Review: A Cry in the Dark by Jessica R. Patch

Author: Jessica R. Patch
Publisher: Love Inspired Trade
Publication Date:  February 2023

Deep in the Kentucky hills, three women have been found brutalized and murdered.
But the folks in Night Holler have their own ways and their own laws.
And they’re not talking…

Led to an isolated Appalachian Mountain town by a trail of disturbing murders, FBI special agent Violet Rainwater’s determined to catch a serial killer with a twisted agenda. With locals refusing to reveal their secrets, Violet’s only ally is Detective John Orlando. But even John has an ulterior motive—he’s convinced this case is connected to his wife’s murder.

As they dig deeper, Violet uncovers a link to her own unresolved past. For years she’s worked the cold case of her mother’s abduction, which had led to her birth. The need to look into the eyes of the sinful man who fathered her consumes Violet. Until she can, she’ll never have peace. Because she’s terrified she might be exactly like him.

In this chilling novel, when the present collides with Violet’s mysterious past and John’s tragic loss, they must unravel the warped, sinuous connections before the killer strikes again. But solving the case might not be nearly as terrifying as the possibility that Violet’s finally found her roots…

A Cry in the Dark is the second book in the FBI: Strange Crimes Unit series.  This one is Violet's story.  Out of the three in the series, this one is my favorite.  I loved Violet's story and how she found home and love with John as well as became more comfortable with her team.  The story does center around Violet's  hunt for a missing woman.  Along with the mystery of the missing woman, she my just figure out a larger msytery to which she is attached.

Violet's upbringing was so heartbreaking.  I can't even imagine growing up and not feeling loved by your own mother.  No matter how she was born, her mother's treatment of her was appalling.  I was rooting for Violet to realize that she was not evil like her father and that she was worthy of love.  Along with her and John's romance, I also enjoyed the mystery.  I was definitely kept guessing.  I highly recommend this one.