Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold – a Review

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Description:
Looks aren’t the only things that can be deceiving…

When a sixty-eight-year-old woman is found dead outside the hospital in a wheelchair with an anti-abortion sign strapped to its back, Detective Madison Knight expects it to be an open-and-shut case. On the surface, there are no signs of foul play, but the deeper she digs, the more convoluted the homicide becomes. And when two more bodies appear, including that of a girl just barely old enough to drink and a homeless man, the direct links between the three murders are anything but simple.

Without a consistent MO, Madison doesn’t buy that a serial killer is on the loose, despite the conviction with which her ex-fiancé and fellow detective tries to convince their superior. But Madison already has enough to juggle without having to defend her reputation. Debilitating flashbacks of being held hostage by the Russian Mafia mere months before haunt her on an almost daily basis, and the promises she made to herself while in captivity are becoming more and more difficult to keep. Learning to trust is hard enough without constant reminders of what destruction—fatal or otherwise—trusting the wrong person can cause.

Now, as both personal and professional friction within the department mounts, she and her partner, Terry, must figure out what motivation could span generations to cause someone to murder these people. But catching this killer is like grasping at straws, and grabbing the wrong one could mean losing not only her pride but also her boyfriend, her credibility, and her faith in humanity…

Review:

Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold is the 6^th book in her Detective Madison Knight series. Once again Carolyn Arnold gives us another thriller, as Madison Knight is in the forefront of a mystifying murder mystery. What starts out as perhaps a simple case of the death of a 68 year old woman, who is found in a wheelchair in front of a hospital. But as we have come to learn, nothing is ever simple for Madison. The case will escalate into a couple more murders that somehow seem related. Do we have a serial killer on the loose?

When we left off in the previous book, Madison had survived being kidnapped by the Russian mob, and in Deadly Impulse, Madison tries to hide the fact that she has been having devastating flashbacks where her life hung by a thread. Trying to solve this complex mystery, with those obstacles makes it even more difficult for Madison. But nothing will ever stop Madison as she preservers despite all the twists and surprises that keep coming at her.

During the investigation, Madison works closely with her partner, Terry, who is anxiously awaiting the birth of his first child; her best friend, Cynthia; and her boyfriend, Troy. As I have mentioned before, for the most part Madison usually stands alone, with not a lot of support from management. Hopefully with the new female chief, this will begin to change, though I am still not a fan of her partner, Terry. In future books though, I do have a wish list. I would love to see Madison become more open, and trusting, with a loyal team behind her. I like what I see with her and Troy, as well as her friendship with Cynthia and hopefully the new chief.

This was an intense and exciting mystery from start to finish, which Arnold always gives us in each and every book in this series. As each new clue or finding is found, we become more stumped as to who is the killer. Very well done, Carolyn. If you enjoy murder mysteries, police procedural, a tough cop, then this series is a must for you.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Author