City of Prey: An Ava Gold Mystery (Book 1)

Blake Pierce

Aug 2021 · An Ava Gold Mystery Book 1 · Blake Pierce

About this ebook

As the first female detective in 1920s New York City, Ava Gold has a lot to prove. But when a serial killer strikes, Ava finds herself up against an enemy more terrifying than she could ever imagine.

“A MASTERPIECE OF THRILLER AND MYSTERY. Blake 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. 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)

CITY OF PREY (An Ava Gold Mystery—Book 1) is the debut novel in a long-anticipated new series by #1 bestseller and USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose bestseller Once Gone (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

In the rough streets of 1920s New York City, 34 year-old Ava Gold, a widower and single mom, claws her way up to become the first female homicide detective in her NYPD precinct. She is as tough as they come, and willing to hold her own in a man’s world.

But when a psychotic serial killer unleashes a rampage, murdering young women across the city, Ava will have to search the dark canals of the twisted killer’s mind if she has any hope of hunting him down. With psychological profiling still in its infancy, and mocked by most, Ava will be even more alone as she follows her instinct, and hunts him down in a dangerous game of cat and mouse.

Just when it seems the stakes couldn’t be higher, Ava comes to an awful realization: she herself may be the next target.

Amidst the speakeasies, jazz clubs, mafia-run prohibition rings, horrific mental asylums and dangerous back alleys of the city, can Ava achieve what all the men cannot: enter the sick mind of a killer, and stop him before more women die?

A heart-pounding suspense thriller filled with shocking twists, the authentic and atmospheric AVA GOLD MYSTERY SERIES is a riveting page-turner, endearing us to a strong and brilliant character that will capture your heart and keep you reading late into the night.

Books #2-#6 are also available!

Ratings and reviews

This book, was a very good read, I felt extremely excited & the story held my attention. You definitely should be very proud of yourself, especially, writing such a strong subject matter, of woman detectives in the era of the 1930's, when women weren't even considered to be equal to men!!!

In this new series, City of Prey, readers are taken back to the late 1920s and introduced to Ava Gold as she begins her police work in the NYPD’s Women’s Bureau. The dialogue in the book clearly depicts the speech and attitudes from ninety plus years ago, and I was transported back in time. I loved the look back to the struggles for equality of women in the workforce. It was exciting to read Ava’s struggles toward catching and stopping this mentally unstable serial murderer while being able to cheer on her tenacity when obstacles continued to get in her way. This book was a creative switch from the more modern day FBI heroines from all of Blake Pierce’s other great series. City of Prey shows the perseverance of Ava and her female colleagues on the police force as they search to apprehend the hatchet-killer before claiming his next victim. I can’t wait for book two and more—I’m already a HUGE fan of Ava Gold and look forward to future reads as she makes a name for herself as a New York City homicide detective.

The setting is New York City ten years after the 19th amendment passes when women have secured the right to vote but little else. Ava Gold is a former jazz singer who has just lost her husband, a highly regarded police officer, and there are no leads to his killer. At her husband’s graveside, Police Captain Douglas Minard asks if there is anything he can do to help Ava and her young son. In a moment of emotional blackmail, determined to find her husband’s killer and fill his shoes as her son’s hero, Ava demands a job with the police. What follows is a glimpse into the social confines women faced and the determined and creative manner in which Ava bypasses them. Using her connections in the speakeasies, skills with her fists taught by her boxing instructor father, and intuition that leads her to investigate inside insane asylums, Ava hunts for the “Hatchet Killer” terrorizing the city. I have read over 80 books by Blake Pierce. This story was a little slow to start, but give it chance. Once Ava works her way into the police department and develops an ally in Detective Wimbly, you will be glad you stuck with it. One of my favorite parts of the story, and an example of Pierce’s chilling writing, is when Ava visits a man in prison that her husband arrested to gain insight into the mind of a murderer. As Blake Pierce does in some of his series, he leaves this story with a draw that make us desperate for the next book. Ava’s work is not done; her husband’s killer is still out there.

About the author

Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSIE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising nineteen books; of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising three books; of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising six books; of the ADELE SHARP mystery series, comprising thirteen books; of the EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series, comprising six books (and counting); of the new LAURA FROST FBI suspense thriller, comprising five books (and counting); of the new ELLA DARK FBI suspense thriller, comprising six books (and counting); of the A YEAR IN EUROPE cozy mystery series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the AVA GOLD mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); and of the RACHEL GIFT mystery series, comprising three books (and counting).

ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery--Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery--Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery--Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige--Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery--Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller--Book One), IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery--Book 1), and LEFT TO DIE (An Adele Sharp Mystery--Book One) are each 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.