This is the fifth book in the series, and unfortunately I have not read the previous novels in the series. I however think this book read nicely as a standalone and I hope I didn't loose too much references to events in the previous novels.
This was a well written book, well thought out plot, and one of my new favorite authors.
Recommended!

A fast moving thriller with lots of twists especially at the end,didn't see that coming! Good characters and intriguing storyline.

This is a really good thriller. I am a big fan of Mason Cross. I have read a lot of his books. This one lived up to my expectations. There was plenty of action and really good characters and a brilliant ending. I do not want to give any spoilers away. I would definitely recommend this book and any book by Mason Cross. Take a few hours and get totally gripped by this book.

Carter Blake is back at last! During a visit back on familiar soil, he has a coffee with an old friend who helps families with missing relatives. She asks him to help a client of hers in a slightly unusual situation.
Some 15 years ago a spate of murders devastated a small town. One of the victims was the sister of his potential new client, this was until recently when he is convinced he saw her while on a bus!
Carter is intrigued by this and decides it's worth going to meet Mr Connors and see if there is anything to investigate.
In a small town not keen on dragging up the past, he's not exactly welcomed with open arms and his client is a bit of an outsider. He decides to follow it up initially and so begins his adventures.
When creating this brilliant series, Mason Cross has managed to create such a brilliant character he's on par with Lee Child's Jack Reacher. I also can't get over how brilliantly he sets it in America, considering he lives in the UK. I hope this series goes on forever, and the next one is already cooking!

A very clever book with a surprise I don’t believe anyone would see coming. The characters were good and well developed and didn’t bend to the plot like so many thriller book characters do.
I would have given five except ( and I can’t give too much away here or I will spoil it) I just found one baddy too many spoiled it a little for me.

Carter Blake is a great example of where you have the next book on your TBR pile without even looking at the blurb. Not that the plots aren't good too, but Blake makes for such a strong lead, that he could manage it even if they weren't. You don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one either.

Love the "small town, big secrets" set-up, and thought I had it all figured out right till the end but got blindsided! Great pace, choice of setting, and supporting cast. Overall a great read.

Well that’s another fantastic book from Mason Cross who brilliantly writes fast paced thrillers.

Carter Blake is asked by an old acquaintance to see one of her clients, David Conner in Bethany, Georgia whose sister was murdered 15 years ago but he’s adamant he saw her alive and well in Atlanta. The last P.I. he had looking into this turned up dead whilst on the trail. Conner’s sister isn’t the only one to make a reappearance though as the killer also seems to come back from the dead to protect itself.

The story definitely kept me swapping and changing my mind about who the killer was and the ending was fantastic. I would definitely recommend this book!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Fifth outing for Carter Blake, see's him looking for a presumed long dead victim of the Devil Mountain Killer. This is a good book with twists and misdirection, after the events of the previous book, Blake seems a lot more relaxed and his character continues to grow. Mason Cross again delivers a nicely paced story, with some interesting characters, that keeps you wanting too read another chapter.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Mason Cross, and I really enjoyed it.
Blake is asked to track down a girl who everyone thinks was killed fifteen years ago - all except her brother who hires Blake.
When Blake visits the local Sheriff he’s warned off the case and told the last guy who was asked to find Adeline, ended up dead.
This doesn’t stop Blake from heading out and looking for Adeline and when people start getting killed, it makes him more determined to find out what’s going on.
Deputy Green is helping Blake, much to the Sheriff’s disgust, and together they try and work out who is carrying out the killings.
This is a gripping read and the end will have you on the edge of your seat.
Thanks to Orion and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of Presumed Dead, the fifth novel to feature location consultant Carter Blake.

In 2002-3 the Devil Mountain Killer claimed nine known victims in and around the small Georgian town of Bethany and then disappeared. Adeline Connor was the last presumed victim but her body was never found. Recently her brother David believes he saw her in Atlanta and hires Carter Blake to find her. And then the killings start again in Bethany.

I thoroughly enjoyed Presumed Dead which is a high octane read with some clever twists. I was so engrossed by it that I read it in one sitting, unwilling to put it down. There are plenty of "OMG I didn't see that coming" moments and enough action to leave you breathless. It is told mostly alternately by Carter Blake in the first person and Deputy Isabella Green in the third. It makes for an interesting read when the narrator changes midway through an event (fortunately each chapter is labelled with the narrator). I don't think I've seen this approach before but it works really well as it gives two interpretations.

Carter Blake, man of mystery as this is not his real name, has a chequered past which is not really explained in this novel as it has been explored previously. As I have read some of the preceding novels and know about it I'm not best placed to judge if the reader would benefit from this knowledge or not. My impression is that the novel will work as a stand alone as the story is complete with a slightly baffling protagonist. He is a likeable, reasonable man until he isn't as there's steel at his core.

Presumed Dead is a great read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Another cracking ‘read it in a day’ instalment of the Carter Blake series. As soon as it appeared on my kindle I was as excited as a kid at Christmas and started reading straight away. I loved it and my only disappointment is that I finished it too soon (nothing new there) and have a long wait until the next book.
Blake is tasked with finding someone who was ‘presumed dead’ years ago, the victim of a serial killer, until a chance ‘sighting’ of her by her brother. The setting of a small town where everybody knows everybody’s business and where nobody wants to talk about the past killings was perfect. Add in some fresh murders and you are all set for an atmospheric thriller spanning 15 years.
I highly recommend Presumed Dead and while it will work as a standalone, be good to yourself and read the full series.

A BOOM book. I read it then at the end my heart went BOOM.

Hey look I’ve loved this series since the start, in my honest opinion Presumed Dead is the best one yet and that is actually quite the achievement – but it’s true. This was a pretty perfect read from start to finish, sending Carter Blake after a missing girl who may or may not be dead and may or may not be the victim of a serial killer who may or may not be dead. Phew. It’s quite the rollercoaster ride let me tell you.

Add to that small town blues, a suspicious Sheriff, more death, a bit of action and some cliff hanging shenanigans and you are onto a good thing. Then we have perhaps one of the best endings in a thriller novel I’ve come across for AGES. I was all HA. Brilliant.

Oh beautifully written too. An intelligent thriller with clever twists and multi layered characters. I’m sure I’ve said that before but it bears saying again.

I think we can safely leave it at “Highly Recommended” but you can add some puppies or kittens if you like.

Highly Recommended.

Boom.

Mason Cross writes fast exciting thrillers somewhere between Tim Weaver (David Raker missing persons investigator) and Lee Child with the Jack Reacher series (dur loner investigating suspicious and frequently dangerous situations). Carter Blake describes himself as a "Locating Consultant" finding people who don't want to be found. In Presumed Dead he is approached by David Connor who believes that his sister Adeline was not the Devil Mountain killer's final victim but rather she is alive and well and he knows this to be true because he has seen her. He has managed to convince Carter Blake that there may be some truth in his wild assertion so Blake makes the trip south to Lake Bethany in hope of an early resolve.

What follows is a fast exciting ride as Blake attempts to be accepted, into this rural community, by a suspicious population and police force who do not welcome the interference of outsiders. It soon becomes clear that a killer is still active and as the body count mounts the lines between the past and present become increasingly blurred. Mason Cross performs the very skilful task of shielding the real killer until the final pages and that disclosure is nothing short of ingenious. Many thanks to netgalley and the publisher Orion for a gratis copy in return for an honest review and that is what I have written.

Mason Cross writes brilliant and compelling thrillers, and Presumed Dead had me reading non stop until I finished the novel. This is the 5th in the Carter Blake series, a man who has a specialism in locating people who do not want to be found. Blake finds himself in Bethany, Georgia after acquiescing to a request to look into David Connor's claim that he saw his sister, Adeline, in Atlanta. This seems highly unlikely, Adeline was the last victim of The Devil Mountain serial killer, who between 2002 and 2003 was responsible for the murder of 9 people. The MO was consistently two bullets in the head with a .38 gun, the killer was never caught, and there is speculation as to why that might be the case. The town of Bethany has ostensibly consigned these events to history and no-one wants to be reminded of it, so Blake faces hostility on his arrival. More concerning is that the P. I. Connor had previously employed ended up shot dead in an apparent carjacking. Is Blake going to be able to stay alive and get to the truth?

Blake is not the only one interested in the killings, so too is Dwight Haycox, a deputy sheriff carrying out a covert investigation. Deputy Isabella Green lost her father to the serial killer, leaving her haunted by nightmares ever since. She finds herself connecting with Blake, working closely with him as the past seems to rear its head in the present with more murders that echo the MO of the killer. It does not take long for Blake to discover that the carjacked death of the PI links to another death in Atlanta. Blake finds himself arrested for murder, it seems that there are those in the Sheriff's department who are only too happy to lay the recent deaths at the door of an outsider. Blake's client, David, is viewed as a oddball and loner, prime suspect material but Blake is convinced of his innocence. And why has the search for Adeline sparked these present day killings? Blake and Green find themselves thinking the unthinkable when it comes to suspecting who is behind the murders, something that brings them closer to danger.

Mason Cross writes a suspenseful and atmospheric thriller, full of an undercurrent of fear and menace that pervades the novel. Blake is a charismatic central character, matched by the fearless and determined Isabella Green, as they battle ruthless forces that have no intention of facing any form of justice. This is a twisted tale, as secrets and deceptions slowly come to be revealed, with a terrific ending. If you like fast paced thrillers with great plots and writing, then this book will be just your cup of team. A fantastic, thoroughly engaging, and entertaining read that will have you turning the pages fast in your quest to find out exactly what is going on. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.