I absolutely LOVED this one! What a fantastic start to a new series!

I am generally not a fan of PI stories because I struggle with the idea of non-law enforcement working much more efficiently than the police. I do understand the reality of having a single dedicated person working a single dedicated case, but generally I find that PI characters always have cases that would be difficult if not impossible to solve but for a very convenient relationship with a person at the police and it loses me because if the police can solve it at the drop of a hat why do they need a PI?. Suffice to say I was skeptical. However, this book addresses that problem by using a character, Madison, who is EX police and a PI who (in the most unfortunate way) is independently wealthy, so there's not a lot of obstacles and they can work a lot harder and fast than police, since they can afford to work the one case at a time. Madison & Nate are both somewha9t disgruntled people but extremely, extremely, likable and sympathetic.

As far as the story goes, it was brilliantly done and kept me guessing. I was very surprised by the end, and I kicked myself because as an avid crime fiction reader I should have seen it coming. I think it was just that carefully and artfully constructed. Extremely well done.

Lastly, as a dog rescuer, I loved the dog story. :)

This is a story that stays with you long after you've read it . . . A page turner you won't want to put down until you've reached the shocking conclusion and so much is revealed but more questions are raised leaving you eagerly anticipating the opportunity to read the next story in this series to discover what happens.

I actually finished reading this the day before I started this review. I needed time to think about the story and my reactions to it, it is that sort of story. . . . and I'm still not certain how to portray just how amazing a read it is without giving spoilers away.

Detective Madison Harper is no longer a police detective. She's been released from jail after spending time there for a murder she did not commit, one that leaves her wary of trusting her ex-colleagues and determined to clear her name. Undaunted, she seeks the help of someone who has had his name cleared after spending seventeen years on death row for the murder of his fiancée. He's now working as an investigator, though he isn't licensed to do so. Madison wants his help to clear her name and will work with him on cases in the meanwhile.

Their first case is working for a grandmother who is distraught after her granddaughter goes missing whilst participating in a summer camp at Shadow Falls. . . . Get ready for a suspense filled, dramatic and emotive story, filled with so many twists and turns to keep you guessing and turning those pages. There are so many disturbing aspects to the whole story it really is a superb thriller and the start of a brilliant new series.

Whilst not appropriate for anyone looking for a cosy read, this is a story which explores relationships, highlights injustice and keeps you enthralled from the start to its shocking conclusion. I can't wait to continue reading more in this series and really hope that a couple of prison wardens get their just desserts before the series ends!

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for my copy of this amazing book which I have voluntarily read and honestly reviewed.

Nate Monroe and Madison Harper were both framed for crimes they didn’t commit. Madison served her time; Nate was exonerated, but both of them are still hungry for revenge and to bring to justice those who wronged them. Now they’ve teamed up as PIs, working together to find Jenny, a little girl who’s gone missing from her summer camp.

There’s an inbuilt conflict here as Madison is a former cop and Nate doesn’t trust cops (for good reason). Honestly, I thought Madison still having faith in the police when she knows she was probably framed by someone in her own department was naive, but her skills do come in very handy in their PI work, and it’s not long before Nate starts to see that. Nate’s own backstory as an almost-priest doesn’t really come into play much here - he could have gained someone’s trust by asking to pray with them, for example - but as this is obviously the first in the series, I’ll definitely be interested to see where it goes next.

Some chapters written from the point of view of a psychiatrist reading a patient’s journals are sprinkled throughout, and for a long time it seems that they don’t have any relevance to the case. It’s not until late in the book that it’s revealed the patient is a major player we’ve been reading about all along. Honestly, I think these could have been cut; they didn’t add anything significant to the story we didn’t find out elsewhere, and it was more satisfying to read about Madison and Nate uncovering the truth than the psychiatrist, who seemed more concerned about her own future career than anything else.

With that said, this is SUCH a good story. There are some genuinely fascinating twists and turns, I really liked both Madison and Nate and I’m fascinated to know more of both their backstories and hope they both find justice - and I hope Nate figures out how to handle Brody, the ex-cadaver dog he ‘accidentally’ acquired during the story properly!

Five stars for a really great read, and I’ll be looking out for the next in the series.

First, I want to thank Wendy Dranfield, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I may bring you this review.

WOW!!! Shadow Falls by Wendy Dranfield’s new series Detective Madison Harper is incredibly fascinating and needs to be put on your must read list. Every storyline was so intriguing that I couldn’t put it down.

Shadow Falls' cover is so picturesque! Kudos to the graphic designer who created this cover.

Immediately Wendy sucks you into the prologue with the shocking last few lines!

Wendy discusses a lot of important topics and has some triggers in this book. Such topics are pedifilia, murder, drugs, suicide etc.

Jennifer Lucas’s missing person case at the camp was one of my many storylines. To find out the truth what happened to her was eye opening! There were scenes that were intense, suspenseful, heartbreaking, shady events, etc. I would not send my nieces and nephews there.

Nathan’s story was a heartbreaking one and a little taboo. Wendy took us into the past to see what he went through to where he is today.

Madison and Nathan worked together as a great team trying to solve Jennifer’s case.

The climax at the end I honestly never saw coming! There were so many shocking revelations that were heartwrenching to read.

Wendy has made me an instant fan and I look forward to her next book in the series.

BOOKWORMS Review:

The first book in the Detective Madison Harper series,and what a cracker it is. A terrific backstory for the main characters who team up to find missing 12 year old Jennifer Lucas. Detective Madison Harper and Private investigator Nate are searching for the missing girl who disappeared 2 weeks ago from Camp Fearless in Shadow Falls. Two weeks is a long time for a child to be missing and her parents are beside themselves.

Madison and Nate have stories of their own having both been convicted of crimes they didnt commit...Nate actually spent 17 years inside before his case was overturned,and as a result of her wrongful conviction, Madison lost custody of her son,so they both have an axe to grind and find out who framed them.

Can they find missing Jennifer and reunite her with her parents,as well as solving their own cases at the same time? A twistful action packed story with solid characters and plenty of shocks to keep you hooked!

MY Rating: 📘📘📘📘📘

With thanks to Wendy Dranfield,the team at Bookouture and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Be ready for lots of twists and turns as you get drawn into this tale of wrong accusations, a missing child and second chances.

When Madison Harper joins Nate Monroe, they find they have things in common, mainly having been wrongly accused of murder. Can they team up to help with a case of a missing young girl? Is she still alive or is there more to the case than first thought.

This is the first book I have read from this author, but it won’t be the last. The story and suspense build as you become hooked on what is happening. It is well written and gives away its secrets throughout the book.
As you get to know the main characters you find they are more likeable and wonder just what has happened in their pasts to lead them to where they are today.
Some twists you might see coming but others will jump out and surprise you!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers and most importantly the author, for the chance to read this book, in exchange for an honest review.

OMG! I just finished reading this book - did this book really just end like that?! ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME?! Bravo, Wendy Dranfield! Your creativity, ingenuity, and gumption shone through and will leave readers just as dumbfounded as me, not to mention super eager for Book Two! Is it done yet???

Shadow Falls is the first book in the Detective Madison Harper Series. Madison is an ex-cop that has been wrongfully accused of murder. She wants to clear her name, so she enlists the help of P.I. Nate Monroe. He reluctantly agrees to help, but only after they solve a case he's been recently been hired for, a girl has disappeared at camp. The girl's parents aren't being honest and no one at the camp seems to want Nate and Madison there. How will they find Jenny Lucas and will they find her alive?
I really enjoyed this book. It had some plot twists I wasn't expecting. It kept the pace pretty well. You definitely want to read the second book after finishing the first. Would recommend. Thanks NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Madison is an ex cop, falsely convicted of murder. She seeks out Nate, a former priest and former inmate on death row, exonerated of killing his fiancee, to help clear her name. Little does she know that offering to help with his latest case, a girl gone missing from summer camp, will put her in danger.

Shadow Falls is the first in the Madison Harper/Nate Monroe PI series that is a delightful mix of police procedural and psychological thriller.

Madison is an intriguing character. She's still recovering from her stay in prison and keeping a lot of secrets to herself, obviously not sure who to trust. Nate on the other hand is a very damaged character, clinging to his sanity in hopes of finding his fiancee's actual killer.

This story contains the old missing child trope common to detective fiction, something I'm not usually a fan of being a mother myself, but the author really did a good job with such an emotional subject.

For me, the first half of the book didn't quite grip me as much as I would have liked, but the shocking ending made up for that. Also, it doesn't end on a cliffhanger exactly, but it leaves you with questions that will hopefully be answered in the next book.

Shadow Falls is a well-written detective story with plenty of shocks and surprises along the way.

What a terrific start to a new series, this introduces ex Detective Madison Harper and PI Nathaniel Monroe/Nate. Both are ex convicts and Nate was previously training to become a priest before being wrongly sent to death row for the murder of his fiancée, who he had chosen over priesthood.

Knowing they were both framed they are on a mission of revenge as they also pool their combined skills to solve the case of twelve year old Jenny who has disappeared while at summer camp. Three stories and three cases to solve but not once confusing and I’m easily confuddled.

The main characters are two very broken but strong individuals who can now see crime and justice from both sides. It also shows how certain individuals can use religion as a get free from jail card, while being rotten to the core. Whereas the good who genuinely have faith but find love are seen as being tempted by the devil and are jailed even though innocent.

Hired by Jenny’s grandmother they travel to the family home and meet what seems a perfectly ordinary family, a distraught mother and a father burying his head in the sand assuming she’s just run away and will be back. Something however just doesn’t seem right.

These aren’t spoilers as it all comes out fairly early on, the rest of the book has a very skilled multi layered plot with some nice twists and unexpected surprises. I loved both Madison and Nate equally and the dynamic of their partnership worked perfectly. Good vs Evil is always a winner for me and this has it in spades. Already looking forward to the next book and a new series to be addicted to.

A great start to a new series. Packed full of twists, turns, lies and truths. Fabulous characters, exciting storyline. I'm really looking forward to the next in this series.

Nate and Madison are former cons, both having served considerable time for crimes which they didn't commit. Both would like to find solid proof of whom the guilty parties really were. Nate has opened a private eye business, and since Madison is a former police officer, she begs Nate to let her work for him. Just as he tries to tell her "no way", a new case opens up of a missing teenager, and he lets her come along.

The two of them band together to try to find the girl, whom they are already sure is dead, and discover who is responsible. There are enough surprises to keep one interested, for sure. Apparently, this is the start of a series, so we'll have to keep reading to see if they find the proof they need for themselves.

Warning: Objectionable language, which seemed rather strange, since, before incarceration, Nate was studying for the ministry.

This book has a lot going on and the title has changed to Shadow Falls, instead of Cry for Help from when I first read it. Lots of interesting characters with messy backstories. First, is Madison Harper, a detective we meet as she is being arrested for murder. Then we have Nate Monroe who was studying to be a priest but got sidetracked when he fell in love and who further has his life’s trajectory changed when he is arrested and convicted for his fiancé’s murder.

After serving 20 years on death row, Nate is exonerated and now determined to find his fiancé’s killer who he believes is her uncle, himself a priest. Madison is released after serving her sentence for a crime she claims to have been framed for and is determined to find out who set her up. Believing Nate might be just the person to help her clear her name, she convinces him to help her while he is on his own name-clearing quest. Along the way, they manage to get themselves involved in other mysteries as they come closer to the truths about their own situations.

Never a dull moment in this delightful new series which I never would have found without NetGalley. So, again, my thanks to them for their wonderful choices available to all readers of all genres.

Great new series. Two ex cons who were wrongfully convicted turned PI. Hired to find Jenny, 12 years old, who goes missing at her summer camp outside a small community. Nate, convicted of murdering his fiancee & Madison, ex cop who was convicted of murdering another police officer. Both on a path to clear their names. Working together to solve the case of the missing girl. I really enjoyed this novel. It is different then most of the PI, mystery books I have read lately. This is definitely a good start for this series. Kept me guessing on where this case was heading and who was behind the missing girl. Nate & Madison both have trust issues so working together has been a challenge but I am sure they will come together to help clear both of their names. A real page turner. I look forward to see how this story will play out.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

A brilliantly written gripping book! This is definitely going to be a great series and I can't wait to read the next installment! I'd never heard of this author before so didn't know what to expect but I can honestly say I totally loved it.
The story is predominantly about a teenage girl that goes missing from a summer camp and when the police efforts don't she's any light the girls grandmother hires a PI.

I love the relationship between the two main characters, Nate and Maddison and can't wait to get to know them more. A really good 5 star book!

A young girl Jennifer missing from the camp and a Detective determined to find her, despite meeting with roadblocks in the form of non-cooperative people. Having read many of author Wendy Dranfield books, I knew I would get some fun reading down.

The cop, Detective Madison was most unusual. She had spent years in prison, being falsely accused, and her partner, in this case, was PI Nate, another person who had seen how unjust charges could warp you. It just took him seventeen years to get his freedom back. The author sure had striking main characters, who had seen both sides of the law and were still committed to finding out the truth.

The story of this disappearance kept a steady pace, moving fast in the last few pages, when the twists caught my attention, most unexpected. The missing child arc had been my favorite for quite some time, and the author made it most interesting with the suspense and mystery in the writing. Secrets. Secrets. Secrets. The race against time was on when the child left some clues in the library.

The ending ripped me apart and left me shocked when I read the truth. Book 1 of the series, I felt it was a very good beginning to rocking new murder investigations. GRIPPING AND ENTERTAINING.

This is the first book in a brand new series and it started off really well.

It was fast paced, full of twists and turns from the very first page!

The story flowed well and the characters were intriguing and cannot wait to read book 2!

I love new series that start out with a bang! Shadow Falls is the first in Wendy Dranfield's Detective Madison Harper series. Detective Madison Harper has just been released from prison after serving 9 years for a crime she did not commit. Her conviction cost her everything in her life, including the custody of her son. She is determined to find out who framed her and clear her name, but she first has to have a job and a place to live. Madison interviews with Nate Monroe, a private investigator with his own past. He spent 17 years in prison for the murder of his fiancé before new evidence proved his innocence. Now he is searching for the real killer. These two share a back story that will run through multiple books in the series as they work together to settle their pasts and find a way forward. An excellent first step into a multi book series.
The first case these two work together is the disappearance of a young girl from a summer camp at Shadow Falls. The local police have not found any trace of her, so Nate & Madison are hired to investigate. The story has been building as we are introduced to the MCs and now it is truly chilling. Their investigation into a seemingly mainstream family and community will bring out secrets meant to be forever buried. What a story!!!! Wendy Dranfield is now on my "followed" list and her books added to me TBR pile.

Shadow Falls is the first instalment in the Detective Madison Harper series set in Northern California. Ex-police officer Madison Harper is staying at a motel which is serving as a halfway house for those just released from prison. she's been there seven months after serving six years of a ten-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.

A recently released convicted cop murderer who was previously doing time in her hometown of Colorado, Madison is just managing to make ends meet working at Big Bob's Diner. Nathaniel (Nate) Monroe is a PI who has been out of prison for two years following the murder of his fiancée Stacey Connor in Texas. New evidence came to light which exonerated him and he believes Stacey's uncle, Father Jack Connor killed her. He's currently trying to get back on his feet and is staying at a hotel near Madison. Both Madison and Nate need to find out who framed them as both are innocent of their crimes and Madison is desperate to get her conviction overturned. Madison decides to call Nate for help after reading about his situation. Nate is initially reluctant to take on Madison's case but agrees in return for her help with any new jobs he takes on.

Twelve-year old-Jennifer Lucas has gone missing from Camp Fearless, a summer camp in Shadow Falls situated in the Wildwood National Forest. Nate and Madison set out to learn the truth about their own cases as well as find the missing girl.

Shadow Falls is my first novel by Wendy Dranfield and I loved learning more about both of the charismatic main characters. An intriguing and compelling procedural, I found myself reading late into the night. With plenty of action, it was cleverly plotted and I was caught out by the misdirection on a few occasions. The author's gritty and razor-sharp style meant I was never bored and the final revelations gave the story a last-minute boost. I can't wait to read the second instalment, Cry for Help and in the meantime, I may well make a start on Wendy Dranfield's 'Dean Matheson' series. 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.

I was drawn into the story very quickly! And it was a compelling story at that. Each character is well written. Even the ones you wind up hating.I do feel that a lot of the book was spent setting up the next book in the series. I definitely want to read the next book. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy a story with intrigue!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley for my voluntary,honest review.