All the Beautiful Brides by Rita Herron

September 14th, 2015 Kimberly Review 65 Comments

14th Sep
All the Beautiful Brides by Rita Herron
All the Beautiful Brides
by Rita Herron
Series: Graveyard Falls #1
Genres: Suspense Thriller, Romantic Suspense
Source: Publisher
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star
Heat Level: One FlameOne Flame

A young woman lies dead at the bottom of a waterfall, dressed in a wedding gown with a rose stem jammed down her throat. And in the small town of Graveyard Falls, the horrifying vision stirs a long-ago nightmare back to life…FBI Special Agent Cal Coulter gets called in to investigate the murder, which bears a terrifying resemblance to a series of killings committed thirty years ago: three teenage girls were found dead at the waterfall’s base, all bearing rose stems in their throats. But the high school football star was convicted and imprisoned for those murders, leading Cal to suspect that the killer is still out there. Now, the body count is rising again. The monster’s sights are set on counselor Mona Monroe, Cal’s best friend’s widow…and the woman he’s always loved. Can Cal stop the killer before Mona becomes the next victim?

As we head into fall, mysteries and suspense thrillers become a favorite read. All the Beautiful Brides by Rita Herron the first book in her Graveyard Falls series delivered a suspenseful murder mystery with a light dish of romance on the side. Old murders, new murders and a perspective from the killer made this a page-turner.

Thirty years ago, the small town of Graveyard Falls was rocked by the brutal murder of three teenage girls. Thanks to the ruthless diligence of the local sheriff, Jason Piker,  the town football hero was charged and imprisoned. Jason is now up for parole and on the anniversary of the first murders a woman is found murdered at the falls. The MO is eerily similar and some begin to wonder if the real killer is behind bars.

Mona Monroe the widowed wife of Agent Cal Coulter’s partner has recently taken up residence in Graveyard Falls. She is a psychologist and amateur profiler. After her parent’s death, she received a letter from them sharing that she had been adopted. Along with the letter, there was a small baby bootie charm and a receipt from Graveyard Falls. Curious about her birth parents she is hoping to find them. Agent Coulter is curious about the case, but uneasy about running into Mona. I found their history interesting and Herron weaved their story into this suspenseful thriller.

All the Beautiful Brides was perfectly paced giving us insight into Mona, Agent Cal and those of the present day killer. We also revisit the earlier case and meet those directly affected. Herron adds twists, turns and red herrings as we tried to stop the killer. While there is a second chance romance, it stays in the background allowing the murder mystery to take center stage. The story was suspenseful and at times dark. We witness the women’s abductions and events leading up to their deaths. Mona and Cal find themselves in danger, as do other characters. Herron does an excellent job of introducing characters from the past murders and suspects for the current murders. Everyone had plausible motive even the old sheriff. I really enjoyed the suspense and quickly became caught up in the story consuming this in just two sittings. At times, the tale story was intense and a little gritty, but Herron used suspense and her vividly descriptive writing to give the reader a sense of the scene without unnecessary gore.

Herron skillfully brings all the threads from past and present together giving us a climatic ending. If you are looking for a mystery thriller All the Beautiful Brides is sure to please.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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65 Responses to “All the Beautiful Brides by Rita Herron”

  1. Olivia

    I would actually agree with you – around this time it is perfect time to be reading mysteries and staying warm in bed while reading them. I love the cover to this one and it sounds like a good mystery with perfect pacing and insight to the clues.

  2. Trish

    Sounds fab! Nothing like these words to reel me in “psychologist and amateur profiler”, I love profiling and the psychology behind it. And you are so right, this is a great time of year to bring out the murder mystery books.

  3. Bookworm Brandee

    This does sound like a great read to curl up under a blanket and read. I felt the suspense just reading your review. 🙂 I love it when there are so many suspects that you can’t figure things out. I’ll put this on my tbr, Kimberly.

  4. Lark

    This does sound good, and I’m glad you mentioned that it’s not unnecessarily gruesome. And you’re right about fall and mysteries going together. I need to look at my reading list; I think I’ve got several mysteries coming up!

  5. Sarah

    Oh I am with you, fall is my favorite time for suspense and thrillers, though I have mainly been reading YA thrillers these days. I’m intrigued by the history of Agent Cal and his former partner’s widow! Has to draw some uneasy emotions 😀 Gonna have to add this book to the list of books to read for fall!

  7. Lorna

    Sounds good! I enjoy a good romantic suspense, and actually that’s all I used to read for a lot of years. I am adding it to GoodReads. Thanks!

  9. Braine Talk Supe

    I was so tempted to request this but I can’t add another book to my list. I’ll wait for it to go on an Amazon deal instead so there’s no pressure. I think I’ll enjoy this very much

  10. Christy

    Okay, this is one of the review books I set aside because I wasn’t quite in the mood, but you’ve given me that push. Good job! 😉

  11. Cyn

    Ooh this sounds creepy and definitely gritty! I like that there’s a bit of a romance, but it stays in the background to let the mystery be center stage. Glad it was enjoyable, lovely review, Kim!

  13. Kathy

    I haven’t read a Heron book in a long time, and this one actually sounds pretty good. I’m really getting hooked on the past and present blends in the books I’ve read lately.

  16. Stormi

    From the title I might not of guessed suspense, but it sounds interesting so it’s going on my wishlist. 🙂

  17. Heidi

    I have read a couple of thrillers like this lately that blend the past and the present. This sounds creepy good and suspenseful, perfect for this time of year.

  20. Katherine

    This sounds like a read I would enjoy – creepy and complex with interesting characters. Adding it to my TBR! I’m definitely in a mystery kind of mood.

  21. Ramona

    You are perfectly right, Kimba: the fall does make one crave more mysteries! I wonder why that should be… Anyway, this one sounds like an especially fabulous one. Is it reminiscent of Twin Peaks? Have a beautiful week 🙂

  28. Kristin

    This totally sounds like your kind of story! It IS that time of year, you are so totally correct! Great review! I see you’re getting books from Montlake – I need to take the jump and grab one of theirs one of these days. 🙂

    • kimbacaffeinate

      Ya know I am auto- approved for them, and they send emails out but I discovered they were going to my spam folder..when I popped the last email open I saw this and had to have it 🙂

  30. Jenny

    Oooo this sounds good Kim! It’s been a while since I’ve read a straight mystery/thriller (I typically read romantic suspense), so I think I might have to try this. I’m going to recommend to my sister in law too, she lives for mysteries!

  31. Nick

    Ooh! I’m excited you’re reviewing more of these thrillers. This sounds very well-written, and I’m intrigued!

  33. Melliane

    The suspens and the mystery there sound really good and I’m curious to know the true just by reading your review. A good investigation!