Book Tour with Review: Violated by Carolyn Arnold

OMG! Violated by Carolyn Arnold has been the most thrilling and exciting story that I have read in the longest while. I can’t believe that I have never heard of this author before now. Thanks to Beck Valley Book Tours I had the privilege of being introduced to her work.

This is the fifth book in the Brandon Fisher series and there is no need to read the previous books prior to reading this one. However, I can assure you that after reading Violated you will be clamouring to get your hands on the other books in the series.

When I read the prologue I knew I had to discover how the story would unfold.  It grabbed my attention from that moment and I was disappointed when it came to an end. I was eager to find out the reason behind the unsub’s actions.  Was it revenge, or was it vigilante justice?

Now can you imagine travelling several hundred miles to confront the man who had destroyed your friend’s life only to find yourself being accused of his murder? Well, FBI agent Paige Dawson never for a minute suspected that this would happen to her when went to California. Thank goodness her team believed in her and would put out all the stops to prove her innocence.  However, they have to move quickly has time is running out. Will they be able to find the killer before he/she kills again?

There are several things I liked about this book:

Characters:

The author’s portrayal of her characters. She focused on their strengths and weaknesses, making it easy for me to relate to them. They are dealing with real life issues, such as heartache, pain, and loss.

Paige played a significant role in this installment. The author highlighted that she was first and foremost a woman who had experienced devastating loss. She allowed her emotions to cloud her judgement, as a result, placing her in her current predicament. Her actions go to show no matter how trained we are in a particular situation there are times when emotions end up ruling our heads.

The UN-Sub:

I liked the fact that I got parts of the story from the killer’s perspective. I felt the emotions which made it easy to understand the reasoning behind the actions.  It takes a strong person to experience what the killer did and survive. For a moment, I found myself justifying the killings.  What I liked is the methodical way the killer planned each kill.  The way in which the killer reeled in the victims was smart and well thought out.

Detective Grafton:

I find that whenever the FBI gets involved in a case they are always at loggerheads with the local police department.  For this story, the same applied. It was evident that the detective was convinced that Paige was guilty. He was not interested in any other suspects. I found him to be arrogant.  The way he behaved it would appear that he had a vendetta against the FBI. My respect for him grew a notch, however, when he realised how wrong he was and apologized. It takes a big man to not only admit he is wrong, but to also apologise.

Team Work:

This story effectively demonstrated the power of teamwork. I loved that Paige’s team had her back.  The odds seemed stacked against her, but they were not about to throw under the bus.

Suspense: 

The suspense factor of the story was riveting.   I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved that I had to keep guessing which for me is a good thing.

Credibility:

The story was credible. It was evident that the author conducted proper research before writing this book. The story moved quickly. There was no room for boredom. This is the type of story that just keeps giving readers a reason to turn the pages.

POVs: 

The story was narrated from the first and third person POV. We received the killer’s and Brandon’s thoughts in the first person and for the other characters, it was the third person. The changes in POVs were done smoothly, as such there was no room for confusion. I like that I was able to see the story from each of the character’s perspectives which made it easy to understand the reasons for their actions.

What I did not like:

There was one aspect of the story I had a difficult time wrapping my mind around. This took place near to the end. I am still trying to figure out the killer’s actions at this point. I can’t go too much into this area without giving away the story. However, what I can say is that I could not see how the sudden change fits into the killer’s modus operandi.

Verdict: 

If you love police procedurals and a good mystery you will enjoy this book.   I recommend that you pick up a copy as soon as possible.

A note of warning, the crime scenes are graphic.

Read an excerpt

Brandon Fisher FBI Series

Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning: Eleven, Silent Graves, The Defenseless, Blue Baby, Violated.

Read the first e-book for FREE