"I'm a monster. But the good kind."

Deliciously dark, unflinching and addictive, the third installment in the Megan Carpenter series is the best one yet.

Arriving at a horrifying crime scene, Detective Megan Carpenter is shocked to discover that she knew the victim. Not only that, but the killer has left her a very personal message.

Megan is sure she knows who's behind it. She just needs to find and stop him before her dark secrets are revealed.

"Monique’s body hangs from the shower head... Her skin is all in one piece, lying in the tub beneath her. One piece. Like a wetsuit with a wig and face mask."

This book is exactly the kind of twisted thriller I can't get enough of. It gets off to a shocking and unforgettable start, leaving the reader in no doubt what they're in for. This isn't a book for the faint hearted.

By book three in a series you're familiar with the characters and there's a sense of comfort in revisiting them. But what I love about this series is that while you get that feeling, it is also fresh and exciting. You never quite know where the author is going to take things next.

"They don't realise they're just fanning the flames. I can always move. Take on a new persona, a new job, a new life. They'll be dead."

Megan is fast becoming one of my favourite crime series protagonists as she's like no one else. Her history is better known to the reader by now and I enjoyed how the investigation in this book made her step back into her past and reveal more about parts she's skipped over before now. As in the previous books there are extracts from her sessions with her psychiatrist Dr Albright and flashbacks to the times in her life she'd rather forget. But, unlike in previous books, this time she's using them to catch the killer. We also see just how dark and vengeful she can be, which was another side to her that I absolutely loved.

Fast-paced, and twisty, Silent Ridge will have you on the edge of your seat from the hard-hitting opening to the jaw-dropping climax. Though I would highly recommend the series, this could be read as a standalone too. Whichever you choose, if you're a fan of this genre, you don't want to miss this book!

Rating: ✮✮✮✮. 5

Gregg Olsen has written an action packed crime thriller/mystery in Dark Falls Book 3 of the Detective Megan Carpenter series. The book was renamed to Silent Ridge prior to publication on December 4 2020.

Megan Carpenter has an impressive history of solving cases and bringing serial killers to justice. She, unfortunately, also has personal experience with her last case, and now with her newest case. Not wanting to have to disclose her past or the connections, Megan and her rookie intern partner race to solve the case and tie up any loose ends before her story becomes known and she is forced to move on again.

Sharp, smart, and a rogue, Carpenter is a fascinating and complex character. This is an intense but satisfying read. I'm looking forward to Olsen's next book in the series.

My thanks to NetGalley and Book Outre who allowed me to read a copy of this book. All opinions stated in this review are my own.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. This is the third book in this series but they can be read as standalones. I LOVED the first two books in this series so I was very excited to see what Megan would get up to next.

Megan has quite the past. If you read the first two books then you will know what happened already but if not Gregg has done an excellent job of catching you up. In this case, it seems that Megan's past is coming back to haunt her.

Megan is one of those characters you want to like but you can't. She has so many flaws, she's highly reckless and is always close to getting herself or someone else killed because of it. I hope that Ronnie can help her to be less reckless.

This book was extremely addictive. I read half of it in less than a day. I just couldn't put it down. One minute I'd just started and the next thing I knew I was over half way through. I like Greg's writing style. He puts just enough on the line for you to get hooked right in. The rural nature of the setting also helps to add to the suspense to the book.

If you are a fan of dark twisty crime thrillers then I'd recommend picking this up!

Detective Megan Carpenter has been adept at keeping her lies buried, but a recent murder threatens to bring her past to the surface as she becomes the killer’s focus. As the circle closes in on Megan, she is willing to take all measures necessary preserve her secrets and protect the few she cares about.

“I don’t want anyone to start protecting me. I can take care of myself. I can take care of whoever this is. My way.”

In this police thriller, Megan is constantly battling the consequences of her actions and her inability to feel truly safe. Megan knows it’s just a matter of time, and reading the passages in the killer’s point of view, adds tension to the plot. Plus, the dichotomy of Megan’s nature is intriguing and her inner monologues evoked a few laughs. With layered character development and a proper foundation for the setting, the narrative cleverly weaves together.

Dark Falls is an addictive crime investigative that intersects the protagonist’s dark past and the present. This book would appeal to those looking for a disturbing revenge-based plot.

Thank you to NetGalley, Gregg Olsen and Bookouture for this ARC.

This is book three in the Detective Megan Carpenter series, and I think this is my favorite. I love the dynamic between Megan and Ronnie (reminds me of Eve Dallas and Delilah Peabody in the In Death series), and I absolutely love how Gregg Olsen weaves a tale. I feel like we're getting closer to knowing more and more about Megan's past, and I for one cannot wait to read the rest of this series.

Probably not great to read as a standalone? It is confusing, even WITH having read the first two books; I think authors need to understand that just because they eat, sleep and breathe their characters, the rest of us read other books inbetween and we don't always remember the ins and outs of the previous book(s) in a series.

I am super conflicted about this book. The descriptions of the murders are shocking and chilling and very well done. The descriptions of the murderer, same. But Megan? She is a mess.

Perhaps she pushes my buttons because I really hate liars, and she seems to be a first-class one, even to her boss (who has her back, no matter what) and her romantic partner, which I thought wasn't very cool. I understand that she is deeply damaged by what happened to her early in life, but someone who operates the way she does - should she even be employed as a police officer?

I loved Ronnie, she was a shining star in this book and gave it much needed light in a book which was full of shade.

I have no idea what Megan's brother was doing in the book at all, the way he just appeared and then left was really strange, and if you hadn't read the previous books, you would be scratching your head wondering what was going on. I was wondering that too!

I am really sorry, but this book had some serious issues and I am still confused.

3 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

The past ought to be over and done with. Life becomes insecure and scary if the loose ends kept popping up. But alas for the badass cop Megan, the past became the present when the killers kept targeting her.

The crime scene revealed the corpse of a woman who had help Megan escape and the only clue left was the laminated photo of a 16-year-old Megan. The need to escape the claws of this killer and unmask and neutralize him became paramount for the brave, but highly paranoid cop.

The investigation made inroads and followed the usual rigmarole as most police procedurals did, but this went one step forward. Megan had to survive the traps hidden by this twisted serial killer. That raised the stakes throughout the story.

But the story came with its own niggles. Megan’s duplicity got to me. As a cop, I understood the need to be one step ahead and maintain own rules of truth and lies. But she lied constantly and her paranoia too felt tedious after a point. Nonetheless, I concentrated on the killer and his agenda, and the book became interesting.

The story was well crafted. It bespoke of dark motives, bringing to mind vivid scenes. The fast-paced writing and compelling storyline helped me reach the finish line. Overall, an entertaining read.

Very intense and twisted story - couldn't put it down !
Author Gregg Olsen has really put this one over the edge. The anticipated excitement to see more of Megan Carpenter and her complicated life and twisted situations will NOT disappoint . I lost myself in this book as Megan and her new "partner" try to catch the "bad guy" with a couple of stories that intertwine throughout the story. We get to hear from her estranged brother again, who does not know the entire story of when they were little kids as she's is trying to protect him, and other characters from the past.

The journey takes you all over the local area ( in Washington State) of North Kitsap, , Hadlock, Port Townsend , and local area where I live . This adds to my interest as I "know" the area. I feel like I am watching a streaming in person -live video !
Gregg weaves the story and keeps you hooked by introducing activities, memories, and teasers from the 1st and 2nd book. It is a very interesting, intense and complicated story that will keep your interest until it ends. I do wish she (Megan) would try to get her emotions and relationships in a better place, but her background story in book 1 and book 2 explains how survival drove her to become WHO she is.
Do read the first 2 books in the series and you will be hooked.
Gregg is such a talented author who uses words and fire you imagination..

Favorite Quotes:

“Sheriff said she’s about eighty years old and frail looking.” “Rowena Perkins likes tea spiked with Johnnie Walker and puzzles of half-naked firemen waving a hose.” “Who doesn’t?” Mindy says with a laugh. “Maybe they got in a fight over the puzzle.” I think it would be more likely over the Johnnie Walker, but I keep that to myself.

I wonder how I’ve gotten so popular all of a sudden. It can’t be because of the pile of dead bodies I seem to attract. Maybe it’s not being emotionally available? Men seem to like that. And big breasts. I don’t have those. But Clay also invited Ronnie, and she can give Dolly Parton a run for her money.

I love my job. I love that I’m making a difference. Helping victims. Getting justice. Maybe in the form of vengeance, but justice all the same.


My Review:

I was more than a bit conflicted during perusal and again in deciding my rating of this brilliantly contrived and multi-layered tale. It was my first outing with the talented scribe known as Gregg Olsen and I found his pen to be chillingly brilliant and his characters to be compelling and somewhat enigmatic. Mr. Olsen’s twisted serial killer has put a knot in my neck and kept my shoulders in my ears. His latest tautly written missive gripped my attention and pinned me in place, keeping me tense while periodically grinding my teeth throughout perusal as I had great difficulty with the unreliability of his main character.

Megan was a sharp and astute detective but deeply paranoid and a consummate liar. She lied about something every time she opened her mouth. Some subterfuge was understandable, but she seemed to have an overriding need for massive deception that got in her way and put others in peril. Maybe had I read the first two books in the series I would have had a better grip on the underlying issues and wouldn’t have struggled with my personal distaste for her predilection for falsehood. And since I have no other complaints and nothing but respect for Mr. Olsen’s cunning craftsmanship, expert pacing, and shrewd placement of snark and humorous observations and musings, I chose to let go of what my friend Shalini calls her “niggles” and rave of his absorbing yet darkly disturbing storytelling skills. This bears further research on my part so I have added his listing to my TBR.

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

When I requested this book from NetGalley it was titled Dark Falls but now it has been changed to Silent Ridge. Not sure of the reason for the change but I wanted to get that out of the way for those confused by the name change.

This is the third in the series and while I somehow missed book #2 having read the first in the series, Snow Creek, it was helpful to know the character already. I am not sure someone just coming into this series will appreciate the character as someone who has read one or both of the previous books.

I don’t know how I feel about this book. I mean I really like the writings of Olsen but I am already a little tired of Megan. I am not sure why everyone she encounters as a detective she has known before. And I am not sure I appreciate all the baggage she comes with. That being said she is a strong character who prevails above her past.

Will give the series more time to develop. And I hope we see a few more sides of Megan.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I’m honestly not even sure where to set art with my review here. I requested the arc of this book because I really love Gregg Olson’s writing- but will say until now I’ve only ever read his true crime books. However, it still stands that Gregg Olson is a very good story teller.

This is also the first book I’ve read in the Megan Carpenter series, in fact I didn’t realize it was a series until I got into the book.

Megan, the main character, is also the point of view for the book and is witty as hell. About the only thing I enjoyed about her character was this aspect. I get that she’s been through some stuff and she’s supposed to be unreachable for other people, however I don’t feel that wall around the character should extend out to the audience of the book. This book gets four stars because as a whole the plot is great, the writing is great, but the main character is not. I almost cannot imagine reading two books before this one with a character to unapproachable.

Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture, and Gregg Olson for a copy of this book in advance in exchange for an honest review

Megan still doesn't know who is writing the threatening emails. She still wants contact with her brother Hayden, but could it be that he is behind the threats? But there is no time to dwell on her problems. When a body is discovered, brutally murdered and impossible to identify, Megan's past and present collide and she can only hope to survive.
This series is really addicting and I like Megan more with each book. I hope that someday she gets the peace of mind she deserves.

This is the third book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series by Gregg Olsen.

Detective Megan Carpenter, from Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is called to the scene when a brutalised and tortured body is found. Upon arrival, she discovers two things; the victim is a woman known to her as Monique Delmont who helped Megan when she was in danger years ago; the killer has left a calling card in the form of two old photographs of Megan, aged 16...

With Deputy Ronnie Marsh as her sidekick, Megan begins to unravel the clues that will lead them to the killer. However, having Ronnie by her side the task is a little less clear-cut and far more high-risk for those around her than she could ever have expected.

The characters are compelling as well as memorable and Megan is definitely someone to cheer for. Her character feels genuine, though flawed and I like her for her determination and gutsiness. The supporting characters are all well-rounded, their relationships very believable. In this police thriller, Megan is constantly battling the consequences of her actions. Dark Falls is a fast-paced, action packed, page turner and the chapters told from the killer’s perspective ratchet up the tension. Gregg Olsen's writing skill shines through as he deftly negotiates a guileful storyline around a gruesome crime investigation. Although Dark Falls is the third instalment in the series, it was easily read as a standalone. Full of little gems that refine a solid plot, the story grabbed me and held on till the very end. I have been inspired to read the series opener, Snow Creek, as well as excitedly anticipating book four.

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

Unfortunately I struggled with this as it's the third in the series and can't really be read as a standalone.

I enjoyed this police procedural / psychological thriller set in the north-western corner of Washington State, in the USA. However, I have no doubt that my reading experience of Silent Ridge would have been enhanced, had I first read the first two books in Gregg Olsen's Megan Carpenter series, Snow Creek and Water's Edge.
Detective Megan Carpenter is a dedicated and intuitive investigator, but she has an incredibly dark and tangled past, which is unknown to her collegues and virtually all her friends. She's living under an assumed name after she and her family had been targeted by a serial killer.
Megan's past and present collide when photographs of her at work and as a high school student are found at a gruesome crime scene. The victim is a woman Megan had taken into her confidence and whose daughter had previously been murdered by the same serial killer who stalked Megan.
Megan is an understandably prickly character and a significant part of the narrative consists of her efforts to keep one step ahead of her boss, the sheriff, her probationer colleague Ronnie, her boyfriend and anyone else who knows her, whilst also appearing to investigate the crime through normal channels.
While the plot was intriguing, I felt that Megan's frequent reminiscence over past events often seemed to halt the flow of the narrative. I found the character of Megan difficult to warm to, but loved the vivacious and keen Ronnie!
This was a solid Pacific Northwest thriller, but I believe this to be a series which readers would be best to tackle in series order. I intend to return to book 1 and re-read from there.
My thanks to Gregg Olsen, publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Megan Carpenter has literally run for her life, has her life finally caught up? This is an extraordinary series which each book can be read as a stand alone. Olsen has an imagination like none other. The writing is exceptional with greatly developed characters. You will feel like this book is a part of your life and you don't want it to be! Must read for lovers of suspense/thrillers. Enjoy!

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review.

This is the third Megan Carpenter book and the second in the series I’ve read. Megan is a no nonsense loner police detective in the Jefferson Sherriff’s Department. She’s running from her past. The latest murder she’s investigating is way to close to that hidden past.

I really enjoy the series. There is an interesting case in each book in the series. There is good character development in each book and in the series. The story in this book was deep in the back story of Megan, but I think there is enough background if you haven’t read the book. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good mystery.

This is the 3rd book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series by Gregg Olsen although my introduction. This was a good introduction to the characters for me but I feel I need to read more of the series to get truly into Megan Carpenter. Megan Carpenter is certainly a troubled soul and I am pretty sure will grow on me.

The body of a severely brutalised woman is left for Detective Megan Carpenter to discover and she is shocked when she recognises her. Monique Delmont helped Megan when she was in danger two years ago. At the scene the killer leaves two photographs of a school girl Megan.

This is a quick read and the characters are strong with plenty to develop so I fully expect to read more of this series in the future.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Detective Megan Carpenter is on the run from her past. However, her past has been catching up with her, her entire life. This is evident in this, the third book of the Megan Carpenter series, though the first I've read. Megan's troubled childhood, her highly dysfunctional parents, have haunted her all her days, and continues to torment her.

The reader, always one step ahead of Megan, has a look into the mind of the killer; a sadistic, gruesome, torturing serial murderer. So we know that Megan has no idea who the killer is.

The action is propulsive, honing into the kill so to speak; as driving as the driven Megan. A thriller based on a police investigation that is very much personal to the protagonist detective. Recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This review also appears in Goodreads, netgalley.com and https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/?m=1

One bath wall is a mural of a brilliant-yellow sunflower. The theme carries over to the shower curtains, but the yellow vinyl is spattered with red blotches. Propped against the mirror is a South Kitsap High School photo of a teenaged girl.

I enjoy the first two books in this series very much. This one was good, but not quite as good as the previous two. It lacked something. It seemed to get a bit repetitive when talking about Monique Delmont's daughter and what happened to her. Every time she was mentioned the author added who she was and what happened to her. That would be something you would not forget so ease up on the reminders there. The book was excellent though, with the exception of the person of interest here. I still do not know who she is other than Alex's lover maybe. I know where she was from and why she did what she did but still that ending just seemed a bit rushed. It was not as well played out as the closure in the first two books. That disappointed me. As for reading about Megan's history that didn't bother me in the least. I learned some things in this book that was not mentioned in the first two. I thought this book was good but not as good as SNOW CREEK or WATER'S EDGE. Those too were absolutely unputdownable for me. I'm afraid this one just fell a tad short.
Megan is still working with Ronnie, who you met in book 2. Ronnie is a very likable character and a very good cop. I really liked her. I really liked Megan also. The characters in this book were all likable with the exception of the one after Megan/Riley who's name I don't even remember ever knowing. That was a bit disconcerting for me. But it is what it is. Apparently the author thought that would add mystery to the story and it did to a point. But it's always a good thing to find out who did what to whom. At least to me it is.
This book was well written to a point. It keeps you wanting to know who is doing what and why. You will find out part of that. The why part. It's the who that floored me. Though you know basically who she is you don't learn her name. I didn't like that. I didn't appreciate that.
The scenes in this book are great. You feel like you are walking through the woods. Like you are creeping inside Megan's home with gun drawn. Like you are being dragged behind the trailer. It's a good story just missing something that I can't quite put my finger on. Almost but not quite.

Those are my thoughts of this book. I would say it's well written and it is. Just missing something.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #GreggOlsen, #Bookouture for this ARC. This is my own thoughts about this book.

I'm giving it a 3.5/5 stars. I wish I could give it more but I was left wondering too much with this one. Read for yourself and decide though. It's pretty good but....