Review: A well written mystery with great characterization and amazing visual renderings. So why only three stars? Someone with this kind of talent needs to make the whodunnit more intricate. As it was, by the 20% mark, you should pretty easily be able to figure out who is doing it and why. Yeah there are familial secrets and sudden clashes with the townsfolk, but those are obivious red herrings that tend to markedly separate the guilty party.

One of the better mysteries I have read without the constant olde english verbosity or the man-crushing.

3.4/5

Retired Detective Colly Newland is invited to assist in a murder case by her brother in law Russ.
It appears that there is a serial killer who killed a child twenty years before, and has killed again. There is evidence which has been withheld from the public that ties the two cases together.
There are so many secrets that Colly uncovers and many lies being told, the case is going to be a challenge to solve.

I enjoyed this police procedural very much, it is twisty and there are so many red herrings and so many suspects.
There are many characters, but the author has done a great job of describing them so the reader doesn't get overwhelmed with the amount of characters.
Definitely one to keep on the bookshelf.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read this book.

The Killing Plains is a mystery thriller novel that features the main character Colly Newland, a retired detective, returning to her deceased husband's hometown to help her in-laws solve the murder of two young boys to help clear their family name.

The author's prose is engaging, with good descriptions that make the scenes vivid without being excessive. I found the characters to be believable and likeable, despite some questionable motives. The mystery itself was well done, and did give the reader a couple of good suspects to keep you guessing. I definitely recommend this book to people that like mystery novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

I’ve read so many good mystery thrillers lately. The Killing Plains was my latest. This was a five star read.

"Gritty and intense, "The Killing Plains" by Sherry Rankin is a gripping thriller that explores the darker side of human nature. With a strong protagonist and a twisty plot, Rankin masterfully crafts a suspenseful narrative that's hard to put down. A chilling tale of survival, redemption, and the unforgiving American wilderness." 5/5 stars!

5* intro to this author. Good detective work amidst danger and shades of grey...

This is a 5* read with interesting characters, a decent plot, good detective work and an ending, that whilst not a HEA, gave closure and exonerated. I can't say too much more or it'd give away too much, but this tale wouldn't have worked without Colly, for both the top-notch detective that she was, and the outsider that could bring impartiality, fresh eyes and perspective to the case.

Refreshingly, every side character that appeared here turned into a decent red herring, apart, of course, from the killer whose identity I clocked over the Thursday/Friday issue. I bought why Colly didn't clock, in a way, but the mystery could've been solved at that point, rather than dragged out, though it was interestingly done.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for my reading pleasure.

The Killing Plains by Sherry Rankin is the first published book by this author. The author's descriptive writing style brings the characters and the setting to life. The plot is full of unexpected twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end.

Overall, The Killing Plains was an exciting suspense thriller.

#TheKillingPlains #NetGalley @AmazonPub

This is Sherry Rankin's first published novel and it is to me how a book should be!! Wow!
I loved the main character, Colly (Columbus) Newland. She is a retired cop but returns to her dead husband's area of Crescent Bluff in Texas to solve two murders of 2 boys for which her husband's brother, Willis was accused. Trying to solve the murders, Colly has her own personal problems as well as dealing with her husband's extended family. The story kept me guessing with it twists and turns, the sad moments and the characters are so believable. I found it hard to put the book down, I was totally gripped. If you love murder mysteries then this is right up your street. I cannot wait to read Sherry Rankin's next novel. I have given this 5 stars, but in my opinion deserves a whopping 10!!!!!!

. I wholeheartedly recommend this book, which I devoured in roughly three hours—it's that captivating! The author's writing style is engaging, and the descriptions are vivid enough to set the scenes without becoming tedious. The character development is well-executed, making readers genuinely concerned for the characters' well-being. As an avid reader of the thrillers, I was able to guess the perpetrator's identity early on, but this did not diminish my enjoyment of the book.

This is a good work for a debut author and i liked her writing style.
The descriptions were good to set the scenes but never became excessive or draggy in any way.
Character building was also adequate to the extent where you care about the characters’ welfare.
Of course i’d question some of the characters motives and actions, but with an open mind one can overlook that and it is not a major detractor.
Because i have read enough of the thriller whodunnit genre,i guessed correctly from the onset the identity of the perpetrator but again i still enjoyed the read, so not a negative for me.
I am not sure if the author is planning for this book to be a part of a series or if it is meant to be a stand alone, but i would not mind to hear and read more on the Newland family, Colly, Avery and the rest.
This is a recommended read and i read it in a single day as it was engaging enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc.