♦️When Rowan Wolff was five years old, she, along with her brother and their babysitter, was kidnapped by a serial killer. Though somebody rescued Rowan, the other two were not lucky enough. Her brother, Malcolm, was killed and buried in the forest, his remains never found. The police had discovered their babysitter's strangulated naked body. The convicted never revealed the location of Malcolm's grave. Twenty-five years later, Rowan is involved in SAR operations, helped by her loving dog, Thor. She also searches for Malcolm's grave as she wants closure. Detective Evan Bolton is known for solving complex cases. Recently there have been quite a few murders which look similar to the ones committed by the serial killer so many years ago, and each victim is somehow linked to Rowan. When skeletal remains of several bodies are found in the forest, again, it has a connection to Rowan. If the killer is behind bars, who is committing these crimes?

💥It is a psychological thriller novel and an absolute page-turner. The author has weaved the plot in such a way as to keep the reader interested till the end.
💥The fact that she is interested in forensics and has good knowledge about it can be well understood from the way she has written the proceedings of the case.
💥The book addresses childhood trauma and invisible scars. It has also addressed the fact that "trauma leads to trauma".
💥I loved to read about the parts describing the canine SAR operations because although I had heard about it, I never knew how it is carried out. 
💥The story is told from the point of view of various characters, so we get to learn about it from different angles.
💥It has descriptions of child abuse which is not for the tender-hearted. However, it also portrays how a human can act like a monster and not think about the pain he inflicts on innocent people. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
       I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC of the book.

This book is part of a series, you don’t need to read the others first.
Rowan and her brother Malcolm were kidnapped when they were young. Rowan is saved and is haunted with the loss of her big brother. Rowan, along with her search and rescue dog Thor, team up with detective Evan to solve a murder. Loved this book.
Every book Kendra has written is worth reading, at least once.
Thanks to Montlake and the author for the advance copy through NetGalley. The review is my own.

This book come straight to serve and it did. It had it all. Throughout my entire read it and had so many ohh and ahhhs moment, that I couldn’t even keep a tab on them. I loved it!

My Thoughts
25 years is a long time for a loved one’s family to grieve their lost member.

A long time to not only grieve but also keep hope alive that maybe a body could be found and laid to rest appropriately.

Adding to that is the fact the convicted serial killer in prison cannot, will not divulge where Rowan’s older brother lies in the ground.

Having grown up feeling remorse that she was found and brought home to her parents and younger twin sisters Rowan Wolff works tirelessly with her Search and Rescue dog Thor to find others who are missing, children especially.

Building this story using multiple plot and timelines the author weaves a well described look at how important SAR is, and how clues that were missed can be found by fresh eyes.

Along the way important connections throughout paint a picture far from pretty but ones very necessary to further advance when, why, where and how things finally converge.

I cannot even begin to explain how much this story has to offer for fans of the series but let me just tell you it is a masterpiece of what an amazing imagination can bring to life in book form.

I feel that this one played out like the best kind of movie in one’s head as you read it.
[EArc from Netgalley]

On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Shocking and Crazy Good!!

This story spans years from when Rowena and her brother Malcom where kidnapped to present day.

Evan is the lead detective on a case that keeps leading back to Rowena. He’s been attracted to her for a while but somehow held back.

She has never stoped looking for her brother in all these years. As an adult she is a SAR’s member with her dog Thor.

There were a lot of revelations that I didn’t expect. This was a absolute page turning drama. Evil comes in all forms. I was a little confused about what the bad guys motive was but I guess evil doesn’t alway have a reason.

Some of the description of what happened to the kids was hard to get though. Overall this was a excellent read.

A compulsive, disturbing, fantastic book! I loved the case and the continuation of characters. This series is unique in that each book features a different character/characters story yet the characters from other books in the series make an appearance. They are all intertwined and the books come together in a fantastic way. The case was disturbing and heartbreaking but there was also so much love here. I loved this installment and can't wait for another!

A different kind of story. I did not realise that it was one of a series, however I feel it works as a stand-alone book as well.
I enjoyed it, as something a bit different to read

I’ve been reading Kendra for years, since my mom bought me a kindle for Christmas and I discovered her on kindle unlimited. Her books are great. Not the typical csi, ncis, law and order detective book. It’s deep, dark cat and mouse that makes your heart pitter patter.

-murder
-kidnapping
-creepy woods

What more could you want??! This takes place between *then* and *now*… the canine search and rescue expert is a little too close to home with what may be a serial killer on their heels. She’s the connection but who is it?!??!

The First Death was a great thriller, I loved the twists and all my theories only turned out to be half right which I found interesting too, like the author led you halfway there but you had to figure out the second half of each twist.

The serial killer story line in this book had me hooked as we continuously got multiple time lines and perspectives that kept the story fresh and hooking. I loved the small romance side plot with Evan and Rowan, especially as Evan started realizing his all three of his cases involved her, which made developing a relationship impossible.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Rowan Wolff is still trying to find her brother's body after 25 years. She and her brother were kidnapped as kids and she was rescued, but he was killed and buried in an undisclosed location. She was found by an animal rescue worker and his dog. She later grew up to be a search/rescue dog handler. She is working a case with detective Evan Bolton and there are more clues that tie into the original kidnapping and murders. Eventually they figure everything out but only after some huge surprises and misdirections. The book is fast paced and engaging. I always try to figure out the villains/culprits before they are revealed and I only got it half right. This book is the 4th one in the Columbia River series by Kendra Elliott. It is read easily as a stand alone novel because she includes any relevant relationships and information from the previous books.
Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake for the Advanced Reader Copy of the book for my real review.

As my first book by Kendra Elliot, I am shook and happy to provide it with a five star rating. I know that I’ll be going back to read her previous books and will be watching for this author in the future. This story of Rowan and Malcolm with dual perspectives of past and present is not one you want to miss. Rowan and Malcolm were kidnapped and held captive during their childhood. This tale finds Rowan in her adulthood navigating the traumas of her past. Evan is the detective assigned to several murders when he comes across Rowan and her shocking past. Rowan and Evan work together to uncover the truth about how the past and present may be connected after all. I loved the past/present perspectives of both Rowan and Malcolm as well as the different plots pointing the storyline in different directions to keep the reader guessing until the very end.

Thank you NetGalley and Montlake Publishing for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I just reviewed The First Death by Kendra Elliot. #TheFirstDeath #NetGalley
excellent book and characters. nice to revisit them and hope for many more books. totally recommend. great series

I loved this book so much, it's not normally the type of thing I read but I was completely hooked and I'd loved to see a Rowan series, such a brilliant character!

Enough twists and turns to keep you on your toes, but it's just a great, great story. Very well written, character development was fantastic.

Well worth a read

Brilliant book, wonderfully written as are all her books. Great story that covers 25 years, with a few twists to keep things interesting

I love the world that Kendra Elliot has created in these books and the seamless way the characters flow back and forth through the books. This books focus is on Evan Bolton and Rowan Wolff. At the age of five Rowan and her brother were kidnapped. Rowan was rescued and her brother wasn’t and the mystery of what happened to him had driven her life. After a body is found connections are made to Rowan’s kidnapping and the murder of her babysitter. Will Evan be able to unwrap the mysteries of the past and solve his current murders?
So good! This can be read as a stand alone, but let’s be honest you are missing some seriously good reads if you don’t read the rest of Kendra’s books.

The First Death is part of a series but it’s not necessary to read the others first. I liked the characters but didn’t feel attached or invested like I do in my favorite books. This book has some good plot twists and I wasn’t able to predict what happens next or how it ends, which is what makes it so good.

This was my first book by this author, I did not read the previous books, but I didn’t feel like I needed to which is great writing! It was intense from the beginning and Kendra really makes you feel like you are right there with these characters. Really disturbing story, which makes for a great thriller. Loved it

Kendra Elliot is an amazing author. I have about 7 of her books in my library at the moment. I loved them all. When I got the chance to review this one I immediately took it. I loved this book. The plot was amazing. I didn’t see it coming at all. I couldn’t put it down and the character were written very well. I have no complaints whatsoever about this book.

3.5 stars rounded to 4 for rating
This was a decent suspense/thriller story. It is part of a series but can be read as a stand alone (I have not read the previous books in the series).
For about 60% of this book I was not impressed. I didn’t really have a good grasp on the main plot because there was truly so much going on. By the ending I really enjoyed the story and how we came to an ending. I do still think there was way too much in one storyline and could have been shaved down a bit. Overall, a good thriller suspense.

I can't possibly give the incredible review this novel deserves.. So much drama and intensity, twists and turns. Jaw clenching, shoulders wrapped up around my ears with tension, were just a few of the emotions that ripped through me. Eyes that wanted to tear up a few times.. omg.
I absolutely loved the parts that looked back to see what Rowan and Malcolm went through.
An incredible roller coaster of a ride. I did NOT want this novel to end, it was that good. I tried to read this slow, by telling myself I'd take little breaks.. that didn't happen. There is no putting down a Kendra Elliot novel until you've read it cover to cover.