Jeremiah’s account of his abduction doesn’t add up, and Emily worries about Jo’s unraveling marriage. Jeremiah’s recovery, it turns out, is not the end of their terrifying tale. It’s just the beginning!!