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Chase Dagger Mysteries #5
Fatal Storm
The Indiana Paranormal Investigators are spending a night in a gothic mansion on the outskirts of Cedar Point, Indiana. Four people are participating...only three remain in the morning. There have been other disappearances and homicides in the past related to the mansion. And the one common denominator has been the weather. FATAL STORM finds Dagger and his entourage spending a night at the mansion to seek answers. But they get more than they bargain for as another storm builds on the horizon. This is the fifth book in the Chase Dagger series which combines mystery with elements of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror.
242 pages, Hardcover
First published March 23, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
February 17, 2022
I have had this book for quite a while but put it and the 2 after it aside. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading about Chase Dagger & Sara. And I recalled the characters, surprise! I love reading about haunted houses/mansions and this is about a MANSION! But a little too weird for me, and they didn't get one back. An excellent book to read but you don't really have to have read the prior ones to read this one.
July 21, 2011
Chase Dagger is still recovering both mentally and physically from when he’d been hurt a couple of months ago. He’s physically healing at a fast rate due to having been given Sara’s blood to save his life, but mentally he’s dealing with the fact that he’s not invincible. He’s been on the run from Betta Tec for years, but only in the last book discovered he’s got a tracking chip implanted in his neck. He’s wearing a necklace that prevents it from working, but fears he should be on the run again. Sara finally has enough, shaves his beard and forces him to go back to investigating and take on a case of a man who disappeared 14 months ago.
At the same time, Sheila, Chase’s rich and bratty ex-fiance, goes missing when at an old mansion with three ghost hunters during a violent storm. While the police are looking for her, Chase’s missing man turns up dead on the same property with the scarf Sheila wore when she went missing, tied around his neck. By all accounts, the man was just killed, yet he’s wearing the same clothes, has the same stomach contents, the 2 day-old tattoo that all matches the day he disappeared. Where has he been and how is everything the same? Chase, Sara, Padre and Skizzy spend the night with the ghost hunters in the mansion to find some answers.
What I love about this series is that even though Sara is a shapeshifter—as far as she knows she’s the only one--it’s nothing like the currently popular Urban Fantasy genre with vampires, demons, witches, etc. This is first and foremost a mystery and Chase is the only living person who knows what Sara is capable of. Yet they keep encountering cases that involve the paranormal, but with more of a Twilight Zone feel to them.
Within the five books we’ve seen Sara grow from a very shy, timid young girl into a more confident woman, although she still can’t handle being in a crowd. Chase is fighting his feelings from her more than ever, believing he still needs to maintain a working relationship and look at her as an older brother. But his jealousy is evident when other males look at Sara. The slow pace of this apparently budding relationship is adding a nice level of tension.
The mystery is, as always, very interesting. The secondary characters are all on hand, although with most of the story taking place outside of the home, we don't get much interaction with Einstein, the parrot. With the last couple of books there was some forward movement in learning about Chase and Betta Tec. You won't find that in this story. In that aspect he's recovering from what happened in the last book and dealing with whether or not it would be best if he hit the road. That issue gets resolved, so I'm hoping for more forward motion in the next story.
At the same time, Sheila, Chase’s rich and bratty ex-fiance, goes missing when at an old mansion with three ghost hunters during a violent storm. While the police are looking for her, Chase’s missing man turns up dead on the same property with the scarf Sheila wore when she went missing, tied around his neck. By all accounts, the man was just killed, yet he’s wearing the same clothes, has the same stomach contents, the 2 day-old tattoo that all matches the day he disappeared. Where has he been and how is everything the same? Chase, Sara, Padre and Skizzy spend the night with the ghost hunters in the mansion to find some answers.
What I love about this series is that even though Sara is a shapeshifter—as far as she knows she’s the only one--it’s nothing like the currently popular Urban Fantasy genre with vampires, demons, witches, etc. This is first and foremost a mystery and Chase is the only living person who knows what Sara is capable of. Yet they keep encountering cases that involve the paranormal, but with more of a Twilight Zone feel to them.
Within the five books we’ve seen Sara grow from a very shy, timid young girl into a more confident woman, although she still can’t handle being in a crowd. Chase is fighting his feelings from her more than ever, believing he still needs to maintain a working relationship and look at her as an older brother. But his jealousy is evident when other males look at Sara. The slow pace of this apparently budding relationship is adding a nice level of tension.
The mystery is, as always, very interesting. The secondary characters are all on hand, although with most of the story taking place outside of the home, we don't get much interaction with Einstein, the parrot. With the last couple of books there was some forward movement in learning about Chase and Betta Tec. You won't find that in this story. In that aspect he's recovering from what happened in the last book and dealing with whether or not it would be best if he hit the road. That issue gets resolved, so I'm hoping for more forward motion in the next story.
May 10, 2011
First of all, I should disclose that I won this book through one of Goodreads' giveaway contests. This was the first time I've won anything, and the book arrived a few days later with several little extras like a bookmark and a letter from the author. So I was maybe a little bit kindly inclined towards the book before I even opened the cover.
Would I have chosen this book if I came across it in the bookstore or library? It's hard to say. I read mostly fantasy, but do pick up the occasional mystery especially if there is a "hook" like my favorite animal on the cover, or a fantasy element. The fact that the main character's partner is a shapeshifter should be enough to make me at least flip through it. But reading the back cover gave me a bit of a "young adult" vibe so then again maybe I wouldn't have bought it. Anyway...
I would say that this book turned out to be 2 parts mystery and 1 part paranormal, so fans of either genre should be happy. Unfortunately, a great work of literary genius this was not. To use a food analogy, this book was a McDonalds cheeseburger. I mean, everyone knows the McDonalds cheeseburger contains neither real cheese nor real burger. It's probably made from seaweed, insect parts, and slaughterhouse byproducts. But you know, sometimes you just have a craving for McDonalds. After all, they sell millions of burgers every year so they must be doing something right! Like McDonalds, it's quick, it's cheap, and sometimes you just have a craving for some junk food.
Same with this book. After the first couple chapters I pretty much knew what was going to happen, but it was still fun to keep reading. I think about 10 years ago I would have been all "That was the best book EVER. I want to marry Chase Dagger. I SOOO want to BE Sara." So I think young adults will really appreciate this book. But adults can enjoy it too. It's a quick read and not intellectually challenging, which can be just what many readers are looking for. I think it's a fun book to take on vacation, to sit on a park bench to read it with one eye while watching the kids play, or just pick it up for a quick bit of fun. The real literati might look down their noses, but I think this book will appeal to a wide audience.
Would I have chosen this book if I came across it in the bookstore or library? It's hard to say. I read mostly fantasy, but do pick up the occasional mystery especially if there is a "hook" like my favorite animal on the cover, or a fantasy element. The fact that the main character's partner is a shapeshifter should be enough to make me at least flip through it. But reading the back cover gave me a bit of a "young adult" vibe so then again maybe I wouldn't have bought it. Anyway...
I would say that this book turned out to be 2 parts mystery and 1 part paranormal, so fans of either genre should be happy. Unfortunately, a great work of literary genius this was not. To use a food analogy, this book was a McDonalds cheeseburger. I mean, everyone knows the McDonalds cheeseburger contains neither real cheese nor real burger. It's probably made from seaweed, insect parts, and slaughterhouse byproducts. But you know, sometimes you just have a craving for McDonalds. After all, they sell millions of burgers every year so they must be doing something right! Like McDonalds, it's quick, it's cheap, and sometimes you just have a craving for some junk food.
Same with this book. After the first couple chapters I pretty much knew what was going to happen, but it was still fun to keep reading. I think about 10 years ago I would have been all "That was the best book EVER. I want to marry Chase Dagger. I SOOO want to BE Sara." So I think young adults will really appreciate this book. But adults can enjoy it too. It's a quick read and not intellectually challenging, which can be just what many readers are looking for. I think it's a fun book to take on vacation, to sit on a park bench to read it with one eye while watching the kids play, or just pick it up for a quick bit of fun. The real literati might look down their noses, but I think this book will appeal to a wide audience.
Read
May 17, 2011Really good book - definitely a keeper. Not quite 'mystery', as there's no villain to catch. The 'villain' is as much a victim of paranormal circumstance as everyone else . . . though he turns it to his advantage rather than sit around bewailing his fate. But it's a book I'd recommend to anyone who likes paranormal sci-fi/fantasy, and one I'd like to read again. My one complaint is that it's book two or three (at least) in a series, and I haven't read the first ones yet! Jumping into a series like this one from the middle is difficult for some, because much of the character interaction has a history the reader only gets pieces of. Major events, too, are referenced, and I was totally lost as to the significance of what happened. Why was it such a big deal that Sara called Dagger's injury a "gunshot wound", when apparently at least some of the other characters not directly involved in the incident knew it wasn't caused by a regular gun? What was the thing about Dagger having a control-chip implanted in his neck, only the signal was masked by a cord Sara's grandmother had given him? There's a story in there, and I'm pretty sure one of the earlier books in the series tells it. Now I just have to go find it so I can read it.
The author does do a good job of building the story to stand on its own. If it weren't for the continued references to the major event Sara and Dagger just got back from, the book would be just fine on its own. As it is, the story needs no sequel, although the characters are too precocious to just sit back and be done. They'll appear in another adventure sooner or later. Sooner, I hope. Good books can be hard to find sometimes.
The author does do a good job of building the story to stand on its own. If it weren't for the continued references to the major event Sara and Dagger just got back from, the book would be just fine on its own. As it is, the story needs no sequel, although the characters are too precocious to just sit back and be done. They'll appear in another adventure sooner or later. Sooner, I hope. Good books can be hard to find sometimes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2011
This book is a thriller with some supernatural events thrown in. It is the first book that I read in the Chase Dagger series so I am not sure if there wasn't as much character development because the author assumes you have read the other books and knows more about the characters. This story is about a woman who goes missing in an old house that is thought to be haunted, and Chase and his team come in to investigate and try to find her. It's a fun read though, and a quick read. There was stuff about how the supernatural portal worked that I didn't understand - if it opens every 10 years or so then why did it open when a man went missing 14 months before and when the woman went missing in the house? So I wish a bit more had been explained or clarified.
I won this book in one of the Good reads giveaways, but it did not affect my above review.
I won this book in one of the Good reads giveaways, but it did not affect my above review.
July 19, 2013
Lee Driver's FATAL STORM is the fifth book in her mystery/paranormal series featuring sexy mystery man and P.I. Chase Dagger and his Native American shape-shifting companion Sara Morningsky. The pair investigate when newspaperwoman Sheila Monroe, Chase's old girlfriend, goes missing while spending a stormy night in the abandoned Sebold mansion with three members of a group called the Indiana Paranormal Investigators. Cedar Point's finest are stumped by the disappearance, but welcome Chase's help when they find a corpse with Sheila's scarf wrapped tightly around his neck. Is Sheila a murderer, or is she the kidnap victim of a murderer? Chase and Sara must delve into another long forgotten disappearance to solve this puzzling case. This is another fun read in the ever-evolving Chase Dagger series.
Read
June 29, 2012Book Description:
The Indiana Paranormal Investigators are spending a night in a gothic mansion on the outskirts of Cedar Point, Indiana. Four people are participating...only three remain in the morning. There have been other disappearances and homicides in the past connected with the mansion. And the one common denominator has been the weather. FATAL STORM finds Dagger and his entourage spending a night in the mansion to seek answers. But they get more than they bargain for as another storm builds on the horizon. The fifth book in the Chase Dagger series which combines mystery with elements of fantasy, horror, and sometimes science fiction. --"Shapeshifters are the stuff of high fantasy, but somehow Driver keeps things firmly in the real world."
The Indiana Paranormal Investigators are spending a night in a gothic mansion on the outskirts of Cedar Point, Indiana. Four people are participating...only three remain in the morning. There have been other disappearances and homicides in the past connected with the mansion. And the one common denominator has been the weather. FATAL STORM finds Dagger and his entourage spending a night in the mansion to seek answers. But they get more than they bargain for as another storm builds on the horizon. The fifth book in the Chase Dagger series which combines mystery with elements of fantasy, horror, and sometimes science fiction. --"Shapeshifters are the stuff of high fantasy, but somehow Driver keeps things firmly in the real world."
June 19, 2011
LEE DRIVER'S "FATAL STORM" (REVIEW)
I have always been a fan of mysteries but this is actually the first mystery I've read that had a paranormal twist to it. Lee Driver knows the language of the mystery genre well and by mixing it with the paranormal has created a story that holds you tightly in place until the very end. The surprises are non-stop and the shocking conclusion is to die for! The characters Dagger & Sara have the makings of ones that will live long in the memory of readers and become fast favorites.
This book is one you'll not want to miss. Look for it in stores soon!
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
I have always been a fan of mysteries but this is actually the first mystery I've read that had a paranormal twist to it. Lee Driver knows the language of the mystery genre well and by mixing it with the paranormal has created a story that holds you tightly in place until the very end. The surprises are non-stop and the shocking conclusion is to die for! The characters Dagger & Sara have the makings of ones that will live long in the memory of readers and become fast favorites.
This book is one you'll not want to miss. Look for it in stores soon!
-Kitty Bullard / Great Minds Think Aloud Book Club
Read more: http://www.greatmindsthinkaloud.probo...
June 21, 2012
I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. This was a page turner and a fast easy read. I enjoyed picking it up after a long day at work and reading through chapter after chapter of mysterious happenings. It was very difficult to put this book down without being in the middle of an unanswered question. I enjoyed the mystery and the suspense of what was going to happen next. Incorporating weather into it was the icing on the cake. Mysteries are so much more enthralling when a wicked storm is brewing and intensifying. I look forward to reading more books in the series and will certainly be recommending this to my friends.
I received this book as a Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book as a Goodreads First Reads.
May 22, 2011
this has got to be one of the coolest parranormal adventures i've read for quite a while. it's a unique combination of ghost hunting, parallel dimensions, and murder investigation. daggett and sarah make a great team in both private and professional lives and the interplay between them is honest and easy to believe. my favorite character though is skizzy, a vietnam vet who believes in 'big brother', alikens and conspiracyies and is a bit of a nut case. he really adds some humor to the story line. i am very grateful to have had a chance to win and read this book/ i am now definately a fan oaf lee driver and the daggett seiries.
May 17, 2011
I won this book from Goodreads, wonderful book, I love anything that has to do with paranormal stories. Couldn't take my eyes off it. I didn't know about the win, I never received an email from goodreads that I won, don't know what happened there. I was glad I won it though, no one would be disappointed with this book if you like this kind. would recommend this book to all you fans. I would love to win some more books like this. I just put it in at currently reading because I had to look it up and see if I actually won from this site. I received it early last week.
September 24, 2011
Won a copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads.
I have mixed feelings about this book, I realize it's an advanced copy so it's going to have mistakes that aren't intentional but it felt sort of like the book was rushed and slightly incomplete. I like the paranormal and mystery aspects, but it would have been nice to get more in-depth details of the characters.
All in all this book has a lot of potential, I've already passed it onto two other people to read.
I have mixed feelings about this book, I realize it's an advanced copy so it's going to have mistakes that aren't intentional but it felt sort of like the book was rushed and slightly incomplete. I like the paranormal and mystery aspects, but it would have been nice to get more in-depth details of the characters.
All in all this book has a lot of potential, I've already passed it onto two other people to read.
May 19, 2011
this is the first Chase Dagger mystery i have read, it was a decent read.but it think i would of enjoyed it more if i would of read the other four in the series first.it was a good mix of fantasy,mystery,sci-fi, and paranormal which i like, so i probably will read the others in this series someday, and that might change my mind about this book.
May 13, 2011
I just finished reading this book and I really enjoyed it. I haven't read any of the other books in the series, but it stood well on its own. The characters are very quirky and their voices are very distinct. The story is fast-paced, and I would recommend it to any one that enjoys paranormal mysteries.
June 20, 2011
I did not like this book. I found myself having to re-read many pages because nothing would really catch my interest. I think that if the author would have elaborated a bit more on the villain and main missing character, the story would have been more enjoyable.
This book was a Goodreads giveaway win.
This book was a Goodreads giveaway win.
May 30, 2011
Great book by Lee Driver. This the the fifth in the series. I had not read any of the previous books but had no trouble quickly understanding the characters. Very fast pace, easy to read. Made me want to back and read the other 4 books in the series.
April 19, 2011
OMG she did again, yet another nail biter! Had me on the edge the entire time. I am an afirmed Dagger & Sara addict now.
June 30, 2011
I love a mystery, and I loved this book! Look forward to more work by Lee Driver!
May 10, 2011
Just arrived. Can't wait to get started!(9 May 11)
Couldn't put this down Quick, easy read. Read it it one sittting. First book I've read by this author. Won't be the last! (10 May 11)
Couldn't put this down Quick, easy read. Read it it one sittting. First book I've read by this author. Won't be the last! (10 May 11)
June 2, 2011
This was a good supernatural mystery. There were good characters and a good plot. I would definitely recommend this book if you like ghost stories or mysteries.
January 1, 2013
Really, this is a 3.5 book. The tale is terrifying and the order of events is presented very well.
March 12, 2015
I love the Chase Dagger stories. I started with #1 and could not stop until I finished all of them. Great stories, characters, everything. A not to miss out on series!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews