Amanda Steele, Carolyn Arnold's main character in The Little Grave, is a broken woman when we meet her in the early pages of this book. Self medicating and bad behavior are helping her cope with the tragic loss of her husband and daughter. Then, the person who killed them is found dead in a seedy motel and Amanda inserts herself into the case. Her sergeant allows this, but only if she's second... she needs to take on a new partner. For an independent detective, this is not ideal, but it keeps her in the game. As the book progresses, the reader sees how tough a detective Amanda is, starts to understand her personal relationships, and watches her partnership with Trent... I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! Amanda Steele is one heck of a detective, and I cannot wait to see where M.s Arnold takes her next!

Gripping mystery - hooked me from the beginning.
Amanda Steele, Detective in homicide, has been battling the painful memories of the deaths of her husband and daughter for five years. One night, feeling lower than ever, Amanda gets a call that the man who killed her family was released from jail and found murdered in a motel room. Fighting against her bosses that want her to stay away from the case, Amanda persuades them to let her assist. When she stumbles upon a sex ring targeting young girls, she knows she needs to solve this and help these girls return home in honor of her lost daughter. But , Amanda never would have believed who the killer is.
Great book, kept me guessing throughout. Looking forward to the next book in the series.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A gritty detective mystery with a very personal aspect. Working on a new case for Detective Steel brings back flooding memories of her daughter. Juggling between personal and professional approach can Steele solve the case for her own sanity.

Told at a good pace with some great police procedural methodology, it makes for a gripping read.

Great charters and easily enjoyable.

What if you see the person, you have been wishing dead for the past 5 and half years, dead.
Amanda Steele’s (Homicide Detective) husband and young daughter were killed in by drunk driver, and she has been struggling to keep going, she feels justice, or is it, as she sees the drunk driver dead in a motel room.
A surprise ending (it really was!) and another mystery brewing.
The internal struggle, justice, and different twist and turns. Great start to a new series. Looking forward to the continuing story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read an advanced copy for my honest review.

The Little Grave is the first in the Detective Amanda Steele series and a gripping, heart wrenching opener that certainly bodes well for future novels.

For Amanda life changed forever when a drunk driver ploughed into their car killing her husband and young daughter and now that driver having just been released from prison is found in a motel room, murdered.

Her personal connection with the murdered man meant technically Amanda shouldn't be in charge of the case so for it to happen a rookie detective, Trent Stenson, was assigned her partner and on paper made lead detective, much to Amanda's resentment.

A determined Amanda sets out to find the killer but with so many twists, a race against time and her own life in danger that could be almost impossible.

I LOVED this book, fabulous characters and a great plot and storyline made this an engrossing page turner and that ending, phew I didn't see that coming at all !!!
Cant wait for the next in the series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

Detective Steele wants to solve the murder of the man who killed her husband and daughter, in a tragic accident. But, to do so, she needs to show her alibi to her superior, and it's taking more than 70% of the book to meet the man she spends the hours of the killing. Why??? She is a cop! Why is this taking so looooong? Sorry, but nothing spectacular in this book, just a destroyed cop, more than one death.
Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this book.

An American crime thriller. A detective, Amanda, was involved in an accident in which her 6 year old daughter and husband were killed. Now the drunk driver who causedthe accident has been found dead, probibly murdered, in a motel room . Amanda wants to investigate, though it did not seem like a good idea to me (or some of her co-workers) and she is paired up with Trent, a colleague, a new detective.
On the whole a gripping story which kept my interest. I liked the way the author described the thought processes when solving the crime(s) and this came across as quite believable. I did not always like Amanda as a character and there were scenes of violence that highlighted the differences between the US and UK society. Saying that,I am interested to see how Amanda gets on further and wouldlike to readmore about her.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARCin exchange for an honest review

#TheLittleGrave #NetGalley
Thanks NetGalley, Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold for an ARC to review.
The first book in Detective Amanda Steele series. After five and half years, detective Amanda comes face to face with the man who stole her family and life away, but as a dead body choked by his own vomit. She broke all rules and insisted working the case ignoring her personal involvement. The case draws attention to two more cold cases bringing morbid details. As Amanda approaches the truth unpleasant facts surface and the case gets personal.
A really gripping full of twists book, you wouldn't put it down till the end only to wait for the next Amanda Steele book.

A new series, a new police team, a new leading lady in this case.
And a leading lady, that’s what she certainly is… She has build the highest walls around her and won’t let anybody come near her. Alone, that’s want she wants to be.
Being a detective must be hard. You have to find the right balance between your heart and your head. Some cases must really tear you apart, but you can’t let your feelings get in the way of your judgement. That’s often easier said than done, but what if a case involves someone you not only know, but hate with a vengeance as well…
To work this case or not to work this case, that’s the question.
Amanda is determined. She wants to see this through. It seems there is a lot more hidden than she bargained for.
When the culprit is finally found, who could have guessed this outcome?? Not me, that’s for sure. It was shocking and heart breaking at the same time.
Are the walls showing some cracks? That’s what I hope we are to find out in the next part.
I loved this book. It’s a good start to something that has the potential to turn into a great series. 5 stars.

Thank you, Carolyn Arnold and Bookouture

First off I want to say huge  thank you to the publisher Bookouture,  the author Carolyn Arnold , and to NetGalley for inviting me to join the blog tour for this book as well as letting me read and review it.
A Great start to a new series by an author that I've read before and liked, and just like her other series,it didn't let me down at all, it had me hooked from the very start of the story, the twist and turns kept me guessing and the story will pull at your heart. Other thing I loved was how the author handle a topic that is very much in the news about kids been kidnapped and sold,but the best thing I loved about the was the main character herself , she was sarcastic, and raw , and just seemed like a real person then a character in a story.

The Little Grave is the first book in the Amanda Steele series. Amanda is a Detective, who five years ago had her world tore apart, when a drunk driver killed her husband and little girl. The driver just was released from prison and a few days later found dead in a motel room. Can Amanda keep her hated for the victim from doing her job and does she have a alibi for the night he died. This story had a lot of twists and turns and I couldn’t put it down. Can’t wait for the next book in this series. Thanks Netgalley for this arc.

Amanda Steel lost it all one night when a drink killed her husband and daughter. Now that drunk has been murdered. I have not read anything by this author before, but I will be on the lookout for he next book in this series. I like Amanda. She's gritty, sarcastic, and raw. There were many interesting twists to the story, especially who was the real murder is. I'm interested to see what occurs next with the one night stand guy. The series is off to a good start.

A multi dimensional thriller. Book 1 in this series starts with heart wrenching sorrow, memories of and guilt, be it deserved or not. Sometimes the pain was so deep you could feel it seeping through the pages and just when I thought I was drowning there e would be some light, some hope. The ending twist was absolutely mind boggling. Just goes to show you never really know anyone. I like that we can feel the sun seeping through the cracks of the pain in Amandas soul and heart and we end with a possibility. Thank you Carolyn Arnold, Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this arc.
All thoughts an opinions are my own which I freely share

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoy Police procedural books and I am delighted that this is going to be a series with Detective Amanda Steele. Great storyline, great characters. Loved it.

The first book in a new series, The Little Grave is an incredible read. As she tries to solve a murder, Detective Amanda Steele is torn. The victim is the man who killed her family. Throughout the novel, there are twists and turns that lead us down very dark paths. This book is an intense page turner that is, at times, heartbreaking. I loved the characters in this new series and do look forward to reading more…. And with the ending, we know that some very disturbing books are coming in this series. Carolyn Arnold has knocked it out of the park with this great tale.

The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold is the first book in a new crime series. Detective Amanda Steele lost her husband and daughter several years ago in a drunk driving accident. The driver, Palmer, who killed them was just released from prison and is almost immediately found dead in a motel room under unusual circumstances. Amanda is drawn to work the case but isn’t allowed to by superiors. Can Detective Steele put her personal feelings aside and really find out how Palmer died? Looking forward to the next book in the series.

I hadn't read anything by this author before so had no preconceptions.
This is a good, solid police procedural thriller with all the right ingredients.
I rather liked the lead detective and found myself empathising with her.
The plot is a good one and although to be honest it didn't light any fires with me, it was still a satisfying read.

I received this book through "NetGalley". This is a story which introduces a new leading character. Her name is Amanda Steele and she has been in a funk over he last 5 years because of the deaths of her husband and daughter by a drunk driver. In this story after having a one night stand, she is called to the scene of a death at a motel. When she gets there, she discovers that she knows the victim. Since she is the 1st one to the scene, she takes the lead detective role. Because of her familiarity of the victim, her boss assigns her to a new partner and on paper, he is the lead in the investigation.

As the search or clues is going on, it is discovered that there may be 2 potential cold cases that come into play. The 1st chapter in the book introduces the case that was in Georgia. As more leads show up, one of the individuals that Amanda interviewed made a complaint which was written up in the paper and as a result, the Lt. overseeing the department took Amanda off the case. Amanda initially resigned, but later reconsidered and she elected to handle the 2 cold cases while her new partner continued with the new killing.

As Amanda gets more into the cold cases in which a silver bracelet divulged a major clue. As Amanda continued, one of the last people that she went to interview captured her.

To discover what the cold cases and the current killing had to do with each, who the killer in the cold cases was and her the killer was of the last individual found in the motel and what relationship it bore to Amanda, then you must read this book. You won't be disappointed.

This was a solid start to a new series by Carolyn Arnold, a new author for me. Amanda Steele is a homicide detective with the Prince William County Police Department. Five and a half years ago a tragic car accident robbed her of her husband, daughter and unborn child, as well as leaving her unable to have any more children. Since then she lost her passion for the job, doing it pretty much on autopilot. That all changes when she arrives a motel which reported a dead body only to find the deceased is the drunk driver who killed her family and who was only released from prison a few days ago.

Initially the death looks like a suicide but it soon becomes clear it is murder. For some reason Amanda feels compelled to work this case. Her sergeant reluctantly agrees but forces a new partner on her who will be the lead detective - on paper. Personally I didn’t think this was plausible as she has a clear motive for the murder. Then there was a lot of faffing around to get her alibi locked in - again, she should not have been on the case. That aside, the new partner works out better than she expected and they soon find potential links to a couple of older homicides, cold cases from five and a half years ago. Then Amanda makes a major discovery. She finds something that people seem to have been looking for and this throws everything up in the air and provides a solid motive for the killings. But wait - there are more twists to come and Amanda’s family will never be the same again.

The plot was good but I found Amanda’s constant grieving repetitive and annoying. I know she lost her family but this is supposed to be a thriller and it bogged the story down. I think the next book will find her being able to move on a bit. There is also still quite some character development to do as, in this book, everyone and everything was seen through the lens of Amanda’s grief. Nevertheless it is a solid effort that should be enjoyed by fans of thrillers and police procedurals. I had no trouble finishing this and really wanted to see how it all fitted together and ended. Thanks to Netgalley, Bookouture and Carolyn Arnold for providing a copy for me to review. My opinions are my own.

This is the first book from this author that I have read - but it won;t be the last.

The book starts off as a slow burn and I really wasn't sure about it. I am so glad I preserved and everything fell into place and I am so looking forward to reading the next instalment. I am also going to find out more about Trent from the other books by this author.

Great story telling and it really engrossed me so much so that I read it in one go one afternoon.

I was provided with an advance copy of this book by netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review which I have done so.