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Sam Casey Mystery #6
Destiny Kills
One week before her wedding a young woman strips, takes the time to fold her clothes, then calmly walks into Lake Michigan. When Sam Casey is asked to look into the death of a young mother who left her infant in a high chair, walked down the street and jumped off the overpass, Sam finds a strange similarity-they each received a phone call just prior to committing suicide. Both calls were from disposable phones and both calls lasted four seconds. Were these really suicides or something more sinister? To complicate matters, Sam's husband, Jake Mitchell, is working the case of a woman whose body was found near a golf course. But when Sam touches the purse strap used to strangle the woman, she hears the same word she connected to the two suicides-destiny. Sam is an investigative consultant for the Chasen Heights Police Department. When others deal in logic, Sam deals in the illogic. She has an advantage over other cops. The dead speak to her, tell her secrets about their life and death. But sometimes what she learns can get her killed. The 6th in the award-winning Sam Casey series combines mystery with an element of paranormal.
- GenresParanormal
278 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
7 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
S.D. Tooley
11 books66 followersAKA -- LEE DRIVER -- Whenever my husband is asked to describe me in one word, he usually says "strange." I used to subscribe to Dr. J. Allen Hyneks's UFO reporter. And although I was a fan of Nancy Drew in my teens, I quickly segued to Stephen King and Dean Koontz. My interests are all over the place so it's no wonder I have been a car salesman, sales assistant, administrative assistant, seminar coordinator, and a casino dealer.
I write the Sam Casey series (think "Medium" with a Native American twist) which combines mystery with paranormal; the Chase Dagger series (under the pseudonym of Lee Driver) combines mystery with fantasy, horror, and sometimes sci-fi; and the Remy and Roadkill series (The Skull is for ages 11+), a traditional mystery. As a fan of all the CSI programs, I instilled each of the teens with a talent in forensics.
My books are available in the US, UK, and EU, as well as in audiobook, large print, and eBook formats. And for the month of July, Smashwords is running a special on eBooks for your summer beach reads. You can find my Sam Casey eBooks at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Tooley and my Chase Dagger eBooks at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/leedr...
I write the Sam Casey series (think "Medium" with a Native American twist) which combines mystery with paranormal; the Chase Dagger series (under the pseudonym of Lee Driver) combines mystery with fantasy, horror, and sometimes sci-fi; and the Remy and Roadkill series (The Skull is for ages 11+), a traditional mystery. As a fan of all the CSI programs, I instilled each of the teens with a talent in forensics.
My books are available in the US, UK, and EU, as well as in audiobook, large print, and eBook formats. And for the month of July, Smashwords is running a special on eBooks for your summer beach reads. You can find my Sam Casey eBooks at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Tooley and my Chase Dagger eBooks at www.smashwords.com/profile/view/leedr...
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 27, 2013
The 6th entry in the Sam Casey series may be the best - a good, solid mystery with interesting and well-developed characters, sufficiently complicated but believable plotting, a touch of the paranormal, and just the right amount of humor.
A former cop with a special but somewhat undefined ability to receive information from the dead, Sam Casey is called in when a seemingly happy wife and new mother suddenly abandons her child and jumps from an overpass to her death. Though a new mother herself, Sam thankfully hasn't become an annoying baby-obsessed, frazzled woman - a fate that has befallen many a series character in the past few years. She remains an intrepid but smart investigator. Like Sam's life, Tooley's writing has great balance, combining elements of paranormal, psychological, police procedural, romance, forensic science, and humor with a credible, but not predictable, resolution.
S.D. Tooley's writing contains little fluff - conversations, actions, and descriptions have a purpose, whether it be to further the plot, round out a character, or entertain the reader. The result is a quickly-moving, intelligent entry in a series that should be more widely appreciated.
A former cop with a special but somewhat undefined ability to receive information from the dead, Sam Casey is called in when a seemingly happy wife and new mother suddenly abandons her child and jumps from an overpass to her death. Though a new mother herself, Sam thankfully hasn't become an annoying baby-obsessed, frazzled woman - a fate that has befallen many a series character in the past few years. She remains an intrepid but smart investigator. Like Sam's life, Tooley's writing has great balance, combining elements of paranormal, psychological, police procedural, romance, forensic science, and humor with a credible, but not predictable, resolution.
S.D. Tooley's writing contains little fluff - conversations, actions, and descriptions have a purpose, whether it be to further the plot, round out a character, or entertain the reader. The result is a quickly-moving, intelligent entry in a series that should be more widely appreciated.
May 23, 2012
Forensic specialists may say that the dead speak to them, but in the case of Samantha Casey, ex-cop, wife and mother, the dead really do speak to her. Blessed with a gift, although some may say cursed, she is able to sense things that most people can’t. A distraught husband comes to her for answers that only she can find. The police have ruled the wife’s death a suicide – something the husband cannot accept. Sam's quest for the truth leads to her to other strange deaths, and in finding the connecting thread, she endangers her own well-being. S. D. Tooley’s latest installment in this marvelous series will capture your interest and pull you into the story from page one. With well-developed and likable continuing characters, an intricate plot, and surprising twists along the way, this combination of logical police work with illogical paranormal research is bound to entertain mystery readers as well as those who just like a good story. You don’t have to read the other books in the series to enjoy this one, but you will surely want to. Highly recommended.
April 26, 2013
While reading this story, I felt like I had already read it from another series. The pace so slow, I kept putting it down and reading something else. With that said, Sam is hired to look into the unusual death of a new mother who suddenly killed her self. As Sam looks deeper, she is able to link several women to a self help company. Of course Jake and Frank are doing the police investigation. Of course Sam gets in over her head and of course Sam understands her visions after the fact. By the time the killer is revealed and the reasons behind the deaths you just don't care. Maybe the next story in this series will be better.
June 7, 2022
Can't believe this is #6 and I only have one more. Sam is just so cool, so is Jake and all the team, yes, even Murphy! Hypnotizing is scary! This killer was SICK! I hope the two spoiled brats learned something - maybe being shot will help! So enjoy reading S.E. Tooley! Worth every page!
July 19, 2013
A shocking scene opens this latest entry in Tooley’s highly acclaimed Sam Casey series as a happily married mother suddenly walks out of her home, leaving her infant daughter behind, and jumps off a highway overpass into the path of a speeding semi. Marti Johnson’s death makes no sense, but neither does that of Carly Farnswood, a young woman who walks into Lake Michigan one week before her planned wedding and voluntarily drowns.
Serving as a consultant for the Chasen Heights P.D., Sam becomes involved with both deaths when she meets Marti’s husband Forrest and Carly’s twin sister Carrie. Forrest and Carrie are convinced their loved ones would never willingly commit suicide. Sam’s initial skepticism fades after she learns that both women received four second, untraceable phone calls only minutes before their deaths. Did the same person call both women? Did the caller, by word or action, cause them to take their own lives?
Sam digs into both cases while also coping with problems of her own. Not only has a recurrent nightmare forced her to seek the help of a psychiatrist, but she’s also facing a possible second pregnancy at a time when her son Dillon is still in his infancy. While her policeman husband Jake is busy investigating a murder, Sam gets emotional support from her good friend Jackie.
Then Sam touches a purse belonging to Jake’s murder victim, and a whispered word floats through her consciousness, a word she’s already heard in connection with the two suicides. While her psychic abilities prove helpful to Jake, they put Sam in harm’s way as her husband’s case begins to overlap her own. Can Sam help the police trap a fiendish killer before he strikes again, or will she unwittingly become the next in a long line of helpless victims?
S.D. Tooley is known for careful research when it comes to unusual ways of committing crimes. This time around she presents us with a psychological thriller based on a complex but scientifically believable plot enhanced by a strong female protagonist and just the right amount of Native American mysticism. While the various good guy/bad guy characters will draw you in to this story, the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the killer is sure to send chills down your back. Another winner in a long line of great Sam Casey mysteries.
Serving as a consultant for the Chasen Heights P.D., Sam becomes involved with both deaths when she meets Marti’s husband Forrest and Carly’s twin sister Carrie. Forrest and Carrie are convinced their loved ones would never willingly commit suicide. Sam’s initial skepticism fades after she learns that both women received four second, untraceable phone calls only minutes before their deaths. Did the same person call both women? Did the caller, by word or action, cause them to take their own lives?
Sam digs into both cases while also coping with problems of her own. Not only has a recurrent nightmare forced her to seek the help of a psychiatrist, but she’s also facing a possible second pregnancy at a time when her son Dillon is still in his infancy. While her policeman husband Jake is busy investigating a murder, Sam gets emotional support from her good friend Jackie.
Then Sam touches a purse belonging to Jake’s murder victim, and a whispered word floats through her consciousness, a word she’s already heard in connection with the two suicides. While her psychic abilities prove helpful to Jake, they put Sam in harm’s way as her husband’s case begins to overlap her own. Can Sam help the police trap a fiendish killer before he strikes again, or will she unwittingly become the next in a long line of helpless victims?
S.D. Tooley is known for careful research when it comes to unusual ways of committing crimes. This time around she presents us with a psychological thriller based on a complex but scientifically believable plot enhanced by a strong female protagonist and just the right amount of Native American mysticism. While the various good guy/bad guy characters will draw you in to this story, the cold-blooded ruthlessness of the killer is sure to send chills down your back. Another winner in a long line of great Sam Casey mysteries.
July 1, 2020
Even with some predictability issues, I have enjoyed the other books in this series. I didn't care for this one. From the first two pages it's obvious that Marti killed herself at a hypnotic suggestion, but it takes over 50/60% of the book before Sam puts that together, and she only figures out by dumb luck (checking into hypnobirth). Everything she concluded in this one, was found out through dumb luck.
Also, if you're going to have a protagonist that has a super natural talent, then use it- or don't. Sam's unique talent is barely touched upon. Speaking of which, if her husband and everyone now reluctantly believe her power, then why aren't they getting her involved in every case?
Some little specifics that irked me..what reason did she have for visiting the day care center..to visit Savannah? (Which was twice in the book mistakenly written as Samantha). Was it only so that she could find Viola's niece a few chapters later who happened to have a degree in Early childhood education and could point her there for employment, even though she was belligerent and annoying-yes, she's perfect to work with small children.
Another little note- Tooley wrote that nurses are now called medical assistants. Nope. Nursing requires a four year degree, medical assistant is two. They are definitely not the same thing.
I will read the next one, hoping that whatever made Ms Tooley haphazardly throw this book together have been resolved. Maybe she was on a deadline, and had to rush it in for publishing. Here's hoping.
Also, if you're going to have a protagonist that has a super natural talent, then use it- or don't. Sam's unique talent is barely touched upon. Speaking of which, if her husband and everyone now reluctantly believe her power, then why aren't they getting her involved in every case?
Some little specifics that irked me..what reason did she have for visiting the day care center..to visit Savannah? (Which was twice in the book mistakenly written as Samantha). Was it only so that she could find Viola's niece a few chapters later who happened to have a degree in Early childhood education and could point her there for employment, even though she was belligerent and annoying-yes, she's perfect to work with small children.
Another little note- Tooley wrote that nurses are now called medical assistants. Nope. Nursing requires a four year degree, medical assistant is two. They are definitely not the same thing.
I will read the next one, hoping that whatever made Ms Tooley haphazardly throw this book together have been resolved. Maybe she was on a deadline, and had to rush it in for publishing. Here's hoping.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2013
The 6th entry in the Sam Casey series may be the best - a good, solid mystery with interesting and well-developed characters, sufficiently complicated but believable plotting, a touch of the paranormal, and just the right amount of humor.
A former cop with a special but somewhat undefined ability to receive information from the dead, Sam Casey is called in when a seemingly happy wife and new mother suddenly abandons her child and jumps from an overpass to her death. Though a new mother herself, Sam thankfully hasn't become an annoying baby-obsessed, frazzled woman - a fate that has befallen many a series character in the past few years. She remains an intrepid but smart investigator. Like Sam's life, Tooley's writing has great balance, combining elements of paranormal, psychological, police procedural, romance, forensic science, and humor with a credible, but not predictable, resolution.
S.D. Tooley's writing contains little fluff - conversations, actions, and descriptions have a purpose, whether it be to further the plot, round out a character, or entertain the reader. The result is a quickly-moving, intelligent entry in a series that should be more widely appreciated.
--Chris, Griffith Branch
A former cop with a special but somewhat undefined ability to receive information from the dead, Sam Casey is called in when a seemingly happy wife and new mother suddenly abandons her child and jumps from an overpass to her death. Though a new mother herself, Sam thankfully hasn't become an annoying baby-obsessed, frazzled woman - a fate that has befallen many a series character in the past few years. She remains an intrepid but smart investigator. Like Sam's life, Tooley's writing has great balance, combining elements of paranormal, psychological, police procedural, romance, forensic science, and humor with a credible, but not predictable, resolution.
S.D. Tooley's writing contains little fluff - conversations, actions, and descriptions have a purpose, whether it be to further the plot, round out a character, or entertain the reader. The result is a quickly-moving, intelligent entry in a series that should be more widely appreciated.
--Chris, Griffith Branch
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June 29, 2012Book Description:
One week before her wedding a young woman strips, takes the time to fold her clothes, then calmly walks into Lake Michigan.
When Sam Casey is asked to look into the death of a young mother who left her infant in a high chair, walked down the street and jumped off the overpass, Sam finds a strange similarity—they each received a phone call just prior to committing suicide. Both calls were from disposable phones and both calls lasted four seconds.
Were these really suicides or something more sinister?
To complicate matters, Sam’s husband, Jake Mitchell, is working the case of a woman whose body was found near a golf course. But when Sam touches the purse strap used to strangle the woman, she hears the same word she connected to the two suicides—destiny.
Sam is an investigative consultant for the Chasen Heights Police Department. When others deal in logic, Sam deals in the illogic. She has an advantage over other cops. The dead speak to her, tell her secrets about their life. But sometimes what she learns can get her killed.
One week before her wedding a young woman strips, takes the time to fold her clothes, then calmly walks into Lake Michigan.
When Sam Casey is asked to look into the death of a young mother who left her infant in a high chair, walked down the street and jumped off the overpass, Sam finds a strange similarity—they each received a phone call just prior to committing suicide. Both calls were from disposable phones and both calls lasted four seconds.
Were these really suicides or something more sinister?
To complicate matters, Sam’s husband, Jake Mitchell, is working the case of a woman whose body was found near a golf course. But when Sam touches the purse strap used to strangle the woman, she hears the same word she connected to the two suicides—destiny.
Sam is an investigative consultant for the Chasen Heights Police Department. When others deal in logic, Sam deals in the illogic. She has an advantage over other cops. The dead speak to her, tell her secrets about their life. But sometimes what she learns can get her killed.
August 1, 2013
I kept reading the Sam Casey series even though each book left me unsatisfied. Finally I struck gold...this is easily the best of the series so far. Sam's gift is still minimally involved. She puts herself into recklessly dangerous situations which seems a rather odd act for a former police officer but it is satisfying to view her detective skills at work.
May 14, 2012
Love this series. Once again I was captivated an drawen into Sam's world. This series is phenomenal
I love the web of mystery mixed with the paranormal along with the strong relationship between Sam and Jake
I wished they would create a tv show based onbthese books!
I love the web of mystery mixed with the paranormal along with the strong relationship between Sam and Jake
I wished they would create a tv show based onbthese books!
June 3, 2013
It had been a long time since I read the other books in the series so I had some trouble catching up. It was a good mystery though. I just wish it had more interaction between the main characters in addition to the mystery.
April 30, 2012
Good to catch up with the next instalment in the Sam Casey mysteries, want to read the next one now:)
February 26, 2013
Very entertaining
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews