Thank you to Netgalley and Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This author never fails to keep you reading her books. Lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I figured this book out about 70% thru the book and before the main characters which disappointed me. It didn't take her long to catch up though.
Great read all in all though.

An unusual protagonist and a bizarre set of cases are the focus of this suspenseful mystery thriller. Senior Special Agent Sayre Altair trained in neuroscience, but has a gift for comprehending the psychology of serial killers. A bizarre ritual killing, coupled with the abduction of a bus of STEM high school students, propels Sayre into a chaotic maelstrom. Expect a sequel, as I don't think Sayre is done yet with Subject 037....

"A large axe was placed in the girl's right hand. Along the white granite bench, the words 'as above, so below' were painted in blood. Nine baboon figurines encircled the girl like an audience observing her in death."— from the great new police procedural thriller, Cut to the Bone.

Nearby, a police officer, who thought he was interrupting a graffiti artist, is dead of a gun shot wound. What is the point of this ritualistic killing of a seventeen-year-old girl? And what happened to the other twenty-three teens that were on the same, now missing, chartered school bus?

This is the third book in the Agent Sayer Altair series. While it is the first book that I've read in the series, it won't be my last. Sayer's backstory is as interesting as Alex Cross'. The pacing was perfect and made for an exhilarating read. There are not one, but two, heart-wrenching twists at the end. Cut to the Bone is well worth reading and highly recommended. 4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars!

Thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Title: Cut to the Bone
Author: Ellison Cooper
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems.

As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.

I haven’t read either of the previous books in this series—yet!—but that didn’t really prove to be a problem. I was drawn into the action on the very first page, and it kept me riveted until the very end.

Sayer was an interesting character to me. She almost comes across as unemotional in her single-minded focus on the case—although I can see why, considering what I learned about her past. I fully intend to go back and read the fist two books in the series, as I enjoyed this one so much.

Ellison Cooper is a dual Irish/American citizen. Cut to the Bone is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy for a honest review.
I lov2 Ellison Cooper's writing style. Love the character Sauer so much, wish they would develop a tv series with her as a main character. The plot was very intriguing.

Posted across all platforms, including Edelweiss, in my bio on 7/15. Fully formatted version at Novellives.Com

Thank you to Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Cut To The Bone By Ellison Cooper

Hell, where do I even start? Where can I start? Reviewing psychological thrillers and fantasy novels without spoiling them is hard enough. Now I have to review a thriller, mystery detective novel without spoiling it? I'll do my best because damn, Ellison Cooper's Cut to the Bone was not at all what I expected but something I absolutely needed.

Do not let be intimidated by the fact that this is the third in a series about Agent Sayer Altair. I haven't read the first two, and it didn't matter. Ellison Cooper seamlessly integrated enough background information for me not to feel confused by anything.

The way Cooper laid out background information made it pretty easy to tab out what I believed to be overarching stories around the series verse just Cut to the Bone (I will talk about these a bit more later):

1. Agent Altair's fiancé is dead.
2. Subject 037
3. Almost being fired by Director Anderson, who seems to now be gunning for her.
4. The backstories/character arcs of her and her chosen family/Nana that started before and continue through Cut to the Bone.

Within the overarching story, you have one man taking a bus full of students hostage and a race against the clock before he kills them. Throughout all of it, I learned so much about Ancient Egypt, the history of Washington D.C., and how right I am to mistrust the FBI that I feel like I came out of Cut to the Bone having gained some serious I.Q. points. I also appreciated Ellison Cooper's note at the beginning that lets us know that the information utilized is factual. So, if I spout something off, I know I will sound intelligent and not make a blithering idiot of myself, per usual.
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Pressure

I'm 99.9% sure I like the characters in Cut to the Bone way more than Ellison Cooper does. First, there is Agent Sayer Altair, a Black female FBI agent that is also a super-science research genius. She kicks ass physically, deductively, and mentally. Altair has recently lost her fiancé, also an FBI agent. She is now working on a high-profile kidnapping case involving twenty-four high-school students in Washington D.C. Altair is the Olivia Pope of the FBI. Except she drinks beer, not wine.

Cooper has decided this isn't enough for Agent Altair to handle. On top of that, she has Director Anderson up her ass, and she's being followed by some unknown assailant, a guardian angel showing up whenever they so please, and case 037 (but we will get to that in a minute). Mercy. How much more can you possibly put on this woman's head? God love her and her ability to handle it all. In the middle of that?

She adopted a teenage daughter, lives upstairs from the cook who changed his entire life after identifying as Gay and becoming a counselor that trains therapeutic dogs, and has her Nana at home. Altair has more focus, loyalty, and grace in her trigger finger than I do in all of me. O.H.! And she rides a freaking motorcycle. In Washington, D.C. IN THE WINTER. I love her. I will fight and kill for her. Cooper needs to give her a break.
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All in the Family

Looking at all the characters in Cut to the Bone, there isn't one that isn't likable. All of them have great backstories, and there is a tremendous amount of varied representation.

Ezra is an amputee, Tino is Gay, and Nana is off to Wyoming to work in the middle of a measles outbreak. Talk about fighting against ageism stereotypes. Cooper is tackling everything and without any kind of victimization or trauma from those representations.

Tino discusses his journey in a short inner-monologue, but it ends with him knowing he's found his place in the world. Ezra is a bright-eyed puppy dog that you just want to love on, and at no point is Agent Altair race or gender utilize for plot devices or a traumatic storyline. If anything, it is the opposite. All the female characters in Cut to the Bone are straight-up fierce. The men could learn some things.

Also, a big nod to all the girls in science and stem. The bus of students has 12 girls and 12 boys bound for a STEM conference. And these girls are super fierce science warriors, and I LOVED them. Plus, Agent Altair? There are some serious girls in science inspiration in this book. While that was never my strength, I'm thrilled to see it represented with such ferocity in Cut to the Bone. There aren't any gender stereotypes hindering Cut to the Bone. Cooper isn't having it.

When you take them all individually and put them together, they make an incredible array of characters and a family that Agent Altair has put together for work and home. Since losing her fiancé, they are who and what she's chosen as her bedrock. And they are a cohesive emotional and work juggernaut.

Then there is Subject 037, who is actually a person. He is a psychopath of unknown identity that Agent Altair studied as a part of her research into the brains of serial killers, but he is a prosocial psychopath. His brain and personality checks-off all the boxes to identify him as a psychopath, but that hasn't turned into serial killer tendencies. Instead, he has a very lucrative, high-powered career. And now, he is very interested in her. The problem is while 037 definitely knows who Agent Altair is and has no problem, getting in touch with her, and for now, seems to help her, she has no idea who he is and knows better than to trust him. He loves to play games, and she wants no part in them.

This part of Cut to the Bone was fascinating. Cooper writes it with pitch-perfect creepiness, cat-and-mouse precision. If you ever watched the tv show Luther, with Idris Elba, you will get it right away. It is very reminiscent of Alice and Luther, just much more limited in their interactions.

"Okay then, I'm going to set some hard-and-fast boundaries right now. I don't want to communicate unless we have a prearranged call. Is that clear?" Sayer waited out the silence that followed.

Finally, 037 spoke with his low half growl. "You might not know exactly who I am, but you know what I can do. Listen to me when I want you to watch your back."

"Duly noted. But right now, I have no time for games. Unless you have something, I can use, I'm going to hang up."
"What a shame. I do love games." The dark glee returned to his voice.

A.H.! This... This is some twisted mess right here. And I am here for ALL OF IT. I want MORE OF IT.
_________________________________
Mind Movies

I always taught kids to create mind movies when they read, especially as they transition into books with fewer pictures. Cut to the Bone reads like a movie or TV Show.

Ellison cooper uses every one of the five senses to throw you right in the middle of the action and emotional side of the story. Whether you are walking next to Agent Altair as she is investigating a murder scene or hearing a witness describe an event. It is all in stunning, cinematic detail.

"...He smelled like something rotting... and his face was all sunken. He looked dead."
"...he smelled really bad. Like rotting meat. And he moved like a zombie, all shuffling and slow. You know what I mean?"
"Shambling?"
"Exactly. He was shambling... And he kept saying the same thing over and over like some creepy song."

When you read chapters from the hostages' point of view, their physical fear is palpable, the reactions to the sights and smells that spur their mental fortitude is panic inducing. In every situation, you are in the characters' mind, seeing through their eyes and feeling with their hearts.

It is never just logistics and not action. Nor is it ever just thrills, suspense and not heart, or sentiment. It is everything, all the time, and it is riveting.
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Summary/Wrap-up

There is so much more I could, can, and want to say about Cooper's writing, the story, and that CLIFF-HANGER. But I can't, because of course, spoilers. There were plots within plots, red-herrings, and a lot of reveals.

Some of them I could figure out, but many of them I definitely couldn't because I'm just not that smart enough. I don't know anything about Ancient Egypt! But I do now!

From what I can tell, Cut to the Bone might serve as a turning point in a series where I haven't read the first two books. It has the tone of a book that is the jumping point for a new set of story arcs for its main characters. I could be COMPLETELY wrong, as I haven't read the first two books.

But I have the impression that some long-standing storylines were wrapped-up and other new storylines have just begun.
Either way, consider me a new fan of this series, especially with that ending!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martins Press, and Ellison Cooper for a free electronic ARC of Cut to the Bone in exchange for an honest review!

Cut to the Bone by Ellison Cooper is the third and latest book in her Special Agent Sayer Altair series (released on July 14, 2020). The first two books in the series are Caged (released on July 10, 2018) and Buried (released on July 16, 2019), all published by Minotaur Books (St. Martin’s Press).

Before I say anything, I want to stress how glad I am that I continued with this series because each book just gets better and better. You all know that the first book, Caged, was not my favourite book; it was a good story, but I found it to be more of a predictable and stereotypical police procedural and serial killer thriller, which took away from the overall reading experience for me. Buried, on the other hand, was a far more enjoyable read, and I loved every second of it. You can find my reviews for both of these books here.

For this review, I will not write my own synopsis because a lot happens in this book that is linked to the two previous books and I do not want to give away any type of spoiler by accident… plus, the book does it better, anyway.

HERE IS THE FULL SYNOPSIS:
A bus full of high school students has disappeared from Washington D.C. and FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must hunt down the culprit who has a link to her own past.

After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems.

As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT THIS BOOK:
I love the mystery, the suspense, the murder and overall plot of the novel. The fact that the book involves an entire busload of missing children was such a unique aspect (to me, at least!) that I have not seen in any other book (yet).
I love how this book was completely unpredictable. I could not guess how the story would unfold; there were a few twists that completely blew my mind, as well as the last paragraph of the book. I honestly cannot wait to see what happens in the next book!
I love the characters, and I’m sure that I will keep saying this about all of Cooper’s books. Cooper has created such well-rounded characters that are likeable, brilliant, and so diverse. The main character, Sayer, is a brilliant African-American woman and neuroscientist; Tino is part of the LGBTQ community; Ezra is an agent who lost of both of his legs on duty; Adi is an orphan that Sayer has adopted into her family, and everyone else is amazing as well. I can guarantee that there is a character that every read can connect with. You also can’t forget the two FBI pups that work alongside them all, Vesper and Kona.
I love Cooper’s writing and how all of her books are made up of short chapters; this keeps the momentum of the book up and allows the reader to read the book at a faster pace.
I also love how Cooper’s books deal with violence and death; she approaches both of these aspects in a realistic manner without being cringe-worthy and over the top.

Overall, this book was incredible. It ended on such a high note and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next book. If you are looking to start a new crime series, this is definitely one to consider!

I think it’s safe to say that I’m obsessed with Ellison Cooper’s Agent Sayer Altair crime fiction series. Each story is compulsively readable with short chapters and constant action propelling you forward. The stories in this series are so creative, unusual in content, and heart-poundingly intriguing it’s hard to put them down.

Cut To The Bone was no different. The plot focuses on a field trip bound school bus kidnapping, which is horrific at its core. Add in infiltrated governmental agencies, advice from an unknown psychopath, and an ancient Egyptian theme and you’ve got a tension-packed, cleverly-crafted, and utterly unique plot.

Cut To The Bone is not only fast-paced with surprising twists and turns, but it also touches on a variety emotions, conveying other personal aspects of Sayer Altair’s life. There is friendship, love, heartache and intrigue and the ending will leave you breathless. I cannot say enough good things about this series!

When I was approved to read an advanced copy of the new Ellison Cooper I was SO excited!!!! Each year I eagerly await the release of the next book in this series, and it has joined my group of auto-buy authors. I could hardly believe my good luck that I got to read this book before it was formally released, and I am forever indebted to St.. Martin's Press for the opportunity.

This book, like the previous two, did not disappoint!!! The only negative I will include in this review is that we have to now wait another year for another installment!!!!

A brief summary of the overall story- the lead character (Sayer Altair) is interrupted from a lecture and called to a scene of what appears to be a ritualistic killing that is believed to be the work of a serial killer. From there, we join Sayer as she tries to track down a busload of girls that have been kidnapped and begin being found murdered.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read, which is no surprise. Ms. Cooper is an extremely talented writer, and reminds me of the story pace I enjoy with Meg Gardiner, Michael Connelly , and John Grisham. Once you begin the book, you immediately feel invested, not only in the story, but in the character. Each book advances Sayer's own personal journey, and she is a very likable and relatable person that you truly root for.

From the moment I began this book to the final page, I found it to be an absolutely thrilling ride. With plot twists and turns, I kept saying to myself 'just one more page.....'. Long into the night I read, because I really couldn't wait to see what happened next. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a fast-paced, twisty mystery that will intrigue you like the best thriller you have read, and scare you like an episode of Criminal Minds!!!

This is an absolutely phenomenal series, and I will likely buy a hard copy of this book to join the others. I will be counting the days until the next installment arrives.

I will also note that, if you enjoy this series, Ms. Cooper also has a social media presence, which I think is a wonderful way to engage with your favourite authors. Take the time to read this book, and I swear to you that she will become part of a list of authors from whom you eagerly await a new release each year.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy of this book (I seriously haven't recovered from my excitement about that!) in exchange for this review.

Excellent read Ms. Cooper, can't wait for your next!!!!

A bus full of high school students has disappeared from Washington D.C. and FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must hunt down the culprit who has a link to her own past.

After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing, in this case, is what it seems.

I was instantly drawn to this book by the blurb. I didn't even realise that this was a part of a series. I'm glad I didn't realise because I might not have requested for an ARC.
This is the first book I have read the Ellison Cooper and I will definitely be reading more of her starting from the previous two books in the series.

This was a really good, fast-paced crime thriller and really liked Agent Sayer Altair, the protagonist as she uncovers the clues whilst figuring out the connection of the killer with her and her past. Despite not knowing more about her since I haven't read the previous books in the series I was completely drawn to Sayer. She is a strong, dependable and sharp woman which makes her relatable and human.

The plot is really intriguing with all the twists and turns which had me completely hooked. The characters are really well fleshed out and what I particularly enjoyed was the different characters, their diversity and their engaging backstories which completely sucks you in.

I would definitely recommend this series to all crime thriller readers. This is an engrossing story that keeps you guessing from the very first page, sucks you in completely and finally leaves you thoroughly entertained and wanting more.
I'm so glad I can go back and read two more books of the series. Yay!

Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for sending an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is great mystery/thriller for fans of shows like Criminal Minds and Bones. This is the third in a series but can be read as a standalone. I enjoy mysteries with strong female leads and Agent Sayer is definitely portrayed as a smart and capable agent, but is still approachable.
The book begins with a double murder, the first of which appears to be a ritual. The unknown victim ends up being a high school student that was on a bus full of students that had vanished. What follows is a dark and twisty tale that includes a serial killer that no one seems to see, Egyptian symbolism, lots of nods to Washington DC architecture and a fast pace that makes it unputdownable. I really liked the family that she made for herself and how the students dealt with their kidnapper, as well as the mysterious study subject that kept tabs on her. I did not figure out who the killer was and was really enjoying trying to guess. I can't wait to read more books by this new to me author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur books for this Advanced Reader Copy.

What a wonderfully timed psychological thriller. I love these type of books that have strong female characters. This story deals with government corruption, which is currently at the back of everyone's mind, and this book addresses it wonderfully. I found the premise to be heart-wrenching and the multiple heroines of the story are all strong, independent females. I highly recommend this book. It was an engrossing read and I had a difficult time putting it down. Excellent job by the author.

I would like to thank Ellison Cooper, Minotaur Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and exchange for a fair and honest review.

Author : Ellison Cooper
Cut to the Bone:
(Agent Sayer Altair Book 3)
Publisher: Minotaur Books Publication Date : July 14, 2020
329 pages
4 out of 5 ⭐s
Description:
In Ellison Cooper's new standalone novel Cut to the Bone, a bus full of high school students has disappeared from Washington D.C. and FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must hunt down the culprit who has a link to her own past.After grieving the death of her fiancé and almost losing her job, Agent Sayer Altair is finally starting to rebuild her life. Her research into the minds of psychopaths is breaking new ground and her strange little family is thriving. But Sayer’s newfound happiness is threatened when she is called in to investigate a girl’s body left inside a circle of animal figurines below a cryptic message written in blood. When they discover that the dead girl is one of twenty-four missing high school students, Sayer quickly realizes that nothing in this case is what it seems. As the investigation draws her in to a tangled web of fake identities and false leads, the trail soon begins to point directly to her own life. Now, Sayer must confront her painful past to uncover her connection to the deranged killer if she hopes to save the missing teens and protect everything that she loves.
🤓 MY REVIEW 🤓
Wow what a compelling and attention grabbing story that was full of action . This is the third book in the Agent Sayer Altair series but can easily be read all on its on . It had me completely drawn in from the start of the book the the final pages. I love the characters of Sayer
and her team. Ellison Cooper has done a great job with this story. This fast paced, heart racing, suspense filled, mystery crime thriller will have you quickly flipping the pages to find out what happens to the bus load of kids. It is packed full of twists and turns. For a short time in the middle it did seem to drag on a little. Overall, it was a good read and I will most likely read more from this author.This author is new to me, but I will look forward to more from her. Many thanks to the Publisher , the Author , and NetGalley for a ARC copy of this interesting book in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. All opinions I have expressed are my own or those of my family. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !
#NetGalley
#EllisonCooper
#CuttotheBone

Chilling, suspenseful, and fast-paced!

In this riveting third installment in the Agent Sayer Altair series, Cut to the Bone, Cooper has written an unpredictable, sharp, sinuous thriller that takes you on a hunt for a dangerous, mass kidnapper and deranged serial killer who seems to have a fascination with Ancient Egypt, the afterlife, and Washington architecture.

The prose is crisp and precise. The characters are bold, intelligent, and driven. And the plot is an absorbing, tortuous tale full of twists, turns, intrigue, surprises, misinformation, cosmogony, symbolic references, red herrings, violence, and murder.

Overall, Cut to the Bone is a sharp, engrossing, intricate tale that keeps you guessing from the very first page and leaves you unsettled, entertained, and highly satisfied.

You have to pick up this amazing book now. I couldn't put it down. You couldn't pry it out of my hands. Make sure to buckle in because you're in for the ride of your life. Heart pounding, tense and riveting. A must read. Happy reading!

Thank you to #netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review! The book comes out July 14th.

Synopsis: This is the 3rd book in a series about FBI Neuroscientist agent Sayer Altair. A schoolbus of high school students go missing in Washington DC and she is tasked to investigate despite a difficult relationship with her boss. He wants her to fail. Once the body of one of the female students is left cryptically surrounded by baboon figurines, Agent Sayer starts to delve deep into the psyche of the killer/kidnapper. As she continues her investigation into frustrating false leads and possible multiple people involved, she has to look around her own life and past to move forward.

My Review:⭐️⭐⭐⭐ / 5 stars

I did not read the previous 2 books - which was fine while I reading this one. However, after reading, I wished I had the first two books because it would have provided more context to her friendships and work relationships. I had no expectations for this book and was caught by surprise by how I loved the pace and storytelling. If you love watching Criminal Minds and reading Robert Langdon type of investigative novels, you will love this book. The ancient Egyptian backstory was so much fun to learn especially to a history nerd like me. There were a few parts in the story’s that felt a bit slow in pace - but other than that a great mystery thriller and series to get into.

FBI Agent Sayer Altair is finally moving forward after the death of her fiance, navigating office politics while rebuilding her career one day at a time. As a member of the Critical Incidence Response Group, she gets the call when a teenage girl's body is found at the base of the Einstein Memorial with an ax in her hand and a circle of nine baboon figurines surrounding her. A police officer that interrupted the ritualistic killer is dead. As the investigation kicks into gear, Agent Altair discovers that twenty-four STEM high school students are missing along with their bus driver & adult chaperone. Is this girl one of the missing? The race for answers and to find the students before more are killed becomes top priority.

Cut To The Bone is a twisted suspense thriller, the third book in the Agent Sayer Altair series. The author's skillful inclusion of backstory allows readers to jump into the series at this point without major missing pieces. Having said that, there's no doubt readers will benefit from the character development in the first two books. The story unfolds at a steady pace through a tangled web of conspiracy, dead-ends, and red herrings. Someone seems to be throwing up roadblocks to impede the investigation frustrating investigators. Altair is a smart, tenacious fully fleshed character with a high sense of morality. When shades of her past arise intertwining into the already complicated case, it becomes personal. I enjoyed the ancient Egyptian mythology incorporated into the story as its as intriguing as the diverse cast of characters. Series readers will recognize and enjoy some past characters that step up in this book. A fast-paced plot that twists and turns, unique characters, and engaging writing means an intriguing read for fans of police procedurals and suspense thrillers. Highly Recommended!

Agent Sayer Altair, an FBI field agent and neuroscientist, is placed in charge of a case which begins as a dual murder and ends up as a kidnapping of a busload of high school students. She puts together a team of colleagues for whom the search becomes more desperate as false leads send them on wild goose chases and bodies multiply. At the same time Altair is being followed and her life threatened more than once.

I requested a galley of this book because it sounded interesting and because it was described as a standalone novel. As soon as I began reading, it became clear this is part of a series. There are repeated references to earlier cases involving Altair. Much backstory is missing. For instance, we are told that Altair has adopted an adult daughter Adi, and that’s all we are told. There’s obviously much more to the story. The ending also indicates that there will be at least one more book in the series. I detest such false advertising.

Altair has a coterie of very loyal colleagues who hold Altair in high esteem. The problem is that, because the book does not show how her relationship with these people developed, their loyalty seems unfounded. Why are they so unquestioningly trusting? There is a similar issue with Subject 037, a non-criminal psychopath that was a subject in a research project. All we know is that he is fixated on Altair for some reason. Why? What transpired during the research?

Altair is the strong female lead, but sometimes her reactions are unbelievable. Considering what she loses in a fire, she has so little reaction? More than once, reference is made to her reputation but, again, we are only told about this reputation. She has supposedly earned this reputation because of previous cases, but simply being told does not totally convince this reader. Her continuing to work while injured is a tad much.

The book definitely reminded me of an episode of Criminal Minds with some elements of Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. But I hated the chapter titles which are just indications of location like “Tino’s Apartment, Alexandria, VA” and “Andrew Mellon Memorial Fountain, Washington, D.C.” “Road to Hearing Voices Institute, Great Falls, VA” is followed by “Dr. Lilenhammer’s Office, The Hearing Voices Institute, Great Falls, VA.”

The plot is rather far-fetched. How many people can fake their deaths? Charred bones left after an IED attack are “autopsied and found to be consistent with” those of the sole occupant of the vehicle? Wouldn’t DNA be used to identify remains? The military would give glowing reports about someone “who has a fairly gray line between right and wrong” and who causes “unexpected collateral damage”?
After one murder, Altair concludes that a serial killer is responsible: “’The lack of sexual element, the lack of anger, and the clear preplanning of the body dump, coupled with the intensely ritualized aspect of the victim display suggest the possibility of a serial killer’”? Altair is supposedly an expert but wouldn’t an expert be more cautious in drawing such a conclusion on the basis of one death? Towards the end, a character somehow informs two people about the whereabouts of various other people when there is no time when he is alone to do so?

There is a lot of suspense and the book, with its short chapters, is a quick read. I would however strongly recommend that people read the first two books in the series. Convincing development of character and relationships is missing. The reader must also be prepared to suspend some disbelief.

Note: I received a digital galley from the publisher via NetGalley.

I read Buried knowing it was a sequel to Caged, but hadn’t yet read it. It flowed really well, I didn’t feel I had to read the first one to be fully immersed in the story. I would say the same thing about Cut to the Bone. If you haven’t read the first two don’t feel like you’ll be left out. The novel is a great stand alone on it’s own. But definitely encourage reading the entire series to get the full picture.

The body of a young girl is found, she is one of a bus full of students missing. The start of the investigation that will hopefully lead Agent Sayer to the truth.

It’s a fast paced story full of twists and unexpected moments. Although some was predictable, I loved the way the author connected all the important details and even left us guessing at the end.

I recommend this book along with the series to anyone who enjoys a suspenseful police procedural. It was an enjoyable mystery that will instantly catch, and keep your attention!

I love Sayer!! She is brilliant!! This is the third book in the series, but you can definitely read as a stand-alone. I think this Author does a fantastic job in describing the characters so you don't feel left out. If you love a good police procedural, then this series is for you. The books leave you on edge and will blow you away.