Cover Image: Shadow Falls (Detective Madison Harper Book 1)

Shadow Falls (Detective Madison Harper Book 1)

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Member Reviews

I absolutely loved this book! It was so different then a lot of books that I have read lately. The very first pages you are hooked which I loved I didn't have to read to far into the book to get the full story. Look forward to the next in the series!

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This was my first read of 2020 and what a banger to start the year with. It's absolutely amazing! This is the first book in a brand new series and I already cannot wait for book two. The series is Detective Madison Harper published by Bookouture. The cover is beautiful & perfect for this story.

What makes this different from all the other crime series out there? The fact that both the main characters have a hidden, dark past themselves (all will be revealed). However, they aint letting that stop them from finding out what happened to the missing girl. They're both very determined characters who get there result towards the end.

It is a fast paced read. It is bound to keep you on your toes and edge of your seat second guessing yourself constantly. It messed with my head with all the twists, turns and unexpected evidence. Its a rollercoaster of a read. I absolutely loved it. If you've read it you'll know what I'm about to say.. There's one part in this book that actually made me scream NOOOOO out loud! Haha.

Highly recommend its a busy book, page turner. Will always hold the readers attention and the pages turning. I didnt want to put it down. It was addictive. I think this series could be huge for this author. Very impressed. Brilliantly written and a great plot. You can't trust anyone in this story. A well deserved five stars from me. Loved it!

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This book was not what I expected at all! Nevertheless, it is a complex, well-written book with plot twists all over the place.

I did think the book synopsis was misleading though - Madison is NOT a detective and the book is not really about a missing girl. This was a far from usual police procedural, I can tell you that!

I am not sure my review will do this book justice, as it is hard to describe the book without giving the plot away, which I really don't want to do.

Madison and Nate are both damaged people. Their pasts are unusual and they are haunted by what has happened to them. Dreams of revenge are in both their hearts. They team up to solve the disappearance of young Jenny, from summer camp. Neither of them are licenced investigators but they do their best to unravel the situation with Jenny and her family.

There are lots of red herrings in this book and my heart was in my mouth more than once. The case isn't tied up with a pretty bow, which I like.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture.

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I thought this was great. Completely different to the normal detective novels. You didn’t quite know w which characters you could like & who was not what they seemed.
The premise seemed simple, Detective Madison Harper has been asked to locate missing schoolgirl, Jenny. Jenny went missing from summer camp and has been missing for two weeks.
Maisonette Harper has her own issues she is trying to deal with as had her partner.
I can’t wait to read book two as I want their back stories investigated and resolved.
Thanks to Bookouture and NatGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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This is a new author for me and it took me a little while to get into the story line but once in ...................... bang I just loved it, so well written with good characters. I really enjoyed the partnership between Madison and Nate and hope to read more in the series.

For me it was a fantastic page turner which kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through and I have nothing negative to say about this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this great book which I can thoroughly recommend.

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5/5 stars!

I LOVED THIS BOOK!

From the first few lines I was hooked and had trouble putting down this book. <b>Find My Child</b> is the story of former Detective Madison Harper and Private Investigator Nate Monroe, who team up together to investigate the case of a missing child from a summer camp in Shadow Falls, California on behalf of the grandmother. Everyone is keeping to themselves and not offering any information, even the local police. As information gets uncovered and secrets revealed, this case begins to feel like it's not how it seems.

So let's get into it... this book had me nervously reading faster and faster to find out more, and the more I found out the more I wanted to know. The intensity and pace of this novel is unparalleled. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole way through. The plot seems straight-forward, but there are so many twists and turns that keep you guessing. This definitely adds a layer of suspense to this crime novel. Dranfield is an excellent writer and has put forth an extraordinary story that holds the reader's attention and leaves them wanting more! I think that this novel is very well written, and the plot reveal was very well done. The ending is perfect, leaving you on the edge of the proverbial cliff, wanting to have the second part of this series in your hands. Alas, that is not possible! But I will be adding the next novel in Dranfield's series to my wish-list, no doubt about it!

I enjoyed Madison's and Nate's characters. They were well-written and dynamic. Each having their own pasts that contribute to the story and their motivation at investigating and seeking justice for others. I am excited to see where the future novels will bring us and how their characters and individual stories will progress.

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada upon publishing.</i>

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Unfortunately this was a book I put down halfway thru. I didn’t like that there was multiple storylines throughout. I found myself uninterested in what was happening to the detective and the former officer and wanted to skip over those sections.
I found myself wanting to skip to the end just to see what happens to the girl Jenny.

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Wow wow wow. This was a read all night page turned of the highest order. I have not read this author before but I am so glad I was chosen to read this one. The characters are amazing, less than perfect, real life weary and down trodden. This makes them so believable and relatable. I was hooked from page one. A teen missing from a summer camp. What a great start. I have a love for summer camp thrillers. This book is so full of twists and turns and doesn’t slow down for a moment. I was kept guessing until the very end and even when things came to light there were more surprises to follow culminating in a shocking finale. I am so excited to read the next instalment. This book was fantastic and worthy of topping your read list!

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I have read other books by this author and they were are great ones. I was very curious to meet her new main characters and find out what they would get on their plates.
First of all I have to mention that the protagonists have been through the wringer themselves. They are still fighting to get order in their private lives, but in the meantime they put those battles on the backburner to solve other people’s mysteries. Their minds are not always in the best of places, but they support each other to get through those black holes. It only takes one person to believe in you in order to get you back on the right track.
Needless to say that there is a lot going on in this book and you might have guessed that’s impossible to unravel everything unless you turn it into a 1000 pages or more kind of story. So the author decided to keep the readers salivating for the rest. 😉
In the beginning you get a lot to deal with. You get to know both Nate and Madison and you also get a peek into the case they will have to try and solve. You don’t really know how this all will come together and what it will lead to, but rest assured, it will come together and how!
The book has twists and turns to keep you occupied and although, in my opinion, sometimes a little bit over the top, it still was a very good read.
I, for one, hopped in the back of their car on the way to their next adventure. Looking forward to find out what the author still has in store for us. 4 stars.

Thank you, Wendy Dranfield and Bookouture

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Thank you very much to the author, Wendy Dranfield, the publisher, Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

Find My Child is the first book in a series from this author, about Detective Madison Harper. This was an excellent start to a new series, and it was thrilling, suspenseful and kept my attention from the first word.

I thought the relationship between Nate and Madison worked great throughout the book, and I really thought that their pasts helped to make this book a winner. I cannot wait to read more of this series, and more from this author. The fast pace of this book keeps you on your toes throughout, and from beginning to End this was an excellent read.

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This was a good, quick mystery with some twists and turns. Kept my interest and I read it quickly, wanting to know what would happen next. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Wendy Dranfield has created one heck of a heroine in Madison Harper. Framed for a crime she didn't commit, Madison is focused on finding the individuals who framed her, along with getting back her son. Before she can do this, she needs to convince Nate Monroe (another person framed for a crime) to take her on as an assistant of sorts in his detective business. The two develop a fantastic rapport as they work together to find a missing child. Jenny disappeared at summer camp and her lovely grandmother is anxious to get her home... This book twists and turns so many times but the ending is very satisfying... and where Ms. Dranfield leaves off... Holy Cow!

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#FindMyChild #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, the lovely Bookouture team and Wendy Dranfield for an ARC to review.
I am so glad I picked this book, it's the first installment in a new series ( detective Madison Harper ). I am in love as I found a new favorite author and series.
Two broken souls who are trying to rebuild their lives cooperate to locate a missing 12 years old Jenny who went missing from a summer camp as if vanished into thin air. The girl's parents couldn't be acting less indifferent, the authorities at the incident couldn't have acted less incompetent and the camp itself is a disaster with its suspicious staff.
Can they locate the girl in time or are they bound to locate her body after all this time? A heart aching fast paced thriller.
The book's structure is excellent and you will keep guessing till the end where the therapist's role could fit. I am looking forward to the next book in this series and will start looking right away to other books by Wendy Dranfield.

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Oh my!!!! This was really good! I wasn't sure at first, not into books about people doing drugs, but I quickly changed my mind. I am looking forward to the next book in this series, I hope it arrives soon. Love Brody!! Hope he sticks around as well.

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For a debut book in a series it is well written with a good storyline for the central plot. The characters need more development which could be done through the series. It would have been better to restrict the backstory of Nate to one chapter rather than a constant interlude throughout. The main plot is left with loose ends without any investigation into the girl’s involvement in the death of her siblings. It felt like the author was confused whether to make her out as an innocent victim or a clever perpetrator. 3.5 stars

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First off I want to say huge  thank you to the publisher  the author , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.Wow just wow , this story took off running and never stopped until the last page, it had everything I love a good thriller, which is characters that are real and you can see the in your mind, twists and turns that come out of no where, and characters that will stop at non thing to make something or even someone who's in their way of happens to disappear, and a mother that I won't want to know in real life at all. What more can you ask for in a start of a new series, that has non stop action, secrets, twists and turns , as well as shocks and surprises, all of which keep you on and off track even when you have it figured out and will keep you on the edge of your set , as well as ,make you hope that they find Jennifer in time .As make you ask these questions did Jennifer just run away or just get lost in the woods or did someone actually take her and if so why.

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On the surface, Madison and Nate make for an unlikely pair - a former detective and a man who doesn’t trust cops or authority in general. But when you dig a little deeper, you add in the fact that they both solved time for crimes they didn’t commit. That gives them a common ground to build upon.

Nate has become a private investigator and Madison has her cop instincts with no outlet for them. So she turns to Nate in hopes of working with him and finding out who set her up. But before they can focus on that, the two must look into the disappearance of a young girl. Did Jenny really just wander off from her camp? Or did her family - who doesn’t seem too interested in Nate’s help - have something to do with it? Ultimately the answer will be one that surprises you.

With one mystery solved, can our unlikely duo stick together and solve their own mysteries? I for one can’t wait to find out.

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I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Find My Child, the first novel to feature former police detective turned PI Madison Harper.

Madison teams up with Nate Monroe to work the disappearance of teenager Jennifer Lucas from a summer camp in Northern California at the behest of her grandmother, Esme Lucas. Her parents aren’t so keen and as Madison investigates it becomes clear that they are keeping secrets.

I quite enjoyed Find My Child which is a well plotted and written novel with some amazing twists, although some of it didn’t appeal to me. Both Nate and Madison have been convicted of separate murders and served time. Nate has since been exonerated but carries baggage about the real killer who has never been caught, while Madison insists she was framed and is hellbent on proving it and reuniting with the son she lost when she went to prison. The plot of the investigation is interrupted by regular flashbacks to Nate’s history. Little is said about Madison’s case so I can only assume that this will be explored in the next novel as implied by the ending to this one. The author has a fair attempt at describing Nate’s experiences but it ends up superficial and not particularly relevant to the main plot. There are also chapters of a therapist reading an unnamed client’s diary. Their relevance only becomes apparent at the end and in the meantime they are distracting. I found much of the investigation boring until the reveals started coming at the end. These are stunning, impactful and bring the novel to life. I admired the author’s ability to keep them under wraps for so long.

On this first meeting I can’t say that I took to Madison. Her character seems jerky and not fully formed. Nate is a troubled individual and who wouldn’t be after his experiences, but the two of them as a combination seem too oppressive for a novel that’s supposed to be entertainment.

Find My Child is a solid read which will appeal to many readers.

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I was a bit skeptical when I began this book. Both main characters are former felons, although wrongfully convicted. Both grew on me as the story developed. In fact, I liked their unorthodox approach as the law had failed both. Toward the end, my stomach twisted with all,the heinous revelations. Diabolical minds lurked in the shadows. My Favkrite character is Brody, the dog. I liked him instantly. He is smart, concise, and patient for the humans to figure out what he already knows. I have to read the next book to see what happens next.

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I’m definitely excited for the rest of this series! This was a great thrill and I know there will be lots of drama in the next books. Good characters as well.

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