A serial killer is targeting the young girls in the town of Pine Valley, Ca. Newly minted Detective Katie Scott and her military working dog, Cisco, have made it their mission to catch The Toymaker. When another girl is taken, Katie is up against numerous obstacles including backlash from her own department.
I really wanted to love this book as it had the makings of a great read. Unfortunately, I just could not connect with the main character.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for review.

Katie has just arrived home in California after leaving the Army. She is suffering from anxiety and PTSD but is working through her problems with the help of her trusted service dog Cisco. After returning home Katie goes to work for the local police department and stumbles upon a 5-year-old cold case that she is drawn to look into and solve.

In some moments Katie is portrayed as this bad-ass, take-no-crap female veteran but then in other moments, she is allowing herself to be walked all over by a jerk misogynistic detective. Also, some of her thought processes just didn't make sense.

This book is said to be in the thriller/mystery/crime genres and while the plot definitely fits those descriptions, I just wasn’t all that blown away by the mystery aspect of it.

I found a lot of it to be predictable and not very “thriller” like. After having read Karin Slaughter thrillers, this one just couldn’t hang,

This book wasn’t necessarily bad. I just didn’t think that it held up very well compared to other books in this genre that I have read.

I enjoyed this book! It's definitely more of a police procedural than a thriller but it's well written and I can't wait to find out more about Katie in the coming books!

This is a great start to a new series. The author’s plotting skills are extraordinary and I look forward to the next installment. Detective Katie Scott is a lively, original heroine and a pleasure to read.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for a review. Wow, what a thriller! This was my first Jennifer Chase book but definitely not my last! Little girls sleeping kept me turning pages! Katie came home from military duties with her canine partner Cisco, and took up working in Sherriff’s office. Her natural abilities soon had her working on a 4 year old cold case of a missing little girl. Can’t wait for book two!

Little Girls Sleeping – Jennifer Chase

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review.

Katie Scott is fresh off the plane from deployment in Afghanistan and undecided as to what she’ll do now. On a leave of absence from Sacramento PD, she is unsure if she wants to return to police work, especially after the atrocities she saw as part of the K9 explosives team. As a result, her Uncle Wayne, Sheriff of Pine Valley, offers her a temporary job clerking in the department, which she readily accepts. He also surprises her with her K9 partner, Cisco, who, for me, is the complete star of this book.

While dropping off some documents to his office on day, she notices a case file he left out – that of a child who’s been missing for a few months. She immediately is drawn to the file – as a child she had a friend that suddenly disappeared, never to be found. She peruses, then copies the file to study. On her off time, she starts searching remote areas for signs of a dumping site, and inadvertently finds two small depressions in the ground, that resemble graves.

When the site is excavated, and the children’s bodies are recovered, the search for the killer commences in full swing. The lead Detective on the case is now openly hostile to Katie, who has unexpectedly been promoted to Detective by her uncle and several others share his contempt. While assisting the task force, Katie quietly investigates on her own, and in doing so, she unknowingly angers a killer. Then, another child goes missing…

I loved this book!! I’m always looking for a new series, and this series is most promising! Katie and her partner Cisco, are very likeable, and there are a lot of potential characters and storylines left open for further development as the series continues. Full of suspense and hard for me to put down! I highly recommend! If you enjoy the Creed series by Alex Kava, you’ll love Katie & Cisco!

First book in a new series by Jennifer Chase. This book started out well, but i didn't connect well with the main character Katie. I found that she did get on my nerves quite a bit. There wasn't much charterer development in this book for me either. As the book went on i found it was all becoming a bit disjointed. I didn't read the book till the end, but this book wasn't really for me.

Little Girls Sleeping is the first novel in a new detective series by Jennifer Chase. The main character, Katie Scott, is a newly returned army veteran. After time working K9 bomb detection she has gone home to Pine Valley, California where she has her family home and her uncle is the sheriff. Katie is a trained cop who starts searching for the missing girl in a local cold case. When Katie finds the missing girls she not only pisses off the original detective on the cases but the murderer.

I found the story well paced and the characters interesting. The character development in the book was just enough for the first book of a series. I will definitely be picking up the next book in this series to see what else Katie gets up to in Pine Valley.

I absolutely loved this book. There were characters to love, some to hate and a few to be very suspicious of. Katie Scott is easy to like, even her bad points are understandable. She hasn't had an easy life and this has turned her into a feisty, determined woman who lets no-one put her down. At the same time she has nightmares and panic attacks and just silently screams for someone to look after her.
There were several suspects here and although I read a lot of crime fiction, and think of myself as pretty instinctive, until the final denouement I was unsure just who the killer was.
I had never heard of the author and as the title described this as Katie Scott book 1 I assumed this was her first book. I was delighted therefore to discover that she has written several series featuring other protagonists. I will be checking them out sooner rather than later.
Review will be posted to Goodreads.com and Amazon.co.uk

Little Girls Sleeping
(Detective Katie Scott Book 1)
by Jennifer Chase

4 stars

A gripping murder mystery detective story, featuring new detective Katie Scott.

When Katie starts digging through some cold cases, she stumbles on some over looked clues that lead to the discovery of two bodies on young girls.

An eight-year-old girl, Chelsea Compton, is missing in Pine Valley, California and for Detective Katie Scott it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Unable to shake the memories, Katie vows she won’t rest until she discovers what happened to Chelsea.

The story catches you from the first to the last page, drawing the reader in.

Well written and authentic storyline.

#LittleGirlsSleeping #NetGalley

Little Girls Sleeping is a summer thriller by Jennifer Chase. Plagued by PTSD from her stint in Afghanistan, Katie Scott returns home. To adjust back to civilian life she takes a filing job at her Uncles police station. Katie was a patrol officer before her time in the Army and when she stumbles across a stack of cold case files she is immediately drawn to a case of a young girl abducted 4 years earlier. On a mission to find closure, Katie cows to do all she can to bring justice to this case. But is she prepared for what she will find? Will this help quell her anxiety and find the path for her own future? I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.

A new author to me and a new series of books featuring Detective Katie Scott. We learn that Katie has just returned from tours in Afghanistan and she is suffering from PTSD and anxiety but having being reunited with her army dog Cisco helps. She has returned home to Pine Valley, California where her uncle is the local sheriff. He offers her an office bases job inputting police data onto the computer. Whilst doing this she stumbles across a cold case from four years ago where a young girl went missing. This brings back bad memories for Katie as years ago her best friend at school Chelsea, was abducted and murdered. On reading the notes Katie decides to investigate the case unbeknown to anyone else as she believes it wasn’t investigated fully. This causes a stir amongst her colleagues as she questions how they handled the original case. When she then discovers a row of graves one of which was Chelsea’s and another girl goes missing Katie realises that she has a race against time to find the killer. This is a fast paced thriller with a good storyline with plenty of twists and turns before the killer is revealed. This book is a promising start to a new series, A recommended read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love the feeling of beginning a brand new series especially when it is also my favourite genre. I knew "Little Girls Sleeping" would prove to be an excellent choice and also a thrilling read!

This was a thriller with a well-thought-out plot, lots of excitement and drama and several viable suspects. I was gripped from the start, through every twist and turn. I tried to guess the identity of the abductor but was unable to. The book was told from the main character, Detective Katie Scott's, point of view. Katie was good at her job and she had great instincts and so much determination.

The plot was very solid, the writing was wonderfully paced and I never felt bored or had any concentration lapses. The ending was fulfilling, shocking and totally unexpected. I wholeheartedly recommend "Little Girls Sleeping" by Jennifer Chase and I'm already excited to see how the series continues. Rating: 5 Stars.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

my 1st book buy this author and so enjoyed Katie has been in the armed forces and decides to go home to decide what she wants to do her uncle is the sheriff and he brings back her dog Cisco and what a dog she decides to work at police station and a case catches her eye thats all im saying this book is a must read so cant wait for book 2

Katie Scott leaves the army and returns home. Her uncle arranges for her to join his police department and she is soon upsetting the locals with her drive and determination which makes them feel inadequate.
She struggles to adapt to civilian life. I was surprised that she is so used to taking orders during her army days but frequently goes off on her own to investigate, therefore breaking the rules and disobeying her superiors.
We have a little insight into the mind of the killer as some chapters show his perspective and psychological state. There are red herrings to misdirect the reader into suspecting particular characters.
Katie is a wonderful character and lead for a new series. She is strong and passionate but also caring and deeply affected by her time in the army. She is ably supported in her investigations by her army dog Cisco and I look forward to seeing how her relationship with her ex Chad develops later in the series.
I was a little disappointed by the ending because I wanted to know more detail about the killer’s motivation. I felt that this book was an excellent way of introducing Katie to the world but that the crimes were secondary so didn’t quite get the coverage they should have done.

Why didn't my ignorant self discover Jennifer Chase before!! While good detective thrillers are easy to come by, they hardly leave a lasting impression; great detective thrillers such as this one certainly are rare and leave a long-lasting impression. Little Girls Sleeping is the first book in the Katie Scott series. I found this book to be completely a twisty and engrossing read! Certainly a page-turner!
Detective Katie Scott, a vet back from Afghanistan is uncertain where life's heading as she goes back home Pine Valley, California. Having a lot of time on her hands she joins the local sheriff's department. When by chance she discovers 8-year old Chelsea Compton missing case files, it’s a cruel reminder of the friend who disappeared from summer camp twenty years ago. Determined to get to the bottom of this case, Katie starts to investigate. The case reveals itself to be much bigger and more shocking than she feared. Hidden deep in the forest she unearths a makeshift cemetery: a row of graves, each with a brightly colored teddy bear. And then when another little girl goes missing, snatched from the park near her home, Katie knows she must act fast to save the little girls life.
This book has many twists you won't see coming - a psychological thriller in its true sense. I loved all the characters in this book. The relationship Katie shares with her dog is heartwarming! Katie is a level-headed, intelligent and driven individual. The relationship she shares with the people around her as been drawn out very well. The plot too was simply fabulous! I loved the ending - it left a few questions in my head(not a cliffhanger), but then I hope they're answered in book 2. Looking forward to more of Katie Scott!
Thank you, NetGalley, Bookouture & Jennifer Chase for an arc!

There were aspects of Little Girls Sleeping that I really enjoyed. The main character, Katie Scott, is a former policeman, recent war veteran and now a Police Detective in her home town. She is strong, intelligent, kind and insightful, which allows her to be able to investigate aspects of missing children's cases that have previously been overlooked. Cisco, her German Shepherd from the war zone, has been allowed to return home with Katie, through the efforts of her uncle, Sheriff Scott.. Their relationship is probably my favorite part of the book.
Unfortunately, not much background information or character development is made for other characters. There are references to things that happened and relationships from the past, but very little information is given. Since I like to absorb as much as possible about characters in a story this was a disappointment to me. However, Little Girls Slleping is meant to be the first in a new series by Jennifer Chase. As I liked Detective Scott very much, I will definitely read the next in the series. Hopefully, some of my questions will be answered then. Many thanks to the au th gir, the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Crawling on hands and knees in the man-made tunnel she comes across what appears to be a small grave with a rectangular box and when she pries the box open she gasps.
Laying inside the box is a well preserved body of a little girl holding a teddy bear on her chest with a slight smile on her face and she appears to be sleeping!

Katie Scott is not your average twenty-something young woman.
Katie has just returned home from Afghanistan as a hero and was also a policewoman before she went overseas. Katie's uncle who happens to be the sheriff in Pine Valley where she grew up offers her a temporary position in his department until she decides what her next step in life will be. What Katie discovers in a cold case file will take her on a relentless search for truth and justice and some life defining moments that also make some adversaries within the police department. Katie never thought that she would be fighting for her life and others so soon after returning from the war but Katie finds out there will b many battles to fight and conquer on her own home turf.

This was a suspenseful and very interesting story with a very likable strong yet vulnerable female character. I am looking forward to reading more books based on Katie Scott The story was fast paced and well-written with terrific characters. I highly recommend to all readers, especially those who enjoy police or detective novels!

I want to thank the author "Jennifer Chase", the publisher "Bookouture" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel and have given my own unbiased review.

I love cold case stories! Katie is coming back to her home town after some years spent in Afgaistan with the Army. She is feeling the weight of these years and tries to overcome the difficulties with being back to normalty. I like that Katie isn’t this uber hero. She is porrait like a real person, with flaws, weaknesses, but also strenghts. She isn’t scaared to stand up for what she believes is right, but knows how to work together too. I must admit, for awhile I was a little afraid for Katie. Even after the case was solved, the danger wasn’t over. Suspense ‘til the very end. Very good start and I can’t wait for the next book

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5 rounded up.

Calling all detective fiction lovers! If you love a strong female lead who just happens to be ex-military turned detective, then Little Girls Sleeping by Jennifer Chase is going to be a book you will have to read.

What it's about: Katie Scott has just come back from Afghanistan and is ready to decompress and figure out what her next steps will be. Before the army, she spent two years as a Sacramento PD patrol cop, so when her uncle who is the sheriff of Pine Valley her childhood home, asks her to help out at his office doing clerical work, she doesn't refuse. She soon finds herself sworn in as a detective after finding a killer's graveyard containing 2 little girls buried in caskets holding teddy bears. She manages to tie these girls to other missing-person's cases and realizes someone has been kidnapping the little girls of Pine Valley for some time. Then another little girl is snatched, and Katie is determined to find the killer, if she can get to him before he kills her . . .

I feel like I was led a bit astray with this book being described as 'compulsive and gripping crime fiction.' While the storyline is certainly interesting and it is definitely crime fiction, I'm not sure I would describe this as gripping, or as having a 'gasping with shock' conclusion. I wasn't really surprised by too much that happened, but I do think Chase did an excellent job throwing suspicion on multiple characters. While some people will be blow away, I just wasn't there, and I thought the ending dragged a bit. Although… the ending did have one quite shocking part that I was not expecting in the slightest.

There is definitely plenty to love about Little Girls Sleeping though! It is a very fast read and it didn't even take me 4 hours to read it. Katie is also a very strong female lead, and I loved her sarcasm and dedication. She has some PTSD from being in the army, and I think the author did an excellent job of making that real and palpable in this book. Katie is a character that you just want to love, along with her dog Cisco. I'm not personally a huge fan of German Shepherd's but they are very smart, and I loved the bond between human and dog in this novel.

Final Thought: Little Girls Sleeping is detective fiction to the max, not to mention the chilling plot with these little girls buried with teddy bears. I just wish it would have been a bit more suspenseful then it turned out, but this is a solid book that many people will enjoy. I would consider this a bit of a slow burn as well, and not necessarily super fast-paced even though it was a quick read for sure and there was lots going on especially as we get further in. I am definitely interested in reading more from this author and of course, more about Detective Katie Scott! I can't wait to see how her story continues.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.