Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Blog Tour for Booktoure

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Taken in the Cold by Roger Stelljes Synopsis: "Make sure you wrap up warm for school, honey. A blizzard is on the way." Ten-year-old Teddy rolls his eyes at his mother. But then he hears a bang... By the time police arrive, Teddy's mother is dead. His open school backpack is strewn across the hallway. And Teddy is nowhere to be found.   When gunshots ring out from an exclusive family home on the edge of Northern Pine Lake,  Agent Tori Hunter  races through the gathering snowstorm to discover that  ten-year-old Teddy Marist has disappeared . His mother and her new boyfriend are dead in the family kitchen, breakfast still cooking on the stove. And racing to track down Teddy's father,  Tori finds he is missing too.   Local police are certain this is a simple case of a jealous ex-husband turned violent over his recent divorce. But interviewing everyone she can about Teddy's father, Tori's gut has her questioning if he would really kidnap his own child?  An...
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The Wrong Woman by Leanne Kale Sparks and Narrated by Erin DeWard

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Title: The Wrong Woman
Author: Leanne Kale Sparks
Narrator: Erin DeWard
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Audiobook
Listening length: 10 hours 39 minutes
Date of Publication: February 8, 2022


Description: The only survivor of Denver’s notorious “Reaper” serial murders, FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck grapples with the ghosts of her past by seeking justice for victims of abuse. She’s neck deep in a particularly ugly case involving the disappearance of five-year-old Emily Williams when her investigation is derailed—her best friend and roommate, Gwen Tavich, turns up dead, floating in a nearby lake.

Devastated by the news of Gwen’s death, Kendall teams up with Denver detective Adam Taylor to find the killer. Gwen’s fiancé, Ty Butler, is being evasive about the last time he saw Gwen, and as the evidence mounts against him, he’s arrested for the murder. With every new clue, Kendall questions how well she really knew her friend. And when Gwen’s dark secrets begin spilling out one by one, she begins to understand the devastating magnitude of the murder. The Reaper has returned to Denver—and he’s not stopping at just one victim. 

As the trauma of Kendall’s past comes roaring back, she and Adam have no time to spare before more bodies start piling up. And then Kendall makes a shocking discovery that reveals the horrifying truth behind Emily Williams’s disappearance. Now, Kendall must confront her darkest fears as she and the Reaper face off one more time.

My Thoughts: I requested this book through Netgalley for a couple of different reasons. I am a huge mystery & thriller book fan, this is the genre that I like to listen to the most. Secondly, I really liked the book's title, "The Wrong Woman", and the cover also drew my attention. The cover is dark and eerie. Thirdly, I liked that the book was based in Denver as that is my hometown. Lastly, I liked that it was an FBI case. I used to want to be an FBI agent and actually studied Forensic Psychology in high school. As you can tell there was a lot about this audiobook that drew my attention.

The story immediately jumps into the disappearance of a 5 year old girl, Emily Williams. FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck's investigation into the little girl's disappearance is quickly derailed when her best friend and roommate, Gwen Tavich has also gone missing. Gwen is later found to be dead. Kendall teams up with Denver Detective Adam Taylor to find her killer. This redirects all of her attention from Emily's case to Gwen's.

Both of the cases are quite interesting and it is clear throughout the story that Emily's case takes a backseat to Gwen's.  I was disappointed that there was not a lot of background information though on Kendall being the only survivor of the notorious :Reaper" serial murders. The books description clearly states that this is one of the reasons why she seeks justice for victims of abuse. This is not to say that the "Reaper" case does not become part of the story.  just wish we learned more about Kendall's experience. 

I was there had been a trigger warning for this book at the beginning before the story started. f you are sensitive to crime's against children, specifically sexual abuse then this story may be difficult to get through. I certainly struggled with the sections surrounding the child sexual abuse crime, especially the detail, which was not super in depth but it was enough that it made me cringe and want to cry at times.

As far as the narrator goes, I really liked her. I thought that she narrated the story well. She does a good job in the changing of her voice for each character, which made it easier to follow and identify who was speaking at the time. She also did well in displaying each character's emotions, which I felt helped bring the story to life. 

Rating: I am giving it 3 out of 5 because I thought the storyline was good, however,  felt like there was certainly a disconnect between the two cases. I also wish their had been a trigger warning for the child sexual abuse.

About the Author: Leanne Kale Sparks is an author who returned to her first love―writing about murder and mayhem―after a brief career in criminal law. She is currently working on a new series featuring an FBI agent hunting down her best friend’s murderer. The backdrop is the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the playground of her youth and the place that will always be home. When not writing, she and her husband spend time reading, mountain biking, spoiling their German Shepherd, and drinking wine.

Erin DeWard is an Audie Award-winning audiobook narrator and a classically trained stage actor. A longtime company member of The Strange Bedfellows, a New York-based Shakespeare company, she can also be found working with The Children's Shakespeare Theater. She has been working in the audio industry as a writer, a voice talent, an advocate for media accessibility for people who are blind, and a trainer for over a decade. She is a proud and grateful member of SAG/AFTRA. --This text refers to the audioCD edition.

Many thanks to Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for this review copy. This is my honest opinion.

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