The Dancing Girls

Detective Jo Fournier, Book 1

By: M.M. Chouinard

Narrated by: Patricia Rodriguez

An absolutely gripping crime thriller with nail-biting suspense

The light in her wide brown eyes dimmed as she drew her last breath. She might have been beautiful lying there on the floor, if it wasn’t for the purple marks on her neck and the angry red line on her finger where her wedding band used to be....

When Jeanine Hammond is found dead in a hotel in the picture-perfect town of Oakhurst, newly-promoted Detective Jo Fournier is thrown into a disturbing case. Who would murder this shy, loving wife and leave her body posed like a ballerina?

Jo wants to know why Jeanine’s husband is so controlling about money, and where Jeanine’s wedding ring is, but before she and her team can get close to the truth, another woman is found strangled in a hotel, arms placed gracefully above her head like a dancer.

While digging through old case files, Jo makes a terrifying link to a series of cold cases: each victim bears the same strangulation marks. But the FBI won’t take Jo seriously, and if she disobeys direct orders by investigating the killings outside of her jurisdiction, it will mean the end of the career she’s already sacrificed so much for, even her relationship.

Just as Jo is beginning to lose hope, she finds messages on the victims’ computers that make her question whether these small-town women were hiding big lies. Jo thinks this is the missing link between the victims, but she knows the killer is moments away from selecting his next victim. Will it lead her to the most twisted killer of her career in time, or will another innocent life be lost?

An absolutely brilliant new crime thriller series that fans of Robert Dugoni, Lisa Regan and Melinda Leigh will devour in one sitting.

"That ending! Holy moly I did not see that coming. A twist to end all twists! It was fantastic.... Really look forward to more books in this series. If they are anything like this one, they are all going to be winners!" (Once Upon a Time Book Reviews, five stars)

©2019 M. M. Chouinard (P)2019 Bookouture

Too much introspection by lead character

The premise of the story of was fun and relevant in today’s crazy world of gaming.
I felt we heard too much of the perverts thoughts and too much about the game he used.

I think the book would have been better if half the length.

Not much suspense

This book is a good book but a bit slow at times. The twist at the end I didn't see coming!

The Dancing Girls

The title wasn’t really paid off, as dancing wasn’t actually central to the characters or to “solving” the mystery. The narrator mispronounced words or chose strange inflections, especially when reading dialogue, which distracted from the story. The story was okay, but the author tended to focus too much on mundane and irrelevant details and backstories, which left a lot of details not paid off. Reading of chat transcripts was clunky and dialog seemed unnatural. Overall, an okay story with a somewhat satisfying ending.

Surprise

It was a bit repetitive when the killer was online and I rolled my eyes at those scenes and wanted to skip them. I also didn’t care for any of the victims even though we knew a bit about them because to me the story wasn’t about them it was about the killer. The victims just happened to be a means for him. He was a very interesting character. I didn’t understand any of the game references because I don’t play those types of games. I did enjoy the twist near the end and that was very unexpected. However, I already know what the next book will be about based on this ending. Even though this is a stand alone book it does end on a cliffhanger but not a bad one it’s more like a hook for the next book. Overall I really enjoyed this story. The narrator was a bit over dramatic but she did a good job. I will def recommend this book to Suspense Thriller or Murder Mystery fanatics.

Online gaming can be deadly

Good story about a serial killer who finds his victims in an online gaming forum. I’m not a gamer so the gaming interaction/chats bogged down the story for me. Told from various POV, some parts are engaging and the ending was surprisingly good.

Interesting With Big Twist

This was a different take on a crime/suspense in that you know who the killer is and then sit back and watch how the police figure things out. The backstory is intriguing. The main character, Jo is a like able, smart lieutenant. Bad characters are slimy! Narration was really good!

Definitely an Entertaining Story! Highly Recommend!

Really enjoyed this audible. The author did a great job, and the book really kept me gripped! My emotions were all over the place as she described traumatic situations in such detail. It usually takes me at least a week to finish an audible, this one took 2 days. Also, I never write reviews but this one is worth it!!!

ending the best part

Struggled to get through it, mostly because the readers voice was an egratiatng whine. I am glad I finished as the twist in the end was vindication. Not enough to survive another lusten from that reader though

What a twist.

Loved the storyline and the twist. Felt as if I was on the team and discovering right along with them.

great book!!

loved the story lime and twists.... I can't wait to read/ listen to M M Chouinard's next book