Cause to Kill (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1)

Blake Pierce

Jul 2016 · An Avery Black Mystery Book 1 · Blake Pierce

About this ebook

“A dynamic story line that grips from the first chapter and doesn't let go.”

--Midwest Book Review, Diane Donovan (regarding Once Gone)

From #1 bestselling mystery author Blake Pierce comes a new masterpiece of psychological suspense.

Homicide Detective Avery Black has been through hell. Once a top criminal defense attorney, she fell from grace when she managed to get a brilliant Harvard professor off—only to watch him kill again. She lost her husband and her daughter, and her life fell apart around her.

Trying to redeem herself, Avery has turned to the other side of the law. Working her way up the ranks, she has reached Homicide Detective, to the scorn of her fellow officers, who still remember what she did, and who will always hate her.

Yet even they cannot deny Avery’s brilliant mind, and when a disturbing serial killer strikes fear into the heart of Boston, killing girls from elite colleges, it is Avery that they turn to. It is Avery’s chance to prove herself, to finally find the redemption she craves. And yet, as she is soon to find out, Avery has come up against a killer as brilliant and daring as she.

In this game of psychological cat and mouse, women are dying with mysterious clues, and the stakes could not be higher. A frantic race against time leads Avery through a series of shocking and unexpected twists—culminating in climax that even Avery could not imagine.

A dark psychological thriller with heart-pounding suspense, CAUSE TO KILL marks the debut of a riveting new series—and a beloved new character—that will leave you turning pages late into the night.

Book #2 in the Avery Black series is also now available!

“A masterpiece of thriller and mystery. Pierce did a magnificent job developing characters with a psychological side, so well described that we feel inside their minds, follow their fears and cheer for their success. The plot is very intelligent and will keep you entertained throughout the book. Full of twists, this book will keep you awake until the turn of the last page.”

--Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Once Gone) 

Ratings and reviews

I loved this book. It was enticing and gripping all the way to the end. I felt the isolation and loneliness of Avery. The story line was in constant motion and twisting turns. It came alive and I felt the intentness and determination of Avery from start to finish. I felt empathy for the strained relationship with her daughter but there was always that underlying hope of resolution and reunification for the bond to develop between the two of them. I felt the fear and shock and wonder of the victims. The dire situation they were in with the slow awareness they were going to die. I liked that it didn't get too gruesome as to the acts that precipitated their deaths but you felt the fear and idia of pain that was too come. Truly great read.

In comparison to the Riley Paige books, that was grim, but I couldn't put it down. Not impressed with the frequent spelling mistakes I came across, I think the writer needs a better proofreader. Not sure if I will ever read the other books, I'd rather finish like Avery Black with a happy ending riding off into the sunset. POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT; just for once I'd like to read a murder book where they just up and catch the perp in the end, too many books conclude these grisly tales with a blaze of glory and a ton of paperwork.

Interesting plot line, basically well written, but the NUMEOUS TYPOS & grammatical errors throughout were disappointing. A bit more character development would have made this a 4+ star read. This book appears to be self-published. It's a shame the author didn't work with a professional rep/book editor. If they had I believe this book series would have been worthy of being picked up & promoted by an established publishing house. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading!

About the author

 Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which include the mystery suspense thrillers ONCE GONE (book #1), ONCE TAKEN (book #2) and ONCE CRAVED (#3).  Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series.

ONCE GONE (book #1), which has over 100 five star reviews, is available as a free download on Google Play!

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.