At this time I will not be reviewing this book because after reading book 2 and seeing how unlikable the main character has become I do not feel comfortable continuing this series.  I really enjoyed book 1, but Megan became overwhelmingly narcissistic in the second book. Additionally, the writing style was not for me.

I love this series with Megan and her side kick Ronnie.  They are a great team.

I cheered them on even as I was cringing at the risks they were taking.

The pages turned themselves as I  held my breath waiting to see what would happen to Megan.

I am so happy to read there will be another 3 books in the series:  can't wait to read them and see how Megan and Ronnie evolve.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture for letting me spend time in Megan's messed up world.

This book is the third in a series, and I have not read the first two. It works okay as a standalone, but I did feel like I was missing part of the story as there were a lot of references to events that obviously took place in the first two books in the series. I was able to pick up most of the previous storyline but it felt a bit disjointed. I would definitely recommend reading this series in order. Despite that, I did enjoy this fast-paced thriller enough to give it 4 stars.

* Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first book by Gregg Olsen, I haven't read the previous books in this series, but it wasn't a big deal. Though I believe my experience would have been more fulfilling if I had known what happened in the earlier books.

Yet, I managed to get to know the main character, Megan, quite well. Thanks to the author's good work, even with only this one book Megan looks like a complex and multidimensional character. I love that her dark and uneasy past isn't the only interesting thing about her, and Megan has a fascinating personality too. I also like her relationship with Ronnie. I believe that these two women, although so different, make a remarkably interesting duo. I'm also glad that Ronnie is also a more complicated girl than just a cute overzealous talker.

The plot is fine too, although it might be a bit too dark for some people. Just like the choices Megan made in previous books. Personally, it didn't bother me. It's a fast-paced story that you can read very quickly, with just the right amount of more or less unexpected twists and turns.

If I had to change anything, I'd probably leave out the murderer chapters. I believe that if we had not found out at a fairly early stage who the murderer is and what motivates them to kill, the stakes would be much higher and we would be much more surprised at the end. But this can also be just my problem because it seems to me that recently I more and more enjoy being surprised by the identity of the murderer.

It is a very good book that makes me want to check out other works by this author. Including the previous books in this series.

I would like to thank the author (Gregg Olsen), the publisher (Bookouture), and netgalley.com for the e-ARC of Dark Falls in exchange for my unbiased review.

Dark Falls, Detective Megan Carpenter’s third outing, starts almost a month after she and Ronnie Marsh – the trainee deputy – stop a serial killer and almost get themselves killed in the process. Megan is being stalked by someone who knows all about her murky and violent past. Whoever it is has upped their game now, by gruesomely killing a woman who had helped Megan in the past and was one of the very few friends she has had in her turbulent life. Megan has only one suspect – the sibling of the person responsible making her what she is. Now, she has to catch the killer and neutralize him, in order to avenge her friend’s murder and to prevent the secrets of her past from derailing her somewhat agreeable present.

Megan’s is a difficult character to readily like or dislike. Her aversion to playing by the rules and her readiness to use people to achieve her ends make her quite unpredictable. She seems to be living in her past most of the time, replaying often the old tape recordings of her sessions with her psychiatrist. Her longing to put her past to rest and lead a normal life like so many others shows a vulnerability inside her tough veneer. Intriguing though she is, her cynicism, her unsociable behaviour, and her obsession with her past starts to grate a bit. But, to lighten all that bleakness, the author has created Ronnie, whom he has made more endearing in her second appearance. Sheriff Gray is another fine character, but the reason for his trust and leniency towards Megan in spite of her faults is as yet unclear.

Dark Falls, like its predecessor Water’s Edge, is atmospheric, fast paced and is quite gripping in its narration. These factors, along with the strong central characters, make this novel a compelling read. However, I dearly wish that Megan’s obsession with her past is finished with this book and that the future ones in this series have her fighting crimes unrelated to herself. I would recommend Dark Falls to those crime thriller buffs who like powerful female protagonists and would advise that they read the series from the start for a better experience. My rating for this intense thriller is 3.5 out of 5, the extra half being exclusively for Ronnie.

Here you can see the problem with writing first person POV; when you want to tell us things the main character doesn't know you have to put in chapters with third person POV. It's messy, and here it's not even necessary, because Megan doesn't care about this bad guy's history, and then neither should we.Otherwise, this is a well written and entertaining story with good characters.

Unfortunately, I found this third novel in the Detective Megan Carpenter series a somewhat tedious read. It could be because I am tired of novels where the investigator is also the one being targeted by the murderer. We know from previous books in this series that Megan is haunted by her past. With her mother and brother she was constantly on the run and even now with a new identity to keep her hidden is constantly looking over her shoulder.

When a woman from her past, who helped Megan and other victims of crime, is found hideously tortured and murdered and a photo of Megan as a teenager is left at the scene, Megan immediately assumes that someone connected with her past is responsible. She decides who it has to be without any evidence, except for the photo and the link to the victim, not even considering other suspects and the Sheriff seems happy to let her do that. Although the Sheriff doesn't know all her secrets, he know something of her past and that she is connected to the victim, but yet lets her continue to run the case with only a trainee detective to assist. It felt to me that Megan was overly obsessed by her past, if not a little deranged, and I wasn't at all surprised when she later put herself directly into harm's way. I also wasn't terribly convinced by the psychotic murderer's motives for the people killed or for targeting Megan and even the action packed ending wasn't enough for me to feel invested in the suspense.

I think if Megan can now move on from her past, this could be a good series. She is a good detective with good instincts and a character you could warm to, especially if she can learn to relax and open up to people a bit more. I really like Ronnie, the smart, over-sharing rookie detective and Megan's love interest, wood carver Dan is an interesting character (who puts up with a lot from her). However, if Megan is still the target for ripples from her past in the next book then I think I'm done with this series, although I'm sure Gregg Olsen will remain a favourite author.

What a fabulous dynamic duo with Detective Megan Carpenter and her partner, Reserve Detective Ronnie Marsh, as they work to  find the killer of Monique Delmont who was a friend to Megan years ago.  

This is the third book in the Detective Megan Carpenter series, but works well as a standalone.  Megan has a lot of baggage in her past that she is still struggling to deal with including a stalker.  Reserve Detective Marsh has finished her rotation and is being hired as a full-time deputy.  Marsh is assigned to work with Megan on the case and what a great team they make.  This is a fast-paced book with a lot of action and suspense to it.  

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this outstanding nail biter that I really enjoyed in exchange for an honest review.  I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

Megan Carpenter, Gregg Olsen's lead character and Detective in Dark Falls, is a fantastic character - deeply flawed (and she knows it - and rationalizes it), but for me the star of this book was Ronnie Marsh  (is she her assistant.? Megan is unclear)... the relationship between the two women is such a fun dynamic. In Dark Falls, Megan's past comes back to haunt her - all the she's trying to keep it under wraps, especially from Ronnie. Megan is thrust into a case helping to solve the murder of a woman from her past that has ties to the present. It's a solid, well-thought-out mystery that will keep you turning the pages long after bedtime. I hope Mr. Olsen keeps developing the women's relationship in further books, as it's going to be so fun to see where he takes them next.

A strong, character-driven suspense hinged on the main character's past catching up with her. Gregg Olsen's veteran writing skill shines through as he adeptly maneuvers a furtive storyline around an intriguing and gruesome crime investigation. New readers can feel comfortable jumping right in with book three but veteran fans are offered a pretty hefty development in Carpenter's character. Loved it!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #DarkFalls which was read and reviewed voluntarily. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#MeganCarpenterSeries #crimefiction #suspensenovels #booklove #bookish #bookit #booklists #bookstagram #bookblogging #booksontour #TeamBookouture #bookoutureanonymous #kindlegoals #greggolsen

Gregg Olsen has done it again! Dark Falls pulled me in from the very beginning- as all his books do. The story flowed so well and I thoroughly enjoyed going through and trying to figure out the twists- and being ultimately surprised. 5/5 stars!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher.   Good page turner which will have you gripped to the end,   great storyline and great characters.  I really enjoyed it.

I love Gregg Olsen and read the first two books in the series, so I was thrilled when I was approved to read Dark Falls. While the first 2 books entertained me and kept me guessing throughout, I found this book dragging at times. I will say, it had a great ending though!

Dark Falls is the third in the Megan Carpenter series.  I enjoyed the first two, but found this one lacking.  
Once again, we hear from both Megan and the killer.  Megan is called to the scene of a gruesome murder and discovers she knew the woman.  Monique Delmont had helped Megan back in her prior life.  Now, her good deeds have been punished.  
I have to admit that it’s getting a little boring that every case Megan works ties into her personal life.  Really?   How many folks have been “influenced” by the initial serial killer? The book requires a knowledge from the prior two books and definitely can’t be read as a standalone.  
Ronnie, Megan’s reserve deputy is still a hardworking trainee, doing whatever she can to get to be involved.  She was one of the bright spots in this book.  I’m tired of damaged lead characters and Megan is definitely damaged goods.  
The book is fast paced.   We know the killer, but Megan does not.  So, it’s more the suspense of how she’ll outwit the individual.  
My thanks to netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of this book.

I've read other books by Gregg Olsen, and Dark Falls does not disappoint. 

I liked the relationship between the main character, Megan, and her new partner, Ronnie. Their building friendship and banter are highlighted and written well into the storyline. The characters are three dimensional and all unique. The dialogue is believable, and the storyline kept my interest and had me guessing who was involved. I wanted Megan to open up and trust the chief more, but it was understandable why she had issues. However, it did get a bit repetitive that the character kept mentioning her trauma and her trust issues.

#DarkFalls #NetGalley

This was an interesting book and it read well, it just wasn’t for me.....................................

This is my first book by this author and it won’t be my last.  
Even though this was book three in a series, I was able to keep Up.  
This book had me hooked from page one and I enjoyed the mystery and the fast pace as well as the main character

well written mystery, at times a little confusing with so many characters and back story but overall it kept my interest and was fast reading.

Dark Falls by Gregg Olsen starts with the scene of a murder and continues fast-paced through to the end. I enjoy reading this thriller series and the interactions of the main characters. Dark Falls is the third and deals with Megan's hidden past. If you have not read the previous books, it will not be difficult to follow the focus of this book. 
Detective Megan Carpenter is called to a crime scene that proves to be anything but routine. Sheriff Tony Gray approaches Megan's car before she can get out and shows her two pictures that were found at the crime scene. She is surprised to see a recent picture of herself and shocked when Sheriff Gray hands her a picture from her school years during a dark time she has tried to hide. Megan has worked hard to rise above the traumatic childhood she experienced and to make sure no one knows the secrets she has carefully covered. She soon finds out someone from her past is targeting the few people she cares about.
I won't post spoilers, but the threat for Megan is real, her past is closing in on her present, and she must find this killer! I am happy Ronnie is a more active part of the team. I am curious how much of her past Megan will reveal to Sheriff Gray in the next book.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Publication Date: December 4, 2020

Thank you to  NetGalley, Gregg Olsen and Bookouture for giving me the chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

Gregg Olsen can do no wrong when he writes a book. This book is fabulous and kept me riveted from the very first few pages. 

This is the third book in the Megan Carpenter series. I have not read the first two but was able to read this as a stand alone with no issues. The Author does a great job in giving us glimpses into her background and the other characters in the book. 

Dark Falls starts with a murder and the reader quickly learns this is someone that means something to Detective Megan Carpenter. She very soon realizes that not only is she in terrible danger but the people whom she loves and are near to her heart, are also in danger. This book is a page gripper. It is something to savor and read again. I loved it that much. As the reader, I live in Washington state, and the Author does a fabulous job describing the little towns here and the people who populate them.