‘Beneath Black Water River’ by Leslie Wolfe is the second book in the Detective kay Sharp series. This can be read as a standalone fine but as I always say you get a deeper understanding if you start from book one.
A seventeen-year-old’s body is found in a cave behind the waterfall at stunning Blackwater River and It begins a frustrating and difficult investigation that Detective Kay Sharp and her partner detective Elliot Young find leads to a dead end. They think they have finally made a breakthrough in the case when the body is identified as belonging to Rose Harrelson who disappeared from her bedroom fourteen years ago when she was just three years old. But it becomes apparent that the usually very competent and reliable Dr Whitmore appears to have made a shocking mistake, the detectives are back where they started. Sheriff Logan orders Kay to figure out how the hell the mistake happened and discover the correct identity of the dead girl. It becomes an investigation that leads to some terrible revelations and finds Kay coming into contact with some very sick and twisted characters. They aren’t too keen on Kay digging into their lives and aren’t willing to allow her to bring their secrets to light.
Elliot is ordered to investigate the disappearance of teenager Kirsten who’s been terrified by her stepfathers disgusting friends. As she makes her way to San Fransico she hitchhikes and ends up in another horrific situation. Will Elliot be able to find her before time runs out? Will Kay be able to find out whose body was in the cave and why they had Rose’s necklace on?
A story that is told from various viewpoints giving me a wide view of the investigations that are all happening at once. I feel I can really get to know the characters if the book is from a few perspectives. The chapters are pretty short and I had to read a few more chapters every time I needed to stop reading.
Leslie Wolfe pulls all the threads of the plot together in a clever way until every dark secret is there for everybody to see.
I thought the fast pacing of the story was perfect to keep the suspense and mystery at the fore. It definitely grabbed me with all the misdirection, twists and turns that kept me stuck to my kindle, just so I could find out what the truths were. A really intriguing and tense read that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Thanks to Bookouture for my place on the tours.
sharonbeyondthebooks.uk 