What would you do if you found out your husband was a serial killer?

When Camerons husband John dies after a bear attack she goes to stay at their cabin where she finds a hidden memory card containing graphic images confirming John is the infamous 'Teacher Killer'. As Camerons life descends into chaos, by losing her dental practice and her home and the police being adamant she must have been involved Cameron likens a murder in Alaska to John's murders and she believes he must still be alive and faked his own death so she decides to find out for herself. But Camerons also keeping a secret herself one she'd rather nobody knew about. Will the truth come out?

Audrey J. Cole does such a good job of showing how quickly your life can change when you discover something shocking. It's crazy how quick everyone turns on Cameron without actually knowing the truth and her not having one person on her side.

This was very well written and very fast paced with short chapters to keep you reading. This kept me gripped and I didn't want to put it down. The twists, if you read a lot of thrillers, were figured out early on in the book but it didn't take away any enjoyment from the story.

Definitely recommend.

I enjoyed this book, it had a very unusual and snowy setting. I have to say that the whole thing was distinctly unlikely that a dentist could cope with all that, but that is fiction for you.....escapism.
It was a good read though.

The Final Hunt by Audrey J. Cole

Published: June 7, 2022
Rainier Publishing
Pages: 266
Genre: Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Audrey J. Cole is a USA TODAY bestselling thriller author. She resides in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and two children. Before writing full-time, she worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse for eleven years. She’s also a pilot's daughter.

“And she couldn’t let him win.”

Cameron has just been told that her husband died tragically while on a bear hunting trip. She is also informed that her husband is a serial killer. And evidence points toward Cameron’s acting as his accomplice. Now, Cameron has to figure out how to clear her name and find John because she is convinced he didn’t die in those woods.

Wow. This was intense. It was a twist every time I turned the page. I enjoyed every second of this novel.

The descriptions of the Alaskan scenery was stunning. I enjoyed how Audrey Cole captured the isolation and the natural beauty.

The characters were so well defined, and their stories were told in such terrifying detail. I loved getting to know Cameron. She is strong, intelligent, and a survivor.

Tanner was such a bold, intelligent, observant character. I loved his tenacity and drive. He was like a dog with a bone when he was on a case, and he was pretty willing to do the work.

I thought I knew where this story was going, but I would have been wrong. This was an intense journey from start to finish.

There were so many brilliant themes throughout this book. The attention to detail was incredible. The details were so beautifully written, and I appreciated the poetic justice toward the end.

This is a terrifying thrill ride that will leave you free-falling from 15,000 feet, screaming why.

DNFed at 22%. The book was too slow paced for my taste and I found the characters to be annoying and unrelatable

This was such an easy book to get sucked into! Cameron was a likeable main character - grieving the death of her husband, angry that said husband turned out to be a serial killer, and hiding a few secrets of her own. Each chapter had me wanting to read more - I had to know if Cameron was right & what was going to happen to her. The revelations and the outcome were predictable, but this didn’t take away my enjoyment of the story.

The Final Hunt by Audrey J. Cole was an enjoyable read. The story quickly drew me in and held my interest. I found the characters to be well developed and likeable!

I just finished reading The Final Hunt by Audrey Cole and here is my review

Mourning the loss of her husband, Cameron drinks alone in his cabin, a place she comes to every weekend to be close to him. While there she discovers a chilling truth… The man she loved was a serial killer. Turning in the evidence to the police does nothing but disrupt her life and uncovers the debt he had sunk them in. A moment of clarity has her pondering if he really died that day, being they never recovered his body and it sets Cameron on a path, uncovering things she doesn’t want to know and in the crosshairs of a detective who thinks she might know more than she is telling.

This book is well written and is beautifully paced for a thriller. I had it all figured out quite early on which was quite a let down but it didn’t take away from the story for me.

I like learning more about Cameron. I felt the author could have done a little more in a back story on her husband John. I never truly felt like we understood the complexity of his character.

It was a great quick read and I enjoyed it immensely. The ending felt like a slight cliffhanger into a potential sequel so I am interested to see if that is true. I would definitely read another book picking up where this one leaves off.

I definitely found the setting of the book to be the most interesting part of the whole read. I felt I learned a little something too!

If you like a steady thriller then this one's for you!

3.5 stars (rounded to 4)

Thank you Netgalley and Booksgosocial for my ARC in exchange for my honest review

Fast paced, crazy turns of events and this is the first book I have read by this author and it did not fail at all. I loved it and its such a great winter read because ya know, its snowing!!

From the first chapter this was a gripping novel!

Suspense ✔️
Immersive plot ✔️
Compelling characters ✔️

The storyline follows a widow uncovering secrets of her late husband that take her (as well as the reader) on a journey to uncover the truth.

I enjoyed the fast pace read. There were no lulls and I couldn’t wait to reveal the truth at the end of the novel.

Definitely a 5 ⭐️ for me!

This is the first book I ever read writen by this author and let me tell you I really enjoyed it. This was such and amazing story with crazy turn of the events and so eye opening in a way that you realize, that some people you are close to you might not know them completely.

The premis if the story was interesting, but it got even more interesting when the main character went to Alaska on the hunt to find her husband. And the ending was *chefs kiss*.

Everyone has secrets, some are deadly. Cameron is mourning the death of her husband John who was killed in a bear attack. She was mourning until she finds pictures, and all of a sudden, she realizes that she never knew John. He was a serial killer, but Cameron is starting to question if he is really dead. With clues picked up along the way, she sets out into the Alaskan wilderness to hunt.
Fast paced, unexpected ending … keeps you turning pages the whole time. And I know for sure that I don’t want to winter camp, yes I would have concerns about building a fire on the ice ….
Thank you to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an early read in exchange for my opinion.

It's no secret that I love a good serial killer thriller, and I admit that I was sold as soon as I read the blurb of The Final Hunt. I mean, how could I say no to a story about a missing-presumed dead serial killer and a wife who has to deal with the aftermath of the news that her husband was in fact a killer? Add a dose of secrets and I was more than ready to dive in. I'm glad I decided to give The Final Hunt a go, because it ended up being a very entertaining, fast-paced and suspenseful thriller!

This story is all about remote locations and survival, or at least those settings play a big role in the plot itself. The Final Hunt starts with the scene of John's disappearance and presumed death, and I was immediately intrigued. Things soon heated up when Cameron finds some very disturbing photos of her late husband... Photos that will change her life forever and that will have the press haunting her while everyone seems to judge and find her guilty by association. It was intriguing to see Cameron's character deal with the difficult situation and I liked how she never wanted to give up and decided to take matters into her own hands instead.

The Final Hunt is a bit of a mix of a psychological, serial killer/crime and survival thriller and I liked how the different subgenres complemented each other here. I loved the descriptions of the remote locations with the focus on both its beauty and danger, and especially the part set in Alaska made for some very engaging reading. And while I did see some of the plot twists coming (including the identity of the accomplice), as a whole I didn't mind too much as I was too busy turning those pages. I literally flew through this story! All in all without doubt a very successful thriller and I can't wait to read more of her work.

Enjoyed this twisty little domestic thriller. Easy to get in to and easy to keep reading. Nice characters.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

The synopsis was what caught my attention right off the bat and I'm so glad I picked up this one. The entire premise was intriguing and kept me flipping pages till the very end. It was the perfect blend of suspense, adventure, and (a tiny bit of) romance. I especially loved the topographical descriptions that made it easier to imagine the backdrop of the story. My only complaint about the book would be the ending which seemed a bit rushed and a little too convenient. Some explanation for Dane's actions and an insight into his thought process would have been nice. Other than that, it's a great book that I would definitely recommend to others.

This was a mystery, it was an adventure and it had a little romance. It also had the wilds of Alaska - so count me in.
A woman - Cameron - finds out that her husband John was a serial killer. John supposedly died in a bear attack when he was at his hunting cabin. The police think Cameron may have known about her husbands activities and may have even been an accomplice. Cameron thinks her husband is still alive, and goes searching - in the wilds of Alaska.

This is told from different points of view - Cameron and the police. I am always a sucker for stories told in this manner. I feel as if it gives the story more depth.

This was a quick, easy, fun read. I knew who the accomplice was from the start and you will too. I knew what would happen at the end - and you will guess too. But who cares? It was still a fun, engaging book. And there were certainly a few things I did NOT see coming. Plus, I don't know about you, but the trend of giving us the sudden unexpected endings is getting old to me. Instead of trying to surprise us - just tell us a good story.

I want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review. 3.5 stars rounded to 4. It was above average, but not a WOW.

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review.
Wow what a great read, read this within a couple of days, totally engaged with the story, will look for more books by this author.

For three months she’s been a grieving widow and then one day Cameron Prescott finds her husband’s serial killer trophy photos. Was her husband John the “Teacher Killer”? And could he still be alive?

For me this was a simple and easily readable in two sittings. There’s no shock value or big reveal at the end. I pretty much saw where the story was going but still I enjoyed the journey. Quality writing that gives vivid scenic description of the wilderness of Alaska that added tension to the story. Details about bears and wolfs and how they devour their prey was interesting to know. It's likely I wouldn't be finding this out. So it’s good to live through words and experience the wild life from the safely of my sofa.

On one hand I do like the main character, Cameron but on the other hand I find that I didn’t really get to know her. I like that she is tough, intelligent and spontaneous. She’s flying planes, she’s a dentist, she’s hiking and camping in the cold wilderness of Alaska and she out ran an avalanche on a snowmobile. I mean what’s not to admire. She’s turned from grieving widow to Detective Nancy Drew. I would have liked to have known more about the characters, as well as their marriage. John is being labeled a serial killer, but Cameron had no clue. What was he like? What was their marriage like? John was an attorney, who worked on a pro bono case that nearly bankrupted the firm. Doesn’t sound like a profile for a serial killer to me. May be that was the author's intent; unsuspecting married male with a secret. Speaking of secrets, there’s a saying that like attracts like. My guess is John saw something in Cameron that he saw in himself.

The book doesn't give a lot of details about Simon Castelli, John’s friend and co-attorney. I’m wondering what kind of friendship you have to have to knowingly help someone kidnap women, using their wife’s car. As readers will find out cameras are everywhere!

I didn’t care for the microwave romance that was thrown in. I would have preferred that it was noted Dane was interested after his brief encounter and then in the epilogue details that they decided to pursue a relationship. (Purposely being vague to keep from spoiling it for future readers)

Overall I enjoyed the book. It’s well paced, has a strong female character, but my personal definition of a thriller it is not. Suggested reading for those that enjoy books that aren't too heavy and that even though it speaks about heinous crimes and acts the content isn't that disturbing.

This book knew exactly how to reel me in from the get go! I was honestly hooked from the first page, such a strong start! This poor woman discovers her persumed dead husband is a horrific wanted serial killer and her life starts to spiral downward, losing everything bit by bit. Until she decides to go after all the answers herself in the Alaskan wilderness! What's not to love?!

As I said, such a strong start but the middle definitely lulled for me! Not a huge amount happened so it was hard to keep engaged at times. I am glad to say though, this one bounced back with its ending! I was pouring over the pages, racing to see how it was all going to end. There were little twists and turns throughout, some a little predictable but it just made the story all the more enthralling. It wasn't my most favourite thriller of year but it was certainly gripping and entertaining!

*Please research any trigger warnings for this book*

Audrey J. Cole knows how to write a edge of your seat thriller. There were times I found myself holding my breath because the scene was just so intense and suspenseful. It’s a thought provoking book. I found myself at the end if justice was served. It’s one of those moral questions you find asking yourself. This was a great book! I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

A fast paced, action packed thriller with interesting characters. Plenty of surprises kept me guessing until the end. I figured some of it out but it didn't take anything away from the story. I will definitely read this author again.