Name: Ruth Parker 's review of Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase
Item: Little Girls Sleeping
Rating: 3
Author: Ruth Parker

Jennifer Chase

‘THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS PUTTING THIS BOOK DOWN!!!!!... I was literally holding my breath… I HAD TO KNOW!!!!! As for the explosive ending WOW definitely not what or who I was expecting.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars She looked at the smiling, eager face of the little girl in the photograph, with dark hair, bright-green eyes, a missing front tooth, and her entire life ahead of her. Chelsea was last seen walking back from a friend’s house one summer afternoon. She never made it home… An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea. But as Katie starts to investigate – her PTSD flashbacks kept at bay with the help of her loyal ex-military dog, Cisco – the case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Deep in the forest, she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each with a brightly coloured teddy bear. Tracing the silk lining the coffins, Katie links the graves to a stack of missing-persons cases involving young girls – finding a pattern no one else has managed to see. Someone in Pine Valley has been taking the town’s daughters for years, and Katie is the only one who can stop them. And then another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home… Compulsive and gripping crime fiction for fans of Lisa Regan, Rachel Caine and Melinda Leigh. Katie Scott’s first case will have you on the edge of your seat and gasping with shock. What readers are saying about Little Girls Sleeping: ‘I was really wowed by it… I couldn’t put the book down and was trying to read as fast as I could so I could find out who the killer was. The ending took me by surprise… I was literally gasping for air… I would definitely recommend.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Wow what an absolutely amazing fantastic read. I was hooked almost as soon as I started this book. I am still trying to pick my chin off the floor. I loved it from page one and couldn’t read the pages quick enough. I did not see the end coming… Awesome.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘If you read one police thriller this year make sure that it is this one… it will grip you from the start and will drag you into the story trying desperately to work out who the killer is but I promise you that you will not be able to figure it out.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘A great way to start a new series! It's a wonderfully written roller-coaster ride. A must read!’ Book Obsessed Introverts, 5 stars ‘Believe me when I say that you are in for a thrilling read!... I could not put it away. Can highly recommend!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Wow!... The hairs on my head stood up with this one!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘A nail-biting thriller… I was gripped from page one, through each twist and turn… until I reached the climax which was shocking and totally unexpected.’ Netgalley reviewer, 5 stars ‘It was addicting, captivating and had me reading into the night.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘Truly an amazing book. The storyline flowed, the characters were engaging, and I could barely tear myself away... Highly recommended!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars ‘I read it in one sitting and could not put it down. A real page turner.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars

An absolutely gripping crime thriller

Little Girls Sleeping

Catarina Silva

Ruth Parker 

This is the first book in a series following Detective Kate Scott, a former Army veteran working in a Californian Sheriff’s department on cold cases. It is written by Jennifer Chase, and throughout the book you can tell she has thoroughly researched all aspects of the story and clearly has links to forensics and criminology. She was clearly well versed in the subject, making a lot of the information and character interaction incredibly believable. 

For me, the clear knowledge and understanding was a major plus with the story. The writing was interesting as well and I found the characters to be relatable when they needed to be and dislikable when required as well. 

So, why 3 stars? It seems like I really enjoyed this book, so why not a 5 star read?! 

3 stars is NOT a bad rating. This doesn’t mean I hated the book. It just means I wasn’t as in to it as I hoped I would be. I was really excited about it but instead of having me on the edge of my seat desperate to read the next one, I was left feeling a little deflated at the end. It was just ok. I wasn’t that intrigued by the plot points, the character dilemmas or the murder investigation. I just thought it was ok.

I will totally read the next in the series, but I’m hoping for a little more than this. Fingers crossed. 

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest opinion. All opinions in this review are my own.

Laura Carminati

I would like to thank NetGalley and the author for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book of the new series by Jennifer Chase, a new author for me, dedicated to Detective Katie Scott. Katie has just returned from the war and her uncle, very fond of her, is at the airport to take her home. At home waiting for her there is a surprise, her faithful dog Cisco who saved her life in the war. Now both “retired” from the army, Katie must understand what she wants to do with her life. In the past, she was a police officer in Sacramento so her uncle, who is the sheriff of the city where she lives (Pine Valley in California), asks her to help them at the station. It’s here that Katie learns about the case of little Chelsea Compton, who disappeared four years ago.

Clashing with the appointed detective, Katie believes that the investigation made by the detective is superficial and with stubbornness manages to find the corpse. But with Chelsea’s body there’s another girl.

I really liked the book, I liked the author’s style and also the fact that some chapters were written from the murderer’s point of view. I liked that it led us to believe that the culprit was a certain person but that wasn’t the case (okay, of course I realized that it wasn’t him since I read so many books of this genre and it is never like that, but I liked it anyway, oh how I am cryptic today).

I liked the short chapters and I was’t tired of reading it, apart from the end, but this is my personal taste because searches for missing people don’t attract me that much, but if I had more time, I would have read this book in a flash seeing how it flows and not a week. I was so disappointed when I had to put it down because of life.

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Catarina Silva &
Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase

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Catarina Silva &Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase

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Catarina Silva &
Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase