The Park Trilogy, Books 1-3

De: C. J. Booth

Narrado por: James Romick

The Park Trilogy (Olive Park, Crimson Park, Angel Park)

1997.

In the dark woods of Olive Park, in the hills above Sacramento, a California Highway Patrol officer stumbles over a gnarled branch.

But it isn’t a branch.

It is an arm. Reaching up from a shallow grave.

And clutched in the small, desperate hand is a single quarter.

So begins one of the most exhaustive investigations in California history. Yet even with their massive resources, State and Federal authorities fail to find any trace of the killer. After two long years, the case goes cold.

15 years later.

The newly formed Ongoing Investigation Division charged with solving cold cases is unceremoniously handed its first case - The Olive Park Murders.

Detectives Stan Wyld and Jake Steiner, together with assistant Mallory Dimante, reopen the Olive Park case and find nothing new, until their examination of the original burial site turns up one chilling piece of evidence that proves Olive Park is no longer just a cold case.

The truth is much worse. The killer has never stopped and had already picked the next victim when Steiner, Wyld, and Dimante risk all to save the two intended victims, Michael and Jesse Cooper, two children who uncovered the deadly secret of Olive Park.

Following their spectacular success in solving California’s worst serial killer case, a case that had languished unsolved for 15 years, Sacramento’s newly formed cold-case division detectives - Stan Wyld and Jake Steiner with I.T. expert Mallory Dimante - find themselves the toast of the town. Anxious to move on from the rampant publicity, they take on a simple missing person case.

But their search for missing Hollywood film director James Marston pitches them headlong back into the malevolent world of serial killer Ruby Everheart - and into the lives of the killer’s last intended victims, 14 year old Michael and his younger sister Jessie Cooper – two kids who unknowingly possess a secret that will ensnare everyone in a deadly game of cat and mouse with an evil far worse than Ruby Everheart.

Detectives Stan Wyld, Jake Steiner and Mallory Dimante struggle to unravel the mystery of the murder and dismemberment of Hollywood film director James Marston but all they find are more mysteries....

Why has Anna Chase, an 11-year-old middle-schooler living in a small town in New Jersey, seemingly partnered with Ilsa Pokovich, a 50 year-old California felon, to commit murder?

Why has the original detective on the Olive Park case remained quiet all these years?

And why does the answer to everything seem to lie in a stuffed bear rescued from the burned-out trailer of serial killer Ruby Everheart?

What Wyld, Steiner and Dimante find propels them back into a treacherous and dark past. It shakes what they think they know about who they can trust and who they believe. And it forces them into a lethal showdown, protecting Michael and Jessie Cooper…and themselves, from Ruby Everheart’s terrifying teacher.

Angel Park crackles with insistent, heart-stomping energy as it plummets toward a conclusion that will exact a devastating human toll on one of the three detectives of Sacramento, California’s cold case division. It is Wyld, Steiner and Dimante’s ultimate test, for the depravity of serial killer Ruby Everheart pales against the evil they must now confront...and kill.

©2020 C.J. Booth (P)2020 C.J. Booth

Outstanding Trilogy!

I very much enjoyed the entire story throughout the three books. I did however keep thinking that Jessie Cooper was my least favorite character, then I would remind myself that she was only six and seven during these events. And that you cannot expect a 6 or 7 year old to always do what they are told, like be quiet or run when they are told to run!

An author to follow

Many times when I buy books, I buy sets. They don't necessarily have to be great, but at least good. This set has me sold on this new (to me) author. I truly enjoyed this trilogy. Give it a listen. I think you'll agree

Best Mystery

These were the best mystery series that I have read in a long time, really enjoyed! I hope that this series continues!!

Bought the series as box set

This series has characters that you care about and characters that you hate
Lots of story lines threading through the books
Didn’t like how totally dense these other wise intelligent characters could be sometimes

The entire trilogy were the best I've read so far.

I absolutely loved these books. I was sad when they ended that they were over.

Entertaining & Fun Read

Well written and fun series. Characters are all relatable and endearing. (Even the "evil" ones.) My only criticism is that 6-year old Jessie and her brother "M" are over the top. There's no way children of that age can be that mature - or talk like 30-year old adults. With that said, I still thoroughly enjoyed all three books. They were totally entertaining, and well worth one credit.

Great Thriller Trilogy

Wow, what a great story! Full of thrills and interesting characters. C.J. Booth is a wonderful storyteller and the narrator (James Romick) does a great job of portraying the different characters. I am looking forward to reading and listening to more from this author.

Enjoyable.

It's a really good detective story. The clues are there; sometimes you can figure it out, sometimes you can't. A great listen while driving.

3-book Story - NOT Stand-alone

FIRST: These are not the right books for readers who can’t get past profanity and f bombs, many of which are said by a 13-year-old.
SECOND: These are not the right books for readers who don’t want to read any sexually-charged scenes and descriptions.
THIRD: These are not the right books for readers who don’t want to read about gruesome, graphic murders.

Aside from these aspects, the books are thoroughly entertaining and engaging.

Though the end of the first two books don’t end in frustrating cliffhangers that force the reader to read the next, the stories are intrinsically connected by plot, characters, and the reader’s emotional investment.

The story is a unique portrayal of good-guys-bad-guys and has a different twist on a police hunt. The three partners aren’t super-smart infallible sleuths, but the reader must remember that we already know more than they do.
Though there are snatches of dialogue when a character says the same thing three or four ways or when Booth writes descriptions with irritating redundancy, the writing is sharp and impactful, has appropriate humor, and shifts according to the speaker and situation.

I don’t need to read these books again for the characters to stay with me.

Without a spoiler, the funeral service brought me to tears.

A great story! Kept you interested.

Interesting characters with interesting quirks. . Good detective thriller. The narrator (James Romick) does a great job of portraying the different characters. I am looking forward to reading and listening to more from C.J. Booth. Loved having all three books, so the story was completed.