Special Agent Dean Taggert came out of a bitter divorce not trusting women, and only wants to spend more time with his young son. He thinks his new job that specializes in Internet crime will be less dangerous; but that was before his team found out about the Reaper. The Reaper chats at a very secretive Internet chat room called Satan's Playground. He will pick a person kill them, film the killing and post it online for the chat room to see. The Agents get a break when someone discovers a missing persons report from Hope Valley, Virginia, and the team thinks that this girl is his first victim. Dean goes to Virginia looking to find the Reaper and has no idea that he will be working with the woman that will change his life forever.

Small town Sheriff Stacey Rhodes has some secrets of her own to deal with on a daily basis. However, she loves her job and will work with the FBI who has shown up on her door having proof that the one person missing from her town has been murdered. During this investigation she learns a lot about the people in her town, one of whom could be the person doing these horrific murders, and she learns a lot about herself. Will she learn enough to trust Dean for a lifetime or will their encounter end up being something that keeps her warm in her memories?

If I could choose one word to describe this book, it would be thrilling. Leslie Parrish sets the pace for this fast packed action thriller with the first word, and she doesn't let you go until the very end. I was hesitant to read the book because I'm not into murder mysteries, but the first sentence had me hooked. I must admit that Stacey was the best heroine that I've ever met. She's super tough when the need arises and nurturing when she needs to be. Ms. Parrish created characters that all had the ability to be the murderer, and I was totally surprised by who did the deed. This is the first book in this series, and I will definitely read every other book that she writes in this sequence. I fully expect to see this author at the top of the best selling list. She draws you into the story and lays the groundwork for something that every news station in the world would love to have at the top of the news cast: serial killer on the loose and YOU could be his next victim.

Reviewed by: Missy