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"D.K. Hood has the magic to lure readers in with a strong series and evolving plot lines. I have been on a hardcore binge to read these novels and have barely taken time to breathe. Another novel set close to Hallowe’en, Hood weaves a tale about a woman whose husband’s military team disappeared and were presumed dead. When his ghost appears to her, many think it is her grief taking over. After she is found murdered, Sheriff Jenna Alton must investigate. More bodies deepen the mystery about this military unit and how a killer has been using this to fuel an apparent vendetta. Hood proves sensational once more!

She wakes all of a sudden with the sense that he is back, or at least his presence. It is still the dead of night, but she senses something eerie, unlike the way things felt before. Someone is peering at her and there is no time to wait. Her life is on borrowed time��.

With Halloween back in Black Rock Falls, the celebrations are in full swing. While Sheriff Jenna Alton and her deputy David Kane want to take part in the festivities, they must attend a lodge outside town, when a frantic call comes into the office. Willow Smith’s body awaits them, signs of being murdered. Willow is a military widow with a husband whose entire military unit went missing years ago. All are presumed dead, but no one can confirm this. Sheriff Alton discovers a distinct purple medal in Willow’s hand, though it is not clear if this was clutched during the incident or left there as a calling card.

As Alton and Kane begin trying to piece the crime together, it becomes apparent that Willow was suffering quite a bit. She had been telling people that she saw her husband’s ghost and communicated with him. This explained the silent calls that she received in the dead of night. Many felt this was her grief overtaking Willow’s daily life, but it could be a key piece of evidence for the investigation.

Another body appears in a ravine, adding concern to the case. Another purple medal is lodged in the victim’s hand. The killer appears to be using this as a sign and this is another wife of the missing unit. Could it be a sign that someone has a vendetta against the unit or knows where they went?

It all boils down to the missing soldiers, a mystery in and of itself. Did they make it back alive or are they somewhere on the field of battle? While probing the rural surroundings, Sheriff Alton finds herself isolated from others. She hears a sound and has a tingling up her spine. Has the killer locked her in their sights? Hood keeps the action high and the suspense like no other book in the series!

D.K. Hood has made waves with this series, accentuating key elements necessary for a collection of strong thriller novels. Her narrative provides a solid foundation for the rest of the story’s success, keeping series fans enthralled as they try to decipher all the clues provided. Wholesome in its small-town nature, the story is far from a cozy piece, with murder at the core of each story. This novel was no exception, tapping into a military flavouring that highlights the past life Dave Kane led. Hood weaves a mystery with police procedural pillars to erect a fabulous read for the attentive reader.

Character development has never waned in this series, as both protagonists have a plethora sitting in their pasts. Hood not only focuses her attention on them and trying to unravel the secrets they had before arriving in Black Rock Falls, but also peppers the story with secondary characters who have lives of their own. Hood has never kept the reader out of the loop, though she does provide breadcrumbs for all to wonder more about those who prop up the larger and more complex characters. This story does offers some military flavouring and hints at the past Dave Kane had in Special Forces, which only adds to the depth of intrigue found within its pages.

The series relies on strong plot points to keep the mystery moving and the police procedural nature of the story front and centre. Hood is able to provide all the needed elements without becoming repetitive, even seventeen novels into the series. I marvel at the detail she provides and how she can transform the apparently sleepy town of Black Rock Falls, Montana into what has been referred to as ‘serial killer central��. I am eager to plunge deeper into the series and see where things are headed, as Hood has never disappointed.

Kudos, Madam Hood, for keeping things on pace towards further greatness.

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