I’ve been a super fan of Loreth Anne White for many years. The Angie Pallorino novels are amazing, extremely dark and full of plot twists to keep you guessing until
The end

This is the 3rd book in a series that focuses on Angie Pallorino, now an ex-cop. I was sad to say good-bye to Angie Pallorino with this book because I love a flawed character and Angie was far from perfect. This last book brings us together for one final mystery to be solved and her love interest from the previous books is along for the ride. I love their relationship and the challenges they face trying to make things work now that Angie has been relegated to PI territory. Since discovering Loreth Anne White, I don't think I've read a book of hers that I didn't love and this one is no different. Since this is part of a series, I highly recommend reading the first two so that you can have a good understanding of Angie. I think without taking the journey with her throughout the trilogy, you won't connect with her as much as I have.

Thanks to Netgalley and Loreth Anne White for the ARC.

Note to self: read the description better
I had no idea this was the third book in a series, I attempted it anyway since it was the big finale and I didn’t have the motivation to make it through the first two books. So my review is a little tainted in that way.

I read this was the last book in the series. I hope not but if it was, then it was a fantastic way to wrap things up. Angie finally gets the closure to round the circle. I recommend reading the books in order.

I love all the characters in this series, especially Angie. She lost her identity, her family, her job and maybe even the love of her life. She is relatable as she struggles to find herself.

This is a very well written, fast-paced, page-turner with a shocking ending. This addictive novel has it all - suspense, thrills, secrets, lies, deception, betrayal, and unreliable characters. It was an absolutely amazing read.

I hope there is a spin-off series in the works. Holgersen's storyline isn't complete.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake Romance and Loreth Anne White for a copy of "The Girl in the Moss" for an honest review.

“You are so stubborn that you had to turn it all around, didn’t you?”


My excuse for taking an excessive amount of time after release to pick this up—Angie Pallorino's latest and now greatest, in my eyes—has proven to be pointless. Null and void. And I’m nothing other than incredibly overjoyed. I’d wrongly assumed this novel was the inevitable goodbye. A farewell to a couple I’ve rooted for since their unexpected beginning. Or a "see ya" to the guy whose unusual rhetoric and mysterious backstory have piqued my curiosity over the entirety of the series. And I just wasn't ready. BUT, what I've taken too long to say here is, it’s apparent there's more to come. No timeline or official announcement that I’ve seen as of yet, but the lingering storyline threads make it known a continuation or spin-off is imminent.

One thing to admire about ex-cop Angie Pallorino is her fierce independence. Unfortunately, as fans of the series know, it’s also proven to be one of her biggest downfalls. Her gut reaction is to push people away, and with her history, it's almost understandable. Almost.

The Girl in the Moss finds Angie in transition. Now a disgraced ex-cop, she’s having a hard time making a go of things as a private investigator, heightened by the media scrutiny. Turning over her badge has meant relinquishing her sense of self. It’s tough to watch those lingering insecurities bleed into her relationship with Maddocks after all they've been through. And at a time when they should be riding the high . . . together.

It’s a set of bones, uncovered in a damp and mossy forest, during a fly fishing trip, that provides the break Angie desperately needs. An opportunity to prove herself and give a grieving grandmother the answers she seeks. The major obstacle Angie faces, the locals who aren’t too kind when it comes to strangers asking questions. Especially those who are as unrelenting and tenacious as she is.

If you have yet to experience the power of Loreth Anne White’s storytelling—I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again—you’re missing out. Not only does White bring a complex investigation, but she also packs the pages with transportive details, interesting characters and just the right dose of romance. There’s nothing cookie-cutter or predictable; no cut corners or phoning it in. Each and every aspect of her storyline is well thought-out.

I hate to play favorites, but of the three Pallorino books this one earns the gold star. The culmination of Angie’s experiences and growth over the course of the series lands her in a pivotal moment of perfection. The realization that she deserves everyone that’s become a part of her life is both heartfelt and deeply satisfying. Some might even say “awww” inducing.

If you don’t know, I’ve been harboring a serious crush on Maddocks. He's proven to be a standup guy pretty much from the first moment we were introduced to the detective and that three-legged sidekick of his. Incredibly patient, supportive and driven, how could anyone not fall for the guy? And I didn’t even mention the nickname Angie first gave him. *wink*

Kjel Holgersen is the one character who’s managed to avoid sharing his truth. Sure, he’s let a few head-scratching tidbits slip out, only serving to ramp up my curiosity. I’m DYING for his backstory and secretly hoping he gets his very own book. No doubt, his unique diction (think Holder from The Killing on Netflix) over an entire novel would prove to be interesting; both for readers and I assume for White to write.

Whenever, wherever, however and with whomever. It could be a continuation of this series or a spinoff; I’ll take anything White is willing to give us.

Beautifully descriptive, this book will take you on a journey like no other. I dod not see the end of this coming and would happily read another by this author.

The Girl in the Moss by Loreth Anne White is the final book in the Angie-Pallorino series. Each installment has carried “individual” stories that can be read as standalones, but I would still recommend that the books be read in order for the reader to get a true grasp of the depth of characterization that has gone into these stories Loreth has crafted.

Loreth is a writer of darker edged suspense, with just enough romance in the mix to appease readers like myself. If Loreth chooses to write pure suspense, I would still buy her books because she is an author who always gets it right, regardless. The darkness in her books calls to a part of me, which perhaps even I do not understand. Loreth’s deep understanding of human nature, and the way she tells it as it is; all that and more are reasons why I would always keep coming back for more.

The Girl in the Moss begins when the body of a woman is uncovered in the moss, in an area where both ex-cop Angie Pallorino and Detective James Maddocks goes to get away from the stress of city life, their jobs, and the countless other issues that has plagued their union from the beginning. When the body is discovered, Angie and Maddocks are the first detectives with experience to arrive at the scene. However, with Angie now no longer being part of the active police force, her resentment which is always at the surface flares up, at which point everything starts heading downhill.

The tables turn when Angie is summoned by the grandmother of Jasmine Gulati, the woman whose body was discovered, with the grandmother willing hire Angie’s services to find out certain aspects related to Jasmine’s disappearance 25 years ago, and the circumstances surrounding Jasmine’s life before the incident had taken place. At first Angie is reluctant, even as intrigued as she is about the elements surrounding Jasmine’s disappearance and death by accidental drowning as the coroner had concluded. But as Angie delves deeper into the case, she puts the final nail in the coffin that drives her boyfriend Maddocks away, and in the pursuit of the truth, uncovers more than she bargained for.

Small town alliances, familial relationships, the unchecked sexual power and hedonistic nature of one woman and how it had played out for her in the end; all of that and more are at the heart of this story. How the brutal sexual assault and violation of a boy with developmental issues at a tender age made him more reclusive, and creates amidst a close-knit society a killer in the gentle giant he is otherwise. It was hard to abhor a character of that nature, even when he had performed such evil, when his troubled past is taken into account.

Explosive secrets that could rip families apart surface, and age old wounds that some didn’t even believe existed, but were festering underneath the daily grind of life open up and along comes Angie, pricking and prodding, doing what she does best. Stubborn to a fault, like a dog with a bone, that is in essence who Angie is. How two different investigations collide, bringing to light the full picture, that alone was reason enough for this book to deserve commendation.

Even with all her faults, Angie still makes for a likable heroine. There are so many facets to her character that makes you want to shake her, and shake her good. Her stubborn and dogged determination does not apply to her work alone, but to her personal life as well. With a past such as hers, colorful to say the least, with memories of the kind that would cripple anyone’s emotional well-being, Angie fights all of it, and fights those who try to get close to her.

Maddocks finally calling it quits made me admire him on a level I cannot explain. Maddocks has always been a larger than life figure in this trilogy, even though the main focus has always been Angie. Loreth’s ability to craft such characters and give them voice has the reader wanting more, definitely more. Maddocks is absolutely that kind of character. Though his role in this last book is almost nonexistent, his presence is somehow felt throughout. That is the kind of brilliance that Loreth brings to the table as a writer.

Reading through my notes for this review has made me appreciate the story all the more. This is a novel that runs through the reader’s mind like a movie that unfolds right in front of you giving deep insight and clarity. It is the kind of story that is rare, and perhaps because of that very reason, all the more coveted. Loreth is an author who deserves more recognition as a writer, whose books deserve to be sensationalized, if that hasn’t happened already. It would be redundant for me to say at this point that I am looking forward to the next book, The Dark Bones set for release in May next year.

The Girl in the Moss is the kind of book that makes choosing the next book to read that much harder. All because you know deep down inside that nothing would ever live up to where your last read took you to. I just wish that there were more books in the series, even though I can sense the need to end the trilogy at this point. The best kind of series are those than an author completes, giving the due closure needed, and at the same time, leaves the reader wanting more.

Recommended for those who love tangible suspense and tension that unfurls and coils around you as you delve deeper, books that you can sink yourself into and forget the rest of the world.

Final Verdict: Just when you think that Loreth wouldn’t be able to surprise you, she brings on plot twists that just leaves you speechless. Excellent plot & fantastic execution. To see the changes Angie has undergone was the icing on the cake.

Favorite Quotes

Maybe it wasn’t just truth. Maybe at the heart of it all, at the heart of all that was human, even in the dark, was love.

Such a page turner. Loved this book and I suggest you read it! Perfect for my weekend at home and curling up with a good book.

I love the Angie Pallorino series - the characters are so well developed and the plots are amazingly complex and detailed, though not overwhelming. I hope it goes on for a long time. So, naturally I had to check this latest book out.

This third addition to the series is just as good as he other two, in my opinion.

FYI: I would recommend reading the other two in the series before you tackle this one, but it is not imperative that you do so, as the main mystery stands alone.

The third book follows Angie as she embarks on her private investigator career (having been fired from the police department) and things with Maddocks heat up - which slows Angie down. As all this is happening, Angie and Maddocks literally happen upon a body and Angie is asked to look into the 24-year-old cold case by the victim’s last remaining family member. Turns out, the victim’s life is just as complex as Angie’s, which means things aren’t going to be easy.

I loved how meaty this mystery was. There were a lot of threads to pull and Angie really methodically went over everything in a way that made things less overwhelming for the reader and gave the book a lot of suspense. If you figure this one out, I commend you, because it’s very multi-faceted. But brilliant. So, so brilliant.

I also liked where the characters themselves - Angie, Maddocks, Holgersen - because it opens the door for some great storylines in the future, which I look forward to. It takes talent to keep readers wanting more after three books, and I certainly do!

I have really become a fan of Ms. White over the last couple of years and Angie Pallorino series has quickly become a favorite. Lately I've been avoiding the "too damaged" characters, but in Angie's case her growth and determination to face a challenge keeps me glued to her stories.

This book game me heart palpitations when issues developed between Angie and Maddocks and at the end with Kjel. These characters are so much a part of the series that you become vested in them, you can't help but want everything to work out. In previous books, I wasn't sure how to feel about Maddock's daughter, but in this book she was awesome. One of the reasons I like Ms. White's stories/writing is her ability to develop characters that don't seem cliché. Her characters feel real and fleshed out.

The plot of working through the cold case of finding the skeleton of a woman who went missing 24 years ago was really well done. There were some tense moments which I always enjoy and I also liked how it tied to the cases that Kjel was working on. I was wondering how Angie's "work" (now that she's no longer part of the police dept.) would be woven into future stories and I really liked this next move in her career.

Although I love this series and will definitely continue to read it, I would also welcome some stand alone books by Ms. White.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for an opportunity to read and review an ARC.

I love the Angie Pallorino series and have been fortunate to receive them on Netgalley. I recommend them in store all the time. I can’t wait to see where Angie’s story goes next.

The Girl in the Moss – Loreth Anne White

This is the third book in the Angie Pallorino series. This book follows Angie and her boyfriend, homicide detective James as they go on vacation to do some fishing. What is supposed to be a relaxing getaway, turns into a mystery as they are near the rivers’ edge where a skeleton was just found. Angie is no longer a co, but is now working towards her PI license and wants to be involved in this case but the notoriety of her past, causes issues in the investigation, as well as her job as a PI.
I have really enjoyed all of White’s books, especially this series. I am always looking forward to when another book in the series is released. Hopefully this isn’t the end to these characters, but that the series continues. Overall, a great book that I would recommend.


** I was given a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review **

The Girl in the Moss has Angie a little out of sorts as the story first starts being as she was fired from thepolice force, and her identity and worth so tied up with the job. Now, she must complete a certain number of hours in the field to get her private investigator license. The only way to do that is by logging time with a PI, such as Coastal Investigations where she’s already on thin ice due to her notoriety.

Angie’s insecurities lead her to bungle things up with Maddocks, so Angie’s on thin ice with him, too, but she has a plan to fix it. Thank goodness she realizes she’s being an idiot early on and realizes how much Maddocks means to her, because otherwise I’d really have to slap that girl! (Yes, I do realize she’s a fictional character…) Loved Maddocks being patient and at the same time not taking shit. Maddocks’ daughter was a delight here as well!

Things start looking up when a case basically falls in her lap. A woman was swept over the falls in group fly-fishing trip several women took as part of a documentary twenty-four years back. Her body finally washes up and things may not have been as they appeared. Angie digs into the case and finds a hotbed of lies and deceptions, and stirring up the past does not make her popular in this little town! It’s a close-knit town and the locals are far from friendly!

As usual, Loreth Anne White’s writing is beautiful and makes you feel as if you’re right there with Angie. Eerie and atmospheric, as are the other books, crackling with tension, and a sense of impending danger. I was really worried for Angie’s safety with the men in this small town. Some of the mystery I guessed, but some of it was an absolute surprise. I like that the clues and story lead you to conclusions that make sense, and I also enjoy a few twists I didn’t see coming. I like that there was a little of both here.

I’m really sad to say goodbye to this series! I can’t believe this is the last book because I think there are several threads left unexplored, such as Leo and his shiftiness (hate him!) and then Holgerson! A whole book could revolve around Holgerson! Maybe a spinoff? At any rate, I’ve loved every one of the Angie Pallorino books and recommend them to anyone who loves a gripping mystery with interesting characters and a romance to root for!

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆☆
Angie and Maddocks’ relationship is very much on the rocks. Maddocks want to take it to the next level but with her career in tatters, Angie is hesitant to commit because she doesn’t feel she has anything to offer. While Angie and Maddocks are on a guided fishing holiday, a skeleton is discovered on the banks of the river. The death is ruled an accident but the only living relative of the deceased hires Angie to investigate the deceased last days.

Angie’s investigation had me on the edge of my seat. As she moved from one witness to the next, I started to put the pieces together and for once I actually figured out who did it well before it was revealed. Of course, I wasn’t sure I was right until the end. It didn’t matter that I’d figured it out because watching Angie uncover the mystery was compelling reading. This is on the edge of your seat stuff and at times, it was downright scary. And I loved every nail biting minute.

The Girl in the Moss is the final instalment in the Angie Pallorino series and Loreth Anne White saved the best for last. I’m sad to see this excellent series end and I hope there will be a spin off in our future.


Sarah – ☆☆☆☆☆
4.5 stars

This was an unexpected pleasure. My reaction to the last book in this series was pretty tepid so I really didn’t expect to enjoy this book as much as I did. In this third book, Angie has worked through some of her personal baggage and is attempting to start a new career as a private investigator. Her first proper case is a thirty-year-old unexplained death. What starts as information gathering soon spirals into a complicated and terrifying investigation.

Angie Pallorino will always be an awkward, complicated character but I found myself actually liking her for most of this story. She’s still not great with authority and her relationship with Maddocks is much messier than it needs to be – but she is both competent and relatable here.

The complicated plot of this story is also cleverly crafted. The investigation involves two distinct groups of characters – liberal filmmakers associated with an urban university and the closely knit residents of an isolated small town. I loved the clash of cultures and the way the complicated threads of the investigation are slowly pulled apart. The pacing is brilliant, and I loved the suspense here.

On a more personal level, I loved the Vancouver Island settings. The author captures both the urban and rural environments beautifully and it made my expat heart incredibly homesick. I’ve wanted to love this series from the start and this is the book that made my patience worthwhile. I’m excited for the next story.

This is the third volume in the Angie Pallorino series, after The Drowned Girls and The Lullaby Girl
The heroine, Angie, is tasked by a retired judge with investigating the last days lived by her grand-daughter who disappeared in a mountain river twenty five years ago and whose skeleton has just been found.

In this volume the couple who was created in the first volume is struggling. In the previous volumes the heroine was definitively fired from the police, she had to face her violent and forgotten past which has then been exposed in every newspaper, and she doesn’t know who she is or what she can do with her life. It’s when the hero, who supported her through the ordeals she went through, decides to give her an ultimatum concerning their couple. He‘s under the impressionthat she doesn’t want to commit to their couple because she didn’t answer directly to his proposal, and he thinks now it’s her turn to come to him. Frankly I wanted to hit him behind the head to knock some sense into him; if the roles had been reversed I’m not sure he would have been receptive to the idea of getting married at such a time.

This third volume is even more centered on the investigation Angie is engaged in than the previous volumes in which Maddox was much more seen. Here he’s almost present only in the heroine’s thoughts except a little at the beginning. So we really see her evolve gradually, understanding her fears and what she really wants, sometimes by making a parallel between people she meets or stories she hears and her own life.

The plot is once again complex, I really wonder what happens in those authors’ heads to manage to find things so elaborated and twisted, but the positive side is that even if I had guessed one element of the final solution I was far from having guessed what had really happened. That’s something I love in suspense.

The secondary characters met by Angie through her investigation are quite uncouth and the atmosphere is dark with a lot of underlying violence. On the other hand Angie isn’t gentle in her questionings, at times she insist in a painful way for the people she’s questioning and I thought several time that it was going to end badly. Besides this there are funny moments with Maddox’s daughter who has got a lot of energy and jumps on the occasions to help with her father and future step-mother’s happiness.

However a recurrent point with the previous volumes is the weather. Rain, rain, and rain again, with some storms here and there, and as the investigation takes Angie in the mountains we also have snow and some icy patches for good measure. Enough to put you off going in holidays in this part of Canada lol.

But at the end the guilty party is revealed, Angie and Maddox are back together, and the sun finally appears lol. To conclude a very good sequel (and perhaps ending) to this series I really liked a lot.

Once again, if the Prologue doesn't grab you in this 3rd book of the Angie Pallorino series then I don't know what will. Loreth Anne White has quickly become one of my favourite romantic suspense writers.
Disgraced ex-cop Angie Pallorino is determined to make a fresh start as a private investigator. But first, she and homicide detective James Maddocks attempt to rekindle their struggling romance with a quiet getaway, a guided fishing trip. Their peace is short-lived when human skeletal remains are discovered in a nearby mossy forest.
Ruled an accident, the only living relative of the deceased hires Angie to investigate the deceased's final days. Angie's probe leads to many twists, turns and compelling reading!
Loreth Anne White completes the story of Angie Pallorino and I am deeply saddened to see her go.
I highly recommend this series and reading it in order, if possible.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I didn't finish this book because it wasn't for me. It was well written and the characters fully realized but int he end the story just wasnt something I wanted to devote any more time to.

Unfortunately between the lack of intensity, the separation between Angie and Maddocks, and all the will-they-won't-they repetition, I just kind could've done without this one. I much would've preferred the more open ending of the second book. But I suppose my expectations could've been too high. Again though I'm left wondering: what about everything with Leo? wtf will we ever know anything about Holgersen? Also, side note, why did Maddocks completely lack a personality in this one? I'm okay with Angie being a bit more of a good girl, as opposed to a self-destructive hotmess, because the true blue Angie was still there. But her boyfriend gets a promotion, becomes all important, and apparently, that means he turns to cardboard. And also has no relevance to the overall story. Cool beans.

She loved him with all her heart, and a part of her resented him because he was so goddamn perfect.

The second episode of the Angie Pallorino series (The Lullaby Girl) saw Angie fired from the Police force after going off on her own bat and not following orders. Now she is trying to get her PI license so she can go into business for herself. She and Maddocks are also trying to rekindle their romance after the horrific events of their last case together and are enjoying a fly fishing expedition in a Canadian wilderness lodge when a skeleton is found in the moss near the river. The remains are found to belong to a young woman, Jasmine Gulati who disappeared 24 years ago. Her death was believed to be an accidental drowning but when Angie is hired by the girl’s grandmother to look into the events leading up to the accident, she uncovers dark secrets that the locals are more than keen to protect.

I love this series. Angie is such a tough, feisty character, determined to get justice no matter the cost. The Canadian wilderness is painted as rugged and beautiful but tinged with danger for the unaware. The plot itself is rich and dark with twangs of “Deliverance” in the menacing roughneck locals and their treatment of outsiders. It was great to see Angie overcome her personal barriers to make some decisions about what she wants in her future. I hope this doesn't turn out to be a trilogy as I would love to see the next episode in her life!

Favorite quote: We all tell lies. We all have secrets. A secret can own a person. A secret is powerful. But only to the degree that the truth threatens someone.”

I’m not sure what it was about the blurb that captured my attention, but I’m so glad it did. I have not read romantic suspense in a while and I realize now that I’ve missed it. Also, I had no issues reading this out-of-order. The author gives us enough within this story that it all makes sense.

In a nutshell, Angie Pallorino is an ex-detective who was let go after shooting and killing a suspect when she went a bit rogue on a case she had been working on. Additionally, that case brought forth certain truths about her own past that she was completely unaware of. She is attempting to rebuild her career in private investigations and is currently working with a company called Coastal Investigations, but only until she has enough hours under her belt. After that, she plans to strike out on her own.

Angie is in a relationship with Det. James Maddocks, who she had previously worked with while on the force. They are in love, but Angie is struggling with recent events, the loss of her job and rebuilding her career. In an attempt to spend quality time, they go away for a long weekend to camp and fish. On their last night while packing up to leave, they hear a man screaming for help. He was out along the banks of the Nahamish River harvesting wild mushrooms when he stumbles upon partially unearthed human remains. An autopsy reveals the body to be that of Jasmine Gulati, who was seen going over the falls in 1994, 24 years before.

What follows is an incredibly twisted story with multiple layers of deception, revealed slowly and in such a way that it kept me guessing until nearly the end. I love to guess the outcome when reading RS, but my first choice of the “killer” was off; and while I admit to figuring out part of the details about who killed Jasmine, there was so much more to it. So many secrets, not only about what happened to Jasmine and who killed her, but the lengths people will go to protect those they love. Add to that, a small town where everyone knows everyone and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a big cover up where more than just the killer is at fault. Beyond the murder, you have the story of the women who were with Jasmine on the fated fishing trip that took her life, as well as some crossover between other cold cases. White spins a fantastic mystery with awesome connectivity between all the pieces. I will definitely be reading the prior two books and look forward to more from this author.

Note: While there is an element of romance in this story I wanted to note that Angie and Maddocks while together at the beginning of the story, take a break right after their weekend trip when the body is found. Angie is struggling to commit, so Maddocks, frustrated, puts the relationship ball in her court. They are apart through the whole book until nearly the end when everything is wrapped up and they do appear together in the epilogue.