Remnants
(Brandon Fisher FBI Series #6)
Book Title: REMNANTS
Author: Carolyn Arnold
Series: Brandon Fisher FBI series, Book 6
Publication Date: 4/11/2017
by: Hibbert & Stiles Publishing Inc.
ISBN (e-book): 978-1-988353-49-4
ISBN (paperback): 978-1-988353-50-0
ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-988353-51-7
ASIN: B01MUAA8JL
260 pages
As many book bloggers, I receive a lot of offers of books every week. The synopsis of Remnants sounded very promising, so I succumbed and said yes. It was actually quite well done and I’m glad to talk about it today.
NB for authors and publishers: work hard on your synopsis!
I noticed that Carolyne Arnold’s Marketing & Sales Director, her own husband, provides even three different size synopses to the reviewers. Well done!
The book opens in a mall in Atlanta, when a killer selects his victim.
Then we are sent to Savannah four days later, on St Valentine’s Day, with four FBI agents in charge of a special investigation, as human remains were found on a nearby river and marshland area. The body parts actually belong to three different victims, all white men in their twenties.
The discovery of a torso painted blue, its heart removed, opens unto some interesting cultural data.
Many chapters actually alternate between the FBI agents and the killer’s actions and perspective. You really get the feeling you enter into the killer’s psychology.
I’m not going to reveal more about the mystery. It is well built, with plenty of possible leads and red-herrings to keep you guessing for a while, and lots of suspense. Just a word of warning for a few violent sacrificial scenes…
This is actually the sixth installment in the Brandon Fisher FBI series, but I never felt I was missing something. I got to know well profiler Brandon, his boss Jack, and the two other agents, Zach and Paige. They are sent two by two to interview various people all through the story, and it was neat to see how they were interacting and working together.
Not sure why, but it seems that the common canon for many thrillers includes difficult issues in the personal life of detectives, policemen, and FBI agents. Nothing original here: each has relational problems with their friend or spouse. And the fact that they are called out of town on St Valentine’s Day, instead of having a date night, makes it even worse for them.
What I really appreciated was all the procedural aspects of the work: you have the four agents on the Behavioral Analysis Unit, plus an anthropologist, the chief medical examiner at the morgue, a super smart analyst, and a few extra detectives. It was neat to see them brainstorm together, each helping to solve the case. Apart from the main heroes/anti-heroes, there are also plenty of colorful characters, weirdos, and very sick people.
Reflecting upon this thriller, I realized there were actually a few points in common with another mystery set in the south (South Carolina) that I read some time ago, and even translated into French: Tell No Lies, by Tanya Ann Crosby. Some scenes in the marshes felt the same, the killer partly does similar things, but for different reasons, and he even has the same first name!
VERDICT: Suspenseful thriller set in Georgia. Great if you are into procedural mysteries and ready for some creepy scenes.
SYNOPSIS:
All that remains are whispers of the past…
When multiple body parts are recovered from the Little Ogeechee River in Savannah, Georgia, local law enforcement calls in FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team to investigate. But with the remains pointing to three separate victims, this isn’t proving to be an open-and-shut case.
With no quick means of identifying the victims, building a profile of this serial killer is proving more challenging than usual. How is the killer picking these victims? Why are their limbs being severed and bodies mutilated? And what is it about them that is triggering this killer to murder?
The questions compound as the body count continues to rise, and when a torso painted blue and missing its heart is found, the case takes an even darker turn. But this is only the beginning, and these new leads draw the FBI into a creepy psychological nightmare. One thing is clear, though: the killing isn’t going to stop until they figure it all out. And they are running out of time…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
CAROLYN ARNOLD
is an international best-selling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada.
Connect with her Online:
Website – http://carolynarnold.net/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/Carolyn_Arnold
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynArnold
And don’t forget to sign up for her newsletter for up-to-date information on release and special offers at http://carolynarnold.net/newsletters.
Order the book:
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Apple iBooks
Kobo
In full compliance with FTC Guidelines,
I received this ebook for free from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
I was in no way compensated for this post as a reviewer, and the thoughts are my own.
HAVE YOU READ THIS BOOK?
Would you recommend any other good procedural thriller?
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS IN A COMMENT PLEASE
What to expect from the Brandon Fisher FBI series:
Profilers. Serial killers. The hunt is on. Do serial killers and the FBI fascinate you? Do you like getting inside the minds of killers, love being creeped out, sleeping with your eyes open, and feeling like you’re involved in murder investigations? Then join FBI agent and profiler Brandon Fisher and his team with the Behavioral Analysis Unit in their hunt for serial killers.
This is the perfect book series for fans of Criminal Minds, NCIS, Silence of the Lambs, Seven, Dexter, Luther, and True Crime.
Read in any order or follow the series from the beginning.
Words And Peace 
It’s remarkable today to find a police procedural/crime story that doesn’t have a leading character with a personal problem. Maybe it’s the effect f the job itself with odd hours and lots of stress.
LikeLike
Thanks for the insight. Sometimes I wished authors would leave aside that part of the “crime story canon”
LikeLike
When I write police procedurals, I endeavor to make them as true-to-life as possible. With all real-life officers see in a day, it would only spread over into their personal life and cause emotional issues–in the least. One officer I know told me to think of everyone as a glass. Everyone’s glass holds a different amount of water, but if you keep pouring it in, at some point that glass will be full. I have contacts I speak with in Law Enforcement who have had their marriages destroyed because the job became all-consuming and others are “haunted” by flashbacks.
LikeLike
wow, thanks Carolyn for stopping by and explaining, that’s very helpful and answers beautifully my question. Thanks for making it so true to life in your book
LikeLiked by 1 person
Pingback: 2017: March wrap-up | Words And Peace
Thank you for reading and reviewing REMNANTS and sharing your thoughts with your followers. Love your verdict.
LikeLike
Thanks Carolyn, I always try to use a pithy formula for my ‘verdict’, it can help for marketing as well 😉
LikeLike