The Body Reader by Anne Frasier

August 23rd, 2016 Kimberly Review 47 Comments

23rd Aug
The Body Reader by Anne Frasier
The Body Reader
by Anne Frasier
Series: Detective Jude Fontaine Mysteries #1
Genres: Suspense Thriller
Source: Prime Lending Library
Purchase*: Amazon | Audible *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

For three years, Detective Jude Fontaine was kept from the outside world. Held in an underground cell, her only contact was with her sadistic captor, and reading his face was her entire existence. Learning his every line, every movement, and every flicker of thought is what kept her alive.

After her experience with isolation and torture, she is left with a fierce desire for justice—and a heightened ability to interpret the body language of both the living and the dead. Despite colleagues’ doubts about her mental state, she resumes her role at Homicide. Her new partner, Detective Uriah Ashby, doesn’t trust her sanity, and he has a story of his own he’d rather keep hidden. But a killer is on the loose, murdering young women, so the detectives have no choice: they must work together to catch the madman before he strikes again. And no one knows madmen like Jude Fontaine.

MURDERMYSTERY CRIME thriller UNIQUE

Fourth of July weekend, despite my pile of ARCS and my long TBR list I was in the mood for something different to read. In other words I had NOTHING to read.  Can you relate? My Kindle Oasis has Ads that appear on the screen saver and The Body Reader had teased me all week-long. On impulse, I clicked read more, read the synopsis and clicked BUY, only to discover as an Amazon Prime member I could read it free! This was my first time taking advantage of the lending library and I am eager to try it again next month.

It’s kind of unnerving to think about how we’re shaped by the darkness in our lives,” he said in an echo of her own thoughts.”

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier delivers a standalone suspense thriller that pulls you in from the very first pages. Frasier introduces us to Detective Jude Fontaine on the night she escapes captivity from an underground cell that held her for three years. The tale that unfolds was riveting as she and her new partner Homicide Detective Uriah Ashby work a case involving missing woman.

The Body Reader offered several threads beginning with the impact the past three years have had on Jude. It has changed her personal life and the way she views cases, particularly bodies. This thread does not have any paranormal aspects but focuses on her “heightened senses.”

The second thread involves missing girls, possible suicides, and cases Jude had previously been working. Young woman are going missing, others are committing suicide, and there a number of unsolved cases. . Fontaine’s ability to read bodies alerts her that a recent suicide involves foul play. An old photograph discovered in her personal effects and a thumb drive soon have Jude suspecting a serial killer. The author provided a tightly written mystery that felt genuine. I admired how effortlessly Frasier weaved all the threads together.

Other threads dealt with Jude’s childhood, and her family as we watching the developing friendship with her new partner. What developed from these threads was an engaging well-rounded tale that I devoured in just two sittings. If it were not for sleep, I probably would have read it in one.

Frasier did a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters and creating an authentic partnership between Detectives Ashby and Fontaine. They work well together and I enjoyed seeing them progress from strangers to full-fledge partners. There is no romantic element in the Body Reader but the relationship between Fontaine and Ashby allowed readers to experience an emotional connection.

My complaints are minor and none deterred from my reading experience. I would have liked to learning more about her captivity and her capture. A prequel would be nice. Also I am kind of bummed we won’t get any other cases featuring Detectives Fontaine and Ashby. Yes I know I was delighted this was a standalone, and now I am bitching because I want more. What can I say? Bwahaha.

If you love suspense thrillers, hunting down a killer and getting to know the characters on a more personal, level than I recommend you buy or borrow a copy of The Body Reader.

The Body Reader by Anne Frasier offered an intense thriller you will devour. Share on X
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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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47 Responses to “The Body Reader by Anne Frasier”

  1. Debbie Haupt

    Great review Kim and although I have to be in the right mood for a thriller this one has really captured my interest. Wish List it is!

  2. Silvia

    Sometimes a good stand-alone / intense thriller is all we need, and you definitely piqued my curiosity with this one, Kimberly! 😀

  4. Katherine

    I don’t have a great history with the lending library feature on Amazon. I’ve had a book literally for 2 years and never once read it! This one sounds really good though. It’s always such fun to get a really great read that you weren’t expecting.

  5. Sophia Rose

    That Amazon can be psychic at times with it’s recommends and emailed suggestions. I’ve done that clicking myself. And I’ve managed a few borrowed books through the Prime program and it’s nice.

    Oh, this does sound like a real page-turner. I’ll add this to my list now, too.

  6. LeKeisha

    Don’t you hate it when it ends? This sounds like it would make a great series: Ashby & Fontaine. Or something along those lines! Glad you enjoyed it.

  8. ShootingStarsMag

    I’ll have to add this to my wish list. It sounds great! I do love stand alones because I have a difficult time keeping up with series, but I know what you mean about sometimes wanting more!

  9. Leona

    This does sound good! Hopefully the author will read this review and maybe choose to write another story for these two characters. In the world of fiction you never know what could happen next

  10. Tyler H. Jolley

    Is this Kimba, The Caffeinated Reviewer asking for a prequel? Perhaps a novella? *gasp* Lol! Things I never thought you’d say. All that tells me is that this book really knocked it out of the park! Excellent review!

  14. Maggie

    This sounds really good – while I may not add it to my reading list right away (that list is way too long) I think I may just add the author to keep an eye on her work. Thanks for sharing.

  15. blodeuedd

    Lol, sometimes I do not have anything to read either 😉 So that is why I read a harlequin from the 80s today, ha

  16. Lorna

    I read and reviewed this on PureTextuality, awhile back. I really liked it, but then I really like this author. Happy to see that you enjoyed this as much as you did. I wouldn’t mind reading more from these two detectives either!

      • Lorna

        Play Dead series although I haven’t read the last one yet. Pale Immortal I loved but the second one wasn’t as good. She writes as Teresa Weir as well(not sure I spelled that right) and won awards for a book that is called Evening Shade or something like that. Something Shade anyway. I gave it 5 stars when I reviewed it. There’s others but those are the ones I can think of.

  17. Rita

    Now this sounds really really good to me! I love the idea of body language experts. There was a tv show that had this in the plot, but the name escapes me now.

    While you wished for more detail about her capture, I’m happy about that, because the only thing holding me back from picking it up was the sadistic captor. I don’t like detailed scenes about that, freaks me out. I will be looking up this author for her other titles too, since this is a stand-alone.

  18. kindlemom1

    With fall in the air (sort of) it is definitely that time of year to pick more of this genre up. I think I would like this one. Lovely review Kim!

  19. Jenny

    Hehe I’m the same way! When I find a book I love, even if one of the things I love about it is that it stands alone, I still want more:) Glad this ended up being just what you were looking for Kim!

  21. Nick

    It sounds like a great read, Kim. Books from ads can be a hit or miss but this sounds wonderfully crafted. I also like the heightened senses story-line.
    Great review, Kim!

  22. Mary Kirkland

    Oh, that does sound good. Suspense thrillers are something I really have to be in the mood for but this sounds interesting for sure.