Welcome to the Blog Tour for The Garden Girls by Jessica R. Patch, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: The Garden Girls
Series: Strange Crimes Unit: South Division
Author: Jessica R. Patch
Publisher: Harlequin Love Inspired Trade
Release Date: April 23, 2024
Genre: Christian Psychological Thriller
On a remote Outer Banks island, a serial killer collects his prized specimens. And to stop him, an FBI agent must confront his own twisted past.
FBI agent Tiberius Granger has seen his share of darkness. But a new case sets him on edge. It’s not just the macabre way both victims—found posed in front of lighthouses—are tattooed with flowers that match their names. There’s also the unsettling connection to the woman Ty once loved and to the shadowy cult they both risked everything to escape.
Bexley Hemmingway’s sister has gone missing, and she’ll do anything to find her—including teaming up with Ty. That may prove a mistake, and not just because Ty doesn’t know he’s the father of her teenaged son. It seems the killer is taunting Ty, drawing everyone close to him into deeper danger.
As the slashing winds and rain of a deadly hurricane approach the coast of North Carolina, the search leads Ty and Bex to an island that hides a grisly secret. But in his quest for the truth, Ty has ignored the fact that this time, he’s not just the hunter. Every move has been orchestrated by a killer into a perfect storm of terror, and they will need all their skills to survive…
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | ChristianBook | Bookshop| BookBub
More Books In This Series
About the Author
Jessica R. Patch is a Publishers Weekly bestselling author known for her dry wit, signatures twists, and complex characters. She loves reading true crime books, discussing cold cases over chips and salsa with her girlfriends, and hunting down serial killers in her romantic suspense novels and psychological thrillers.
Jessica loves to encourage and inspire people to forward living devotionals through her monthly email newsletter. You can join the Patched In community at her website.
She resides in the Memphis area with her husband and her spoiled tri-color Shetland Sheepdog since becoming empty nesters. Jessica is represented by Rachel Kent of Books & Such Literary Management.
Connect with Jessica by visiting jessicarpatch.com to follow her on social media and sign up for email updates.
My Thoughts:
This was an unbelievably creepy story. The mad man behind the garden girls was one of the creepiest villains I have read in a while. Maybe ever. This is a race against time drama, as a mad man is playing with women's lives and FBI agent Tiberius Granger, Ty for short, and his team have made this personal. If you have watched the show Mentalist, which this story put me in the mind of, then you know what you are getting yourself into. If not, then be prepared for some scary stuff and don't read at night.
There is a lot going on and to recap, without spoilers, Ty and his team is dealing with a lot. Not only are they dealing with a cunning and calculating madman, but a hurricane is on its way to the Outer Banks too. Ty's first love is in the center of what is going on since her sister has gone missing. This situation brings them together the for the first time in seventeen years. Bexley has been keeping secrets from Ty, and a big one for those seventeen years. He has a son he doesn't know about. They share a lot of history, especially the crazy cult they both were involved in when they were kids. Like I said, there is a lot going on.
With shocking twists and turns, we join with Ty's team as they try to hunt the madman and bring him to justice. But he seems to have a special dislike for Ty. Can Ty keep his team and his newfound family safe?
The setting was ripe with tension, and a scary storm barreling down on them was not helping. We also get the viewpoints of one of the captured women, her terror brought on chills, but she was a fighter, so I was rooting for her.
Not only do we get her point of view but the madman's as well. What a lunatic and he was giving me some major horror vibes. On that note, for sensitive readers please be advised that some parts are very disturbing.
There is a hope thread throughout the novel. I liked how the author showed the difference between a cult that pretended to follow the one true God verses those that were true believers. She did this all without preaching and it kept the story from being overly dark. Read during the daytime preferably.
I was provided a copy of this novel from the author. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will win a signed paperback copy of Her Darkest Secret and A Cry in the Dark and a $25 Amazon card!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 15, 2024 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 22, 2024. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print. Ebooks available if winner is Canadian. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts on the book.
ReplyDeleteso excited to read this one! thanks for sharing your thoughts :)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful set
ReplyDeleteThis should be a fine read. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI love to read thrillers.
ReplyDeleteI cannot wait to read this thrilling book!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your review on "The Garden Girls" by Jessica R. Patch and for being part of the blog tour.
ReplyDeleteOn my TBR list and can't wait for the chance to read and review it.
2clowns at arkansas dot net
Excellent review! I love creepy but not gory gooks like this one!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your excellent review. The Garden Girls sounds like a must read for me.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome book! Def added to my tbr!
ReplyDelete