Source: Netgalley

Missing Before Daylight: Carolyn Arnold

Missing Before Daylight

Posted on February 27, 2024 by Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading in Reviews / 4 Comments

Carolyn Arnold delivers another gripping read with Missing Before Daylight, the newest installment in her Detective Amanda Steele series. This book is filled with action, suspense, and intense moments scattered throughout the story.

 

Missing Before Daylight: Carolyn ArnoldTitle: Missing Before Daylight
Author(s): Carolyn Arnold
Series: Detective Amanda Steele #10
Also in this series: The Little Grave , Stolen Daughters , The Silent Witness , Black Orchid Girls , Her Frozen Cry , Last Seen Alive , Her Final Breath, Taken Girls , Her Last Words
Published by Bookouture on February 22, 2024
Pages: 371
Genre(s): Crime Fiction
Source: Netgalley
Format: eArc
Goodreads
Purchase: Amazon|Audible
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Series Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

She wakes surrounded by an inky black darkness and can barely breathe. A sack is covering her head, and her hands are tied behind her back. She desperately tries to struggle free as she hears footsteps walking toward her. She silently starts to cry as a chilling voice whispers “It’s time to pay for what you did…”
When Detective Amanda Steele is called to the murder scene of a young gas station clerk just before dawn, she assumes it must be a robbery gone tragically wrong. But when she discovers nothing has been stolen, she knows the motive must be far more personal.
Watching the security footage, Amanda is shocked to witness the cold-blooded killer not only shoot the clerk dead but abduct a customer. And her heart stops when she recognizes the customer as her former colleague, Katherine Graves . As Amanda breaks the news to Katherine’s heartbroken Aunt May , she vows to do whatever it takes to bring her niece home alive.
Desperate for a lead, Amanda and her partner, Trent , search Katherine’s home. Soon, they discover that despite no longer being with the police department, Katherine has a long list of very dangerous enemies. Enemies who have been sending her anonymous letters promising revenge.
The more Amanda digs into Katherine’s past, the longer her list of suspects becomes. But when May is sent a ransom demand and a picture of Katherine close to death, Amanda knows time is running out. With only hours left to find Katherine alive, Amanda is prepared to risk everything to keep her promise to May, even her own life…

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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Missing Before Daylight focuses on the search for Katherine Graves. Katherine filled in as Amanda and Trent’s boss, when their sergeant Malone took a leave of absence due to illness.  Amanda and her butted heads, but after several cases, their respect for each other grew.  After Malone’s return, Katherine retired and proceeded to build a relationship with her estranged aunt. In the week before Christmas, while on her way to her aunt’s café, someone kidnapped Katherine from a gas station. During the kidnapping exercise, the eighteen-year-old attendant became a casualty.

Trent and Amanda arrived on the scene of what they believed to be a robbery gone wrong, but then they discovered nothing was taken. Examining the security footage reveals not just murder, but also kidnapping. Now, Trent and Amanda find themselves in a race against time to locate their former sergeant before it’s too late.

As a former detective in New York City, Katherine had quite a list of people whom she arrested who may have a strong desire for revenge.  This revelation made Trent and Amanda’s work harder as they attempted to track down the person behind the kidnapping and murder.  There was no time for extended breaks, as this case was a matter of life and death.

With each instalment, Arnold gives readers a view into the characters’ personal lives. In Missing Before Daylight, she revisits the sexual tension between Amanda and Trent. She also explores the impact an impulsive action on Amanda’s part had on her current relationship. Amanda seems content with her current relationship, but her feelings for her partner have the potential to derail everything. Honestly, I am team Trent and I believe they would be good together.

The dynamic between Trent and Amanda also helped to make this a compelling read. Missing Before Daylight is a thrilling and suspenseful tale, with a complex case that will keep readers glued to the pages from start to finish. 

Story Evaluation
Plot
4
Characters
4.5
World Building
4
Writing Style
4.5
Pacing
4
Cover
4
Enjoyment
4
Ending
4.5
Overall: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

 

 

About Carolyn Arnold

CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures. Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™. Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower. She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.

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Nadene @ Totally Addicted to Reading

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