THE LITTLE GRAVE by CAROLYN ARNOLD

(Detective Amanda Steel #1)

My Rating: ★★★

It’s been five years since Detective Amanda Steele’s life was derailed in the path of an oncoming drunk driver. The small community of Dumfries, Virginia, may have moved on from the tragic deaths of her husband and daughter, but Amanda cannot. When the driver who killed her family is found murdered in a motel room, she can’t keep away from the case.

Fighting her sergeant to be allowed to work an investigation with such a personal connection to her, Amanda is in a race to prove that she can uncover the truth. But the more she digs into the past of the man who destroyed her future, the more shocking discoveries she makes. And when Amanda finds the link between a silver bracelet in his possession and the brutal unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer, she realizes she’s caught up in something darker than she ever imagined and suspects that more girls could be in danger.

This was a really quick read because it was so interesting!

I love a strong female detective character, but initially for me, I found Detective Amanda Steele a little bit annoying because of her attitude at the beginning towards her rookie partner Detective Trent. As much as I understood her need to fly solo and take the lead in this case, I really felt she could have been slightly more accommodating and welcoming.

Apart from that the plot as well as the narration was great. There were some surprising twists and the ending was so unexpected. It just lifted the entire book to another level.. Just wish that there was a slightly more detailed ending to the unsolved murder of a young exotic dancer

Overall, a good start to a new series. Looking forward to more books in this series.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!