Title: Their Angel’s Cry
Author(s): Shannon Hollinger
Series: Chief Maggie Riley #2
Also in this series: The Girl Who Lied, The Shadow Girl
Published by Bookouture on August 2, 2023
Pages: 334
Genre(s): Crime Fiction
Source: Publisher
Format: eArc
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating:
Series Rating:
The little dog trembles and whimpers, but refuses to move. Maggie reaches further into the undergrowth, trying to tempt it out. But as she moves closer, she sees something that stops her heart—a tiny, shivering baby, wrapped in a thin, pink blanket, saved only by its loyal protector.
There’s a ferocious storm heading toward the isolated town of Coyote Cove when Chief Maggie Riley gets the call every cop dreads. Three bodies have been found on Rattlesnake Mountain, half a day’s hike from civilization. And when Maggie finally reaches the site, exhausted and freezing, she discovers something even more terrifying—a tiny baby girl, kept alive only by the warmth of a small dog who refuses to leave her side.
As Maggie races the baby to safety, she wonders, why on earth the family risked hiking the mountain in this weather? Who were they and who could possibly have killed them?
A former Detective, Maggie may be an experienced investigator, but she’s still an unwelcome newcomer. Battling town prejudice, her fears for the orphaned baby, and the increasingly dangerous weather, Maggie soon realizes the case is far more complicated than she could have imagined. The family is not who they seemed at all.
With Coyote Cove cut off by the storm, Maggie knows that wherever the killer is, they won’t be able to leave. Stuck in town with a murderer on the loose, Maggie must race to find them before anyone else gets hurt. But she hasn’t counted on the killer taking matters into their own hands, and going after Maggie first…
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Their Angel’s Cry, book two in the Chief Maggie Riley series, picks up from where book one ended. Most of the residents of Coyote Cove hate her, but Maggie doesn’t allow the hatred to deter her from carrying out her duties. It didn’t help that one of their own died because of her previous case. They blamed her despite it not being her fault. Luckily, this is the case, as she faces the daunting task of unravelling a mind-boggling situation.
Her discovery of three corpses in the mountains, where the cause of death, was a mystery within itself. However, what was even more shocking was the baby and dog she discovered near the crime scene.
1. Why were the victims on the mountain?
2. How did the baby survive?
Their Angel’s Cry was a brilliant addition to the series. In this instalment, Maggie’s detective skills played a prominent role. She gained a wonderful support system throughout the investigation, one of which came from an unexpected source. The mystery in this instalment was quite twisty, and it left me guessing from start to finish. This time around, figuring out the who, why and how proved a challenge. This featured many suspects, who all appeared to have a motive. Funny enough, it was the one person whom I did not suspect that turned out to be the villain. Talk about a plot twist.
If you love police procedurals, I strongly encourage you to pick up this series. It has everything that lovers of this genre would love. A well-written mystery, a strong female and great supporting cast.
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About Shannon Hollinger
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too. Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture. Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
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