Dea Poirier | BENEATH THE ASHES

Plot (via Goodreads):

When detective Claire Calderwood is called to a grisly murder scene, she’s haunted by memories of her murdered sister. The victim is tied to a motel bed, her head covered in plastic and her body sprinkled with ashes. Claire’s dealt with vile crime scenes before, but this one strikes close to home.

Claire’s boyfriend, reporter Noah Washington, once helped find her sister’s killer, but now he’s a distraction to this new investigation. She wants to help him resolve the mysteries of his past, but Noah has been distant, and Claire knows he’s keeping something from her.

When another girl is murdered like the first, Claire suspects the work of a serial killer. As the case heats up and evidence mounts, she finds herself in profound danger. Claire’s been burned before; now she must decide if she can trust Noah to help her solve the case and uncover the truth that lies beneath the ashes.

Review:

Dea Poirier and Claire Calderwood are definitely both back with a vengeance in this twisted and brilliant police procedural serial killer case. I absolutely loved this case and Poirier didn't skip a beat before throwing us front-and-center into a rather intricate and devilishly dark plot that sucked me in from the first page and dragged me terrified down a dark path of destruction. Basically, this sequel was awesome.

I loved how not only did Claire kind of grow with this book, but Poirier kept the things that worked from the first novel and reworked some things to bring a really solid installment in this series. Her ability to build scenery and describe a setting was even better than the first and the characters were just as remarkably written. What I really enjoyed about this case was how realistic it is compared to some other novels that feature a police procedural aspect - like, these people aren't just here to throw you off, it's all related and it is blends perfectly with the eeriness of this tale. I definitely found this case to be more complex than the previous novel and loved how the breadcrumbs of information were plentiful enough to keep me reading more and yet didn't give me too much where I could crack the case on my own.

After this one, I am hooked on this series. I am eager for book three and all future installments and think that Dea Poirier is a really binge-worthy author who really does write some of the perfect combinations of police procedurals with mystery and a little hint of romance.

Special thanks to Amazon Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5