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Autumn Trent #3

Autumn's Fear

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Don’t fear the dark. It’s the light that blinds...and kills.

Forensic and criminal psychologist Dr. Autumn Trent is trying to find her groove in her transition to the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. But can her soft heart continue to take a beating? Will her impulsive spirit continue to get her in trouble? Probably.

Using her connections, she begins the search for the sister she hasn’t seen since they were both girls. And gets a hit in the Sunshine State.

It’s kismet when she’s called out on a case with the team—pregnant women are disappearing in Lavender Lake, Florida. The only clue to their fate has come in the form of a single hand...recovered from swamplands heavily populated with hungry gators. The perfect dumping ground for a killer.

A cold-blooded monster is on a holy mission to spread his light into the dark world...but how do you track a criminal who makes sure all evidence is eaten?

328 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2020

3795 people are currently reading
660 people want to read

About the author

Mary Stone

227 books2,165 followers
To download my FREE BOOK, click here: https://authormarystone.com/free-book...

Nestled in the tranquil Blue Ridge Mountains of East Tennessee, Mary Stone has transformed her peaceful home, once bustling with her sons, into a creative haven. As her family grew, so did her writing career, evolving from childhood fears to a deep understanding of real-life villains. Her stories, centered around strong, unconventional heroines, weave themes of courage and intrigue.

Mary's journey from a solitary writer to establishing her own publishing house marks a significant evolution, showcasing her commitment to the literary world. Through her writing and publishing endeavors, she continues to captivate and inspire, honoring her lifelong fascination with the mysterious and the courageous.

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5 stars
6,034 (64%)
4 stars
2,628 (28%)
3 stars
603 (6%)
2 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,233 reviews
December 6, 2020
I cannot say enough about this "Autumn Trent" murder/mystery series. This series, along with its predecessor, the "Winter Black" series are simply outstanding. I am thrilled that Winter, Noah, Aiden, and the same FBI "team" are all in Autumn's series. I only have one small objection to the two series melding together. And, that is the Justin Black thread. It is aggravating and annoying. Enough already. End that thread! It should have ended at the completion of Winter's series. It is like beating a dead horse. IMHO, it is ruining a perfect series. Sheesh!
Profile Image for Monica.
1,096 reviews
January 13, 2026
I can't say enough about Mary Stone. I came across her looking for something to listen to before I had to go some place or another. I listened to the first in the Winter's Black Series and was enthralled. The Autumn Trent Series is a spin-off of the Winter Black Series. I am called that the ones from the Winter Black Series show up in Autumn Trent's.

After Autumn's last case, she is soon on her way with the team to Florida. Someone is killing pregnant women and taking their babies. The police can't find a link between the women. Will Autumn be able to keep her emotions in check with this case? More importantly, can the team find who is killing the women?

#hoopla #MaryStone #AutumnsFear
Profile Image for Cindy.
2,350 reviews172 followers
January 5, 2021
Great series.. Tough heroines, FBI Agents, splash of psychic abilities - all my favs.
291 reviews5 followers
March 11, 2021
Please no more Justin Black

Initially I enjoyed reading the different series by Mary Stone but not any more. She just keeps bringing Justin Black into all the stories and I for one am tired of this character. There are supposedly strong female F.B.I. characters in these stories and yet the author can’t move on from Justin. I stopped reading the Ellie stories because the same villains kept reappearing.
Profile Image for Mary Renner.
35 reviews1 follower
November 29, 2020
This book is amazing! I read it in one day and couldn’t put it down. The storyline was great and leads you different places and the character personal lives leave you wanting more. All of Mary Stone’s series are amazing! Must read
Profile Image for Angela.
8,762 reviews122 followers
December 31, 2025
4.5 Stars

“This is a spinoff of the Winter Black series and is a riveting psychological murder mystery that continues where Winter’s End left off, and will make you watch what you say behind your closed doors.”

Autumn's Fear is Book Three in the Autumn Trent Series by Mary Stone. This series is a gripping blend of psychological suspense, crime & investigation, and deeply human storytelling. We follow FBI Special Agent and forensic psychologist Autumn Trent, a woman whose own traumatic past fuels her relentless pursuit of justice.
Ms. Stone cleverly weaves high-stakes criminal cases with plenty of emotional depth. Autumn isn’t just a crime solver; she’s a survivor who is navigating grief, moral dilemmas, and the complexities of human behavior. Each book layers intense investigations with more personal stakes, making us (readers) feel both the adrenaline of the chase as well as the weight of the consequences.
Ms. Stone’s villains are chillingly believable, and the psychological profiling elements also added a fascinating dimension for us readers who enjoy the ‘why’ behind the crime as much as the ‘who’.
Fans of character-driven thrillers will appreciate how Autumn’s relationships - with colleagues, friends, and even antagonists - evolve across the series, giving it a strong emotional core.
Perfect for readers who enjoy crime thrillers with a smart, resilient heroine and a mix of heart-pounding action and psychological intrigue.
Happy Reading…
482 reviews1 follower
July 4, 2024
Haven't met a Mary Stone book yet, that I didn't like

I was a little squeamish with the Dillon for this book. Someone was kidnapping pregnant women and feeding them to the gators after delivering the babies. All the parents need help with getting pregnant. So off to the labs and bio genetics for a little assistance. Women who wanted the chance of carrying their own child. There just happens to be a mad scientist with a knack for wanting to cure the world of the bad vibes most humans have. He makes the best little babies who will grow up and take over the world. No problems there? This story takes place in Florida, which our team from the BAU and violet Criminal divisions from Virginia are not big fans of the hot and very humid weather there. If Winter isn't out trying to save her brother, Justin, then Autumn is trying to find her sister, Sarah. Sarah's father tried to take care of Autumn's half sisters but he stated using drugs again and Sarah dropped out of sight. Autumn found an address and she was wanting to help Sarah but she wasn't exactly where she was last seen. Autumn and Sarah. Winter and justin. Slippery slope these FBI agents face if not cases but then personnel family tragedies.
Profile Image for D.L..
182 reviews2 followers
March 20, 2023
Heart Stopping Moments

Mary Stone knows how to draw you into her stories and Autumn’s Fear covers all your emotional reactions. At the beginning of the book, a woman pregnant with twins is shopping and I felt happiness for her. Then she is kidnapped and I felt the fear and horror. Autumn, Winter, Noah, Aiden and others in the FBI have been assigned to go to Florida to help with the case. It appears pregnant women are being kidnapped and murdered and their children are missing. A reference to Ellie Cline and her partner Clay was mentioned since they had just finished a case about missing children. Autumn also is looking for her half sister, Sarah, during this time and she believes she is in Florida.

Justin Black is still in the picture and more insight to him and his situation is brought to light. Hopefully, his case will get resolved in future books. It is a sad situation and you feel for Winter Black, his sister.

You will need to read the book as I don’t want to give away too much information. The ending is interesting and I can’t wait to read the next Autumn Trent book.

Take the time to read all of Mary Stone’s book series. You will not be disappointed. 📚
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Steve Johnson.
Author 16 books21 followers
February 12, 2021
Pregnant women are missing in Florida. Autumn Trent investigates along with other members of her FBI team. In the beginning, the only clue is a hand of one of the young mothers found in a swamp. Were other bodies dumped there? What happened to the babies? Autumn believes the cases are linked and sets out to prove it. She is distracted by new evidence concerning her missing sister, Sarah, who is thought to be living near the area where the women have gone missing. As more evidence is uncovered, it becomes obvious that the scope of the crimes is bigger than the team ever imagined. The villain suffers from delusions of grandeur and has the means to carry out his evil scheme with a high degree of twisted intelligence and money. As more parts of the plot are revealed the book races to a satisfying conclusion. There is good character development and chemistry between characters. It is a bit far fetched to believe that both Autumn and her friend and fellow agent Winter would have special intuitive powers as a result of brain injuries and surgery. Sorry, but that's over the top.
226 reviews2 followers
December 2, 2020
In a Perfect World.

Ever notice that each time a raving lunatic decides he/she has the solution to all the problems of the world, there is no shortage of mentally deficient, isolated or troubled individuals to join the cause. Determined to improve the human race, in true 'blond hair, blue eyed fashion, Dr Brandt begins to collect infants for his perfect society - Eden. The only problem might be recruiting and convincing the "Vessels" of the worthiness of his project.

When the hand of a missing woman turns up in an alligator infested swamp, the FBI is called in. New recruit, Dr. Autumn Trent joins Agents Black and Dalton to search for answers to three missing pregnant woman in Florida. But Autumn may have another reason for going to Florida - the solution to her lifelong quest is leading her there.

Will the team stop Dr Brandt's Dream? Can they solve the case of missing mothers and unborn babies? And will Autumn find her answer in Florida?
Profile Image for DianaRaven.
1,323 reviews8 followers
December 2, 2020
AUTUMN' S FEAR is the third book in the Autumn Trent Series by Mary Stone and they just get better. Ms. Stone again shows her aptitude to write fast-paced, page turning thrillers. Her world and character building are superb and will draw you right into the story -- leaving you feeling like you are part of the action.

There are lots of twists, turns, side plots going on as usual. As this story moves on you will discover missing women, missing babies, a cult and Autumn's discovery of where her sister Sarah might be living.

Another must read! Can't wait for the next book in the series. Everything I read by this author is right at the top of be charts. I can't recommend Mary Stone's s writing enough, every one of her stories just gets better and better.

I did received an advance copy of Autumn's Fear and this is my honest review.
Profile Image for Joyce Marin.
21 reviews
February 5, 2024
An insight and a reward of humanity skewed of a Narcissist Personality with a Demigod Complex!

An insight and a reward of humanity skewed of a Narcissist Personality with a Demigod Complex! There is no better way to learn about this type of learning experience with our favorite characters, and they're all in it. Noah, Sun, Bree, everyone from the BAU. Autumn's transfers into the BAU is now sealed and ready to sue the company she was with for another group of young ladies who were taken away on business only to have the partner take advantage of them by his misguided beliefs that every young woman hired was attracted by him and encouraged him to make damaging advantage of innocent college and highly qualified young women starting out in the field of the human brain. Thank you for another wonderful book and opportunity to learn. Joyce Marin
43 reviews5 followers
December 11, 2020
What a chilling thriller! There are so many threads to this book and I can't wait to follow up with the next one in the series.
I was drawn into this story with horror that somebody could be so delusional and that there are people that follow them like lambs to the slaughter. I found myself not only horrified, but finding pity for them since the
circumstances of life had drawn them into this evil. The main characters in this book are closely engaged with each other. Winter and Autumn always have each other's backs. Both characters have close family members who have horrible issues.......hopefully one can be saved before it is too late.
I highly recommend this new book in the series.
Profile Image for Sunsy.
1,927 reviews28 followers
August 14, 2025
Der Titel des Buches impliziert eine verängstigte Psychologin, jedoch ist genau das Gegenteil der Fall, denn Autumn setzt sich für die Opfer ein, die Verfolgten, Geraubten und scheint keine Angst zu kennen, denn sie springt selbst aus einem Hubschrauber, um ein Kind zu retten...

Auf der Suche nach ihrer Schwester kommt sie einen kleinen Schritt weiter, auch wenn sie sie noch nicht selbst entdeckt hat, aber ist es immer besser, Bescheid zu wissen? Oder besser nicht? Wir können auf die Fortsetzung gespannt sein, denn wie erwartet endet Band 3 mit einem Cliffhanger 😉

Mir hat das Buch sehr gut gefallen, Band 4 ist bereits auf meinem Kindle 😎

Meine Bewertung: 10/10 Punkte.

https://sunsys-blog.blogspot.com/2025...
16 reviews
December 7, 2020
Mary Stone has done it again! Mary has brought us another delightful tale of Autumn Trent, Aiden Parrish, Winter Black, Noah Dalton and the rest of the FBI Violent Crimes Division. While Autumn is not an official FBI agent (yet), she is quickly learning the ropes and offers her expertise on reading people. While still juggling interviewing Winters younger brother, Justin, searching for her own step sister, and trying to help the FBI solve a case of missing young mothers and their babies, she shows what she has to offer the FBI in handling/reading people to help solve cases. With the many twists and turns in this tale, I can guarantee you will be hooked reading this book!
Profile Image for Jessica Bennett.
49 reviews1 follower
December 12, 2020
Winter Black and Autumn Trent. What a great series. I love that some of the storyline from the Winter Black series continues. What will happen with Justin Black? The relationship of Winter and Noah. These keep me coming back for more. I'm excited go learn more about Autumn journey to find her long lost sister. Will there be more parallels in that story line to Winter and Justin? And what will become of Autumn and Aiden? While all of that is going on, there is always an exciting case to solve! Ready for #4!
1,389 reviews
July 31, 2022
In this entry in the series, Autumn goes to Florida with the team to investigate missing women who were pregnant. This book has a high creep factor. it is interesting and fast moving. I read it in one day. In addition to the dynamics of the case and Autumn settling in with the FBI unit, she is looking for her half sister. She is able to determine that she was living in Florida but she runs before Autumn can find her. The repercussions from previous books continue to play out. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
1,264 reviews
February 21, 2021
This series is really intense, and this book in particular is intensely emotional. Fascinating psychology and page-turning suspense, along with deep, well-drawn characters. Justin is still one of the creepiest villains ever. He had only a handful of scenes, but they creeped me out. Although I am not looking forward to more of him, the series is excellent. I will definitely need to read some lighter things after I finish.
110 reviews
May 10, 2021
Excellent story

This is the third one in the series I've read in 3 days very good books you can't put them down I hope that there's more to come a lot more to come I wish I'm going to read the fourth one but I think that's back when autumn was small but there's so much more I want to read on this I usually don't read a book more than once but these I will probably read again it's just so darn good I don't know what to say the best books I read in a long time
Profile Image for Madeline.
18 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2022
Explicit depiction of child molestation and rape, and that’s only one scene

The plot of this could have been so interesting. So much of this book was fascinating. And then, Stone felt the need to throw in some torture porn. And then some more. And then she wrote a scene where the POV is of a 10 year old girl being raped by a grown man after being pimped by her biological father.

A hard pass from me, and I’ll be skipping the rest of the series, kindle unlimited or not.
Profile Image for Patricia A. Biba.
399 reviews1 follower
January 27, 2024
Eden A Perfect Island

What an interesting story. An individual believed that he could make the world a better place to live. However to accomplish his dream he had to make sure that the children were perfect by his concept. How could he accomplish this? The FBI was asked to help solve the disappearance of pregnant women. They did solve this mystery and saved a number of children.
174 reviews
July 9, 2025
another hair raising book

Mary Stone is an author I’ve long enjoyed, Autumns Fear was hard to put down, I finished reading the book just before midnight and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to sleep because the ending made me want to keep reading the next in the series. I have to say, I enjoy the touch of what !?!? Mysticism? That Winter and Autumn have though I’m not normally drawn to books with those features.
Profile Image for Connie Valenzuela.
48 reviews2 followers
December 15, 2020
OMG. What a book! I loved having Winter and Noah play a big role along with Autumn. An extremely sensitive topic of kidnapping pregnant women, but the author handled it amazingly. Some of the book was tough reading considering the topic, but I couldn’t put it down! By far my favorite of Autumn’s books and can’t wait until the next one.
101 reviews2 followers
December 17, 2020
Cliffhanger but def worth reading

I am liking Autumn and her story more and more. The reading of a romance between her and the man that would be her boss is troublesome though. The side story linking the winter and autumn series together is moving so slowly though. I am certain it will be worth the wait.
5 reviews
January 12, 2021
Mary Stone Books

Best books series I have ever read. I don't know how I missed this author for so long but thankfully I found her books. I began with the Winter Black series and moved to the Autumn Trent series. I read at least one every day, usually finish at night. You just can't put these books down they are so intriguing.
8 reviews
February 2, 2021
Good, fast read

The Autumn Trent series is a fast paced, easy, entertaining read. The characters stay basically the same from book to book, so somewhat predictable, but the stories are fast paced and move right along. There’s a couple of longer term sub stories mixed in too, so keep reading!
49 reviews
March 18, 2021
This is a very interesting book.

This is a very good read but also very sad with the amount of lives that are affected by this series of events in this story. It is a challenging read to the very end that leaves you wondering about a lot of the events in the book. It is a good book for your perusal.
Profile Image for Cheryl.
Author 5 books3 followers
April 13, 2021
Mary Stone has a knack

While I enjoy the storylines and the adventures of Winter and Autumn this one had a lot more detail in events than others and I found myself skimming through some parts. Over all a great book and anxious to see more of these two as they find the lost members of their families.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 208 reviews

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