The young woman’s body is lying with her arms stretched out to each side. Her lips slightly parted. Her face untouched by injury and her hair spread around her head like a fan. A redhead. Just like the others.

When the body of Leann Truitt is found in a secluded cove in Mystery Bay, Detective Megan Carpenter is one of the first on the scene. The victim has tell-tale marks on her wrists, ankles and neck where she has been bound. But that’s not all. Next to Leann’s body lies a puzzling clue – an unusual symbol scratched into a rock.

With rookie Deputy Ronnie Marsh under her wing and the investigation underway, Megan starts to receive disturbing messages. Someone knows about her traumatic past. They know what she did.

Determined to stay focussed, Megan soon makes a chilling link between Leann’s brutal killing and the unsolved murder cases of two other women – all redheads with the same marks on their bodies, the same symbol carvings found at the crime scenes, and most shockingly, all had been pregnant.

The killer stalks his prey, kidnapping and torturing them in a very exact and methodical pattern. And he is not finished yet…

When the body of another woman is found bearing a striking resemblance to the other victims, Megan must crack the clues fast if she is to catch the twisted soul before they strike again.

Megan might be closing in on the killer, but someone is watching her every move. Can Megan hide the secrets of her past threatening to destroy her future? And can she protect herself and Ronnie before they both find themselves in terrible danger?

Review:

Dark, chilling, and skillfully crafted!

In this second instalment in the Detective Megan Carpenter series, Water’s Edge, Olsen has written a sinister police procedural that sees Detective Carpenter reluctantly working with a new partner, Reserve Deputy Ronnie Marsh, on a case that inadvertently turns into a hunt for a serial killer when the body of a woman left beaten, strangled and floating in a secluded cove seems to have too many similarities to several other murders that still remain unsolved in the area.

The writing is seamless and tight. The characterization is spot on, with the scarred and stubborn Megan Carpenter still battling her own emotional demons and haunted past. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel quickly into a gripping tale of twists, turns, deception, revelations, emotion, violence, and murder.

Overall, Water’s Edge is another thrilling, addictive, propulsive addition to a series that, with its flawed characters, great pace, and constant sense of urgency, is quickly becoming one of my faves.

This book is available now.

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