The Drowned Girls (Angie Pallorino #1) by Loreth Anne White
Series: Angie Pallorino
Published by Montlake Romance on June 20th 2017
Genres: Police Procedural, Mystery, Crime
Pages: 524
Format: eARC
ISBN: 1503941213
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He surfaced two years ago. Then he disappeared ...

But Detective Angie Pallorino never forgot the violent rapist who left a distinctive calling card—crosses etched into the flesh of his victim’s foreheads.

When a comatose Jane Doe is found in a local cemetery, sexually assaulted, mutilated, and nearly drowned, Angie is struck by the eerie similarities to her earlier unsolved rapes. Could he be back?​Then the body of a drowned young woman floats up in the Gorge, also bearing the marks of the serial rapist, and the hunt for a predator becomes a hunt for a killer. Assigned to the joint investigative task force, Angie is more than ready to prove that she has what it takes to break into the all-male homicide division. But her private life collides with her professional ambitions when she’s introduced to her temporary partner, James Maddocks—a man she’d met the night before in an intense, anonymous encounter.

Together, Angie and Maddocks agree to put that night behind them. But as their search for the killer intensifies so does their mutual desire. And Angie’s forays into the mind of a monster shake lose some unsettling secrets about her own past . . .

How can she fight for the truth when it turns out her whole life is a lie?

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Karen’s Two Cents

The Drowned Girls by Loreth Anne White is a spellbinding addictive thrill ride.  The protagonist is Angie Pallorino detective in the sex crime unit of Victoria BC police department.  She is on the hunt for a sadistic rapist known as The Baptist. The book is filled with a lot of twist and turns, in depth characters and a heroine that is strong, gritty and at the same time vulnerable.  The main characters is surrounded by three dimensional supporting characters. I really loved reading about Angie as she unravels the case that goes from the highest ranks of Victoria society to the lowest.

In this book the police procedural theme is forefront, as are the character relationships.  Angie’s life is a jumbled mess, both professionally and personally; which really made this a very thrilling read. I was disappointed that the potential great character was killed off in this book. I won’t ruin the book by outing the killing but so much potential could have been wrought with this character. The end left a few loose ends to the story of the police and city of Victoria BC, not to mention Angie’s personal cold Case. I can’t wait for the series to continue.

 

I both read and listened to the book, and the audio book was narrated nicely; but the characters voices especially the females did run together.

Rating: R

Genre: Police Procedural, Mystery, Thriller, Romance

Sexuality: M/F

Moralistic Tone: Conflicted

Violence: Very Graphic Sexual Violence, Rape, Murder, but in the context of the story.

The book is $4.99 and available only on Amazon. It is also FREE to read via Kindle Unlimited. The audible narration is only $1.99 if you purchase or borrow the eBook via Kindle Unlimited.