Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“It’s summer, and a cunning, demented killer is rising.”

You know what, after reading the third book in this series, I’ve come to love Carolyn Ryder so much that I’ll be pretty sad when I’ve finished! I’m reading all these books out of season order, but I’m past caring because I’m enjoying them all so much! It was quite refreshing reading a summer setting as the weather here is getting colder and colder, and this book really turns up the heat. I’m so happy to be sharing my review of book three in The Killing Seasons series, A Summer’s Kill!

Check out my reviews of the first two books in the series; A Winter’s Kill, A Spring Kill.

About the book

Carolyn Ryder made a choice that she may come to regret. It’s been three months now since her near-death encounter with the country’s most wanted Sam Pritchard, and still no sign of him. Returning to the coastal haven of Erin’s Bay, she soon catches the unwanted attention of the new Chief of Police, Clayton Morelli. He’s more than a little curious about the woman who lives in the beach house high on the clifftops.

Then there is the town’s newest resident, Ellie Sutton. A mysterious young woman with an uncertain past who lives down by the boat harbor. Ellie avoids attention at every turn — that is until she puts a burly trawlerman into the local hospital with a broken arm.

Despite Pritchard’s vanishing act, Carolyn knows he’s not finished with her. Like a slow, creeping death, he’s out there, somewhere, watching and waiting to enact his revenge.

It’s summer, but something cold and murderous is lurking in the shadows of the township.

The worst thing you can do is try to kill a serial killer… and fail.

The beginning

I remember the second book in this series taking me a little longer to get into than the first, but I’m pleased to report that I felt the same starting this book as I did about the opening to the first book. I fell straight into a hot Erin’s Bay summer, and we get a great intro chapter to a brand new character, Clayton Morelli, the new Chief of Police (and possibly winner of best character name award!) I loved learning about his life, his toxic ex-wife who did everything in her power to hurt him. She was basically a con artist, and his move to the police was to get away from all that, to do something worthwhile with his life, something meaningful. Very quickly, I felt like I’d known Clay forever! We also effortlessly get up to speed with Carolyn’s life in the three months that had passed since her face off with Sam Pritchard on that rocky ledge in A Spring Kill. I can still remember that scene as if I read it yesterday! Pritchard was still at large though, something that was lying heavily on Carolyn. Would she get him this time around? I felt a little fearful thinking of that guy again. He is nightmare fuel!

“Morelli started the SUV, peeled off the shoulder of the road, and headed back to town thinking about what his father had told him once about the ocean. When you threw something you didn’t want into it, the ocean always had a strange way of carrying it back to you.”

As soon as Emma was mentioned, a character from book two that I really hoped would play a part in this book, I did a little cheer. She has a new identity; she’s Ellie now. She’s learning the ropes, learning how to use her skills for good, how to catch the bad guys, all the work involved. And she’d be such a useful person to have in their corner. I couldn’t wait for her to be more involved! But before all that, a body is found in Erin’s Bay, washed up by the shore. And Carolyn is the first to spot it. Not only is finding this body a big event in itself, but it was also the moment where Carolyn and Morelli first meet. I loved how they interacted with each other, their conversation almost challenging each other, quite fiery. She doesn’t want to tell him much about her, but he is so curious about what she’s hiding. They had a really nice subtle chemistry too, especially as they meet for a second time. I’ll be honest, I really wanted a bit of happiness for Carolyn as she battles her terminal illness, so it would be interesting to see how this relationship developed. I loved the opening to this book!

The middle

It seemed Erin’s Bay had its own fair share of toxic men, hidden out of sight, men just as bad as Pritchard. Their sickening game was kidnapping and abusing young women, and what’s more is that they really had it in for Morelli. Reese Hutchins was the guy his wife cheated with, and their loathing for one another was very clear. I became fearful of what he and his minions might do to Morelli, given the chance. I love how this author writes from his killer/villain’s perspectives. It always gets incredibly dark and unnerving, and I always see these characters, fear them as though they are real people. As another body and message is found, this time in close proximity to Carolyn’s home, Morelli starts to think there is a link between Carolyn and these murders. He finds himself once again questioning her past, the things she’s keeping hidden. Even though Pritchard was laying low, I could weirdly sense him somewhere, lurking in the shadows or planning his return. When would he come back for Carolyn and Ellie after being unsuccessful in his attempt to kill them previously?

“I decide to trust my instincts about how I felt at that moment today. They have never let me down. It wasn’t a trick of the light, the glare of the sun, or me losing my marbles. I did see someone.”

By this point, I became a little suspicious of a character who had shown an interest in Carolyn; Joel Renner. He’s an author and her closest neighbour, despite being 20 minutes away. He seemed to have a romantic interest in her and at first, he seemed genuine. But then there were certain details which set me off thinking he wasn’t entirely trustworthy. I was surprised that Carolyn didn’t pick up on any of this with her being ex-FBI. Even though what came next was a little predictable, it was still brilliantly executed. We see Carolyn and Ellie get into their own separate sticky situations which really ramped up that tension. But there is also a much darker side of this book with suicidal, depressive thoughts which may be a trigger for some people, so just a gentle warning. There was one certain chapter that was probably the darkest yet in this series, which was not only pretty terrifying, but it also brought a tear to my eye. It was very powerful, such a sensitive topic written with such care and attention. The suspense was certainly ramping up here!

The end

I raced through this ending as there were so many things I wanted answers to and I was just desperate for them! This is the part of JK Ellem’s books where everything escalates, the danger ramps up, the pacing gets faster and you’re left on the edge of your seat. The description of such darkness was so atmospheric and really has you feeling like you’re experiencing everything first-hand; everything from metal staircases and murky shadows, to dried blood and sheets of ice. There was such an epic build up to that potential moment when Carolyn once again finds herself face to face with the man she wants dead. I was so desperate for her to get her revenge this time around! But things don’t go as I predicted. In fact, it was far, far from it. As much as I would have loved a repeat of A Spring Kill‘s ending, this direction opened up so many new doors and potential for the series to come, which I loved. The wrap up these characters gave, their version of what happened to them was great and it answered many of my questions. But it wasn’t over. So, what next?

“I start climbing, my feet clanging on the metal treads; around and around I go up the narrow cylinder, the Devil waiting for me at the top.”

There was work to do. A lot of work. Once again, Pritchard slips from their grasp, just as they think they’re close to bringing him down. This guy, man. He seems indestructible! I loved how Carolyn, Ellie and Vega set back to work almost instantly, doing meticulous research, looking into every possible scenario to try and find Pritchard’s whereabouts, to form a brand new plan. And I was so ready to dive into a new book and follow yet another incredibly dangerous journey for justice. I really liked how Carolyn experiences a brief encounter of passion; she sure as hell deserves it after everything she’d been through, and even though the future of everything is uncertain, I knew she was ready to give it her all, bring down the man that has caused her so much pain, and live a life that makes her happy. In this book, I did miss Pritchard’s perspective, but I had a feeling he’d be back in the next book, making us fear him all the more. If you love a dark crime, mystery or thriller, I think this series might just be for you. If you do try it, let me know what you think!

Overall thoughts

A Summer’s Kill is yet another dark, tension-filled read in this series, completely stuffed with the suspense and unease that I’ve come to love with JK Ellem’s books. In book three, Carolyn is back after a showdown with Sam Pritchard, the country’s most wanted killer, three months ago. And if it’s even possible, I feared this guy even more in this book. Knowing he was out there somewhere, waiting to strike again, made me feel nauseous, quite frankly. Carolyn’s development in this book was excellent, and this book is probably my favourite yet in terms of character building. We go so much deeper into her life which made me love her even more. There are new characters to love and to hate which kept the plot interesting and always had me eager to read just one more chapter. And the ending… book four, I am coming for you! Gritty, action-packed and a whole lotta fun if you love dark crime/thriller!

You can grab A Summer’s Kill right now on Amazon! Make sure you’re following the author on Instagram for more updates.

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