The Girl in the Wall
Amanda and Trent are called to the local Herald Church where a hostage standoff situation has revealed a body sealed in the wall of the nave. After some preliminary investigation, the body is identified as Sadie Jackson, a girl who was abducted from a popular Florida theme park when she was 8 years old. With forensics placing Sadie at about age 16 at the time of death many questions arise as to where she has been all this time. Dealing with a case long gone cold and wanting to get some semblance of closure for Sadie’s parents, the duo set out to try to piece together the girl’s tragic last years that led to her being entombed in the walls of a local church for over two decades. The detectives initially attempt to work with the church leadership to find answers to their questions but with Father Linwood not as forthcoming as they would like him to be they seem to be at a dead end. Eventually, through their hard work links begin to form that tentatively tie the body in the wall to the hostage taker and his deceased parents, but the more Steele follows this trail, the most she does not like what she has uncovered. When a potential eyewitness from 23 years ago comes forward and then turns up dead under mysterious circumstances the duo know they are getting close. As the pieces finally fall in place and the bigger picture is revealed, the truth is even worse than they could have ever expected.
Hidden Angels is the newest in the Detective Amanda Steele series of novels by author Carolyn Arnold. Taking place shortly after Her Deadly Rose Amanda is laser focused on continuing her life with Zoe as a single adoptive parent. Amanda is finding her feet and standing on her own again without the encumbrance of a “significant other” outside of the law enforcement world to cause feelings of guilt for doing her sworn duties. Her feelings for Trent still linger, but as he seems to be going strong with his current girlfriend, there is not much to explore. The duo continues to function as a well-oiled machine, anticipating each other’s thoughts and needs as they investigate the worst of the worst in Prince William County. But this does not come without consequences as her passion and drive has caught the attention of the uppers which has in turn caused her long-time family friend and current police chief to start riding her to do things “by the book” to not jeopardize either of their careers.
Overall, this was a fantastic story. As a native Floridian who has spent many years working in a Florida theme park, I obviously had my own vision of the opening scenes of the book. These personal memories overlaid against Arnold’s narrative really brought Sadie’s abduction to life in a way that invested me into the rest of the story. Arnold does a good job linking a cold case to a current day event and filling in the gaps in such a way that will leave the reader stunned and saddened at the level of evil that exists in the world. While some of the connections weren’t difficult to figure out, that did not diminish their reveal in the story any less.
For long-time fans of Carolyn Arnold and the Amanda Steele as well as new readers to this author Hidden Angels is a fast paced thought provoking adventure that will leave you wanting to know more about Prince William County and her cast of characters. And if you are picking this one up without reading any of the prior installments Arnold has structured this series in such a way that each book can be read as a stand alone case or part of the overarching larger world.
Full disclosure – I was provided with a copy of this book by the author; however, I have voluntarily chosen to write a review. All opinions are my own.
Hidden Angels is scheduled for a February 20 2025 release.
Jennly Reads 