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Harriet Harper #1
The Creek Killer
How would you prove you weren’t dead?
Jane Smith has been running from danger her whole life. That danger followed her everywhere, leaving a trail of death in its wake. When the mummified bodies of six girls are discovered in the wetlands of Los Angeles, Jane is surprised to learn one of the dead girls bears her name—the name she abandoned twenty-five years ago to go into hiding.
Detective Harriet Harper gets pulled into a case to make or break her career…if it doesn’t end her life. When the burial site of six mummified girls is discovered, Harri joins the task force created to bring justice for the dead girls. Forces outside her control threaten her reputation and her coveted position on the team as the killer sets his sights on her, taunting her to come and find him.
When a witness comes forward with details that take Harri in new directions, she finds herself moving ever closer to the dark center of a decades-old secret, one that many people would prefer to stay hidden. With her career in the balance and her life on the line, Harri forges ahead to bring a serial killer to justice before he kills again.
Jane Smith has been running from danger her whole life. That danger followed her everywhere, leaving a trail of death in its wake. When the mummified bodies of six girls are discovered in the wetlands of Los Angeles, Jane is surprised to learn one of the dead girls bears her name—the name she abandoned twenty-five years ago to go into hiding.
Detective Harriet Harper gets pulled into a case to make or break her career…if it doesn’t end her life. When the burial site of six mummified girls is discovered, Harri joins the task force created to bring justice for the dead girls. Forces outside her control threaten her reputation and her coveted position on the team as the killer sets his sights on her, taunting her to come and find him.
When a witness comes forward with details that take Harri in new directions, she finds herself moving ever closer to the dark center of a decades-old secret, one that many people would prefer to stay hidden. With her career in the balance and her life on the line, Harri forges ahead to bring a serial killer to justice before he kills again.
372 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 198 reviews
October 15, 2020
Full marks for an interesting story idea. I really wanted to like this book. The idea of a person who needs to prove their true identity after years of living under assumed names is intriguing, to say the least. Based on the number of 5-star ratings, I expected it to be great. Unfortunately, I only made it about 25% of the way through the book before I absolutely could not make myself read any farther.
The problem wasn't in the plot; it was primarily sentence structure, punctuation, and dialogue -- things that a professional editor could easily help the author clean up. I strongly suggest both developmental and line editing. The things that drove me up the wall to the point where I could not continue a book I truly wanted to like, you ask? Here they are:
1. The overwhelming number department names which were followed by their acronym in parenthesis, and then the full name in parenthesis each time the acronym is used. This was EXTREMELY distracting. Give the full name of the place/department the first time it appears in the story, then use the acronym or a shortened version of the name after that, but please don't use both in the same sentence.
2. The main character is a female detective in the LAPD called Harri. She is not the only female on the force, and there are a number of females of equal or higher rank. However, the author insisted on making Harri a victim of mental and verbal abuse by multiple male co-workers. In the 1950's, sure, but not in the modern era where it is all too easy to lodge a complaint regarding discrimination. Harri let people walk all over her under the weak excuse of "not wanted to play politics." Having a backbone and standing up for yourself is not "playing politics." If anything, rolling over and letting people walk on you for their pleasure is.
3. The dialogue was difficult to follow. Perhaps it was a punctuation issue, but it appeared the author frequently lost track of who was speaking when. For instance, near the beginning of the book, Harri is talking Mitzi, the FBI profiler. The conversation goes back and forth without dialogue tags, each paragraph beginning and ending with quote marks, indicating the character is done speaking. Following the logical progression, it appears Harri and Mitzi reverse roles. In re-reading, the only thing that made the discussion make sense was assuming there were places where one or the other spoke for several paragraphs and the punctuation was wrong. This sort of thing happened frequently, in multiple conversations.
I hope the author takes the time to go back through the work and have it edited. If she does, I'd love to give it another try. (I'll be on the look-out for an update in Amazon's kindle store.)
The problem wasn't in the plot; it was primarily sentence structure, punctuation, and dialogue -- things that a professional editor could easily help the author clean up. I strongly suggest both developmental and line editing. The things that drove me up the wall to the point where I could not continue a book I truly wanted to like, you ask? Here they are:
1. The overwhelming number department names which were followed by their acronym in parenthesis, and then the full name in parenthesis each time the acronym is used. This was EXTREMELY distracting. Give the full name of the place/department the first time it appears in the story, then use the acronym or a shortened version of the name after that, but please don't use both in the same sentence.
2. The main character is a female detective in the LAPD called Harri. She is not the only female on the force, and there are a number of females of equal or higher rank. However, the author insisted on making Harri a victim of mental and verbal abuse by multiple male co-workers. In the 1950's, sure, but not in the modern era where it is all too easy to lodge a complaint regarding discrimination. Harri let people walk all over her under the weak excuse of "not wanted to play politics." Having a backbone and standing up for yourself is not "playing politics." If anything, rolling over and letting people walk on you for their pleasure is.
3. The dialogue was difficult to follow. Perhaps it was a punctuation issue, but it appeared the author frequently lost track of who was speaking when. For instance, near the beginning of the book, Harri is talking Mitzi, the FBI profiler. The conversation goes back and forth without dialogue tags, each paragraph beginning and ending with quote marks, indicating the character is done speaking. Following the logical progression, it appears Harri and Mitzi reverse roles. In re-reading, the only thing that made the discussion make sense was assuming there were places where one or the other spoke for several paragraphs and the punctuation was wrong. This sort of thing happened frequently, in multiple conversations.
I hope the author takes the time to go back through the work and have it edited. If she does, I'd love to give it another try. (I'll be on the look-out for an update in Amazon's kindle store.)
May 16, 2022
4 Another New To Me Author Stars
It's Free Right Now!
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
I wasn't kidding when I said I was on a Mystery/Thriller kick. I have been lucky enough to find "new authors" to enjoy for FREE!
The Creek Killer (Harriet Harper #1) by Dominika Best was a read that kept me interested in how it would play out and I see there are so many more entries in this series...something to continue at another time.
The Creek Killer (Harriet Harper #1)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Hidden Grave
The Broken Trail
The Night Blinder
The Skin Hunters
The Little Deaths
The Precious Dolls
The Detective Harriet Harper Collection Books 1-3: A Crime Fiction Series
The Detective Harriet Harper Collection Books 4-6: A Crime Fiction Series
For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
It's Free Right Now!
* * * * Spoiler Free-A Quick Review
I wasn't kidding when I said I was on a Mystery/Thriller kick. I have been lucky enough to find "new authors" to enjoy for FREE!
The Creek Killer (Harriet Harper #1) by Dominika Best was a read that kept me interested in how it would play out and I see there are so many more entries in this series...something to continue at another time.
The Creek Killer (Harriet Harper #1) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Hidden Grave The Broken Trail The Night Blinder The Skin Hunters The Little Deaths The Precious DollsThe Detective Harriet Harper Collection Books 1-3: A Crime Fiction Series The Detective Harriet Harper Collection Books 4-6: A Crime Fiction SeriesFor more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways
October 2, 2023
This, the first book of a three part series, performed well enough for me to download the next....but not without issues. The general plot is intriguing enough, even if it's clear from a very early stage who the bad guy is. I do prefer the villains to remain a mystery to close to the end but it worked in this plot. What I couldn't comprehend, and without spoiling it for potential readers, is the motive. There just didn't seem to be one, especially as the crimes were of such a, let's say, personal nature at times.
The other issue I had was more with the first quarter or so where there were a lot of characters introduced and I struggled to distinguish who was who. These were police officers of various ranks that appeared to be of importance yet the office politics associated to them amounted to nothing. What first appeared to be important characters vanished completely but perhaps they make a come-back later in the series. Either way, both the characters and the politics seemed superfluous here. A simple two officer investigative team and a superior works better for me.
Apart from these gripes I found it enjoyable enough rate it a slightly generous 4 stars
The other issue I had was more with the first quarter or so where there were a lot of characters introduced and I struggled to distinguish who was who. These were police officers of various ranks that appeared to be of importance yet the office politics associated to them amounted to nothing. What first appeared to be important characters vanished completely but perhaps they make a come-back later in the series. Either way, both the characters and the politics seemed superfluous here. A simple two officer investigative team and a superior works better for me.
Apart from these gripes I found it enjoyable enough rate it a slightly generous 4 stars
November 17, 2020
My spouse read this book and here's her review:
This story has a great plot line and lots of suspense. Detective Harri Harper is part of a cold case team
but is looking for an opportunity to move into major crimes. She has a dark past that still haunts her. A young woman called Lindsey comes forward and claims to have gone missing at the age of eight along with her sister. At the same time mummified remains of girls are found and the police assume they belong to Lindsey and her sister. The plot maintains its pace but I was somewhat disappointed by the wrap-up in the final two chapters. Was it all too neat? The novel is worth reading and I shall look for other books by this author.
This review was edited and written by Shawn Callon, author of The Diplomatic Spy.
This story has a great plot line and lots of suspense. Detective Harri Harper is part of a cold case team
but is looking for an opportunity to move into major crimes. She has a dark past that still haunts her. A young woman called Lindsey comes forward and claims to have gone missing at the age of eight along with her sister. At the same time mummified remains of girls are found and the police assume they belong to Lindsey and her sister. The plot maintains its pace but I was somewhat disappointed by the wrap-up in the final two chapters. Was it all too neat? The novel is worth reading and I shall look for other books by this author.
This review was edited and written by Shawn Callon, author of The Diplomatic Spy.
March 31, 2021
This was enjoyable but it would benefit from a good editor. The other problem is, I was a lot more interested in Jane Smith's story and viewpoint than I ever was about Harriet Harper. I didn't really connect with or like Harriet. She was easily intimidated and came across as very young. Every time she was spoken to she was busy blushing. It was annoying. And her attraction to Jake with her 'fluttery feelings' was lame as. It would've been a stronger story by dropping the romance altogether than put in a teenage type crush.
In terms of editing, there were a ton of discrepancies - names, dates of death, remarks being made and then made again as if it wasn't mentioned, etc. I think there's a lot of potential here for a fantastic procedural thriller but it was let down by clunky writing, disjointed tenses and bad editing.
The plot didn't cover anything new in terms of procedural thrillers but it was interesting enough to keep my attention and kept me flying through the pages. The twist was good but I also would've liked more conclusive explanations at the end.
So as to the next book in the series, I'm not sure if I'll bother to continue. On one hand I liked this - on the other, all the parts I liked about it (Jane) won't be present in the next one. For this one, 3 stars.
In terms of editing, there were a ton of discrepancies - names, dates of death, remarks being made and then made again as if it wasn't mentioned, etc. I think there's a lot of potential here for a fantastic procedural thriller but it was let down by clunky writing, disjointed tenses and bad editing.
The plot didn't cover anything new in terms of procedural thrillers but it was interesting enough to keep my attention and kept me flying through the pages. The twist was good but I also would've liked more conclusive explanations at the end.
So as to the next book in the series, I'm not sure if I'll bother to continue. On one hand I liked this - on the other, all the parts I liked about it (Jane) won't be present in the next one. For this one, 3 stars.
May 22, 2020
This not a summary of the story, you already read that, this is what i think of this fantastic thriller.
I love that this book is first in a series since it is not only written well but the Author's characters deserve more story line. Harper is wonderfully layered like Karin Slaughter's DD Warren character. Author Dominika Best is joining the thriller writers like the stories of Chevy Stevens and Stephanie Spicer. I love thrillers but often the beginnings are muddled since so many characters need to be introduced rather quickly but this book keeps pace and ends nicely. This read fairly quick too I didn't need to take a break to sort it out before I continued to read.
I love that this book is first in a series since it is not only written well but the Author's characters deserve more story line. Harper is wonderfully layered like Karin Slaughter's DD Warren character. Author Dominika Best is joining the thriller writers like the stories of Chevy Stevens and Stephanie Spicer. I love thrillers but often the beginnings are muddled since so many characters need to be introduced rather quickly but this book keeps pace and ends nicely. This read fairly quick too I didn't need to take a break to sort it out before I continued to read.
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March 4, 2021🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/4/2021)! 🎁
November 4, 2023
Every disturbing premise in this one
Boy this was a rough read. There are triggers of rape, abuse, paedophilia and torture. Not in detail but still disturbing. It wasn't really twisty but it was intense. It started off slow but by the end you are moving at a rapid pace. I loved Harri, the detective. She did not give up. Now she's going after her sisters killer. I will definitely have to read that one.
Boy this was a rough read. There are triggers of rape, abuse, paedophilia and torture. Not in detail but still disturbing. It wasn't really twisty but it was intense. It started off slow but by the end you are moving at a rapid pace. I loved Harri, the detective. She did not give up. Now she's going after her sisters killer. I will definitely have to read that one.
May 5, 2021
Oh dear......story probably 4.5* but punctuation mistakes 1* !! On almost every page there's a misplaced or missed apostrophe or comma or speechmarks or fullstop or question mark ! It's a shocking presentation of what's a pretty good story. I was going to not bother with anymore of this series as I just couldn't face anymore, only to realise I have book 3 already on my device !! So I will give book 2 a go once I've recovered and see how THAT pans out. I wouldn't have done if I didn't already have the other already, though.
I know many these days seem to think punctuation is just something old people whinge about but it matters and always should do. A sentence can have a whole new meaning down to the lack of a comma, for example. "Great, I'll get on that Tom" is one example and "What do you mean Marjorie Wilson ?" is another.....
I liked Harri and as I say, I enjoyed the story but it's taken me a good while to wade through as my reading experience was constantly interrupted as I highlighted errors !! I did like how the author does consider foreign readers so therefore offers the definition when she first utilises an acronym. It really isn't that difficult to do but 99% of American authors don't afford us that courtesy so I greatly appreciated that.
I was a little baffled at the Sandford Hughes mention cos' I thought Di Caprio played Howard Hughes.....I even checked on Google at that one as I doubted myself. She capitalised Skip a couple of times for no good reason, too. All very irritating indeed.
Let's just hope book 2 is better presented or I will jack it in early and give up. Such a pity that this one was ruined.
I know many these days seem to think punctuation is just something old people whinge about but it matters and always should do. A sentence can have a whole new meaning down to the lack of a comma, for example. "Great, I'll get on that Tom" is one example and "What do you mean Marjorie Wilson ?" is another.....
I liked Harri and as I say, I enjoyed the story but it's taken me a good while to wade through as my reading experience was constantly interrupted as I highlighted errors !! I did like how the author does consider foreign readers so therefore offers the definition when she first utilises an acronym. It really isn't that difficult to do but 99% of American authors don't afford us that courtesy so I greatly appreciated that.
I was a little baffled at the Sandford Hughes mention cos' I thought Di Caprio played Howard Hughes.....I even checked on Google at that one as I doubted myself. She capitalised Skip a couple of times for no good reason, too. All very irritating indeed.
Let's just hope book 2 is better presented or I will jack it in early and give up. Such a pity that this one was ruined.
January 27, 2021
A mess!
I’m only 36 pages in and I just might give up. The author keeps putting the explanation for an acronym in parentheses in the middle of dialogue, i.e.:
“I just heard from the OCME (Office of the Chief Medical Examiner),” he said.
or
“We should consult the NCIC (National Crime Information Center).”
[Paraphasing the above, not direct quotes.]
And now they’re calling Howard Hughes “Sanford Hughes”.
Also, how is this series about the detective when a totally different character has the first person perspective? This is a mess.
I’m only 36 pages in and I just might give up. The author keeps putting the explanation for an acronym in parentheses in the middle of dialogue, i.e.:
“I just heard from the OCME (Office of the Chief Medical Examiner),” he said.
or
“We should consult the NCIC (National Crime Information Center).”
[Paraphasing the above, not direct quotes.]
And now they’re calling Howard Hughes “Sanford Hughes”.
Also, how is this series about the detective when a totally different character has the first person perspective? This is a mess.
March 5, 2021
I could not get into this book. I didn’t care much for the main character. I felt that the characters were very shallow and not well developed throughout the book. I’m not exactly sure how this book has such a high rating. I will not be reading the second one.
November 23, 2023
A Very Compelling Book!!
This was an action packed fast paced book. It captured me from the beginning to end. I read it in one afternoon because I couldn’t put it down. It had so many twists and turns until it made my head spin. The suspense had my heart racing. The ending was great and the storyline all came together.
This was an action packed fast paced book. It captured me from the beginning to end. I read it in one afternoon because I couldn’t put it down. It had so many twists and turns until it made my head spin. The suspense had my heart racing. The ending was great and the storyline all came together.
December 9, 2021
The Creek Killer by Dominika Best had an intriguing concept with a lot of potential. Unfortunately, I found the first half of this book to be dry and an extremely slow build-up. I appreciate that Dominika was laying the groundwork for the case and Harri and Jane Smith's backgrounds, but I felt the story just dragged with unnecessary information. The story did pick up at the halfway point, gaining speed and my interest. Early on it is given who the killers may have been and this was a little disappointing for me. However, there were still enough suspenseful moments to keep me interested. Overall I did enjoy the story and am interested to see what is going to happen next in the series.
****
Detective Harriet (Harri) Harper is a member of the Cold-Case unit with the Los Angeles Police Department. When the bodies of five girls are found mummified and buried outside of Los Angeles, Harri is put on the task force. Two of the five girls are assumed to be sisters Lindsey and Natalie Peters.
Meanwhile, Jane Smith has been in hiding for over twenty years. At the age of eight, Jane Smith and her older sister ran away from their family home. A woman named Jennifer took them in as her own and created new identities and lives for them. Years later Jane's older sister is killed in a hit and run and Jennifer is killed by an intruder on the night of Jane's sister's funeral. Now on her own, Jane is surprised to learn that people are mistaking her old identity, Lindsey Peters, as one of the dead girls. With no proof or documents proving she is Lindsey Peters, Jane hopes that someone will believe her and ends up at the police station talking to Harri.
At first, Harri doesn't believe Jane's story, but as time goes on, Harri begins to have a gut feeling that there may be a possible connection between Jane/Lindsey and the case. As Jane/Lindsey and Harri dig deeper into the case and Jane/Lindsey's family, the closer they come to putting themselves at risk and possibly becoming the killer's next victim.
****
Detective Harriet (Harri) Harper is a member of the Cold-Case unit with the Los Angeles Police Department. When the bodies of five girls are found mummified and buried outside of Los Angeles, Harri is put on the task force. Two of the five girls are assumed to be sisters Lindsey and Natalie Peters.
Meanwhile, Jane Smith has been in hiding for over twenty years. At the age of eight, Jane Smith and her older sister ran away from their family home. A woman named Jennifer took them in as her own and created new identities and lives for them. Years later Jane's older sister is killed in a hit and run and Jennifer is killed by an intruder on the night of Jane's sister's funeral. Now on her own, Jane is surprised to learn that people are mistaking her old identity, Lindsey Peters, as one of the dead girls. With no proof or documents proving she is Lindsey Peters, Jane hopes that someone will believe her and ends up at the police station talking to Harri.
At first, Harri doesn't believe Jane's story, but as time goes on, Harri begins to have a gut feeling that there may be a possible connection between Jane/Lindsey and the case. As Jane/Lindsey and Harri dig deeper into the case and Jane/Lindsey's family, the closer they come to putting themselves at risk and possibly becoming the killer's next victim.
August 9, 2023
Overall the plot was very interesting and I was intrigued as to how it would play out.
I believe this is the first novel of this author (I think) and sadly it shows but I do think some of the things I’m about to list can be strengthened in future novels.
There were a few things that I struggled with in this book.
- some of the dialogue was a little confusing as to who was speaking when
- the over-use and over-explaining of police departments and internal acronyms was distracting
- improper use of terms, which is due to a lack of research - getting ‘low risk’ and ‘high risk’ victims mixed up and assigning them incorrectly
- this was a BIG one and it was highly annoying: there were two main character leads in this book, both women and each new chapter would either focus on one or the other. When focussing on Harri Harper - the detective in the story - every single time the chapter started with, ‘Detective Harri Harper…’. It was completely unnecessary as we had established who Harri was by this point.
- narration point of view - it kept switching from first person to third person point of view
And then it seemed to rush to end. There were a number of developments through the story that were left hanging at the end or tied up in a very rushed or lazy way. That was quite disappointing.
But, I do think the plot was pretty good and that’s what kept me reading. I’m most certainly a plot driven reader. Perhaps with some professional editing assistance this writer could be really good.
I believe this is the first novel of this author (I think) and sadly it shows but I do think some of the things I’m about to list can be strengthened in future novels.
There were a few things that I struggled with in this book.
- some of the dialogue was a little confusing as to who was speaking when
- the over-use and over-explaining of police departments and internal acronyms was distracting
- improper use of terms, which is due to a lack of research - getting ‘low risk’ and ‘high risk’ victims mixed up and assigning them incorrectly
- this was a BIG one and it was highly annoying: there were two main character leads in this book, both women and each new chapter would either focus on one or the other. When focussing on Harri Harper - the detective in the story - every single time the chapter started with, ‘Detective Harri Harper…’. It was completely unnecessary as we had established who Harri was by this point.
- narration point of view - it kept switching from first person to third person point of view
And then it seemed to rush to end. There were a number of developments through the story that were left hanging at the end or tied up in a very rushed or lazy way. That was quite disappointing.
But, I do think the plot was pretty good and that’s what kept me reading. I’m most certainly a plot driven reader. Perhaps with some professional editing assistance this writer could be really good.
October 3, 2021
This was my first time reading Dominika Best, but more than likely won't be my last. The Creek Killer kept me interested the whole way through, and got more intense as it got closer to the end. In fact, the last few chapters reminded me a bit of the way Silence of the Lambs ended, as we switched back and forth between two different locations.
I also like the way the author switched back and forth between the main character in the story (first person) and everyone else (third person). Some folks might find that annoying, but I rather like it.
The story is complex and gripping, and I confess that it took me a while to figure out who might have been responsible for the killings. In fact, there were some things that I never figured out on my own, and I don't mind that, either. If a story can keep me guessing, that's good.
The author seemed to do a good job of developing the character of our protagonist, along with her fears and psychological issues. I'm not giving out any names at this point, in order to avoid spoilage. But there are plenty of twists in the plot of this story, and the developing of a plot that will carry on into the next book, of which there is an excerpt at the end of the Kindle version of this one.
As I said, I will likely be reading more of Ms. Best's work, in the future.
I also like the way the author switched back and forth between the main character in the story (first person) and everyone else (third person). Some folks might find that annoying, but I rather like it.
The story is complex and gripping, and I confess that it took me a while to figure out who might have been responsible for the killings. In fact, there were some things that I never figured out on my own, and I don't mind that, either. If a story can keep me guessing, that's good.
The author seemed to do a good job of developing the character of our protagonist, along with her fears and psychological issues. I'm not giving out any names at this point, in order to avoid spoilage. But there are plenty of twists in the plot of this story, and the developing of a plot that will carry on into the next book, of which there is an excerpt at the end of the Kindle version of this one.
As I said, I will likely be reading more of Ms. Best's work, in the future.
November 30, 2020
This was a good book and I enjoyed settling down to read it nightly. There were some snagging issues which is why I gave 3 stars.
The author wrote the action scenes well and I was engrossed. There were many chapters in the book I found thrilling to read.
I was a bit disappointed with the lead character. I would love to have a female police lead without the shadow of men lurking in the background destroying her for the sake of 'politics'. I felt Harri had plenty of her own life as a good back story and the only purpose the aforementioned misogynistic slant did was set the reason for her being in a diminutive role initially.
There were also some parts of the dialogue that were confused. Between no ending quotation marks and very little character cues to break up the dialogue, it got messy at some points.
I personally felt there were far too many characters, a lot of names I felt served no purpose and when the twist came I felt a little underwhelmed because I couldn't quite recall their relevance. I don't know if it was to distract the reader but I didn't respond to it well.
Overall an enjoyable read, albeit a few irks for me personally.
The author wrote the action scenes well and I was engrossed. There were many chapters in the book I found thrilling to read.
I was a bit disappointed with the lead character. I would love to have a female police lead without the shadow of men lurking in the background destroying her for the sake of 'politics'. I felt Harri had plenty of her own life as a good back story and the only purpose the aforementioned misogynistic slant did was set the reason for her being in a diminutive role initially.
There were also some parts of the dialogue that were confused. Between no ending quotation marks and very little character cues to break up the dialogue, it got messy at some points.
I personally felt there were far too many characters, a lot of names I felt served no purpose and when the twist came I felt a little underwhelmed because I couldn't quite recall their relevance. I don't know if it was to distract the reader but I didn't respond to it well.
Overall an enjoyable read, albeit a few irks for me personally.
May 15, 2020
This is the first book in the Harriet Harper Thriller series and Harri (Harriet) is a Cold Case Detective who has just been put on a task force dealing with the bodies of five girls who have been found mummified and buried in the wetlands outside of Los Angeles. Two of the girls are identified as sisters Lindsey and Natalie Peters, with the other three all thought to have also gone missing over a short period from the same small area. Another main character, going by the name of Jane Smith, sees her own face on a newspaper identifying her as one of the five dead bodies. She has been in hiding since her older sister pulled her out of their family home when she was only eight, over twenty years ago. Her sister told her the monsters were after them and never told her the true reasons behind them leaving. She was unfortunately killed some years ago in a hit and run, before Lindsey could get the truth out of her. The woman who took them in was called Jennifer and helped to give them new identities, was killed by an intruder on the night of her sister’s funeral.
Jane has been running and hiding ever since, using the lessons she was given from the age of eight by Jennifer and her colleagues, including martial arts and ways to protect herself in any situation. Jane and her sister left behind their father and two brothers, Danny and Reece. Something happened to Jane’s older sister, just months before they ran, which someone at the school figured out and her boyfriend and best friend at the time couldn’t work out or get any answers from her, as she withdrew from all of them. Meanwhile, Detective Harper is finding the politics of other colleagues cause her more problems and she is practically sidelined by the man in charge. Harri comes from the small town the five girls are thought to all be from and her own sister was friends with one girl that went missing one summer. She and her sister weren’t allowed out that whole summer, like many of their age in the town! She has her own ghosts with her sister going missing once she had gone away to Oregon for college and was on a hike with friends. This led to Harri becoming a police officer.
Every year on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, Harri goes back to the site where she went missing and continues an investigation. Being dumped on the tip lines by her politically and sexist team leader, leaves her meeting Jane when she enters her police station to inform the police that she is not one of the five dead girls. Unfortunately, she has no identification or other evidence to prove that she is really Lindsey Peters. All she can tell Harri and her colleague Rob Logan, is what she can remember and what happened to her sister Natalie and Jennifer, the lady who took them in. There seems to be a leak in the police department, as lots of the information about the case is released to the press! Harri also ends up getting a threat left for her, after someone breaks into her home. Jane sees someone she thinks is her youngest brother, but both her brothers and her father were killed in a car crash whilst on holiday in the Philippines in 1996.
She carries out her normal evasion processes and is always careful to go different ways to her current home, every time. But, still starts to get a feeling that she is being watched and that someone is following her on more than one occasion. Harri starts to believe Jane’s story and is left to follow up on her possible connection to the case the task force are on, so they can discount the two Peter’s sisters as being victims of the serial killer or not. Someone or multiple someone’s are trying to stop Harri and Jane from getting too close to the truth, but Jane wants her real identity back and for the other victims to finally get justice. She has started to investigate some links herself and hired people to help her follow up some leads, and also taken on other roles to identity some of her own leads. Interviewing an old teacher from her sister’s high school soon leads her to some disturbing matters about her family life, before she and her sister ran away.
This is a very complex serial killer case, with a task force of experienced detectives and even the assistance of an FBI profiler, to help them identify the killer or killers of the five young girls. The number of missing children each year, within their year range they are investigating, is in the tens of thousands, which is a sad reflection on the world we live in and of the evil that exists. Detective Harri has an interesting background and knows the suffering of losing a sibling, with no body ever found. It led her onto the path she now follows and gives her a real affinity for this case and similar ones. Jane is a damaged character who, no matter what she has had to face in her past, has come out stronger than ever and with a need for justice. She still fears what she doesn’t know about her past and her own family, but is willing to face it, to help other families. A very intriguing read and one I read straight through, even though it is over three hundred pages long! I just couldn’t put it down! This is the first book I have read by this author and they have gone straight to the top of my reading list with this book! I can’t wait to read the next two books in this series. Certainly one to recommend to all who love a great investigative tale with loads of twists and shocking surprises. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
Jane has been running and hiding ever since, using the lessons she was given from the age of eight by Jennifer and her colleagues, including martial arts and ways to protect herself in any situation. Jane and her sister left behind their father and two brothers, Danny and Reece. Something happened to Jane’s older sister, just months before they ran, which someone at the school figured out and her boyfriend and best friend at the time couldn’t work out or get any answers from her, as she withdrew from all of them. Meanwhile, Detective Harper is finding the politics of other colleagues cause her more problems and she is practically sidelined by the man in charge. Harri comes from the small town the five girls are thought to all be from and her own sister was friends with one girl that went missing one summer. She and her sister weren’t allowed out that whole summer, like many of their age in the town! She has her own ghosts with her sister going missing once she had gone away to Oregon for college and was on a hike with friends. This led to Harri becoming a police officer.
Every year on the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance, Harri goes back to the site where she went missing and continues an investigation. Being dumped on the tip lines by her politically and sexist team leader, leaves her meeting Jane when she enters her police station to inform the police that she is not one of the five dead girls. Unfortunately, she has no identification or other evidence to prove that she is really Lindsey Peters. All she can tell Harri and her colleague Rob Logan, is what she can remember and what happened to her sister Natalie and Jennifer, the lady who took them in. There seems to be a leak in the police department, as lots of the information about the case is released to the press! Harri also ends up getting a threat left for her, after someone breaks into her home. Jane sees someone she thinks is her youngest brother, but both her brothers and her father were killed in a car crash whilst on holiday in the Philippines in 1996.
She carries out her normal evasion processes and is always careful to go different ways to her current home, every time. But, still starts to get a feeling that she is being watched and that someone is following her on more than one occasion. Harri starts to believe Jane’s story and is left to follow up on her possible connection to the case the task force are on, so they can discount the two Peter’s sisters as being victims of the serial killer or not. Someone or multiple someone’s are trying to stop Harri and Jane from getting too close to the truth, but Jane wants her real identity back and for the other victims to finally get justice. She has started to investigate some links herself and hired people to help her follow up some leads, and also taken on other roles to identity some of her own leads. Interviewing an old teacher from her sister’s high school soon leads her to some disturbing matters about her family life, before she and her sister ran away.
This is a very complex serial killer case, with a task force of experienced detectives and even the assistance of an FBI profiler, to help them identify the killer or killers of the five young girls. The number of missing children each year, within their year range they are investigating, is in the tens of thousands, which is a sad reflection on the world we live in and of the evil that exists. Detective Harri has an interesting background and knows the suffering of losing a sibling, with no body ever found. It led her onto the path she now follows and gives her a real affinity for this case and similar ones. Jane is a damaged character who, no matter what she has had to face in her past, has come out stronger than ever and with a need for justice. She still fears what she doesn’t know about her past and her own family, but is willing to face it, to help other families. A very intriguing read and one I read straight through, even though it is over three hundred pages long! I just couldn’t put it down! This is the first book I have read by this author and they have gone straight to the top of my reading list with this book! I can’t wait to read the next two books in this series. Certainly one to recommend to all who love a great investigative tale with loads of twists and shocking surprises. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
January 11, 2021
Interesting premise, needs lots of work. The author's habit of starting her chapter with the main characters title and entire name quickly began to grate on my nerves. Guess what? We know she's a detective and that her name is Harri Harper, move along.
There were occasionally lines of text that appeared to be someone's editing notes that hadn't been removed during the publishing process.
Overall, just amateur.
There were occasionally lines of text that appeared to be someone's editing notes that hadn't been removed during the publishing process.
Overall, just amateur.
August 14, 2020
Excellent read
This is the first time reading this author and it was an excellent book! Couldn't put it down. The main character isn't the super over the top type, believable. Had plenty of twists and turns and.kinda took you thought more of the nitty gritty of figuring out the killers. You won't be disappointed!
This is the first time reading this author and it was an excellent book! Couldn't put it down. The main character isn't the super over the top type, believable. Had plenty of twists and turns and.kinda took you thought more of the nitty gritty of figuring out the killers. You won't be disappointed!
November 11, 2020
Office Politics or Mystery Tale?
Initially, the confusion between current times and the early '90s was somewhat excusable, although the frequent back and forth in time was very distrscying. That, compounded by mostly office politics with little action relating to the mystery prompted this reader to give up after struggling one-forth of my way through the book. Not my cup of tea.
Initially, the confusion between current times and the early '90s was somewhat excusable, although the frequent back and forth in time was very distrscying. That, compounded by mostly office politics with little action relating to the mystery prompted this reader to give up after struggling one-forth of my way through the book. Not my cup of tea.
October 12, 2020
Creek
Not my type of book. Crumby language does not make good literature, regardless of how good the plot may seem to be.
Not my type of book. Crumby language does not make good literature, regardless of how good the plot may seem to be.
November 8, 2020
Talk about an insane family father and sons!! Scary serial killers
October 22, 2020
Being familiar with Dominika Best, I knew that I was in for a good read when I downloaded the eBook edition of The Creek Killer, but I wasn’t expecting the roller-coaster thrill ride of my life. Being a new writer, Dominika Best is a rising star writing in multiple genre, running the gamut from cozy mysteries with talking cats and witches to spine tingling police thrillers with powerful female leads, female leads that show all the men they are a force to be taken seriously.
The Creek Killer is told through the eyes of Detective Harriet (Harri) Harper and Leslie Peters, both strong yet, like actual people, flawed. While facing whatever evils the world throws at them, they are fighting their own internal demons.
The story begins with Leslie and her older sister running for their lives, running from “the monster.” Leslie was eight years old when her odyssey begun and her sister fifteen. “Monsters” was what Leslie’s sister called them, but they were flesh and blood human beings. Many years later, after Leslie’s sister and the women that helped them escape were killed, the Monsters were still after Leslie. Leslie was a survivor and during the intervening years, she became a martial artist and trained other women in how to protect themselves using Krab Magda.
Harri had lost her own sister to some monster and was still trying to find her body and the miscreant (s) who abducted her. Harri, a cold case detective became part of a task force searching for the active killer of a series of girls whose bodies were had recently been discovered when she encountered Leslie. At first Leslie was thought to be one of the two unidentified bodies but was not of the right age for the time the girls had died.
The story ends when…. Well, you’ll just have to read this book for yourself to find out. Once you start reading this book, you cannot put it down until you finish it. This book isn’t a page turner, it’s a page burner. I turned the pages so rapidly that the pages would probably caught on fire if it had been a real book and not an eBook. I have already ordered Hidden Grave, book 2 in the series.
The Creek Killer is told through the eyes of Detective Harriet (Harri) Harper and Leslie Peters, both strong yet, like actual people, flawed. While facing whatever evils the world throws at them, they are fighting their own internal demons.
The story begins with Leslie and her older sister running for their lives, running from “the monster.” Leslie was eight years old when her odyssey begun and her sister fifteen. “Monsters” was what Leslie’s sister called them, but they were flesh and blood human beings. Many years later, after Leslie’s sister and the women that helped them escape were killed, the Monsters were still after Leslie. Leslie was a survivor and during the intervening years, she became a martial artist and trained other women in how to protect themselves using Krab Magda.
Harri had lost her own sister to some monster and was still trying to find her body and the miscreant (s) who abducted her. Harri, a cold case detective became part of a task force searching for the active killer of a series of girls whose bodies were had recently been discovered when she encountered Leslie. At first Leslie was thought to be one of the two unidentified bodies but was not of the right age for the time the girls had died.
The story ends when…. Well, you’ll just have to read this book for yourself to find out. Once you start reading this book, you cannot put it down until you finish it. This book isn’t a page turner, it’s a page burner. I turned the pages so rapidly that the pages would probably caught on fire if it had been a real book and not an eBook. I have already ordered Hidden Grave, book 2 in the series.
May 16, 2020
How would you prove you weren’t dead?
Jane Smith has been running from danger her whole life. That danger followed her everywhere, leaving a trail of death in its wake. When the mummified bodies of six girls are discovered in the wetlands of Los Angeles, Jane is surprised to learn one of the dead girls bears her name—the name she abandoned twenty-five years ago to go into hiding.
Detective Harriet Harper gets pulled into a case to make or break her career…if it doesn’t end her life. When the burial site of six mummified girls is discovered, Harri joins the task force created to bring justice for the dead girls. Forces outside her control threaten her reputation and her coveted position on the team as the killer sets his sights on her, taunting her to come and find him.
When a witness comes forward with details that take Harri in new directions, she finds herself moving ever closer to the dark center of a decades-old secret, one that many people would prefer to stay hidden. With her career in the balance and her life on the line, Harri forges ahead to bring a serial killer to justice before he kills again.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuousluy.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Jane Smith has been running from danger her whole life. That danger followed her everywhere, leaving a trail of death in its wake. When the mummified bodies of six girls are discovered in the wetlands of Los Angeles, Jane is surprised to learn one of the dead girls bears her name—the name she abandoned twenty-five years ago to go into hiding.
Detective Harriet Harper gets pulled into a case to make or break her career…if it doesn’t end her life. When the burial site of six mummified girls is discovered, Harri joins the task force created to bring justice for the dead girls. Forces outside her control threaten her reputation and her coveted position on the team as the killer sets his sights on her, taunting her to come and find him.
When a witness comes forward with details that take Harri in new directions, she finds herself moving ever closer to the dark center of a decades-old secret, one that many people would prefer to stay hidden. With her career in the balance and her life on the line, Harri forges ahead to bring a serial killer to justice before he kills again.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuousluy.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
November 18, 2020
This is the first in a series about Detective Harriet Harper of the Cold Case Unit. She gets called into a case where they have found the site of six dead bodies. The story does switch between one of the girls that they think has been killed and the present day case with Harriet.
Years ago, "Jane" is awaken by her sister, told to pack her things and they were leaving. The monsters were after them. When they left their home, they were met by a lady that had given this refuge and new identities. But, in all the years, "Jane" never knew the reason that her sister had taken her that night and left their home.
Years later, Jennifer (the lady that rescued them and a lawyer), lets them know that their father and both brothers are dead and they can now life their lives without hiding. But, they are not so sure. When the sister goes off to college, she is killed by a hit and run driver. Days later, Jennifer has been killed and now "Jane" is running for her life. Not knowing how the case of the the six dead girls is tied to her, other then one of them has been identified as her.
Really good book, that will keep you guessing.
Years ago, "Jane" is awaken by her sister, told to pack her things and they were leaving. The monsters were after them. When they left their home, they were met by a lady that had given this refuge and new identities. But, in all the years, "Jane" never knew the reason that her sister had taken her that night and left their home.
Years later, Jennifer (the lady that rescued them and a lawyer), lets them know that their father and both brothers are dead and they can now life their lives without hiding. But, they are not so sure. When the sister goes off to college, she is killed by a hit and run driver. Days later, Jennifer has been killed and now "Jane" is running for her life. Not knowing how the case of the the six dead girls is tied to her, other then one of them has been identified as her.
Really good book, that will keep you guessing.
October 28, 2021
This is a fast paced thriller that is exciting even though the villains are easily identified by the reader. I am not sure if I liked the main character enough to follow more of her adventures. The way she handles "office politics" could easily get on my nerves, but she are her partner are dedicated detectives and her backstory is heartbreaking.
I think this book could use a good editor. For example, two POVs are presented and it is clear who is talking in each part, but it is necessary to start all the LAPD chapters with "Detective Harri Harper". We know who she is so just call her Harri (or better still Harriet). There are also holes in the plot that don't merit further examination, and coincidences and chance encounters drive a good deal of the plot. There is a good story here that could use some professional polishing.
I think this book could use a good editor. For example, two POVs are presented and it is clear who is talking in each part, but it is necessary to start all the LAPD chapters with "Detective Harri Harper". We know who she is so just call her Harri (or better still Harriet). There are also holes in the plot that don't merit further examination, and coincidences and chance encounters drive a good deal of the plot. There is a good story here that could use some professional polishing.
June 5, 2022
Jumbled, run of the mill
The storyline is interesting, however, it's not easy to follow. Too many characters and storylines spread over several west coast cities. There are mistakes that distract, and loose editing. Two lines seem to be an editor's inquiry but wind up in the story line. In one instance the woman knees her assailant in the back of his head, breaking his nose on impact?? One officer is writing on their white board when the next line is scrawled illegibly by another. Hopefully jumping to conclusions isn't how most detectives work. How many times are the active duty police officers on duty all night without food or water? It seems to be in every book this year. Read it for the several stories all jumbled together up and down the West Coast with Quantico and New York dropping by.
The storyline is interesting, however, it's not easy to follow. Too many characters and storylines spread over several west coast cities. There are mistakes that distract, and loose editing. Two lines seem to be an editor's inquiry but wind up in the story line. In one instance the woman knees her assailant in the back of his head, breaking his nose on impact?? One officer is writing on their white board when the next line is scrawled illegibly by another. Hopefully jumping to conclusions isn't how most detectives work. How many times are the active duty police officers on duty all night without food or water? It seems to be in every book this year. Read it for the several stories all jumbled together up and down the West Coast with Quantico and New York dropping by.
May 2, 2025
Great concept for a book but not greatly executed. The poor editing is distracting. A developmental edit would be helpful to address the storyline gaps, inconsistencies, and errors. Then a good line edit to address the repetitive phrases back-to-back, verb tense conflicts, etc, would also be helpful. Then a solid proofread to address the punctuation and leftover issues would make this book stronger.
Both Hari and Lindsay are potentially strong characters, but there isn't enough there to root for either of them. Hari comes across as weak and insecure, and her background story doesn't seem to substantiate this. We know very little about Lindsay except generic info about her past and present. For both characters, their backstories felt repetitive and superficial.
I really enjoyed the concept of the book. It's too bad it wasn't a stronger final product.
Both Hari and Lindsay are potentially strong characters, but there isn't enough there to root for either of them. Hari comes across as weak and insecure, and her background story doesn't seem to substantiate this. We know very little about Lindsay except generic info about her past and present. For both characters, their backstories felt repetitive and superficial.
I really enjoyed the concept of the book. It's too bad it wasn't a stronger final product.
November 16, 2021
Harri is fighting some long odds. Every year she goes up to Oregon, hoping that this will be the year that she finds her sister's grave. But right now, she just got reassigned to a task force investigating the five girls bodies found not too far from LA.
Jane Smith is hiding from something and doesn't trust anyone. Her father and brothers were reported dead in the Phillipines some years ago. She and her older sister went missing some years ago. Now, they are included as two of the five dead bodies found. Jane has to go to the police and tell them not to search for her and her sister.
A pretty good story tbat is hard to put down.
Jane Smith is hiding from something and doesn't trust anyone. Her father and brothers were reported dead in the Phillipines some years ago. She and her older sister went missing some years ago. Now, they are included as two of the five dead bodies found. Jane has to go to the police and tell them not to search for her and her sister.
A pretty good story tbat is hard to put down.
June 30, 2022
Out of the frying pan.......
A real seat of the pants murder/mystery. Detective Harri Harper has no way of knowingly to how dangerous the situation she is drawn into will endanger not only her life but also most of the lives of her colleagues in her unit. She is unaware just how deep and devious the situation will become when she joins up with a young girl w ho is being hunted down by her father and 2 brothers, all of whom were reported to have been previously killed in a car accident in the Phillipines years before. Is this girl who she claims to be and how can the "deceased" family be found before they cause more young women to be murdered .
A real seat of the pants murder/mystery. Detective Harri Harper has no way of knowingly to how dangerous the situation she is drawn into will endanger not only her life but also most of the lives of her colleagues in her unit. She is unaware just how deep and devious the situation will become when she joins up with a young girl w ho is being hunted down by her father and 2 brothers, all of whom were reported to have been previously killed in a car accident in the Phillipines years before. Is this girl who she claims to be and how can the "deceased" family be found before they cause more young women to be murdered .
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