* Review * THE GIRL IN THE RIVER by Rita Herron

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

* Review * THE GIRL IN THE RIVER by Rita HerronThe Girl in the River by Rita Herron
Series: Detective Ellie Reeves #7
Published by Bookouture on December 6, 2022
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five-stars

The body lay in the river, arms outstretched. Long brown hair swirled in all directions, flowing with the current of the water. Her eyes were wide open in death, pale pink lips parted in a scream.

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?

 

Rita Herron always delivers on a Detective Ellie Reeves mystery! Exhilarating secrets are uncovered as Ellie dives into the middle of a missing persons/murder case when attending a friend’s wedding. Danger is lurking around every corner and lies are uncovered time and again in this action packed mystery. Fast paced, addictive and high octane!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone that enjoys a small town thriller with a cast of returning characters trying to solve crime after crime as life’s drama wraps around them time and again and makes for a relatable story.

five-stars

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