Little Lost Dolls by M M Chouinard

I just love when a book title or description catches my eye as something I need to read.  I like it even more when it is from a series I hadn't previously heard of that now gives me a whole bunch of books that I have to go back and read!  Little Lost Dolls by M.M. Chouinard is my newest option that fits this category.

About Little Lost Dolls:

The young woman lying on the forest floor looks like she’s dreaming; her brown hair fanning out into a crown around her head, her hands clasped over her breast. She could be sleeping—if it weren’t for the brutal slash across her neck…

It’s autumn in Oakhurst when Detective Jo Fournier rushes to local beauty spot, Crone Ridge Woods, desperately hoping to find Madison Coehlo alive. Instead, she discovers the pregnant woman’s pale and lifeless body, killed in the spot where she loved to walk her dog. Madison looked after her sick mother and studied at community college, who could have wished her harm?

Madison’s mother is utterly broken by her brutal murder, but she cannot give Jo any insight into the tiny doll pushed into her daughter’s hand. Supposed to bring luck to whoever finds one, is it a coincidence or a warning from the killer? When Jo gets another frantic emergency call, she rushes to the scene, determined to catch this cruel monster before he can steal more innocent lives. Her heart pounds when she finds another identical plastic doll.

As the local community panics, Jo and her team work round the clock to keep other pregnant women safe. The call logs of the murdered expectant mothers give Jo the clue she desperately needs, but her heart splits in two when she realizes another woman is in danger. Can Jo get to her first, or is the killer pulling them both into a deadly trap?

My Thoughts:

I am so glad I decided to pick up this book.  It was the idea of the clues in the little plastic dolls that caught my eye at first, but I definitely enjoyed the story and feel like I'm going to have to go back to book one and read through it.

Chouinard crafted an intriguing story, with events that keep me guessing for sure.  After the first murder, is Jo dealing with a serial killer or is it a one off crime?  Then another victim emerges and it is a race against the clock for Jo to find the connection, before more pregnant women are also murdered.  Add in the family drama, with Jo's BIL's pregnant ex-mistress being the initial crime reporter and Jo is in a tough spot balancing her job and family loyalty.  

This is exactly why I need to go back and start the series at the beginning.  While the crime in this particular book wraps up, there are so many things I need to know about the characters, all while enjoying some more mysteries along the way.

Author Biography:

M.M. Chouinard’s first fiction story was published in her local paper when she was eight, and she fell in love with Agatha Christie novels not long after. While pursuing a Ph.D in psychology and helping to found the first U.S. research university of the new millenium, the stories kept rattling around inside her skull, demanding to come out. For sanity’s sake, she released them. She’s currently at work on her seventh novel.

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