Tensions are high in Steele and Stenson’s most personal case to date
Katherine Graves is missing. Abducted from a gas station in the wee hours of a December morning the only leads Detectives Steele and Stenson have are a cigarette butt and some grainy surveillance video. With the only witness to the abduction in the morgue the duo sets out to determine why the previous chief of the PWCPD has been targeted. While no longer in law enforcement, the detectives cannot rule out a vengeful prior arrestee or a case that she was unwilling to let go, especially after searching her home another other areas for possible clues. When a ransom note comes in to her Aunt May a new element presents itself – could this just be an opportunistic event to capitalize on the recent success of Hannah’s diner? Steele and Stenson work tirelessly, racing the clock to locate Katherine before her time runs out. But with tensions increasing both between Amanda and Trent and Amanda and Logan, the personal nature of this case may end up taking more than one collateral victim.
Missing Before Daylight is the tenth in the Detective Amanda Steele series of books by author Carolyn Arnold. While most Detective Steele’s cases have been centered around perpetrators and victims that were relatively unknown, this case hits too close to home for the detectives. With the abducted being the one-time chief of the Prince William County Police Department it feels as if this is personal. Graves’ entrance to the PWCPD was shrouded by an abrupt exodus from a much larger department in New York. Could it be that whatever she appeared to be running from had caught up to her? The pair must exhaust all roads, from interviewing incarcerated gang members, to recently released felons, and even speaking with her closest friend and prior colleagues. The longer they delay locating and rescuing Katherine, the slimmer their chances become of finding her alive.
With Missing Before Daylight, the tensions between Steele and Stenson come to a boiling point when a rash decision threatens to not only jeopardize Amanda’s professional partnership with Trent but also her budding family life with Logan and Zoe. I have been waiting for Arnold to explore this potential angle for a few books now and am curious to see how all parties involved navigate the aftermath and the potential awkward situations that are bound to happen in the future. Also, in choosing a Christmas time setting Arnold takes a series of events that are already tense and ratchets up the urgency. The unspoken notion of many that the bad guys take the holidays off is completely shattered, as the duo must notify a family that their daughter is not coming home. This notification no doubt weighs heavily on Amanda’s mind during her attempts to locate and rescue Katherine as she does not want to deliver a similar message to her longtime friend May.
From the beginning, Missing Before Daylight is a gripping page turner. Having followed this series from its inception I feel this was probably for me the most intense installment in the series yet. Being familiar with all parties involved, I was invested in a way that I have not been in previous books. If this is your first experience with this cast of characters, however, do not be dissuades as Arnold structures many of her series novels so that you can read them in pretty much any order and not feel as if you are missing out on major plot points or backstory elements.
If you are looking for a twisting police procedural with a human element and not just one, but several strong female characters Missing Before Daylight would be a great start.
Full disclosure – I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the author or their representative but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.
Jennly Reads 