Title- The First Death
Author- Kendra Elliot
Publisher- Montlake
Rating- 5/5
Expected Date of Publication- 13th June 2023
Summary- When Rowan Wolff was five years old, she, along with her brother and their babysitter, was kidnapped by a serial killer. Though somebody rescued Rowan, the other two were not lucky enough. Her brother, Malcolm, was killed and buried in the forest, his remains never found. The police had discovered their babysitter's strangulated naked body. The convicted never revealed the location of Malcolm's grave.
Twenty-five years later, Rowan is involved in SAR operations, helped by her loving dog, Thor. She also searches for Malcolm's grave as she wants closure.
Detective Evan Bolton is known for solving complex cases. Recently there have been quite a few murders which look similar to the ones committed by the serial killer so many years ago, and each victim is somehow linked to Rowan. When skeletal remains of several bodies are found in the forest, again, it has a connection to Rowan. If the killer is behind bars, who is committing these crimes?
Review- It is a psychological thriller novel and an absolute page-turner. The author has weaved the plot in such a way as to keep the reader interested till the end. The fact that she is interested in forensics and has good knowledge about it can be well understood from the way she has written the proceedings of the case. The book addresses childhood trauma and invisible scars. It has also addressed the fact that "trauma leads to trauma". The SAR operations, which involves the dog, Thor, had piqued my interest as although I had heard about it, I never knew how it is carried out.
The story is told from the point of view of various characters, so we get to learn about it from different angles. When Rowan was five and Malcolm was seven, they were kidnapped. Even at such a young age, Malcolm tried to protect his baby sister from the kidnapper's wrath when they were held captive. Rowan could not brush away the guilt that he had lost his life trying to save her. So even after twenty-five years, she still searches for his remains. The loving relationship that Rowan has with Thor is also worth mentioning.
The book has descriptions of child abuse which is not for the tender-hearted. However, it also portrays how a human can act like a monster and not think about the pain he inflicts on innocent people. It is not one of those thriller novels where you can guess the end after reading a few chapters. Instead, it will keep you on the edge of your seat till the end. I would highly recommend this book to everyone.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author and the publisher for providing me with a free eARC of the book.
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