Detective Ellie Reeves should be enjoying the wedding of her dear friend Mia Norman. But instead of celebrating, she is frantically searching for the missing bride. Something is terribly wrong—just hours ago, Mia was blissfully happy. Why would she suddenly vanish?

Bursting through the dressing room, Ellie finds it in disarray—chairs overturned, a perfume bottle shattered. Hiding in the bathroom is Mia’s six-year-old daughter Pixie, curled in a ball and sobbing her heart out. The little girl says she was locked inside when she heard a man’s voice, and her mother crying. “I just want my mommy back,” she pleads. Ellie vows to make that happen.

Turning the venue upside down, Ellie’s blood turns to ice when she reaches the riverbank. Someone is dead in the rippling water, floating beside a white veil. Ellie holds her breath as she turns the body over. It belongs to Tori, Mia’s bridesmaid, a gunshot wound in her back. Near the murder scene, Ellie discovers a button from a man’s shirt, and her friend’s engagement ring. The race is on to find Mia—before it’s too late.

When forensics come back, the investigation takes a dark turn. DNA proves that Mia was actually Jesse Habersham, a woman who went missing five years ago. Ellie is certain that Mia was running from someone. Did her past finally catch up with her?

Facing the most complex case of her career, Ellie is in a race against time. Can she uncover the truth before her friend is brutally killed? And when the murderer comes after innocent little Pixie, will Ellie save her from the clutches of death?

71 Chapters | 437 Pages | 4h Read | Paperback

This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions – mostly curiosity, intrigue, and adrenaline. It was a more complicated storyline than I was expecting.

The multitude of chapters against page numbers was still an irritant, though less so than previous books as I was prepared for it this time.

The story follows Mia and her daughter Pixie. Mia is Ellie’s friend who goes missing on her wedding day. The disappearance sparks a deep drive in Ellie, but the case ends up going further than just being personal.

From this series, this plot was more detailed than others and had more opportunities for the reader to form their own theories and opinions. I guessed one of the answers correctly from very early on but was still in the dark about much of the book till the reveal happened.

I read this in one 4 hour sitting while it was raining in Cornwall, a very pleasant way to spend the day. I have had this niggling annoyance since the beginning of the series with the pairing of Ellie and Derrick. I just don’t like it. The pairing doesn’t feel natural and feels like an ‘authors design’ rather than a ‘story design’ I have always wanted Ellie to be with Cord and I still hold out hope for that.

[For example, ‘authors design’ would be pairing Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley together, while ‘story design’ would have been Hermione Granger and Harry Potter together.]

Speaking of Ellie and Cord, both had their fair share of injuries in this book. The only one not injured was Derrick!! It spoke to their characters in how they presented themselves through the pain and how the characters developed accordingly.

This story was also interesting because it involved another county, so involvement with Ellie’s team and Sheriff was fairly minimal. It was good to see Ellie interact with people outside of her zone and to see that level of determination focused on those who were not prepared for it.

I think Book 8 is out now, so I’m sure it’ll find its way to me soon!!

I give this book: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐