BOOKWORMS REVIEW:
A book you wont be able to put down...nor even want to. Detective Ellie Reeves is back and has as treacherous a case as ever to crack. Theres a psycho on the loose,with a twisted agenda. Hes killing women by following a childhood rhyme. Donned the 'weekday killer'.. his victims are chosen,tortured & murdered going by 'Mondays child is fair of face...' etc. A new victim for each day.
On a walk one night Ellie receives a text asking if she can save her friend Shondra. Whilst Ellie was dealing with her own demons and hiding from life,The killer got her. The heat was already on for Ellie and her colleagues,with not all the citizens of the town forthcoming with information as she finds out. She must save these women,and find out who is picking these women off, one by one,day by day..and she must save her friend.
A gripping and nail biting story of dark and twisted proportions.

Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. I really enjoyed the first book in this series so I was very excited to see what Ellie got up to this time. As mentioned this is the second book in this series but it can be read as a stand-alone.

This case was very personal. The killer targets Ellie, taunting her from the very beginning. He knows that she will feel guilty, that she will think it's her fault that he killed those women. He blames Ellie for the way his life turned out and now its time for her to pay.

There were so many suspects in this case but there was no real evidence against any of them. This left Ellie and the team running all over the place and always a step behind. this killer was sadistic, ritualistic and cruel.

This book is very well written. Ellie is the main POV but there's also the POV of a few other characters. I like reading different POV's. I find getting into different heads helps to give a more rounded story. The pace is spot on. The chapters are very short which makes it really difficult to put down. Rita did an excellent job of drawing out my emotions. I felt extremely nervous as Ellie put herself in danger again.

While this case may be solved this book ends with some hints as to there being more in store Ellie in future books. I am very excited to see what happens next.

I am so pleased that I was given the opportunity to read Wildflower Graves, the second instalment in Rita Herron's Detective Ellie Reeves series as it was a truly tremendous crime mystery and it did not disappoint!

The pacing moved along with alacrity and I loved the exciting plotline. Ellie Reeves is in the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains for some much needed escapism and to forget all of her nightmares. Out hiking at dusk she finds a young woman dead on a bed of daffodils along with a note containing a rhyme. When Ellie emerges from the forest, she reads her phone messages, one of which is a picture of her colleague, Officer Shondra Eastwood, with the words: Can you find her, Detective Reeves?

Full of thrills and totally addictive, it held my attention from the very first chapter. Wonderfully executed by Rita Herron, the story is told primarily from Ellie’s viewpoint, interspersed with descriptions of the unnamed killer’s actions and the thoughts of other characters are dotted here and there. Wildflower Graves was sinister, chilling, macabre and multifaceted. Ellie is a likeable central character with a pronounced sense of justice on behalf of the victims, as well as determination and plenty of grit. Rita Herron's clever writing continued to wow me, resulting in my refusal to put this book down until the end! This brilliant story had me confounded as to the perpetrator's identity until the glorious reveal. I'm already excited and eager for book three. Very highly recommended.

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

The second exciting mystery for Detective Elle Graves. Elle finds the body of a murdered woman as she is hiking the trails. She is still dealing with her last case and the ramifications that it had on her family. Now she finds herself back in the spotlight. When she receives a phone call that her fellow officer, Shondra Eastwood, has been kidnapped, the race is on. When another woman is murdered, they realize that they have a serial killer stalking the town. At times the murder descriptions are a little grim, but the story has more twist and turns up until the very end. The killer has no conscience and continues taunting Elle with notes and calls. Will she be able to take him out before she herself becomes a victim? I thought I knew who the killer was, but the ending came as a complete surprise. I am looking forward to the next book in the series as Elle has a family decision to make…what will she do? I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)

Buckle up, put on your big panties, turn on the lights, lock the doors and always be aware of your surroundings. Suspenseful, thriller, gut wrenching, emotional and family, yes family. I asked to read this arc based on the premise. I love thrillers. This did not disappoint. I did not pay any attention to the fact this was book 2. The author does a fantastic job of making sure you can read this as a stand alone. If you do get a chance I would suggest reading book 1 first, just based on what is referenced it will flesh out, creepy suspenseful thriller in its own right. The horror that Ellie feels, the pain and gut wrenching that Shonda feels are expressed so that you feel them. The trail is twisty, turning, red herrings here and there, I had no clue who the culprit was. There was a jaw dropping moment towards the end, and the ending itself left me scrambling to see when the next book was coming out. No, not a cliff hanger, just a hint of what could be coming down the road. Well done! Thank you Rita Herron, Bookouture and NetGalley. I am hooked. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions.

“The Weekday Killer”

“Monday’s child is fair of face

Tuesday’s child is full of grace

Wednesday’s child is full of woe

Thursday’s child has far to go

Friday’s child is loving and giving

Saturday’s child works hard for a living

And the child that is born on the Sabbath day is bonny and blithe, and good and gay”

“A blueprint for murder”

Oh Wow! This was such an excellent story! I just couldn’t bear to put my Kindle into sleep mode for a few minutes, even when I needed to catch up with other day-to-day, much more boring chores!

It was a good job that this book was broken down into bite-sized chunks and I can safely say that a mere 150 chapters made it manageable, even for me! I had thought that having this many breaks in the story might make it a little disjointed, however every new chapter saw a relocation in the action, bringing the storyline up close and personal, with each and every page being fast-paced and action filled to the brim.

Ellie Reeves is the latest in a long line of fictional detectives with more than enough personal baggage to sink a small ship. However this series goes one step further, as both stories to date have featured cases which have revolved around Ellie and her family personally, so it’s no wonder this small town is seemingly getting to experience far more than its fair share of death, murder, depravity, collusion and lying. And I’ll let you into a little secret – this second case leaves things hanging by a thread, so look out for book #3. I know I am. Although whether her bosses are going to come to the conclusion that Ellie is more of a liability than she is worth, is anyone’s guess. This story did however work great as a stand alone, as enough of the backstory was explained to keep me fully up to date, and that tantalising ending doesn’t involve any real carry over conclusion, unless you’re really nosy, like me!

This powerfully intense, multi-layered, well constructed and developed story, moved along at a breakneck pace, hardly allowing me time to draw breath before the next tumultuous event was discovered and called in to the investigating team. The air was constantly tense, as suspicion fell on first one, then another of this divided team, which left me emotionally drained and constantly playing catch-up. I had worked my suspect list down to two names quite early on and had guessed, with certainty in my own mind, which one had committed the crimes, not long after. However watching everyone else play catch-up was both fun and excruciatingly painful, as the bodies began stacking up – Oh! if only they could hear me, some of this anguish and pain might have been saved – or so I thought!

But wait! – both of my named suspects were suddenly proved innocent, as yet another twist in the tale was uncovered which threw me completely off track, leaving me totally at the author’s mercy, which in all fairness, it transpired I had been, right from the word go! Author Rita Herron masterfully owned this storyline right from the very first line and she never lost control, even down to that final tantalising teaser line. She is clearly a consummate exponent in the art of storytelling, supremely confident in which direction she wants to lead her readers at all times, and is able to throw in red herrings and blind alleys, seamlessly and at will, without breaking the pace or integrity of the plot, just by ramping up the tension a notch or two. At one point, just that little nudge and twist in the story, was enough to send shivers down my spine and make me certain that I shall never look at an undertaker in quite the same way ever again (even though in a previous line of work, I was in daily contact with more than one funeral home), now I just can’t get the vivid image that Rita so carefully constructed, out of my head!

Rita also writes with a beautifully descriptive and genuine sense of time and place. The compelling, visually descriptive narrative, meant that I could close my eyes and imagine myself in amongst those dark forbidding Appalachians, just as the impending storm drew ever closer. That feeling of being alone, open to the elements and at the total mercy of a crazed killer, wondering all the time if it was me he was coming for next, or if I was going to be the person to stumble upon the next body!

The multi-faceted characters were flawlessly well drawn and defined. Each one was emotionally complex and had baggage and a past which haunted them, making them quite difficult to read and connect with. They all had reasons to dislike and distrust other members of a team which really needed to work as a cohesive unit, meaning that the air was full of tension, suspicion and mistrust for much of the time, although in all fairness, none of them ever really took their eye off the ball for too long, with the possible exception of the one person who should have known better and not let their personal feelings and ego get in the way of the job in hand. As a result of some very complex and damaging family dynamics, Ellie herself often comes under suspicion during the course of this investigation, although she has estranged herself from her parents, in order to maintain some distance and further the career which she loves. However, when push comes to shove and a tough and resilient Ellie finds herself captive rather than captor, resulting events cause her to take stock and re-evaluate her position somewhat. Compromise might yet be too strong a word, as Ellie decides that blood is thicker than water, however exactly how she is going to reconcile her feelings for family, with the reaction of the community she serves, has yet to be established. There have been so many lives lost and families destroyed, can forgiveness and inclusion ever happen for Ellie, or is the job she has fought so hard to win for herself, doomed to be taken from her?

This storyline had it all, great characters, an amazing plot and a lovely armchair travellers journey through some fantastic scenery!

I love this series!
I really enjoyed being back in the Appalachian Mountains with Detective Ellie Reeves but just knew a murder would soon follow.
The killer in this book is particularly twisted as he lays the dead body on daffodils, cuts their throat and then wraps bramble round their necks.
Ellie stumbles across the first victim whilst taking some time out up in the mountains. She’s soon back to work trying to find the killer.
As more bodies are found the FBI are called in and Agent Derrick Fox is back in Ellie’s life.
He’s still struggling after the last case and with Ellie’s parents in the same town, he finds it hard at first.
The town have ganged up on Ellie’s parents and soon their lives are in danger too.
Sheriff Bryce is his usual annoying self and makes a few decisions that cause problems for Ellie.
Hiram seems to be pulling the strings behind the killer but are they on the right track?
Shondra has also been abducted and Ellie and the team face a race against time to save her.
This is a fast paced book and I raced through the final few chapters desparate to know how it would end.
With that ending, I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Detective Ellie Reeves heads into the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains when she wants to get lost––to forget the whispers chasing her and the past that keeps her up at night. She’s sick of having to prove herself to her small town. One night, as dusk falls, a gust of wind blows some petals on to Ellie’s path. Following the trail, she finds a golden-haired young woman dead on a bed of daffodils, with a note: Monday’s child is fair of face. When Ellie emerges from the forest, there is a message on her phone. Someone has sent her a picture of her colleague, Officer Shondra Eastwood, with the words: Can you find her, Detective Reeves? Ellie is racked with guilt––while she was busy hiding from life a killer was on the loose, and he has taken her beloved friend. It soon becomes clear when another dead woman, Tuesday’s Child, is found. Ellie is up against a serial killer who will claim a victim for every day of the week, and in the next twenty-four hours there will be another body.
This is the second book in the series & could easily be read on its own. However this story does follow on from the revelations in the first book. Another well written engrossing read. The characters are complex & well portrayed. Derrick Fox is again part of the action & helps Ellie with the case. There are twists, turns & red herrings that kept me guessing & also kept me captivated.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Wildflower Graves picks up right where Ms Herron left Ellie - tormented by her parents' decision and trying to deal with the ramifications. Then, women begin to go missing... and Cord and Special Agent Fox are both back in her life. The case becomes even more personal when her friend, Deputy Shondra Eastwood, is also missing, and Ellie believes the killer has taken her, as well. As Ellie sorts through her feelings, she dives head first into these murders and disappearances. With so many twists and turns, you will NOT be able to put this book down for long. It's incredible - and then, the ending... I cannot wait to see what Ellie decides. A Fantastic Series that will get you hooked from Book 1.

I have always loved Rita Herron's books and this series is so far is just what I expected from her...thrills , suspense, mystery and a great female lead character! Ellie is a character that you can't help but not want to read more about and follow her to her next case. I have no negative comments about this book I thought it was the perfect thriller/mystery. I hope there is more books to come with Ellie. I recommend reading this series you won't be able to put it down!!! If your looking for a suspenseful quick read then you need to read this book! Loved!

The second book in the Ellie Reeves series, although this can also be read as a standalone.
The Crooked Creek Police Department is stretched once again by a serial killer and detective Ellie Reeves finds herself in the centre of the investigation.
Ellie is chasing the 'Weekday Killer' whilst also being haunted by her family problems and the aftermath of her latest case where her own brother murdered little girls in pursuit of her.
To begin with I felt this was a slightly clichéd although once I started to read I became really engrossed in the plot and backstories surrounding the characters.
I lived that I didn't guess who the killer was and there were so many twists and turns, I really was kept totally invested throughout.
The fast pace and the sheer amount of goings on meant this was another book I struggled to put down, as when you thought it was starting to come together all the theories were blown apart again.
The backstop is also cleverly explained and adds to the current relationships and plot, whilst leaving plenty of room for a sequel.
Thankyou to Netgalley, Bookouture and Rita Herron for this pre release copy. I look forward to the next in the series to catch up with all the characters.

Book 2 in the Ellie Reeves series. I would recommend reading book 1 before this as this plot carries on from that.

I was hooked from the first page and I absolutely flew through the chapters.

The plot is full of twists and turns that keep you guessing til the end.

Ellie is an intriguing character who I'm loving getting to know.

I'm already looking forward to book 3.

Detective Ellie Reeves heads into the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains when she wants to get lost and forget all the whispers chasing her and the past that keeps her up at night. She’s sick of having to prove herself to her small town.

But hiking in the endless miles of woods isn’t the escape she was hoping for. A gust of wind blows some petals on to Ellie’s path. Following the trail, she finds a golden-haired young woman dead on a bed of daffodils, with a note: ‘Monday’s child is fair of face.’

When Ellie emerges from the forest, she receives a message on her phone. Someone has sent her a picture of her colleague, Officer Shondra Eastwood with a challenge to find and save her before it’s too late.

Ellie is up against a serial killer who will claim a victim for every day of the week. Ellie needs to figure out who the killer is and save Shondra before he gets to her first.

I was so glad to read this one! I really loved the first book in this series and this was equally good as well!

It continues from where the first book ended but that’s just to give a slight background. The main characters are well written, Ellie is definitely one of my favourites . Also, there are so many twists throughout the plot that it keeps you guessing right till the end.

I tried to guess who the killer was but I just got it wrong. There were so many victims (one for each day of the week), I just wanted to know more about them and why were they chosen. The end was definitely an exceptional twist that I didn’t see coming.

Overall an excellent read. And I also loved the way the end was left hanging with a hint of what to expect next, that makes me even more eager to read the next book in the series. The secrets just keep getting better.

Thank You NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC!

At 4.5 stars rounded up, Wildflower Graves is the second book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series and is just as action packed and an edge of your seat thriller as the first. A lot of background will be lost if you do not read the first in this series. Ellie is still reeling from the betrayal of her parents and surviving the trauma that came at the hands of a madman who turned in book one of the series. Everyone seems to look at her with suspicion but Ellie is just trying to do her job as a detective when another serial killer hits the Appalachian Trail. Having to work with hostile coworkers, Ellie pursues a killer in a case that once again becomes way too personal for her own good. Twisted and full of surprises, Ellie even be suspects her friends before the case comes to a pulse pounding ending that the reader will never see coming. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Murder & revenge on the Appalachian Trail: gripping👍👍

What a fascinating, macabre and well-executed whodunit! Oodles of action and suspense, a female lead character who is practically fearless and plenty of questionable characters to keep up the tension and mystery of the motive and identity of the killer going right up to the stormy climax. I cannot think of a single element in this page-turner to call out for criticism.

I really love this series about Police Detective Ellie Reeves. This second book in the series was just as gripping as the first. Ellie's broken personal life is inextricably woven with the crimes she's investigating and she never backs down or bows out. The disappearance of her fellow female officer and best friend gave that extra tweak of desperation to Ellie's driven search for a killer targeting seemingly random women on the southern end of the Appalachian Trail.

Totally looking forward to the next in the series!😊

Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Ellie Reeves goes into the Appalachian Trail for some space and hiking. The exposure of her parents' secret, potentially harboring a serial killer of young girls, brought Ellie under the scrutiny of the town - assumptions she is as guilty as her parents, questioning her ability to be a police officer.
While hiking the trail, Ellie stumbles upon a recently murdered young woman - posed, with a nursery rhyme.
Ellie is pulled into the investigation, along with Special Agent Derrick Fox. Will they be able to stop the killer before there is a victim for each seven days?
I did not read the first book in the series - the author did a great job summarizing past events to provide context as well as reminders for those who had.
I just didn't feel this book - I skimmed until about 80% through. The author did a great job withholding the identity of the killer. There were few clues until the end of the book to lead to the culprit.

Detective Ellie Reeves heads into the wilds of the Appalachian Mountains when she wants to get lost––to forget the whispers chasing her and the past that keeps her up at night. She’s sick of having to prove herself to her small town.

I read Rita's first book to the Ellie series and it was amazing!
But the second book was just as amazing! I love Ellie's character she is a badass Detective and I love her.

I really enjoyed the second book in the Ellie Reeves series, which can be read as a stand alone. Ellie is a likeable character who is strong and determined to catch a killer. The plot is interesting and cracks on at a good pace. There are some gruesome descriptive passages, which are well written, with plenty unexpected twists to keep the reader interested. I failed to guess the killer and I would recommend this series of books to lovers of crime thrillers. A very engrossing read. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Ohhhh what an excellent book, I loved it. This sucked me in and I read it in one sitting, it was really good. It was tense and thrilling and it had me hanging on to every word. Thoroughly enjoyed it and I can’t wait for the next in the series.

From first page to last this book will keep readers needing answers just as much as Ellie Reeves. From the characters to the story this book will keep readers hooked wondering if they even know who the killer is even when reader see it though the killers eye.

The story uses a pome that is recited over and over though the story realizing that 7 women will die if the killer isn't stopped.

Characters authors enjoyed from the last book will come back. Readers will learn more about their past as well as the heart ache Ellie deals with every day. Readers are caught up so they won't have to start with book one unless they want to. Believe me you will want to read book 1 because it is just as great of a story that will keep readers excited for the next in Rita Herron Detective Ellie Reeves series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Rita Herron Wildflowers Graves.