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City of Fountains #1
Thorns of Deceit
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for the gifts you've received. For two Kansas City women, however, the holiday is anything but joyous. A vicious attack has left them bruised and battered-body and soul. Seasoned Detective Frankie Thomas thinks she has seen it all until the single mother of two begins investigating the case and suspects the crimes are linked to a lawsuit the victims filed against their employer. Knee-deep in a tangled investigation involving organized crime, Frankie teams up with a local FBI agent and a detective from Kansas City's Intelligence Unit. As the three get closer to solving the case, Frankie finds herself and her children at risk from an organized crime family who will stop at nothing to keep the law off their heels. The deeper she gets into the investigation the more apparent it becomes that there is more to the case than meets the eye. To make matters worse, more cases keep coming in and it seems a serial rapist is targeting the women who make their living walking her city's streets. When someone Frankie loves is critically injured because of her investigation she wonders just how far she should go to solve the case.
358 pages, Hardcover
Published March 23, 2018
8 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
K.T. Dale
2 books5 followersCJ Johnson was born and raised in the mid-west and spent over ten years working for a major metropolitan police department with the last six spent as a detective in the Sex Crimes Section of the Special Victims Unit. Passionate about her work she fought hard for justice for every victim, especially those others often overlooked.
In 2012, she left the high-stress, fast paced career of law enforcement investigations to spend more time with her family. As a nationally recognized subject matter expert on sexual assault investigations, she focused on developing and executing training curriculum focusing on sex crime investigations to law enforcement agencies and their officers for the state of North Carolina.
She continues to play an active role in her mission to end interpersonal violence through training, volunteerism, and leading a team of investigators for an organization with an aligned mission while working on the City of Fountains series.
In 2012, she left the high-stress, fast paced career of law enforcement investigations to spend more time with her family. As a nationally recognized subject matter expert on sexual assault investigations, she focused on developing and executing training curriculum focusing on sex crime investigations to law enforcement agencies and their officers for the state of North Carolina.
She continues to play an active role in her mission to end interpersonal violence through training, volunteerism, and leading a team of investigators for an organization with an aligned mission while working on the City of Fountains series.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 4, 2018
Good read
Dale has written a protagonist who has a large heart and cares deeply for those she surrounds herself with, despite being a guy bulldog of a detective. The plot has a nice twist with a heck of a cliffhanger. Set in Kansas City, it's a special treat for those of us who live in and love this town. I will definitely pick up the next installment to see what Frankie is up to.
Dale has written a protagonist who has a large heart and cares deeply for those she surrounds herself with, despite being a guy bulldog of a detective. The plot has a nice twist with a heck of a cliffhanger. Set in Kansas City, it's a special treat for those of us who live in and love this town. I will definitely pick up the next installment to see what Frankie is up to.
August 21, 2018
Overall, this was a really well-written book, which sets up a series (including some drama and potential conflicts for future installments) well.
Frankie, the main character, was exceptionally well-developed, and made for a strong lead. I especially like that the author shows her both in positions of power (usually, but not exclusively, in her career) and vulnerability (more often in her personal life).
The setting was also very vivid and well-developed, and the police procedural elements felt realistic and plausible. (This cannot be said for many police procedural novels!) In fact, I am especially impressed with the procedural and investigative elements.
There were some weaknesses for me. The homonyms - especially sites/sights (in at least two instances, the author wrote "in my sites" in error. For some reason, this bugged me a lot today).
I also found that the chapters not from Frankie's perspective weakened the narrative. In most cases, these chapters didn't reveal any information that I didn't think Frankie could have learned (and ultimately did learn) otherwise. I think they cluttered up the book and negatively impacted the pace of the story. In addition, most of these side characters were not nearly as well-drawn or as interesting as Frankie herself.
Finally, the end of the novel has me considering whether I will read further installments. This ending seemed like such an obvious "you can't stop reading now" ploy that, frankly, I feel betrayed. The author's writing - the characters, the realistic procedural approach, etc - hooked me on its own, and I would have happily continued reading (and buying) books in the series. But this ending doesn't seem a natural ending point, and there seemed to be other loose-ish ends that I think would have tied up this episode much more effectively so that we readers are ready for the next case (installment). I don't this was very effectively done - it seemed rushed and really left a sour taste in my mouth. This was extremely disappointing considering the strengths of the rest of the novel.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
Frankie, the main character, was exceptionally well-developed, and made for a strong lead. I especially like that the author shows her both in positions of power (usually, but not exclusively, in her career) and vulnerability (more often in her personal life).
The setting was also very vivid and well-developed, and the police procedural elements felt realistic and plausible. (This cannot be said for many police procedural novels!) In fact, I am especially impressed with the procedural and investigative elements.
There were some weaknesses for me. The homonyms - especially sites/sights (in at least two instances, the author wrote "in my sites" in error. For some reason, this bugged me a lot today).
I also found that the chapters not from Frankie's perspective weakened the narrative. In most cases, these chapters didn't reveal any information that I didn't think Frankie could have learned (and ultimately did learn) otherwise. I think they cluttered up the book and negatively impacted the pace of the story. In addition, most of these side characters were not nearly as well-drawn or as interesting as Frankie herself.
Finally, the end of the novel has me considering whether I will read further installments. This ending seemed like such an obvious "you can't stop reading now" ploy that, frankly, I feel betrayed. The author's writing - the characters, the realistic procedural approach, etc - hooked me on its own, and I would have happily continued reading (and buying) books in the series. But this ending doesn't seem a natural ending point, and there seemed to be other loose-ish ends that I think would have tied up this episode much more effectively so that we readers are ready for the next case (installment). I don't this was very effectively done - it seemed rushed and really left a sour taste in my mouth. This was extremely disappointing considering the strengths of the rest of the novel.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
August 16, 2018
I was given a complimentary copy of this novel through Voracious Readers Only for an honest review.
Wow what a super woman Frankie is, not only is she a police detective with the demanding work in the sex crimes department, but she’s a single parent with 2 children, has a secret lover and also does volunteer work! I found it a little rushed in the beginning as most of the main characters are introduced very quickly, however the story then slowly unfolds until the conclusion where it has a dramatic cliff hanger of an ending. Unfortunately the typos sometimes spoiled the flow of the story telling.
Wow what a super woman Frankie is, not only is she a police detective with the demanding work in the sex crimes department, but she’s a single parent with 2 children, has a secret lover and also does volunteer work! I found it a little rushed in the beginning as most of the main characters are introduced very quickly, however the story then slowly unfolds until the conclusion where it has a dramatic cliff hanger of an ending. Unfortunately the typos sometimes spoiled the flow of the story telling.
August 10, 2018
I received this book from Voracious readers in return for a honest review.
This book was interesting, quite a few twists and turns. The characters were believable , and i really enjoyed reading it , however after finishing the book i felt as though i had missed chapters in the book (which i had not). Otherwise a good read
This book was interesting, quite a few twists and turns. The characters were believable , and i really enjoyed reading it , however after finishing the book i felt as though i had missed chapters in the book (which i had not). Otherwise a good read
February 10, 2018
Great Book
I found this book to be easy to read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. There were plot twists that I could follow. I cannot wait for the next book. Keep up the good work KT.
I found this book to be easy to read. Once I started I couldn't put it down. There were plot twists that I could follow. I cannot wait for the next book. Keep up the good work KT.
January 8, 2018
Good until the end.
I did not care for the ending. It was almost like a chapter or two were missing from the book. Disappointed.
I did not care for the ending. It was almost like a chapter or two were missing from the book. Disappointed.
August 10, 2018
A very good read! Easy to follow and the characters are interesting.
Thank you to the authour and Voracious Readers Only for the complimentary copy.
Thank you to the authour and Voracious Readers Only for the complimentary copy.
February 21, 2023
First time reading this author. Look forward to reading book two.
June 7, 2023
Fantastic read! The storyline sucks you in and leaves you wanting to read just one more chapter. Written from the perspective of a female dectective in sex crimes, the story is believable and realistic. I immediately started book #2 No Stone Unturned upon finishing this one and so far am not disappointed! I have book #3 Across State Lines ready to go next! Get them - you wont be disappointed.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews