Detective Billie Ann Wilde #2
By: Willow Rose
ISBN: 9781835252635
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: 03/18/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
A discovery of bones on a windswept beach, the disappearance of a young woman, and a detective whose secrets are about to come out…
Summoned to a crime scene swarming with people, Detective Billie Ann Wilde is devastated to find a woman’s broken bones abandoned in a suitcase on the sand of a popular Florida beach. And Billie’s blood runs cold when she reads the name “Danni” handwritten on the luggage tag in black ink: the name of Billie’s own best friend.
Rushing over to Danni’s home, Billie is relieved to find her alive, preparing dinner for her two young daughters. So whose bones are in the suitcase? And why was Danni’s name at the scene?
For years, Billie has worried that the dark secrets in her past might put her loved ones in danger, and soon her connection to the case is confirmed. Another set of bones is found at a busy local mall. With shaking hands Billie reaches out to read the luggage tag where another name is written in black ink: but this time, it’s Billie’s own name. And now, Danni has gone missing…
Can Billie face up to the past and unravel her connection to this twisted killer? Or, with two young women already gone, is it too late for Billie to save Danni’s life?
A twisty, heart-stopping new crime thriller in the Billie Ann Wilde series, from international bestseller Willow Rose. Readers of Lisa Regan, Mary Stone and Kendra Elliot won’t be able to stop turning the pages.
AVAILABLE IN e-book, paperback, (Bookouture)
and Audio formats (Hachette UK - Bookouture)
Narrator: Lisa Rost-Welling
March 18, 2024
Series: Billie AnnWilder #2
About the Author
Willow Rose is a multi-million-copy best-selling Author and an Amazon ALL-star Author of more than 90 novels. Several of her books have reached the top 10 of ALL books on Amazon in the US, UK, and Canada. She has sold more than six million books all over the world.
She writes Mystery, Thriller, Paranormal, Romance, Suspense, Horror, Supernatural thrillers, and Fantasy. Willow's books are fast-paced, nail-biting page turners with twists you won't see coming. That's why her fans call her The Queen of Plot-Twists.
Willow lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. When she is not writing or reading, you will find her surfing and watch the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic Ocean. WEBSITE
BOOKS BY WILLOW ROSE:
EVA RAE THOMAS MYSTERY SERIES:
- So We Lie (Eva Rae Thomas prequel)
- Don't Lie To Me (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 1)
- What You Did (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 2)
- Never Ever (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 3)
- Say You Love Me (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 4)
- Let Me Go (Eva Rae Thomas Mystery Book 5)
- It's Not Over (Eva Rae Thomas#6)
- Not Dead Yet (Eva Rae Thomas # 7)
- To Die For (Eva Rae Thomas # 8)
- Such a Good Girl (Eva Rae Thomas#9)
- Little Did She Know (Eva Rae Thomas #10)
- You Better Run (Eva Rae Thomas #11)
- Say it isn't so (Eva Rae Thomas #12)
- Too Pretty To Die (Eva Rae Thomas #13)
- Till Death Do Us Part (Eva Rae Thomas #14)
HARRY HUNTER MYSTERY SERIES:
- All The Good Girls (Harry Hunter Mystery #1)
- Run Girl Run (Harry Hunter Mystery #2)
- No Other Way (Harry Hunter Mystery #3)
- Never Walk Alone (Harry Hunter#4)
MARY MILLS MYSTERY SERIES:
- What Hurts the Most (Mary Mills Mystery #1)
- You Can Run (Mary Mills Mystery #2)
- You Can't Hide (Mary Mills Mystery #3)
- Careful Little Eyes (Mary Mills Mystery#4)
JACK RYDER MYSTERY SERIES:
- Hit the Road Jack (Jack Ryder #1)
- Slip out the Back Jack (Jack Ryder #2)
- The House That Jack Built (Jack Ryder #3)
- Black Jack (Jack Ryder #4)
- Girl Next Door (Jack Ryder#5)
- Her Final Word (Jack Ryder #6)
- Don't Tell (Jack Ryder#7)
REBEKKA FRANCK MYSTERY SERIES:
- One, two ... He is coming for you (Rebekka Franck #1)
- Three, Four ... Better lock your door (Rebekka Franck #2)
- Five, Six ... Grab your crucifix (Rebekka Franck#3)
- Seven, Eight ... Gonna stay up late (Rebekka Franck #4)
- Nine, Ten ... Never sleep again (Rebekka Franck#5)
- Eleven, Twelve ... Dig and Delve (Rebekka Franck #6)
- Thirteen, Fourteen ... Little Boy Unseen (Rebekka Franck#7)
- Better Not Cry (Rebekka Franck #8)
- Ten Little Girls (Rebekka Franck #9)
- It Ends Here (Rebekka Franck #10)
EMMA FROST MYSTERY SERIES:
- Itsy Bitsy Spider (Emma Frost #1)
- Miss Polly had a Dolly (Emma Frost #2)
- Run Run as Fast as You Can (Emma Frost #3)
- Cross Your Heart and Hope to Die (Emma Frost #4)
- Peek-A-Boo I See You (Emma Frost#5)
- Tweedledum and Tweedledee (Emma Frost#6)
- Easy as One Two Three (Emma Frost#7)
- There's No Place like Home (Emma Frost #8)
- Slenderman (Emma Frost#9)
- Where the Wild Roses Grow (Emma Frost#10)
- Waltzing Matilda (Emma Frost #11)
- Drip Drop Dead (Emma Frost #12)
- Black Frost (Emma Frost #13)
UMBRELLA MAN SERIES:
- Umbrella Man (umbrella man trilogy book 1)
- Blackbird Fly (umbrella man trilogy book 2)
STAND-ALONE MYSTERY/THRILLER/HORROR/POST-APOCALYPTIC:
- Sorry Can't Save You
- In Cold Blood
- The Surge
- Girl Divided
- In One Fell Swoop
- To Hell in a Handbasket
- Rock-A-Bye Baby
- Nibble, Nibble, Crunch
- Eenie, Meenie
- Humpty Dumpty
- Edwina
- Chain Letter
- Better Watch Out
- Mommy Dearest
- The Bird
FANTASY/PNR SERIES:
- Flesh and Blood (Vampires of Shadow Hills #1)
- Blood and Fire (Vampires of Shadow Hills #2)
- Fire and Beauty (Vampires of Shadow Hills #3)
- Beauty and Beasts (Vampires of Shadow Hills #4)
- Beasts and Magic (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #5)
- Magic and Witchcraft (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #6)
- Witchcraft and War (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #7)
- War and order (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #8)
- Order and Chaos (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #9)
- Chaos and Courage (The Vampires of Shadow Hills #10)
- Beyond (Afterlife #1)
- Serenity (Afterlife #2)
- Endurance (Afterlife #3)
- Courageous (Afterlife#4)
- Savage (Daughters of the Jaguar #1)
- Broken (Daughters of the Jaguar #2)
- Song for a Gypsy (The Wolfboy Chronicles)
- I am Wolf (The Wolfboy Chronicles)
Exceptional Authors. Standout Books.
Elevator Talk.
INTRIGUING QUESTIONS. INQUIRING READERS WANT TO KNOW.
Welcome to #LitLift Mini Elevator Author Chats
with internationally bestselling author Willow Rose
Then She's Gone
Welcome to the March 2024 #LiftLift Mini Author Chats (a mini #AuthorElevatorSeries)—and joining us for the first time, newfound and notable guest Willow Rose—a multi-million-copy international bestselling author with more than 90 novels. Her latest highly anticipated crime thriller, THEN SHE'S GONE, is the second in her popular Detective Billie Ann Wilder series, March 18th. Join us as Willow shares some quick behind-the-scenes from the book and up-close and personal from this talented author. Welcome, Willow!
BEHIND THE BOOK
Q. Give us your best ELEVATOR PITCH for Then She's Gone.
Detective Billie Ann Wilde is called out to a gruesome scene. A suitcase has been found on the beach, containing a woman’s broken bones. Billie Ann reaches for the tag on the suitcase and realizes it belongs to her best friend and the woman she’s madly in love with, Danni.
Q. DESCRIBE your novel in three words or less.
Fast-paced, nail-biting whodunnit!
Q. TOPICS: Name 1-3 topics or themes addressed in the novel.
Divorce, coming out late in life, love, kidnapping, murder.
Q. DID YOU KNOW?
Name 3-5 things (or more) that readers may not know about THEN SHE’S GONE or the Billie Ann Wilde series.
I have built the series partly on my own story, as I came out as gay at the age of 45, after being married for twenty years and having two children.
Billie Ann shares my story, and in this book, her love interest, the woman she fell in love with and realized she was gay, is being kidnapped, and she has to find her before it’s too late.
Q. UPCOMING: Can you share what you are currently working on or what is next in ten words or less (or more)?
I am finishing the third book in this series, In Her Grave, which will be out in June 2024.
BEHIND THE AUTHOR
Q. DID YOU KNOW?
Name 3-5 things readers may not know about YOU, the author.
I’m from Denmark originally, and moved to Florida fifteen years ago.
I wrote my first five books in Danish and published them with a Danish publishing house.
I didn’t start writing in English till I moved here.
I love to surf when I have the time.
I hate wearing socks.
Thank you, Willow, for spending time with us today!
DETECTIVE BILLIE ANN WILDE
DON'T LET HER GO #1 5 Stars
THEN SHE'S GONE #2 5 Stars
My Review
Internationally bestselling author Willow Rose returns following Don't Let Her Go (#1) with her popular Detective Billie Ann Wilder Series #2, THEN SHE'S GONE — when Detective Wilde is called out to a crime scene on the Florida coast, she discovers a suitcase containing bones (human remains) —and gets caught up in a complex web of secrets, lies, revenge, and murder —when the past and present collides.
Billie is shocked to find the tag and the suitcases belong to her best friend and the woman she loves.
What follows is an intense, multi-layered, complex, high-stakes search with three connecting storylines that may be closer and more dangerous than she can imagine in this twisty, darkly thrilling cop procedural crime thriller.
Set in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Detective Billie Ann Wilde is still dealing with her personal issues (she recently came out as gay) with her husband (Joe) of eighteen years and three children in the last book. They are trying to work towards a divorce while Billie is tackling some highly personal tough cases.
Billie has always secretly loved her best friend, Danielle Simmons —Danni is also married to Mike. They have not acted on those feelings. Danni has twin daughters.
However, when she sees Danni's suitcase with her name on the tag, she is frantic about ensuring her friend is OK. She is, but what is going on?
How did they get her suitcase, and whose bones are inside? A woman's human remains. Is Danni in danger? She could never allow anything to happen to her.
A gruesome discovery now known as the Suitcase Murder made even more chilling is its proximity to where families come for vacation and relaxation—a reminder that evil can lurk anywhere, regardless of how peaceful it may look on the surface.
Later, they discover more suitcases with bones/body parts. From the beach, mall, airport, a trail...an intense investigation is underway with all bodies on board, causing even more friction at home with Joe/Billie and the kids due to Billie's working around the clock.
Soon, one shows up with her name on one of the tags, and Danni has gone missing after not returning from a run.
The clock is ticking... Could all these cases be connected?
What is the connection to this twisted killer? Who is the woman whose body is in the suitcases? A woman dismembered into sixteen pieces.
Three different cases:
~Joanne Edwards - A missing woman after a night out with her coworkers
~The Suitcase Murders
~Then: A 30-year-old case of a brother/sister convicted of killing their stepdad. They were the youngest in American history to have been tried as adults and be sent to adult prison. Both got 15 years and have been out 15 years.
Interspersed with the cases are the transcripts of (THEN) interviews with Josephine, Carol, and Bobby Durst, Detective Michael Smith, Detective Lenny Travis (Billie's former partner), and Sergeant Joseph Mill. A young girl, Josephine, and her brother, Bobby, are accused of killing their stepfather. Was it the sister, brother, or mother (Carol)?
Billie also has a new boss, Chief of Police Becky Harold, a former Marine and Air Force Pilot before her career in the police. She does not take crap from anyone, and Billie hides the fact she is emotionally invested in this case. Otherwise, she will remove her, and she needs to stay on the case until they find her out.
Told from POVs: Billie, Randy (Joanne's husband), and several others related to the storylines.
How are Danni and Billie connected to the suitcases? Billie's dark past unravels in this INTENSE thrills-by-minute mystery suspense whodunit. Another twisty, heart-stopping new crime thriller in the Billie Ann Wilde series from international bestseller Willow Rose.
Wow, what a book and series! I was hanging on every word. UNPUTDOWNABLE! It checks all the boxes.
I am late to the game, only recently discovering this talented fellow Floridan author (located north of me in Cocoa Beach). When I read the first book in the Detective Bille Ann Wilder series, Don't Let Her Go, I was HOOKED and blown away by this dynamic crime thriller, cop procedural series, and highly relatable detective. I could not wait to read #2. I love her style.
THEN SHE'S GONE is Gritty, intelligent, edgy, twisty, and electrifying!
Set in Florida, THEN SHE'S GONE is the second book in this dazzling new series—I devoured it.
What I enjoy about this author is her excellent writing skills, twisty plots, highly relatable protagonist, vivid settings, fascinating storylines that could be ripped from today's headlines, heart-pounding suspense, and how she openly shares the inspiration behind the book with her readers (a prominent plus-wish more authors would do so).
The author expertly combines three different storylines (all inspired by TRUE stories)— you cannot even imagine how the three will converge—explosive! I would have never guessed. I enjoy stories in my backyard—The two storylines are set in Florida (one here in Palm Beach County— Delray Beach, three suitcases, the Intracoastal waterway), and they are spine-chilling!
I adore the flawed and relatable Detective Billie Ann Wilde (a wife and mother of three), who is dealing with a divorce after recently coming out as gay. The series is stand-out!
If you are a fan of intelligent #crimethrillers #copprocedurals #truecrime #suspense #psycholgoicalthrillers #mystery #detective #femalesleuths and #domesticsuspense, you will devour this series—I highly recommend it!
I look forward to #3 in the series, In Her Grave, coming (June 26, 2024). A cliffhanger.
This is a must-read series for fans of Lisa Unger, Lisa Gardner, Karin Slaughter, and Christina McDonald. Thriller fans, get this author and series on your TBR list now! It's out March 18th.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a gifted digital ARC for my honest opinion.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 18, 2024
My Rating: 5 Stars ++
