Cry Wolf by Annette Dashofy is the seventh book in the “Zoe Chambers” mystery series. Publisher: Henery Press, coming September 18, 2018.

Rural Pennsylvania’s Vance Township Police Chief Pete Adams is down an officer and has been dealing with extra shifts as well as a pair of bickering neighbors, one of whom owns a machete and isn’t afraid to use it. Golden Oaks Assisted Living is outside Pete’s jurisdiction, but a murder in the facility his Alzheimer’s-afflicted father calls home makes the case personal.

Paramedic and Deputy Coroner Zoe Chambers has been itching for an opportunity to take the lead in a death investigation. She gets her chance when her boss is hospitalized and not only assigns her to the Golden Oaks homicide but puts her in charge of the county coroner’s office. As if she doesn’t have enough to handle, a long-lost, over-protective, older half-brother walks into her life threatening to drive a wedge between her and the man she loves.

A second dead body leads them to realize the case may have dark ties to a distant past. . .and if Zoe doesn’t untangle the web of lies, Pete will be the one to pay the ultimate price.

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This author knows how to tell a story that immediately grabbed my attention, quickly becoming a page turner as I could not put this book down. From the first page – I was immersed in all aspect as Zoe took on her first case as “acting” coroner, discovered she has a long-lost brother, and as Pete dealt with feuding neighbors where murder reared its ugly head and the murder of his old co-worker who happened to live at the same residence as his father.

The convergence of these incidents is the stuff that stories are made for and the author does not disappoint this reader as I was consumed with all that has happening. The narrative was explicitly revealing with dialogue that kept me engrossed in all that was being said, with descriptors that had me following the interaction between the characters and with a pacing that was on par with how well this story was being told. The tempo reached a crescendo pitch when things begin to spiral downhill and I was left with mixed emotions. The author did a very fine job in executing this mystery with a couple of red herrings, but it was the huge twist that the author spin that knocked me off my feet and boy what a commendable job that was. Bravo!

When all was said and done, this is by far, the best book in this fantastic series and I can’t wait to see what happens next with the information Zoe received.

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FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.