I'm a huge Anne Frasier fan. Her writing is beautiful and gripping. The Body Keeper was no exception. Wow! Talk about brilliant. So many twists and turns and surprises. My mind is still reeling with all of the intricate connections of the different stories in this book. I kept asking myself how on earth she comes up with all of this stuff. I can't wait for more. Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read an early copy of this book.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first Anne Frasier book I've read, and I had a bit of difficulty getting into it at the beginning, as previous events (from previous books, I assume) were often referred to. In that sense, I didn't feel it was quite as stand-alone as it purported to be, and I was constantly trying to fit the pieces of the past - as known to me - together.

That said, the story is compelling and very dark, and holds a rich and complex group of characters. The author has the ability to help us see and feel what Jude does, and that really pulled me in - even though what she must have gone through in her past is beyond my comprehension. Another major character in this story is Minnesota - and more specifically, Minnesota in the grip of a harsh and unforgiving winter. Having grown up with harsh Michigan winters, I can relate. Most, if not all the supporting characters were equally well-drawn.

The twists and turns, many of them not foreseeable, and the final victory, made this a very satisfying read. Highly recommended!

If you have been following the Jude Fontaine series, you will not be disappointed! This is another superb book by Ann Frasier.

I have never read Anne Frasier before, and after reading this, in what appears to be the final part of her Detective Jude Fontaine trilogy, set in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I can understand why the author has such a huge and loyal group of readers. The writing is so good, and so atmospheric, her rich descriptions of the endless snow, bitterly icy winds, and frozen winters experienced the residents made me feel as if I was right there, in the deadly wintery conditions. Jude is a woman with a heartbreaking history of being abducted and tortured, cursed with a father that was nothing short of the worst of horror nightmares, it is unsurprising that she finds it hard to trust and shies away from any human contact. Her strongest relationship is with her cop partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, the two have a relationship that displays their deep understanding of each other, with their ability to communicate with each other that so often needs no words. Jude is gifted with the quality of being an empath, she can tune into the heart of what is going on within a person, and often the dead too.

The frozen body of a child is found beneath the ice of a Minnesota lake, and so the most disturbing of investigations opens for Jude and Uriah that take in events from over 20 years ago as it turns out there are more bodies of young boys, all with similar features of being blond and blue eyed. An older woman abandons a vulnerable 4 year old boy in desperately freezing conditions on Jude's doorstep. The boy appears to have no name other than boy, is filthy, obviously neglected, with marks on his body that hint at terrible abuse, and clearly has no experience of socialising with others at all. Despite all this, he is a cute and remarkably sweet child that pulls on Jude's heart strings. Weather conditions prohibit any quick intervention by Child Protection Services, forcing Jude to connect with the child, and Elliot in her apartment building helps to look after him. In a story of the misery and darkness of child human trafficking, Jude finds Uriah has been keeping secrets from her, and there are connections from the dark deeds of the past and the entry of the young boy in her life, which puts her and him in danger as she tries to ensure his safety.

This introduction to this series can be read reasonably well as a standalone as Frasier provides enough information of previous events and characters. Frasier's complex characterisation of Jude, burdened with a past that would be sufficient to break anyone, is done with remarkable skill, and this extends to other people that inhabit this brilliant piece of disturbing and unsettling crime fiction, such as Uriah and Elliot. I loved reading this so much for so many reasons, such as the atmospheric setting and challenging weather conditions, and for Jude and the others who felt so real to me throughout. The award winning Frasier has certainly made an indelible impression on me with this book, and in the overcrowded crime fiction genre, that is saying something. Many thanks to Thomas and Mercer for an ARC.

Let me say first that I am an Anne Frasier fanatic, read-junkie, whatever you want to call someone who own all an author's books and reads/listens to them over-and-over. It all started with her Elise Sandburg series. From there, I quickly gobbled up every piece of work out there by her. She has an amazing style of writing mystery and suspense that draws the reader into a world of intrigue and darkness that her heroines love in. And her heriones are all bad-ass, fierce women with a history of abuse that had made them strong; these are complex characters that seem to lack emotions but really feel so much sometimes it's a wonder they can how their broken pieces together. It allows for a more enriched plot and real interactions. The research that Ms. Frasier does for each book in regards to the science used in each relevant scene is commendable as it lends credence to the story.
In this story, the bodies of children are found in a frozen pond, a small child in abandoned during a blizzard outside of Jude's apartment, a woman is injured in her car during a blizzard, and a man who was used as a human sex slaves thinks he may be a missing boy from 20 years ago. How do all these events try together? Jude and Uriah's relationship is stranded due to a secret that Uriah has. This book is full of intrigue and will have you guessing as chase the trail of questions to find your answers. Richly written and well-balanced characters. I won't ruin it for you, but you definitely should read it.

Book 3 another Fantastic book by Anne Frasier.. it's human trafficking that's what this book is it's fantastically written.. it's book 3 I'm a big fan of this author.. once the bodies are loaded into the van she can go to her destination dump them in the lake. Like it's another day just something she does. Young boys is the selling point of their business but when things go south and 10 young boys freeze to death .
Another mother appears to be looking for her son who disappeared 20 years ago never to be found.. only when he appears at her doorstep does she take matters in her own hands, to take the law off her Trail of those and this human trafficking unbearable what she does to her own... I just couldn't get enough of these books..Anne Fontaine
Write some amazing stories

No other author can paint a picture of the human condition so vividly. This final installment of the Jude Fontaine trilogy could not have been better at bringing the the story full circle for this rich and complex group of characters.

Frasier's ability to explore the layers of Jude's character has excelled every time, artistically describing the psychological effects of one who has been so tortured and so damaged, we wonder how she survives at all, yet manages to snuff out evil that threatens others with the same possibility of feeling empty and scarred beyond repair. She has even come to realize that her experiences made her fine tuned to reading others, and is described as an empath who takes on the pain of others despite all her own pain. She uses that drive to protect and save others, even when she doesn't recognize it herself.

Another of this author's talents is describing the bleak and futile landscape of Minnesota, its harsh and unforgiving nine month winters, and its impact on those in her stories. Having now been a resident of South Dakota for almost ten years, which is not quite as brutal as Minnesota, but close, it's something I appreciate and understand fully.

The most beautiful thing about this last part of the story, is that in Jude's case, even the tiniest pinpricks of light in a world as dark as hers, can still be called hope. This type of ending gives readers the satisfaction of hope for Jude to someday emerge more from her pain, and be more whole,while leaving some windows open for more stories in the future.

I don't summarize in reviews, I try and relate the feelings they give me to others, and this book was so full of twists and turns and final victory, that I was mesmerized from page one to the author acknowledgements at the end.

I have been a fan of this author for years, and she becomes more brilliant with every release, and that is one of the greatest gifts to us as readers.

I stayed up last night to finish this book - it was great! Fast moving story, pulls on your heartstrings and some twists. I have read the previous two books - which helped when the author slipped in a couple of twists at the end. But otherwise you can keep up.
I am a HUGE fan of this author - she does not disappoint. Excellent read, counting down to the next installment.

Anne does it again! I read so much that often, I come pretty close to guessing a book's outcome. I love being surprised. I love unexpected twists. Anne delivers both! I am a huge fan. I absolutely cannot wait to see what she comes out with next.

This series by Anne Frasier is a must read for those who are interested in a unique and absorbing mystery and female detective (I would suggest you begin with the first book, “The Body Reader” as the back story of Detective Jude Fontaine is important to her current status and it is an amazing read). A boy’s frozen body is found under the ice at Loring Pond. The investigation proves that the boy has been missing for the past twenty years…then another body is discovered in the pond. Arriving home during one of the worst storms in Minnesota, Detective Jude Fontaine discovers a young boy outside her apartment door. He is lucky to be alive, but can only tell Jude that his name is boy and he lives with Nana. The frozen boy’s investigation takes Jude and her partner Detective Uriah Ashby in to possible child trafficking and nothing is as it seems. A marvelous, twisted mystery with a lead detective who is still recovering from her own tragic past. I loved it and look forward to the next book in the series. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

I have followed Jude's story from the beginning and this book is doing a great job bringing more of her emotion to the surface. Her walls are starting to come down and that makes parts of this book so emotional I am so curious to see what happens next with Jude, her partner, and the surprises that she uncovers. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book.

The Body of a Child Missing for 20 Years Frozen in a Lake

The novel opens up with a woman transporting bodies in her rickety truck on a cold winter Minnesota night. The truck dies on a bridge, and a police car stops to see if the driver needs any assistance. She tells the officer that a tow truck is on the way, but the officer says that he will be back in ten to fifteen minutes. Frightened, she drops the bodies off the bridge into the river. The truck finally starts and off she drives. Then, the main story line starts with the heroine, Detective Jude Fontaine with her friends and coworkers trying to live in a very cold Minneapolis winter. She receives a text from a downstairs neighbor stating that he thinks that he has found a body in a local lake. Then, on returning to Det. Fontaine’s apartment building, she discovers a young boy alive but covered by a snow drift next to the building’s door. The twists, turns and surprises quickly grabbed my attention and started to read at every opportunity. The story takes off from here.

As this novel is the third novel is listed as a three novel set, the B-storyline is focused on the current actions and interactions of the main characters. Det. Fontaine behavior was explained as he was an abduction victim of her own father, killed her own father, and lives in an apartment that a young woman not long ago died. Maybe, if I had read the first two novels, I would have been more comfortable with a level of background that tied her current actions with what happened in earlier novels.

As for language, there is only one F-bomb, and a few lesser vulgar language. There are not any sex scenes. Only some violence is described as it occurs but was not really graphic in nature. That is not to say that evil acts were and are occurring. I believe that most readers will not fine this novel objectionable on these grounds.

I liked that at the end of the novel that there were not any loose ends. All the threads came together with some decent twists at the end. As stated above, the novel did capture my attention.

Overall, there were many pluses and only a few minor minuses with this novel. I did like reading this novel, but not to the degree that I have enjoyed reading novels that I rated with five stars. Therefore, I am rating this novel with four stars. I must note that I did like reading it enough that I have purchased the first two novels in this series. I do recommend reading this novel; just maybe after reading the previous novels in the series.

I have received a free kindle version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with a request for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this novel early.

Wow what a read

A vody found under a lake of frozen ice, a young child abandoned in the snow lead Jude to delve into the past and discover even more about her father than she would like

A very intriguing book. Despite not having read the first two books in the series, I still felt very connected with Jude, Uriah and Elliot. I liked the writing style of the book, which was fairly straightforward yet descriptive. The author does a fantastic job at building suspense. My only concern was that there was no major twist to the story that stole my breath away. Still, a very enjoyable and addictive read.

This is the third installment of this series. However, this is the first one I have read. It won't be the last. Jude and Uriah are detectives investigating a murder after two young boys are found frozen in a lake. The boys were reported missing twenty years ago. The second part of the story deals with a small 4 year old boy that Jude finds on her doorstep in the middle of a blizzard. No one has reported him missing and he doesn't now his name or where he lived. This story deals with some very difficult subject matter in the form of child trafficking but the author does a good job of dealing with it. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story line, people are not who they seem, and heartstrings are tugged.
Although the character development was good, I think if I had read the previous two installments, I would have appreciated the characters more. There are a lot of references to things that happened in the past and with having no context, they didn't mean much.
Thank you #netgalley for the ARC of this book for my opinion.

The Body Keeper is the third book of the Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries. This book grabs you from page one and you will not want to put it down. This is one of the darkest books that I have read by this author. This book has lots of twists and turns and keeps you guessing through out the book

The Body Keeper is the third book of the Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries and I was excited to see what next mystery Jude was going to partake. The story continues Jude's character development through her environment and I always enjoy Frasier's style of writing. If you love a strong female lead that is still flawed (arent we all?) Then you'll love picking this book up.

The Body Keeper wasn't as good as previous books, but it did bring in a whole lot of new things to the plot line. I'm interested to see what happens between Jude and her partner, and see where it takes them. And I'm also interested in finding out what happens with the new characters as well. This one was interesting, and had a really sad and spooky plot line.

Minnesota blizzards, child trafficking, of 12 years old boys trapped in frozen ice and you have the latest by this author.The puzzle for Jude comes with a four year, unable to say anything, This is a dark and heavy subject and well as this being a cold cases that he uncover.
Given ARC for my voluntary review and my honest opinion by Net Galley and
Thomas Mercer

This was the strongest novel to date and perhaps the darkest as we delve into child trafficking when the frozen bodies of children appear in the lake and a young boy is left on a doorstep.

Character develop, surprises and mysteries both past and present. Full review will post at Caffeinated Reviewer on June 3rd. It will be shared on social media. A review will also post to Goodreads and Amazon.