I hadn't read anything by this author before so had no preconceptions.
This is a good, solid police procedural thriller with all the right ingredients.
I rather liked the lead detective and found myself empathising with her.
The plot is a good one and although to be honest it didn't light any fires with me, it was still a satisfying read.

I received this book through "NetGalley". This is a story which introduces a new leading character. Her name is Amanda Steele and she has been in a funk over he last 5 years because of the deaths of her husband and daughter by a drunk driver. In this story after having a one night stand, she is called to the scene of a death at a motel. When she gets there, she discovers that she knows the victim. Since she is the 1st one to the scene, she takes the lead detective role. Because of her familiarity of the victim, her boss assigns her to a new partner and on paper, he is the lead in the investigation.

As the search or clues is going on, it is discovered that there may be 2 potential cold cases that come into play. The 1st chapter in the book introduces the case that was in Georgia. As more leads show up, one of the individuals that Amanda interviewed made a complaint which was written up in the paper and as a result, the Lt. overseeing the department took Amanda off the case. Amanda initially resigned, but later reconsidered and she elected to handle the 2 cold cases while her new partner continued with the new killing.

As Amanda gets more into the cold cases in which a silver bracelet divulged a major clue. As Amanda continued, one of the last people that she went to interview captured her.

To discover what the cold cases and the current killing had to do with each, who the killer in the cold cases was and her the killer was of the last individual found in the motel and what relationship it bore to Amanda, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.

This was a solid start to a new series by Carolyn Arnold, a new author for me. Amanda Steele is a homicide detective with the Prince William County Police Department. Five and a half years ago a tragic car accident robbed her of her husband, daughter and unborn child, as well as leaving her unable to have any more children. Since then she lost her passion for the job, doing it pretty much on autopilot. That all changes when she arrives a motel which reported a dead body only to find the deceased is the drunk driver who killed her family and who was only released from prison a few days ago.

Initially the death looks like a suicide but it soon becomes clear it is murder. For some reason Amanda feels compelled to work this case. Her sergeant reluctantly agrees but forces a new partner on her who will be the lead detective - on paper. Personally I didn’t think this was plausible as she has a clear motive for the murder. Then there was a lot of faffing around to get her alibi locked in - again, she should not have been on the case. That aside, the new partner works out better than she expected and they soon find potential links to a couple of older homicides, cold cases from five and a half years ago. Then Amanda makes a major discovery. She finds something that people seem to have been looking for and this throws everything up in the air and provides a solid motive for the killings. But wait - there are more twists to come and Amanda’s family will never be the same again.

The plot was good but I found Amanda’s constant grieving repetitive and annoying. I know she lost her family but this is supposed to be a thriller and it bogged the story down. I think the next book will find her being able to move on a bit. There is also still quite some character development to do as, in this book, everyone and everything was seen through the lens of Amanda’s grief. Nevertheless it is a solid effort that should be enjoyed by fans of thrillers and police procedurals. I had no trouble finishing this and really wanted to see how it all fitted together and ended. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

This is the first book from this author that I have read - but it won;t be the last.

The book starts off as a slow burn and I really wasn't sure about it. I am so glad I preserved and everything fell into place and I am so looking forward to reading the next instalment. I am also going to find out more about Trent from the other books by this author.

Great story telling and it really engrossed me so much so that I read it in one go one afternoon.

I was provided with an advance copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review which I have done so.

The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold introduces Detective Amanda Steele. This was such an intense, fantastic read for me. I was enthralled throughout the entire book. I really like Amanda Steele and how she warmed up to her new partner rookie Detective Trent Stenson. The storyline flowed really well and was filled with lots of great detective work. The story got more chilling the further I got into the book. I really enjoyed this book!

I really enjoyed this fantastic book. It was exciting and thrilling and kept me reading late into the night. This is my first read by this author and I will definitely read more. Very good book which I highly recommend.

How some people come back from inestimable tragedy always interests me,how do you live with such pain and yet move ahead? This is the issue from Amanda, who then finds herself investigating the cause of her agony. She is torn between honor,duty and what has happened.

Her character is brittle, perhaps difficult but likeable over all. Having to prove her whereabouts in an embarrassing way,is forges ahead with what I would consider a most unlikely outcome. The action moves along and keeps me interested in what happens next. It all goes pretty quickly, so a fast, entertaining read.

As this is the first in a series, I will look forward to her character moving ahead.

Carolyn Arnold's newest series opens with a heart-pounding mystery with a less than perfect detective. Amanda Steele lost her husband, daughter, and unborn child to a drunk driver over 5 years ago, and she is still grieving in her own way. Unable to move on, she spends her off-hours picking-up one night stands in a bar and going home to her empty house. Now, the man who killed her family is being released from prison, and Amanda's emotions are running high. When she is called to the scene of a possible suicide, she discovers the deceased in the drunk driver who appears to have drank too much and choked on his own vomit. Evidence, though, leads to the declaration of his death as a murder, and Amanda must track down her bar pick-up for an alibi. Amanda and her new partner, Trent, work the case that gets more twisted with each new discovery. Amanda is a character that evokes sympathy and respect. I can't wait to read what happens next for her.

I did not give up on reading this book even though it did get a little slow. It did not have the excitement I was expecting. I will admit the ending was very surprising and I did not see it coming.

A fairly decent start to a new series. The man who killed Detective Amanda Steele’s family has been released from prison, and has been found murdered. She’s torn between her feelings of justice for her or justice in general. She has decided to find out who did it, but she’s off the case. She takes on a cold case instead.

Amanda is naturally tormented by her past, and won’t let anyone close. Good for a cop, bad for her family members. The rest of her crew felt quite distant in this book. The ending was a good one, saved a lot! I’m not fully convinced yet, but I think this series has a lot of potential. There was too much repetition with what happened in the past, and how it affected her. The cold case just wrapped up a bit too quickly.

I have to say the ending was the best thing about the book. A bold move, and it will have a strong impact on the rest of the series, I believe. I therefore think it’s worth reading the next one. I hope the other characters get to grow, and that there be more space for other things than Amanda.’s past. This book was naturally, due to the case, focusing on it, so it’s understandable. 3+-3,5/5 stars

I found this to be a thrilling read. A really great mystery with an unexpected ending. The characters were great and the story flowed really well. I'm eager to read more from the author.

Great first book in a new series and I'm now looking to get my hands on the rest...Cause that was intense, and i barely read thrillers.
The characters were great, plot was smooth and I cursed every moment I was not reading this.

The character development was quite great, and Arnold did great pulling us into the scene and trying to solve this crime with her. We felt the heartbreaks next to the triumph and rooted for her to be okay in the end.

This is definitely a great book and I highly recommend.