Scared to Death

Written by Rachel Amphlett

Narrated by Alison Campbell

"If you want to see your daughter alive again, listen carefully."

When the body of a snatched schoolgirl is found in an abandoned biosciences building, the case is first treated as a kidnapping gone wrong.

But Detective Kay Hunter isn’t convinced, especially when a man is found dead with the ransom money still in his possession.

When a second schoolgirl is taken, Kay’s worst fears are realised.

With her career in jeopardy and desperate to conceal a disturbing secret, Kay’s hunt for the killer becomes a race against time before he claims another life.

For the killer, the game has only just begun…

Scared to Death is the first book in a thrilling crime series featuring Detective Kay Hunter from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett.

Praise for Scared to Death:

“Thrilling start to a new series. Scared to Death is a stylish, smart and gripping crime thriller” Robert Bryndza, USA Today bestselling author of NINE ELMS and THE GIRL IN THE ICE

"Amphlett has written an intriguing plot-driven police procedural, with Hunter a complicated heroine." The West Australian

• Language: English
• Publisher: Saxon Publishing
• Release date: Sep 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9780994547910

Reviews for Scared to Death

[charon07 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A police thriller with a sociopathic serial killer shouldn’t be boring. The plot was interesting enough, but nothing else really rises beyond serviceable: The characters are there to get the job done, the writing merely communicates the plot, and there were way too many pedestrian details that just slowed things down and contributed nothing.

[funstm · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This seems to have a lot of rave reviews and I'm not really sure why. It's not the worst book I've read - but it's definitely not the best. The cast of characters are lacklustre and have no depth and could be swapped out with any generic group. I had no emotional connection with them good or bad - they were just bland. The mystery itself was decent but it was clumsily written. Half the time the cops interviewed the suspect they were done with one question. The information they had seemed to fall into their hands. And the mystery had pacing issues and stretched for way too long. And it bothered me the whole money aspect Bob mentions went nowhere. A decent editor could rework this into a stronger read but in it's current form, 2 stars. I may pick up the next one in the series depending on price and availability.

[dabofdarkness · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this gritty British detective story. Kay Hunter is a very interesting character. While the tale starts off in the midst of this gripping kidnapping, it was really Kay’s character that drew me into the story. She’s recently been through the ringer and we get hints of that as we move forward through this mystery. I wanted to know more about her throughout the entire story.The mystery itself was worthy. First, we have a kidnapped teen (Melanie Richards) whose body is later found. The manner of her corpse gives Kay clues but a murdered man later in the story muddies the waters for her. For us readers, we get these scenes from the murder’s point of view. So it’s a delicious cat and mouse game. Later, a second girl is kidnapped and this ups the stakes for Kay.My one quibble is that near the end of the book Kay acts out of character, rushing in. Without saying too much, this was an extremely stupid move and so didn’t fit with her actions throughout the story. I felt it was there just to add drama to the story and it wasn’t really necessary.I liked the teen bullying angle and how other teens react to the kidnapping of the first girl. The parents have a different reaction to the kidnapping, of course, but then to learn about the bullying surprised them. It was a nice touch and it also showed that even after the mystery is solved, there are still things to address with the teens.I have to mention Adam, Kay’s husband. He’s a veterinarian and a very supportive man. We only get a few scenes with him but he appears to be a very solid loving man that is devoted to Kay. That made me happy because she has so much on her plate, has recently been through quite a bit, and everyone needs someone in their corner. All told, an enjoyable read. 4.5/5 stars.The Narration: Alison Campbell made a very good Detective Kay Hunter. She captured all of her numerous emotions throughout the story. Campbell also had regional accents throughout and her masculine voices were believable. All around, it was a very good performance with no technical issues. 5/5 stars.I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Rachel Amphlett. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.