Title: Their Final Cry
Series: Detective Harlow Durant #3
Author: Dea Poirier
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: October 17, 2022
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B8TFPSPYsocial
Book Description:
As the sheet was pulled away, Harlow started to get a picture of her victim. Looking down at her alabaster skin, flowing blonde hair and striking cheekbones, it was not hard to see why she was known as the sweetheart of this town. But as Harlow’s eyes scanned down to the purple bruising around her neck, it was clear that someone wanted her dead.
When the body of sixteen-year-old Mazie Winters is discovered on the site of an abandoned farm, the small and tight-knit community of New Paltz in upstate New York is rocked to its core and Detective Harlow Durant is called in immediately to investigate.
Harlow’s partner Lucas Park is already working at Ackert Farm on a cold case, identifying human remains found in a cellar. Looking out at the desolate farmland, Harlow can’t help but think that dumping Mazie’s body on the site of an active crime scene is a warning: leave the remains in the past or more innocent lives will be lost.
Searching old farm records and interviewing previous owners, Harlow discovers that no one ever stayed long: the ground appeared to be cursed and owners soon moved on. The only shred of evidence is of teens heading into the vast network of woods to hear the supposed cries of women, presumed to be the ghosts of the past. But were those screams real?
As Harlow pieces together a picture of Mazie: a loving daughter of the local pastor who spent her weekends singing in the church choir, she is called to an abandoned outhouse hidden in the woods. Forcing open the door, she is shocked to find the remains of two women. But the case soon becomes personal as Lucas recognises the necklace found on one of the bodies.
Could the remains be linked to the tragic disappearance of Lucas’s mother decades before? And when another teenager vanishes, Harlow senses history repeating itself. With a killer at large, Harlow knows that time is running out to catch the killer and bring justice to Lucas’s family. But how far will the killer go to cover up their darkest crime?
A completely gripping and pulse-pounding crime thriller perfect for fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliot and Robert Dugoni.
My review:
Harlow Durant is taking some much-needed time for herself. But when she gets a call that her partner, Lucas Park, needs her, she heads back to New York, to the small upstate town of New Paltz, where Mazie Winters has been murdered and her body deposited on a seemingly unrelated crime scene. But as Harlow and Lucas begin to dig into Mazie’s murder, they start to question whether her death and the cold case Lucas has been working on are related after all. Their investigation opens old wounds for Lucas, whose mother disappeared years earlier and who was never found.
I liked The Girls in the Fire, second in this series. Their Final Cry is even better! The story unfolds mostly through Harlow’s eyes, going between present day and her childhood nineteen years earlier. We see more of what she went through growing up that informs her current mindset and attitudes. We also learn a bit about Lucas’s earlier experiences.
When the case dredges up old hurts for Lucas, Harlow has a choice. Does she shut down, or does she find a way to support the best partner she’s ever had? The struggle is real, and Harlow and Lucas’s relationship is tested.
The threat of a potential cop killer carries over from The Girls in the Fire. Is a serial killer targeting cops, and is Harlow next on his list? Or Lucas? And what’s the story with the journalist who tracks Harlow down and demands that she talk to him for the book he’s allegedly writing about her parents?
Tension is high on all fronts, and Poirier pulled me along with the story. This is a compelling read that’s hard to put down once you get started, and the ending left me hungry for the fourth in the series. I recommend Their Final Cry and the Harlow Durant series for anyone who enjoys a good thriller and likes staying up past their bedtime to see what happens next.
Disclaimer: I received an advance review copy from Netgalley and Bookouture. All opinions here are mine, and I don’t say nice things about books I don’t actually like.
Author Bio:
Author Dea (D.H) Poirier is the author of NEXT GIRL TO DIE, which hit #1 in the Amazon charts. She was raised in Edmond, Oklahoma, where she got her start writing in creative writing courses. She attended The University of Central Oklahoma for Computer Science and Political Science. Later, she spent time living on both coasts, and traveling the United States, before finally putting down roots in Central Florida. She now resides somewhere between Disney and the swamp. She spends her days at her day job as a President of Digital Marketing, and her nights writing manuscripts.
