Synopsis

A wind chime sways a sweet melody above several pairs of shoes neatly laid out on the welcome the mat: two large pairs, and three small. On the door frame, a perfect crimson handprint, the color of blood…

Out on her morning run, Detective Katie Scott is stopped in her tracks when her service dog, Cisco, alerts her to something. Weaving through the towering pine trees, Katie is horrified to find a little girl alone in the woods, dressed in a white nightgown. The child sobs into Katie’s arms. She’s unharmed, but clearly traumatized. Scooping her up, Katie follows the trail to a large farmhouse. But what she finds there rips the air from her lungs: one, two, three, four bodies laid out side by side, all in matching pajamas.

The Banks family were attacked in their sleep, but how had the little girl trembling in Katie’s arms escape with her life? What twisted monster would do such a thing, and why leave no trace but a single bloody handprint on the doorframe? Katie vows to find answers for this sweet child who has lost everything and everyone.

Working night and day to piece together why this innocent family were targeted, Katie thinks she has her first lead when she discovers the family were under witness protection. Had they seen something they shouldn’t? Was the aim to silence them forever? Questions are still spinning in Katie’s mind when another family is discovered dead in their beds on the other side of Pine Valley.

With the entire department stretched to breaking point with an unprecedented body count and trace evidence stacking up, it’s going to take everything Katie has to track this twisted killer down. But as she closes in on her target, it’s clear someone close to Katie is keeping a deadly secret. How many more innocent lives will be lost before she can bring them to justice?

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Praise

5.0 out of 5 stars: A definite must read book and series!

“One of the things that I love about this author’s books is that she doesn’t shy away from the hard or difficult topics. Another is how she creates a realistic quality for the characters and their lives. There are no “perfect” characters or “make believe/fantasy” lives in these books. (That is one of the best things~in my opinion!) Because of these things, as well as many more, her stories are unique, passionate, creative, and intriguing. I have loved all of the stories that I’ve read, and can’t wait to read more.
I would recommend this book, series, and exceptional author.”

“Another great book in the series starring Katie and her dog Cisco. When one family are found all dead in their house apart from one of their little girls who they believed her mummy had helped her escape Katie and her team soon get to work. Someone is hiding who they really are and until Katie finds out who it is no one is safe not even her.
I really enjoyed this book like all of the others in the series that I have read. Looking forward to the next book.”  NetGalley

Guest Post

5 Things I Do when Writing Action Scenes

I love reading and writing action-oriented stories for my crime thrillers. It doesn’t matter if it’s a movie or book—I love all the action with fights, weapons, car chases, martial arts, or an old-fashioned shootout. It may sound easy enough to write, but you might be surprised what it takes to make your fight scene really shine and get your readers excited—an me too.

If you’re incorporating some type of fight scene into your story of any genre, there are a few things that you should be aware of when prepping for it. It’s not just a one-two punch and that’s the end of the fight. It may look that easy, but I have a few tricks that help punch up the scene.

1. KNOW YOUR HUMAN ANATOMY

The first phase to writing a fight scene is to know and understand basic human anatomy. Visit a reputable website(s), borrow a book from the library, or purchase a book for research (highly recommended).

Did you know that you have 206 bones in your body? More than half of those bones are in your hands and feet. Truly amazing. Take a closer look at your own hands. Study the details of the bones, tendons, veins, and how your fingernails are shaped. Think about it and how it would pertain to your characters. The next time your characters are in a fist fight or searching for something to defend themselves with, there are many possible scenarios of what can happen to the body, specifically the hands and feet. Think about injuries, weaknesses, and strengths.

It’s not just about the bones. By having an understanding of where the major organs are located, such as the kidneys, solar plexus, liver, and the heart, it will make the scene much more believable.

2. UNDERSTAND WEAPONS

I don’t know how many times I’ve read a novel where the author doesn’t understand the difference between a revolver and semi-automatic gun. If you’re going to use a gun as the character’s weapon of choice, know everything about it—size, make, model, type of grip, how many bullets it holds, how to hold, and how the safety works.

Weapons aren’t just limited to guns. There is a whole host of weapons that could be used in a fight. Besides bare hands, the character can use hatchets, hammers, knives, swords, bats, and just about anything that a person could use to attack someone or defend themselves. I’ve used kitchen pots and pans to implements found in a garden and garage for my character’s fights. The list is endless. Whatever the weapon of choice in a fight—find out everything about it.

3. IDENTIFY SELF DEFENSE & OFFENSIVE MOVES

If you’ve ever taken a basic self-defense class or some type of martial arts, it will help you on a fundamental level to know where your characters should and shouldn’t stand during a fight. Know the stances, both for defensive and offensive moves. How does your character stand? Where is the position of feet and hands? What are some of the realistic capabilities for your character?

You can watch movie fight sequences or pick up a book on various fighting techniques. Once you put your mind to it, there are almost limitless possibilities to your character’s fighting techniques. Whether your hero is a freestyle amateur or trained fighter, know your defensive and offensive moves.

4. DO YOUR RESEARCH

When you’re preparing to write a story, whether a book or script, make sure to add to the research list your fight scenes. I know that it may not sound like a big thing, but don’t drop the ball on understanding what you need to know for your fight scenes.

You can get as detailed as necessary, whatever the fight scene dictates. Plus, as an added bonus, whatever research you’ve done for one project can work for other stories as well. I think you’ll find that preparing for your fight scenes can be really fun as well as beneficial to the story.

5. SKETCH OUT SPECIFIC SCENES

This may seem extreme or even funny, but I cannot express to you how helpful it is to take a plain piece of paper and sketch out your fight scenes—nothing fancy just the basics. I do this for my crime scenes as well, when I have a scene with several people involved, detailed action scenes, and when I need the hero to kick some butt in a fight. Even if you’re not an outliner, it’s highly recommended that you outline a good fight scene. It’s actually fun and helps you to visually realize your scene. Try it. I promise it will help you make your fight scene jump off the page…

Excerpt

Katie stumbled forward onto her knees only to discover a little blonde girl with curly locks, dressed in an oversized white nightgown. The lace sleeves were longer than her tiny arms. Katie also noticed red spots splashed across the front and down the sleeves: blood.

“Good boy, Cisco,” she said, petting the dog, concerned by their discovery.

Turning her full attention to the little girl, she said, “What are you doing all the way out here, sweetheart?” She looked around to see if there was someone else, but it was deserted. There was nothing to indicate why the girl was outside. No footprints. No toys or pieces of clothing. It was as if she had been dropped here.

The sleepy-eyed girl appeared to be about four years old. “I’m cold,” she barely whispered as she shivered.

“Are you hurt?” said Katie as she looked for any injuries. The girl’s skin was icy, as if she had been out in the elements for a while—possibly a few hours. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Em… Emily,” she said.

“How did you get here?”

“Mommy brought me…”

A chill ran down Katie’s spine.

“Okay, Emily. Stay here with Cisco and I’ll be right back. Can you do that for me?” Katie wanted to pick the girl up, hug her, and take her to safety, but she needed to assess the area first. Security was her priority and then getting the little girl to safety.

The little girl nodded. Her blue eyes stared at Katie as she pet the dog. It was a look that Katie wouldn’t soon forget. The pure innocence struck her soul.

Katie stood up and unzipped her hoodie and then wrapped it around the little girl. The cool morning air hit her as she was now dressed in just a tank top. She pulled her weapon, still scanning the area. There was a farmhouse and barn down below the ridge and she assumed that was where Emily lived. There weren’t any other homes within view and most were likely several acres away.

Had the little girl ventured out without anyone knowing? Did the mother really leave her here? Or was there something terribly wrong?

Katie didn’t want to move Emily yet until she knew for sure that everything was safe on the property.

“Cisco, you stay.”

The dog instinctively downed next to the little girl. Emily’s small arms wrapped around the dog’s neck as she snuggled up against him for warmth.

Katie looked around and felt that, secluded in between trees, they would be safe until she could quickly search the area. Reaching into her pocket, she made sure her cell phone had a strong signal—which it did.

“Good boy, Cisco. Bleib… Wache…” She told Cisco to stay and guard the little girl. Her dog’s training words were in German, meaning stay and watch. Katie didn’t need to repeat herself because the dog knew what to do, but somehow it made her feel better. She hated leaving them alone, but it was the best way to proceed under the circumstances. By the time help arrived, it might be too late. She needed to report to dispatch exactly what was going on so that backup wasn’t blindly going into a potentially dangerous situation.

After taking one last look at Emily huddled with Cisco, Katie moved to the edge of the trail and began slowly making her way toward the backside of the house. She wondered how Emily got up the hill; there wasn’t dirt or mud on her gown.

Watching for any movement, Katie carefully stepped down the incline until she was on a walkway leading to the front of a modern farmhouse. There were unusual scrolled architectural details along the rooflines and windows that made it seem to be a custom build. Katie stopped and listened. The wind had died down and she felt the temperature had risen a few degrees from when she first began her run. Even though it was still cool, her skin was warm and clammy. Adrenalin was pumping, making her arms and legs strangely prickly and a bit shaky. She maintained her focus and continued to press forward. With her gun directed out in front of her, she kept moving, expecting anything.

There was a pickup truck and a minivan parked in the semicircle driveway, giving the impression that someone was home. The front of the farmhouse had a large porch with white wicker chairs and colorful pillows. There was a porch swing on one end and potted plants lined up side by side at the other. A cheerful welcome mat said, “Home Sweet Home.” A wind chime hung on the left side of the door and gently swayed a melody. There were several pairs of shoes carefully placed to the right side of the mat. By Katie’s quick assessment, there were two adults and three children that resided in the home.

The front door was wide open. Droplets of red spattered the porch and the entrance inside. Concentrated smudges were around the doorframe as if someone had tried to steady themselves.

“Hello?” she called out, watching her surroundings.

Nothing moved. No sound came from indoors. Katie’s senses were on hyper-alert. Everything seemed more vivid and louder than usual.

She cautiously stepped over the threshold and peered inside. The large open plan made it easy to see the living room, dining room, and kitchen in a quick scan. There were several photographs of the family—and she saw tiny Emily with an older boy and girl. Everything looked neat and orderly. That’s what made the bloody hammer lying in the middle of the floor so horrifying.

Katie stood surveying the room for a moment, taking a deep breath. It seemed that the bloody hammer had been dropped there. There were droplets of blood marking a path to the front door.

There were no obvious signs of a struggle—no broken items, chairs overturned, or shelves spilled.

Katie turned and could see that the two main doors of the barn just across the open area were standing wide open. She wasn’t sure if it was instinct or fear that drove her, but she backed out of the house, careful not to disturb anything, and watchfully headed for the barn. Everything remained still and eerily quiet.

Katie kept to the sides of the barn and inched her way slowly to the opening. Her ears pounded. Her breathing shrank to shallow gasps. Staying low, she entered the building. It wasn’t a livestock barn, but rather a type of workshop and storage facility. Katie scanned the interior, taking everything in. Slowly lowering her weapon, she dropped to her knees in misery, only inches from the stagnant pools of blood on the ground in front of her. Barely registering what she saw, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from the four bodies of a man, a woman, and a young boy and girl neatly lined up next to each other, still dressed in their pajamas.

– Excerpted from Count Their Graves by Jennifer Chase, Bookouture, 2024. Reprinted with permission.

About the Author

Jennifer Chase is a multi award-winning and best-selling crime fiction author, as well as a consulting criminologist. Jennifer holds a bachelor’s degree in police forensics and a master’s degree in criminology & criminal justice. These academic pursuits developed out of her curiosity about the criminal mind as well as from her own experience with a violent sociopath, providing Jennifer with a deep personal investment in every story she tells. In addition, she holds certifications in serial crime and criminal profiling.  She is an affiliate member of the International Association of Forensic Criminologists and a member of the International Thriller Writers.

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