This is the first book in the series featuring Detective Amanda Steele. We learn that five years ago her young daughter and her husband were killed by a drunken driver, Chad Palmer. We also find that in order to survive Amanda is having one night stands and also using illegal drugs. After one of these nights a friend and colleague rings her to inform her that Chad Palmer had been released from prison and had been found murdered. Amanda persuades the police to let her investigate the case and is given a new partner but she soon becomes a suspect herself. The more she digs into Palmer’s past, the more shocking discoveries she makes and is soon investigating a string of murders and unsolved crimes including that of a paedophile ring from years ago. This was a gripping read, full of action, plenty of red herrings and an unexpected ending. I loved this book and can’t wait for book number two in the series.
Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I love crime series and I love the feeling you get when you find a good one and cannot wait for the next book. I like flawed characters, main characters with dark haunting pasts. I like how this book throws you right into the main detective’s personal problems as they are entwined with the first case. I like when there is more than one case happening. I liked how the case unfolded and the side case. The only issue I had was I thought the sex trafficking case was wrapped up a bit too fast. Although the door was left open for the finding of future purchasers. I like how you knew what was happening to an extent, but that there were still surprises. Having good, interesting, complex cases in detective series is crucial, but when you like the main characters it makes the book all the better. I definitely will be reading the next book in the series. I would give it 4.5 stars.

Detective Amanda Steele still lives in the small Northern VA town of Dumfries, VA that she was raised in. Her father a retired police chief she followed in his footsteps and is a homicide detective. After the recent tragic loss of her husband and child, the drunk driver that killed her family is found dead and she wants to bring his murder to justice (and maybe thank them for taking his life).

Wow, is really all I can say!! I started this book and couldn't stop reading. What do you do when the man responsible for killing your husband and daughter in a drunk driving accident turns up dead? That's exactly the dilemma Detective Amanda Steele finds herself in. Amanda is still full of rage and grief when Chad Palmer is murdered,can she do her job? This book is dark, intense and a real roller coaster ride. With a shocking twist at the end this reader was thoroughly satisfied with this first book in a new series.

Reading Between the Wines book review #24/115 for 2021:
Rating: 3.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 ½ (rounded up to 4)
Book: The Little Grave
Author: Leslie Wolfe
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASED ON February 11, 2021!!!

Sipping Synopsis: Amanda Steele is a cop on the edge who is having one night stands with strangers and deciding daily if she wants to live. You would probably go off the deep in too if your husband and daughter were killed in a drunk driving accident. But how sweet would revenge be if you were called to a murder at a hotel and you see that it is the drunk driver who killed your family. Only for Amanda, it is bittersweet, she not only has to prove her innocence she has to find the real killer before time runs out.

Final sipping thoughts: I kept going back and forth with not caring for Amanda then understanding her grief which probably caused her to act that way. I love the dynamic between her new rookie partner and can’t wait to see where the second book takes them. I think the series has a good start with this book and the twist at the end. I wonder in book 2 if that final twist will finally push Amanda over the edge. I can’t wait to see!

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of @TheLittleGrave

#TheLittleGrave #Bookouture #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

Wow first in a series and omg can't wait for the next page turner keeps you on your toes, brilliant author

The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold is a thriller packed with mysteries at every turn. I found myself utterly wrapped up in the story and staying up well past my bedtime to finish reading. Detective Amanda Steele is very relatable…as a mother and a wife, I can understand her anguish at losing her family. The character development by Ms. Arnold is spot-on. I love that Amanda is shown from all sides – she has dark moments and we get to see them as well as her flaws. It really helps drive the story. The pacing is perfectly done. One thing I love when I read a book by Ms. Arnold is that I feel like I’m watching one of my favorite binge-worthy crime shows.

The Little Grave is a perfect start to what is sure to be a thrilling and hopefully long-running series. Five stars from me!

I’m a huge fan of female detective series and was so happy to be introduced to a new one. Being the first book, it needed the additional detail and descriptions to give the picture of the main character. Detective Amanda Steele is dealing with personal loss and takes on a case she shouldn’t- the man who is the cause of her grief. Her rawness and grit drew me in and kept me engaged as her character and personality developed. Intertwined narratives, a strong back story and suspense means that this is a great first chapter in this Detective’s story and can’t wait to see what happens next. Thanks to Netgalley for the chance to review - will be looking out for book 2!

Detective Amanda Steele is trying to get over the loss of her husband and daughter killed by a drunk driver.
Amanda goes to a case of a body found in a motel there she finds the body of the man who killed her family and he was murdered.
Her sergeant is against her being on this case but Amanda want to stay on so the sergeant relents and tells her if she does anything wrong she’ll be off the case.
While trying to solve this case she comes across another case from five years ago.
Are they linked.
Thanks NetGalley

First book in a new detective series.
Amanda Steele is a detective in Prince William Police Dept. She is still trying to recover from the death of her husband and daughter five years ago. The drunk driver responsible for their deaths is freed from jail and subsequently found dead in a motel room.
Somehow Amanda is allowed to be involved in his case as number two with a rookie detective Trent Stenson in charge.
I don’t understand how she is allowed to investigate her family’s killer’s death. This seems so unlikely in real life that it detracts from the storyline.
There are some good twists and turns in the story which add to the enjoyment. I hope the characters are developed in the next book as this would add to the interest.
Good police procedural thriller 3 Stars ⭐️
Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in return for a fair review.

A great start to a new series, I love the character Detective Amanda Steele and the story had me gripped from the start.
I'm looking forward to reading more.

*thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*


4 stars.

Well that was a curve ball of an ending! I had been wondering what the twist for this was going to be and while, for me, it wasn't mind blowing (probably because I could get my head around it happening quite easily), it was definitely a surprise I hadn't even considered, except in hindsight.

The characters were quite likeable and I did enjoy Detective Amanda Steele. She was interesting and her grief was very relatable and came across as very real. I also ended up liking her work partner as well and am looking forward to reading more about them.

The story as a whole kept my interest and kept me wondering where the path was going to take me. There were no scenes or chapters that were dull and overall it was really enjoyable. Definitely recommend, as this is a great start to what could be a fantastic series.

A Netgalley Review Copy

The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold
3.5/5

Amanda Steel is a homicide detective with the Prince William County Police Department who 5 years ago was involved in a tragic car accident that resulted in the death of her husband, daughter and unborn child. Since then Amanda has been living on autopilot until she arrives at a crime scene, only to discover the deceased is the drunk driver that killed her family and was only released from prison days ago.

What seems like an open and shut case may not be that simple as shocking information comes to light how this case relates to a cold case from years ago.

I think this was a strong first book in the series, this is a new to me author and will be looking forward to seining more in this series.

I liked the dynamic between Amanda and her new work partner, enjoyed the plot of this book, ending seemed a bit predictable but I liked the ending nonetheless.

Detective Amanda Steele's life was devastated five years ago when a drunk driver killed her husband, her daughter, and her unborn child. Now she is called to the scene of his murder. Can she solve the case despite her personal interest. And will she convince her colleagues that her alibi is real...?
The Little Grave is a fantastic start to a new detective series. The heartbreak in Amanda's life is so tragic and engaging as she struggles to find a murderer whilst dealing with her own emotions. She has also been assigned a new partner so there is a new professional relationship to develop. Plus her alibi is a one night stand so she needs to track him down but he already told her he wanted more (there may be trouble ahead...)
Amanda was an intriguing lead character. She isn't always the most likeable person but she is dedicated and honourable. The tragedy of her past is one that we all dread, being the sole surviving family member and having to carry on living with a broken heart.
There were plenty of twists in the book for her to contend with, even until the very final chapters. Her personal involvement in the case in problematic for her superiors but an associated serious crime comes to light which she can investigate wholeheartedly.
The Little Grave was a very enjoyable police thriller. I have no idea where the series will go from here so will definitely be waiting eagerly for the next book in the series!

🤍Losing a loved one to a horrific crime is never easy. Seeking justice is even harder. The Little Grave by @authorcarolynarnold follows Detective Amanda Steele as she seeks justice for her belated husband, daughter, and unborn child, when a man name Chad Palmer killed her family while driving under the influence is found dead in a motel room only days after being released from prison. Detective Steele knows she shouldn’t be involved in the case, but since she is the one who was left without a family because of Palmer, she feels she’s the best candidate for the case. But can she separate her personal life from her professional life?🤍

🤍Detective Steele has unfortunately lost her way since losing her family 5 and a half years ago. She’s isolated herself from her family and she’s participating in activities that never would have crossed her mind had she not been dealing with grief. Everyone handles grief differently and I appreciated the way the author went about describing Detective Steele’s grief because of her past. It’s clear she is still in denial of losing her family and her mental health is at risk. However, when the man who took her family away from her is found dead, she turns into a completely different person. She’s headstrong into finding out who’s behind his murder and why he was murdered in the first place. Detective Steele is determined, focused, independent, and smart. Even though it’s obviously a conflict of interest for her to be working a case that’s connected to her on a personal level, she will do whatever it takes to be on the case, even if she has to be on the sideline and her career could be at risk. Your mind will be completely blown away once you find out who killed Chad Palmer. However, I wonder even though Palmer is dead and the killer has been found, if Detective Steele will ever find peace again.🤍

🤍Thank you @netgalley and @bookouture for the opportunity to read The Little Grave. I thoroughly enjoyed the cases that were given to Detective Steele and I look forward to following her on future cases.🤍

Rating - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#bookstagram #booklover #thelittlegrave #carolynarnold #bookouture #netgalley #bookreview #ilavabooksreviews

Loved this from start to finish; a gripping story that twists and turns and then BAM the ending you were not expecting. Cannot wait for Detective Amanda Steele to solve her next crime mystery so that I can spend another few hours completely absorbed in her story. Great book in a new series.

Gritty police procedural with a strong main character who is a detective. The murder victim is the man who killed her family when drunk driving and she wants to solve the case. Lots of twists and surprises.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this copy of The Little Grave (Detective Amanda Steele Book 1) by Carolyn Arnold.

The LIttle Grave features Detective Amanda Steele working to solve a murder even though the victim is a man that she despises. The victim, Chad Palmer, caused a devastating accident that changed the course of Detective Steele's life not too many years before he is killed. Also in the mix is a new partner that Detective Steele has no interest in having and an estrangement from her family that is slowly eating away at her. Chad Palmer's murder is just the tip of the iceberg of problems that Detective Palmer has to deal with in The Little Grave.

This was a pretty classic whodunit. There was a victim and a cop with a lot more on their mind than just the murder at hand. I enjoyed The Little Grave for the most part although there were some pacing issues that made the last quarter of the book much more interesting than the rest. The plot twist at the end is very good, I doubt any reader will predict who the killer actually is. All in all, worth a read, especially if murder mysteries are your jam.

The Little Grave is the first book in the Detective Amanda Steele series by Carolyn Arnold. Readers are introduced to Detective Amanda, the lead detective in a case investigating the murder of a man who five years ago killed her family in a drunk driving incident.

Amanda is easy to root for. I know the haunted detective with a complicated past is overdone in cop procedural but this still felt different. Amanda suffered a tragic loss and of course, this has an impact in her present life. However, the author does not bog us down with the details of personal life. Instead, this part is interwoven in present events hence giving us the MCs back-story without losing focus on the case. I empathized with Amanda as she tried to navigate through life after such a major loss. I enjoyed the characterization of other support characters such as her new partner, Trent, who I hope to, get to know more as the series progresses. My only issue with Amanda so far is her attitude towards him and some need to fly solo which I don’t understand.

This story involves a multi-layered case which included a murder in a motel and a cold case. A number of twists cleverly lead us to the connection between the 2. I am still not sure that Amanda would have worked on such a personal case in real life but the author managed to maneuver around this and make her involvement realistic.

This was a compelling read that I enjoyed way more than I thought I would. I was totally hooked to the narrative and thought the plot was quite well developed and riveting. There are few issues that were left unresolved but I hope that they will be addressed in the next book. I can’t wait to catch up with Detective Amanda Steele in book 2.

This was a completely new author for me and I must say this was definitely a good solid start to a new series (Detective Amanda Steele Book 1)

The main character Detective Amanda Steele is a really strong character but is still shattered and coming to terms with the death of her husband and child (no spoilers) so as the story progresses you see her character and personality grow. You'll see she also has a bit of an attitude, especially concerning her partner DI Trent.
do love a strong female lead and Detective Steele is most definitely a force to be reckoned with!

Personally I felt there were alot of 'dragged' out moments, too many for me but there were also alot of twists and turns along the way that will keep you guessing. In all honesty I found the extra cases they were working on more interesting than the actual main case but that could just be me.

All in all a good start to a new police procedural series and I look forward to the next installment.

3.5*

Thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.