Her Ocean Grave by Dana Perry

The teenage girl in the picture has bright eyes and a smudge of chocolate on her chin. It’s her birthday and she looks self-consciously beautiful in her floral party dress. But nobody has seen this girl’s sweet smile for days. She has vanished without a trace.

Enclosed by endless beaches and crashing waves, the sleepy little island of Martha’s Vineyard is a place where everyone knows each other’s name and locals can leave their front doors unlocked at night without worry. But everything changes the day that Samantha Clayton leaves for an afternoon bike ride along the cliff tops, and never comes home.

Detective Abby Pearce has the difficult job of interviewing the girl’s grieving mother and silent stepfather. But why can’t they answer simple questions about what Samantha was wearing the day she went missing, or who her friends were? Did her family know her at all?

Then a girl’s bright pink shoe is discovered buried on a local beach. What if Samantha is not the first innocent teenager to be taken, but the latest? Another victim is found dead days later, and the terrified residents demand to know what’s happening to their children. But the killer is already planning his next move and more young lives will be taken if Abby doesn’t figure out what secrets this small town is hiding…

An absolutely unputdownable and nail-biting crime thriller that will have you racing through the pages. Perfect for fans of Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot and Gregg Olsen.

My Thoughts

⭐⭐⭐⭐

After trained to become a police officer in the Police Academy in New York, Detective Abby Pearce has worked hard and become a decorated, highly praised NYPD homicide Detective. Abby had been in New York for a decade, but after witnessing the death of her partner Tommy Ferrero who tragically died in her arms, Abby begins to self destruct.

Looking for a change, and a much slower pace to her life as she attempts to recover and heal from the trauma she experienced, Abby is relieved when she is contacted by Peter Randall, the Mayor of a small town Cedar Cliffs offering her the job as the only Detective within their small community, and she gratefully accepts the offer. Returning back to Martha’s Vineyard, where she grew up, brings some rather unhappy memories to the surface for Abby, but she is somewhat determined to move past them. The area has a relatively low crime rate, so Abby is hoping this will allow her to stay on track with her recovery from alcoholism too.

But then 16 year old Samantha Claymore goes missing. She is heiress to the Claymore Cosmetics Company, and vanishes whilst on holiday after going for a bike ride which she never returned from. This is a high profile case for Detective Pearce to solve, and she knows this will play a pivotal role in her career. With Samantha’s mother Valerie, the CEO of their company acting rather cold and distant, Abby is certain she isn’t being told everything, but with little else to go on she is left chasing shadows.

As Abby begins to delve deeper in to this mysterious case, it comes to light that Samantha isn’t the first young girl to go missing on the island, and things quickly begin to take a rather dark and sinister turn as secrets from the past are dredged up, leaving Abby questioning whether there is more at play here..

This was one of those books that has you fully captivated to the very last page. Detective Abby Pearce is a fascinating character who is carrying some baggage from her rather troubled past. But despite all of her flaws, she is a determined woman who gives her job everything she’s got and strives to bring justice to those who seek it. The storyline itself has so much depth and drive throughout, it keeps you on your toes and desperately trying to fathom out the case alongside Detective Pearce as she races against the clock to bring Samantha home safe.

The book flows effortlessly, taking the reader along on a journey full of twists and turns alongside the characters. This book went above and beyond all of my expectations, and I cannot wait to read future additions to what looks to be a marvellous series.

You can purchase a copy of this book by following the links below

Amazon: https://bit.ly/34hnurT

Apple: https://apple.co/3cEEKN0

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3woKXV8

Google: https://bit.ly/3u5p631

About the Author

*Thank you to Sarah Hardy at Bookouture and Dana Perry for providing me with a gifted copy of this book in return for my honest review. All thoughts are entirely my own and not influenced in any way.*