‘Last Girls Alive’ by Jennifer Chase is the fourth book in the Detective Katie Scott series, set in Pine Valley, California.

Katie suffers PTSD from her time in the armed forces as a bomb disposal expert with her dog Cisco (now on the K9 unit). They experienced quite a few tours in Afghanistan and she now does her best to control the PTSD and gets on with her job in Pine Valley as a Detective.

Contractors are excavating the site of an old girls home to turn it into high-end homes when they discover the body of a young woman buried in a pit. They call the police and the case falls to Katie and her partner Deputy Sean McGaven. Katie is well aware a girl has been missing for five years and presumes it is her. The site was a home for troubled girls and Candace lived there when she ran away, never to be seen again. Upon the M.E examining the body, it turns out that it is her sister, Carol, not Candace. Then a tattoo is found on her body, one that has been done post-mortem, a strange calling card. Then, the next day, another body is discovered, with the same tattoo, giving Katie and Sean a case that will test them like no other has done yet.

Told primarily from Katie’s point of view which let me get right into the story. There are a few times we flashback to the killer’s childhood but we keep with Katie and see how the PTSD is threatening to take over her life and logic, I really felt for this woman who is battling demons not many people can even imagine never mind understand. The inclusion of Cisco is so lovely, everyone loves a dog! Especially a helpful one. I can tell from the quality of this book that the author is experienced in all facets of crime and police procedures, this shines through and gives the book realism and authenticity.

She also keeps up the twists and turns within the story making the tension ramp right up and creating a great conclusion.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the book to enable me to write this review today.