***** Pointless Death ——————- Review by Rox Burkey
Kelly Marshall has authored many gritty mystery novels. She tells it as she sees it in Book 8 of the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, Justice. Conservation Officer Madison Jackson works as a warden verifying licenses for the Fish and Wildlife department. During a routine license check around Burnet Reservoir, a young Hispanic teen runs into the woods to escape being cited. He returns moments later to tell Madison he found a girl’s body. They both return to the scene of the crime.
The horrific state of the naked girl, beaten and abused, burned into Madison’s brain. She knew it was a savage cartel act by the blue wristband and underwear in the tree—human trafficking at its worst conducted by savage, heartless cartel members. Life has no value outside of money.
Ms. Marshall writes vivid descriptions to pull readers into this mystery and make them feel every sensation possible: pain, terror, abuse, and more. The sights and sounds are so intense that readers will hold their breath, waiting for hope. The nightmare continues in unimaginable ways. The characters are well-developed, especially Madison, her dad, and their close relationship.
When the dead girl is named, Madison becomes haunted by the need to find Anna’s parents and tell them the fate of their child. Her search takes Madison on a trip to hell and back. One day she was hunting the parents of a dead girl; the next, she vanished. Madison suffers unbelievable torture at the hands of the cartel, including the vicious leader of the group who bought and paid for his sex slave. Her father and his friends locate her and bring her back to Magnolia Bluff. A woman with the grit and tenacity of Madison survives her ordeal but will never be the same. She will be stronger.
I highly recommend this story to readers of mystery and crime. Page, one begins with suspense and nonstop action that continues chapter after chapter until the last page. Then you can release the breath you’ve been holding.
About the Author
I always knew communication would dominate my life. I thought it would be as a writer, and I hoped to pen best-selling novels. But life took a left turn and instead, I ended up at a broadcasting school In Colorado, then spent the next thirty years playing music, interviewing interesting people, and doing love song dedications. Although the experience was intense, it didn’t seem like work at all. I had a ball. After thirty years, I walked away from the microphone and decided to follow my first love…writing.
For a list of all the books in the Magnolia Bluff Crime Chronicles, please click the image below.
