Wendy Dranfield

Shadow Falls

In the golden morning light, a beautiful young woman lies diagonally across the bed, dressed for a night out, her long lashes pressed against her cheeks as if she's sleeping. But the crimson that creeps across the sheets tells the story of an innocent woman who has drawn her last breath... Detective Madison Harper is pulled away from Thanksgiving preparations when a local care worker, Terri Summers, is found dead in her home on the outskirts of Lost Creek, Colorado. Terri's inconsolable mother can't understand who would hurt such a kind soul who had dedicated her life to helping others. But analysis of the blood spatter at the scene indicates Terri knew her attacker, that she looked them right in the eye before her life was taken. The awkward way Terri's body is positioned catches Madison's attention. Carefully moving her, she finds a bracelet-possibly a child's-with a single red bead clenched in the woman's fist, as if she was hiding it. It's the lead Madison so desperately needs, but the sudden death of one of her own team sends the investigation into a tailspin. With her coworkers crumbling around her, Madison must work day and night to trace the bracelet and crack the case. But when she's dragged back into the disappearance of a woman and child from years ago, and finds a link to someone in her own family, can Madison stop this twisted killer before another precious life is taken? And at what cost? An absolutely addictive and twist-packed crime thriller guaranteed to get your heart racing and make your jaw drop! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. Everyone is talking about Gone to Her Grave: "Holy Cannoli... so dang good. I could not put this book down... fantastic... you MUST read." Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars "Oh my goodness me...Gripping... finished it in a day... left with my jaw hanging open." Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars "Absolutely addictive... guaranteed to get your heart racing. Absolutely LOVED it... Kept me guessing right up to the end. Non-stop from page one. This is a must-read." Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars "Had me hooked from the beginning to the end... I was literally kept at the edge of my seat... a page turner that will keep you up all night-worth five stars!" Tropicalgirlreadsbooks, 5 stars "WOW!" Bookescapes, 5 stars Readers love Wendy Dranfield: "Wow!!!! Just flipping wow!!!! What an absolutely epic page turner!!!... Absolutely smashed it!!!!!!!... Addictive, nail-biting, page-turning, heart-racing... clear your schedule... you are not going to want to put it down!!!!" bookworm86, 5 stars

A Totally Gripping and Jaw-dropping Crime Thriller and Mystery Novel

Gone to Her Grave

Charlotte waves at her mother across the crowded lawn. Little red boots on, cowboy hat crooked over her blonde pigtails, she's been looking forward to this party for weeks. Moments later, she disappears without a trace... Kathy Hamilton drives away from her sister-in-law's pristine-white suburban house in Maple Falls certain she's left her daughter in safe hands. On the hottest day of the year, a birthday is the perfect excuse to gather friends, family and neighbors around the pool for a barbecue. But when she returns hours later to find her little girl has vanished, her world shatters. Nobody laughing and drinking in the garden that day saw anything unusual. Kathy's eldest daughter is anxious and hardly eating. Is she sick with worry for her sister, or hiding a terrible secret? The phone rings and rings, but why can't Kathy get hold of the babysitter? And is she imagining it, or when her husband rushed from work to join the search, was he wearing a different shirt to the one she saw him leave the house in that morning? As the temperature rises, and long-buried secrets begin to surface, it's clear that even the most perfect families keep devastating secrets. But in a town as small as this, is there anyone you can trust? A totally gripping and utterly addictive page-turner that will have you racing through and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell, Gone Girl and Teresa Driscoll, it will keep you up reading all night long! Everyone is talking about The Birthday Party: 'Wow, wow, wow!!!!! I am totally speechless... I was on the edge of my seat... I could not put this book down for the life of me. I had to finish... I could not eat or sleep until I found out what happened.' Blue Moon Blogger, 5 stars 'OMG... my heart is still racing... spectacular... a roller-coaster ride... a surprise at every twist and turn... left me reeling. Without doubt this is my book of the year.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Hooked!! Start-to-finish! So many secrets, so many twists and turns... you will be kept riveted.' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'Absolute gem of a book. I couldn't put this one down... devoured page after page... superb and I 100% need more... a spectacular read that kept me guessing throughout.' Little Miss Book Lover 87, 5 stars 'WOW!... a must read. The twists and turns never stop all the way to the very last page!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Just wow! Could not put this down! All I can say is get this book. You won't be disappointed. One of the best books I've read this year.' @owl._.books, 5 stars 'Oh Boy! Oh Boy!!!... OMG!... the BEST BOOK I have read this year! OMG... just Brilliant.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

The Birthday Party: A Totally Nail-biting and Addictive Crime Thriller Packed with Jaw-dropping Twists

Shivering in the early morning chill, the caretaker flips the switch on the Ferris wheel and stumbles back in shock. The teenage girl's body is slumped in a halo of pretty colored lights, long red hair spilling over her tear-stained cheeks, her eyes fixed forever on her dangling feet. When teenager Nikki Jackson's body is found at an amusement park, just hours after Fourth of July fireworks lit up the night sky, the Lost Creek police rule her death as suicide-a devastating final act from a girl who had lost all hope. But the absence of the knife used to make the wounds on her delicate wrists makes Detective Madison Harper think otherwise. And the partial fingerprint found on the girl's face proves her right. Someone else was with Nikki in her final moments... Back home in Colorado for the first time in seven years to investigate the murder of a woman with ties to the son she lost to the care system, the pressure is on for Madison to work both cases at once. Fearing the team has missed a vital clue, Madison searches the crime scene alone and finds the last thing she ever expected: a note proving the victims knew each other, and that the cases are linked. Is this a coincidence, proof a dangerous murderer is on the loose, or a trap set to lead Madison off the trail? It's only when Madison finally finds the knife used to harm Nikki, tucked in an almost impossible to find hiding place, that she knows she is closing-in on a twisted killer. But the last person she expects to see dragged into the department in handcuffs is her own missing son... An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will have you sleeping with the lights on. Addictive reading for anyone who loves Lisa Regan, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh. Everyone is talking about Cry For Help 'Oh man, what a rollercoaster of a ride... jaw-dropping and edge-of-the-seat stuff... couldn't put it down till it was finished!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Absolutely LOVED... Kept me guessing right up to the end. Non-stop from page one. This is a must-read!' Owl Books, 5 stars

Cry for Help: An Addictive and Gripping Mystery and Suspense Novel

Did she jump or was she pushed? It starts with the hanging woman in the Maple Valley woods; the woman with no shoes, no car and no name. On paper it’s an obvious case of suicide – but to Officer Dean Matheson, something doesn’t add up. Then there are the other deaths, deaths that also look like suicides – but are they? The victims are all women living on the fringes of society, addicts and criminals. Who will miss them? Does anyone really care if they die? Dean Matheson is making it his business to care, even if it means he becomes a target …

A compelling psychological thriller you won't want to put down

Who Cares if They Die

﻿Detective Dean Matheson has returned to his hometown to begin his new job and put the traumatic events of his past behind him – but his fresh start won’t last long when the local area is hit by a series of strange disappearances and twisted killings … A nameless girl badly beaten and dumped in front of the mysterious new church. A shocking murder scene discovered in the apartment over the diner. A child missing without a trace. These are the crimes Dean Matheson is confronted with in his first week as detective. Are they isolated events, or is something altogether more disturbing happening in Maple Valley now that Dean’s back in town?

Won't You Save Me

The house is deathly silent as the summer sun starts to creep in through the dusty windows. The children should be waking up, the parents should be cooking breakfast. But they all lay still, their heads on their pillows, lifeless eyes staring at nothing, their bodies waiting to be discovered …

When a couple and their young twin boys are discovered brutally murdered in their beds, everyone suspects this is a home invasion gone tragically wrong. But as Detective Madison Harper walks into the run-down house that is eerily empty, she isn’t so sure.

Talking to the neighbors, Madison soon discovers that the family only recently moved to the small town of Lost Creek, Colorado. No one has met them, and no one knows their names. With nothing to identify them in the house, or even to show that the house belonged to them, Madison is suddenly faced with not only having to find a cold-blooded killer, but needing to identify the victims too.

Then, Madison’s heart stops in her chest when she discovers a small yellow t-shirt in the back of the family’s vehicle that says Daddy’s Girl . The couple must have had a daughter as well as the twin boys, but where is she? Madison suspects she’s been abducted, and vows to find the missing little girl before it’s too late.

But as Madison makes a breakthrough in identifying the family, she discovers they had a secret that changes the whole course of the investigation. Madison knows with every second that passes the chances of finding the girl alive get smaller, but she’s prepared to risk everything to find her, even her own life…

An absolutely gripping and twist-packed read that will make your jaw drop! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot.

Readers love Wendy

“ Wow!!!! … LOVE, LOVE, LOVED!!! … I was absolutely hooked… Make sure you clear your schedule because once you pick it up you are not going to want to put it down!!!!… My heart is still pounding .” Bookworm86 , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“ Absolutely amazing !… a rollercoaster of a read. I absolutely loved it… I didn’t want to put it down … addictive ” Between The Pages Book Blog , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“ OMG! … The BEST BOOK I have read this year! … Had me gripped, I stayed up all night reading.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“ Phenomenal and I could not put it down … Amazing … Took my breath away… I gasped out loud.” Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“ I was totally blown away … OMG! … I barely had the time to pick up my jaw from the floor and my mouth fell open once more.” B for Bookreview , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“ Wow wow wow … amazing … I was hooked from page one … so full of twists and turns and doesn’t slow down for a moment. I was kept guessing until the very end … fantastic ” @a_likely_storie , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Detective Madison Harper #6

Her Lonely Bones

Rain rattles through the trees as she leans into the car, careful not to touch anything. Two pretty blue eyes stare back through the dark, wide with relief, or maybe fear. A baby girl, wrapped up in a pink snowsuit, reaches out a tiny hand. Her mother is nowhere to be found... An abandoned baby is the last thing Detective Madison Harper expects to find as she drives to her first day back at work since the case that ripped her life apart. But as she cradles the shivering child close, all her instincts tell her there's something more sinister at play. Then she finds a lone sneaker down a muddy trail nearby, the laces spattered with blood... In a town as small as Lost Creek, Colorado, the baby and the shoe are quickly identified as belonging to Kacie Larson, a waitress at the local diner who quietly stashed away her tips to make a better life for her daughter. A mother herself, Madison can't believe that Kacie would just abandon her child, but she also can't convince her new team. Not for the first time, Madison feels she must go it alone to get the job done. But when a body is pulled from a nearby lake, and it's not Kacie, the case takes an agonizing turn. Is this missing mother really who she says she is? Is there a chance she's still alive? Madison barely has time to think before the sweet little girl she rescued is snatched on a crowded street. Gone, in the blink of an eye. To break this case and earn her place back on the force, Madison must learn to trust her team, and herself again-and fast. If she doesn't find this twisted individual in time, a little girl could die... A pulse-pounding, absolutely gripping and totally addictive page-turner that will have you racing through the pages and reeling at the twists. Perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Lisa Regan and Kendra Elliot, you'll be sleeping with the lights on! Readers love Little Girl Taken: 'Oh-mah-gawd... absolutely brilliant... just amazing... I have whiplash. Sheesh... I need more!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Will keep you up past bedtime - and it's SO worth it' NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars 'Oh my goodness... a guaranteed page-turner... kept me on the edge of my seat... what a brilliant ending. Five plus stars from me.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Took my breath away. I could not put this gem down! I finished it in one go, there simply was no other option!' Tovereads, 5 stars Everyone is talking about Wendy Dranfield: 'Woohoo!... I was totally blown away... so shockingly, incredibly, amazingly good... OMG!... I never saw that coming... I barely had the time to pick up my jaw from the floor... Great, great book!' B for Bookreview, 5 stars 'Oh man, what a rollercoaster of a ride... jaw-dropping and edge-of-the-seat... couldn't put it down till it was finished!' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars 'Wow, wow, wow! I loved this book...' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

An Absolutely Gripping and Heart-pounding Crime Thriller

Little Girl Taken

"Mommy, wake-up," he cries, pulling at her beautiful blonde hair. She's silent, and her skin is deathly white. Tears roll down his cheeks as he realizes something is very wrong... As snow falls on the small town of Lost Creek, Colorado, a three-year-old boy is found playing quietly in his car seat, his mother, cold as ice, slumped against the steering wheel in front. Tearing herself away from reconnecting with her special agent father who abandoned her for his career, Detective Madison Harper is haunted by the fear in the boy's sky-blue eyes, and vows to find justice for this innocent child, left motherless just days before Christmas. Madison works around the clock on her only clue: a perfect circle of clean glass found on the car's rear window. But she's stopped in her tracks the moment another mother is found dead outside a church during Midnight Mass, her young boy left sucking his thumb on the frozen ground beside her. It can't be a coincidence. The need to spare the children might hint to the suspect being a woman, but the deeper Madison digs, the closer she gets to a serial killer her own father spent a lifetime chasing. Has the killer followed her father here? Could Madison, single mother to a son herself, be next? As a blizzard closes in, wreaking havoc on the investigation, Madison hits the same dead ends her father did all those years ago. But when her closest friend goes missing, Madison must dive into the mind of this twisted soul and risk it all to stop another heart-shattering tragedy. But will she make it in time? An absolutely gripping read that will get your pulse pounding! Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Melinda Leigh and Kendra Elliot. Readers love Catch Her Death: "WOW! Amazing." NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars "A nail-biting thriller that will put you on the edge... completely unexpected twists and turns!... A rollercoaster ride... this book will keep you up all night--worth five stars!" Tropical Girl Reads, 5 stars "Gripping... I was totally engrossed... Keeps you hooked till the amazing ending... An amazing, addictive read... I literally couldn't put my Kindle down, absolutely loved it!" Rubie Reads, 5 stars "Oh my goodness... kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning until the very last page... what an absolutely brilliant ending." NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars Everyone is talking about Wendy Dranfield: "Wow!!!! Just flipping wow!!!! What an absolutely epic page turner!!!... Absolutely smashed it!!!!!!!... Addictive, nail-biting, page-turning, heart-racing... clear your schedule... you are not going to want to put it down!!!!" bookworm86, 5 stars "BEST BOOK I have read this year! OMG." Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars "Oh-mah-gawd... I have whiplash. Sheesh... I need more!" Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Catch Her Death: A Jaw-dropping and Absolutely Gripping Crime Thriller

My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know…

Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. But the locals didn’t grow up in my parents’ house. They don’t know what I know. And they wouldn’t believe me if I told them…

After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn’t prove it, but I think my parents killed her.

Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her.

But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do…

The Night She Vanished

The Birthday Party

“You want to know what I’ve learnt after living in Lone Creek all my life? I know the snow bleeds here …” Former detective Dean Matheson has been playing it safe since the case that cost him almost everything. But working as a PI doesn’t quite cut it, that is until a British woman walks into his office with another case that Dean can’t resist. The woman’s daughter, Hannah Walker, and her friend Jodie have gone missing whilst working at a ski resort in Colorado. It’s clear there’s something sinister about the girls’ disappearance, but then why are the local police department being so unhelpful? So begins Dean’s journey to Lone Creek on the trail of the missing girls – and he’ll soon find out that in Lone Creek, everyone has something to hide …

Where the Snow Bleeds

My parents seem to be the perfect couple. But no one knows what I know... Everyone in the small Midwestern town of Henderson looks up to my perfect parents. With dependable jobs as a midwife and the town sheriff, they help this close-knit community feel safe. But the locals didn't grow up in my parents' house. They don't know what I know. And they wouldn't believe me if I told them... After my best friend vanished when we were just fifteen, I left town and never looked back. I couldn't prove it, but I think my parents killed her. Now, years later, my little sister has vanished. I have no choice but to go home and play happy families again. Because I have to find out what my parents have done to her. I have to try to save her. But when bones are discovered on a local farm, and all the evidence leads back to our front door, I realize I was wrong about absolutely everything. And that coming back was the deadliest thing I could do... An utterly gripping read that will have you on the edge of your seat long into the night. If you like Freida McFadden, Lisa Jewell and Gone Girl you will love The Night She Vanished. See what everyone's saying about Wendy Dranfield: 'Wow, wow, wow!!!!! I am totally speechless... I was on the edge of my seat... I could not put this book down for the life of me. I had to finish... I could not eat or sleep until I found out what happened.' Blue Moon Blogger, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'OMG... my heart is still racing... spectacular... a rollercoaster ride... a surprise at every twist and turn... left me reeling. Without doubt this is my book of the year.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Hooked!! Start-to-finish! So many secrets, so many twists and turns... you will be kept riveted.' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolute gem of a book. I couldn't put this one down... devoured page after page... superb and I 100% need more... a spectacular read that kept me guessing throughout.' Little Miss Book Lover 87, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'LOVED IT!!!! Lots of twists... it was gripping!!!' NetGalley reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'WOW!... a must read. The twists and turns never stop all the way to the very last page!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Just wow! Could not put this down! All I can say is get this book. You won't be disappointed. One of the best books I've read this year.' @owl._.books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Oh Boy! Oh Boy!!!... OMG!... the BEST BOOK I have read this year! OMG... just Brilliant.' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A series of suspicious suicides may be the work of a crafty serial killer in this debut thriller novel featuring New Hampshire cop Dean Matheson. When the body of an unidentified woman is found hanging from a tree in the woods of Maple Valley, New Hampshire, it looks like a clear case of suicide. But Officer Dean Matheson is unconvinced. Maybe he's just looking for that big case that will help him make detective. Maybe he's just trying to avoid his rocky marriage. Or maybe he's really on to something. Because the closer Matheson looks at the facts of the case, the less they add up. Then more apparent suicides start cropping up. The victims are all women living on the fringes of society--addicts and criminals nobody would miss. Does anyone really care if they die? Matheson is making it his business to care, and that's about to make him a target . . .

Who Cares If They Die

You thought your little girl was safe at summer camp. You were wrong. She drags her eyes open, realizing she's starting to fade. Did she imagine the voices, or were they real? She tries calling out-"Daddy?"-using all her remaining strength. But she's too late and her little voice just isn't loud enough... When Detective Madison Harper arrives at a remote summer camp in Shadow Falls, northern California, her heart breaks for Jenny, the sweet little girl last seen splashing in the lake with her friends before she vanished. Peering into the silent cabins filled with rows of neatly made beds, Madison knows this idyllic place is hiding a terrible secret. The girl's parents are distraught, and the local police have no leads-they desperately need Madison's help. She'll do whatever it takes to crack this case, because it's the only way back to the son she lost to the care system years ago when she was framed for a crime she didn't commit. But with the camp staff keeping tight-lipped and her new partner on the edge of a breakdown, Madison can't find any truth to her instinct that there is more to Jenny's perfect parents than meets the eye. Until she discovers a disturbing family portrait Jenny drew at the local library. Was this angelic girl more troubled than anybody knew? Was she in danger from those she trusted most? One thing is certain, if Madison doesn't find the answers soon, the lives of more innocent children will be at risk... An absolutely unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Robert Dugoni and Melinda Leigh. Readers love Wendy Dranfield: 'OMG... My goosebumps had goosebumps... I had to force myself to relax and take deep breaths... caused me to pound at my kindle, snapping away the pages every few seconds.' Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

Wendy Dranfield

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