On a quiet afternoon in the park, four-year-old Joey plays in the sandbox, when a stranger approaches looking for his puppy. While Joey’s mom, Crystal, talks on her cell phone, the stranger convinces the child to help search. By the time Crystal turns around, her son has disappeared. Yet her reaction is odd, not what one would expect from a distraught mother. Is Crystal somehow involved in her son’s abduction? Meanwhile, on a ranch outside Houston, Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong assesses a symbol left on the hide of a slaughtered longhorn, a figure that dates back to a forgotten era of sugarcane plantations and slavery. Soon other prizewinning bulls are butchered on the outskirts of the city, each bearing a similar drawing. The investigations converge at the same time a catastrophic hurricane looms in the Gulf. Finally, as dangerous winds and torrential rains pummel the city, Sarah is forced to risk her life to save Joey.
The Killing Storm (Sarah Armstrong)
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Book Description
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Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
When someone kills prize longhorn bulls on ranches outside Houston, marking African symbols on their hides, Texas Ranger profiler Sarah Armstrong gets the case. But she’s drawn more to the kidnapping of a four-year-old boy whose young mother seems oddly unaffected by her son’s disappearance (FBI profiler David Garrity, Sarah’s lover, asks for her help on the case). At the same time, a category 4 hurricane, Juanita, is stalling over the Gulf and gaining strength as it heads for Galveston. The intertwining of the two cases may strain credulity, but the resolution does not, as Sarah frantically seeks answers, in the process making a wrenching decision about whether to leave her 12-year-old daughter, Maggie, who’s already lost one parent, in order to face death at the height of the storm for the sake of another child. This third entry (after Blood Lines, 2009) leaves open plenty of issues, both personal and professional, for Sarah, guaranteeing continuing interest in the series. Solid crime fiction with a real feel for the humanity of the characters. --Michele Leber
Review
A best book of 2010! --Library Journal
"[A]suspenseful thriller. Readers waiting patiently for the next J.A. Jance mystery will want to try this exciting read. " -- Library Journal (starrred review)
"Pulse-pounding action." --Kirkus Reviews
"...the best in the series to date." --Publishers Weekly
"Solid crime fiction with a real feel for the humanity of the characters." -- Booklist
"Every now and then a book takes me by surprise. I go into it with expectations and have them dashed and replaced with something else. Opening THE KILLING STORM I was expecting a fast paced book about a detective. What I got was so much more. I finished reading this book and felt tired. Casey did such a great job keeping the tension building it just wore me out! Damn, this is a great book." -- Crimespree Magazine
"This heart wrenching story will keep you engrossed until the last page and is a must read!"-- Suspense Magazine
"A terrific thriller. Intense, suspenseful, and frightening enough to have you looking over your shoulder. Texas Criminal Profiler Sarah Armstrong is a fabulous character to spend time with." --JA Konrath, author of Cherry Bomb
"Kathryn Casey has created a vivid, original character in Sarah Armstrong, and The Killing Storm is more scorching than Texas in July. This is one of the most unique and enjoyable mystery series to come along in quite some time."--Jason Pinter, author of The Mark and The Darkness
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More About the Author
Hello to Everyone:
Amazon's suggestion is that I use this space to tell you a little about myself. So, I'll try: I'm an immigrant to Texas from the upper Mid-west, but I moved here in the early eighties so I consider myself a naturalized Texan. Houston is an amazing place to live, exciting and full of life. I'd recommend it to anyone.
I ventured into true crime writing purely by accident. I was working at Houston City Magazine in the eighties when a fascinating murder took place in the Big Thicket, the wide expanse of pine forests that meld Texas and Louisiana. My editor suggested I cover the case. I did and, from that point on, I was hooked. I've never looked back.
Since then, I've written six true crime books: "A Warrant to Kill," is on Houston's Kent McGowen case, that of a murderous deputy and the woman he terrorized. Next came "She Wanted It All," on Austin's incredible Celeste Beard case. It's hard to beat that one for twists and turns!
2007 introduced "Die My Love." It's an account of the Piper Rountree case, that of a Houston attorney and her professor ex-husband, Fred Jablin. The book is a fascinating, in-depth look at a train-wreck marriage that ended in a tragic murder.
June 2008 debuted "A Descent into Hell," on Austin's bizarre Colton Pitonyak case. Then, that November, "Evil Beside Her," a rerelease of "The Rapist's Wife," my first book, with a new title, cover, photos and an update. Last year, "Shattered" hit bookstores, an account of the tragic case of Belinda Temple, a young mother murdered by her football star husband.
My foray into fiction began in 2009 with the birth of a mystery series featuring Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong, a single mom, investigator and profiler. The series started with "Singularity," followed by "Blood Lines," and "The Killing Storm." All the books have garnered stellar reviews, and the third was named a best book of 2010 by Library Journal.
There's been little publicity for any of my work, so it's all word-of-mouth. Yet that's carried "A Warrant to Kill" into a ninth printing and "She Wanted It All" into a seventh. "The Killing Storm" was only out for a few months when it went into a third printing. Truly remarkable!
The credit goes to all of you who read the books and recommend them to friends and family. Keep up the good work! Spread the word! It's appreciated!
I'm not sure how often I'll check in here, but you can always peruse my website: kathryncasey.com, to keep abreast of upcoming events and new books. And email me at kc@kathryncasey.com. I'll look forward to it!
Amazon's suggestion is that I use this space to tell you a little about myself. So, I'll try: I'm an immigrant to Texas from the upper Mid-west, but I moved here in the early eighties so I consider myself a naturalized Texan. Houston is an amazing place to live, exciting and full of life. I'd recommend it to anyone.
I ventured into true crime writing purely by accident. I was working at Houston City Magazine in the eighties when a fascinating murder took place in the Big Thicket, the wide expanse of pine forests that meld Texas and Louisiana. My editor suggested I cover the case. I did and, from that point on, I was hooked. I've never looked back.
Since then, I've written six true crime books: "A Warrant to Kill," is on Houston's Kent McGowen case, that of a murderous deputy and the woman he terrorized. Next came "She Wanted It All," on Austin's incredible Celeste Beard case. It's hard to beat that one for twists and turns!
2007 introduced "Die My Love." It's an account of the Piper Rountree case, that of a Houston attorney and her professor ex-husband, Fred Jablin. The book is a fascinating, in-depth look at a train-wreck marriage that ended in a tragic murder.
June 2008 debuted "A Descent into Hell," on Austin's bizarre Colton Pitonyak case. Then, that November, "Evil Beside Her," a rerelease of "The Rapist's Wife," my first book, with a new title, cover, photos and an update. Last year, "Shattered" hit bookstores, an account of the tragic case of Belinda Temple, a young mother murdered by her football star husband.
My foray into fiction began in 2009 with the birth of a mystery series featuring Texas Ranger Sarah Armstrong, a single mom, investigator and profiler. The series started with "Singularity," followed by "Blood Lines," and "The Killing Storm." All the books have garnered stellar reviews, and the third was named a best book of 2010 by Library Journal.
There's been little publicity for any of my work, so it's all word-of-mouth. Yet that's carried "A Warrant to Kill" into a ninth printing and "She Wanted It All" into a seventh. "The Killing Storm" was only out for a few months when it went into a third printing. Truly remarkable!
The credit goes to all of you who read the books and recommend them to friends and family. Keep up the good work! Spread the word! It's appreciated!
I'm not sure how often I'll check in here, but you can always peruse my website: kathryncasey.com, to keep abreast of upcoming events and new books. And email me at kc@kathryncasey.com. I'll look forward to it!
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Psycotic killer and demonic hurricane fight against Texas Ranger,
By
This review is from: The Killing Storm (Sarah Armstrong) (Hardcover)
I've just finished reading The Killing Storm as a tropical storm of thunder and lightening grumbles and blitzes its way around me and the skies are dark with torrential rains in SW Florida. I'm glad it's in this setting Kathryn Casey's book draws to an end for me because her story climaxes during a horrendous hurricane that wars demonically against her protagonist, Sarah Armstrong, and seems to work for its psychotic killer. I couldn't have asked for more atmospheric drama!However, in this case, I didn't need the help of a storm at home to experience her book because Ms Casey had me spellbound and muscle-strained with tension and suspense by itself. She has the ability to create a tightly woven procedural of a kidnapping in which one feels drawn along moment to moment feeling the pressure to find a little boy before he's killed. This atmosphere Kathryn Casey creates is exhilarating and realistic enough with all its symbols, loose gaps and questions. Sarah Armstrong, the Texas Ranger who is the central figure of Ms Casey's mystery series, is intelligent, driven and womanly. Not your typical pushy and sometimes offensive woman law enforcer, Sarah is a refreshing alternative. I like her strength that comes from competence, self-confidence and a cooperative spirit of equality, a valuable sign of a woman's "coming of age" in a man's world. It stands Kathryn Casey well for the creation of such an admirable and unique character. I loved Sarah's winning ways and was inspired by her leadership and heroics. Succinct and thorough, highlighted with family, friendships and love interests that make Sarah's life full and compassionate, I grew interested in adjunct characters who aren't over-played but who easily might work into future books. I felt an ominous sense of their safety hanging over The Killing Storm. Her mother, a rancher and bakery owner is also a strong, wise, silver-haired, very capable woman to be admired; and, her early teen-aged daughter is a trooper, too. Kathryn Casey's years as a non-fiction crime writer (she's published several books in this genre), and magazine writer, are evident in her well disposed novel. She leaves no rock unturned as investigative thought processes form, and she doesn't waste the reader's time by dragging the story on with unnecessary side commentary as if we were novices. Ms C. respects the intelligence of her readers, obviously...another refreshing find in a mystery writer. Some of this ability must come from her writing and researching of non-fiction murders. She understands and conveys the facts at a pace that keeps us wanting more. I believe she understands the psychology and mind of a killer and lets us in on that, too...an altogether enticing and proverbial "edge of the seat" experience. What more can be said except this novel is one you who love a good mystery will not want to miss, and will want to collect along with your favorite authors. I certainly see Sarah Armstrong's in my future...I'm absolutely reading the first books in this series. I shudder to draw a comparison for you with another mystery writer. Kathryn Casey is a singular writer whose characters will be read for themselves alone. 5 stars Deborah/TheBookishDame
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great police procedural,
This review is from: The Killing Storm (Sarah Armstrong) (Hardcover)
FBI special agent David Garrity asks his girlfriend Texas Ranger profiler Lieutenant Sarah Armstrong to help him on a missing child case in which he leans towards the mom Crystal who was supposedly watching her child when he was kidnapped. At a Houston playground, while his parents argued on a cellphone, someone using the missing dog ploy abducted their four years old son, Joey.As she agrees to assist David, Sarah and Ranger Sergeant George "Buckshot" Fields investigate the horrific decapitation killings of prize-winning bulls; the butcher carves cryptic African etching on the dead hides. While seeking clues in both cases, Hurricane Juanita appears heading for land in the Houston area frightening Sara, who is worried about the safety of her recently widowed mom as the cases take a frightening intertwining. The third Armstrong police procedural (see Singularity and Blood Lines) is a great thriller as the heroine's personal fear for her mom enhances the prime twin investigative plots. Fast-paced, readers will be hooked from start to finish, but especially when Sarah begins to connect the dots between her two inquiries. Fans will appreciate this strong Texas mystery. Harriet Klausner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Book!,
By
This review is from: The Killing Storm (Sarah Armstrong) (Hardcover)
A twisted case has Texas Ranger, Sarah Armstrong, baffled. Someone is murdering longhorn bulls and painting symbols on them. Sarah is almost one of a kind, being a woman in an almost completely male department, not only that, but she is also a profiler. She and her partner Buckshot are trying to find who is murdering the docile bulls and why, but the only leads are the unusual symbols left on the carcasses.David, an FBI profiler and pseudo boyfriend of Sarah's has his own problems. Someone stole a little boy, four-year-old Joey, from a park as his mother was preoccupied. He brings Sarah in as a consultant and the case haunts her to the point of distraction. She consults on her case with a creepy Dr. Beniot about the symbols and finds some answers but is really left with more questions than answers. The main question always in her mind is who stole Joey! Their relationship is in limbo while David tries to decide if he wants to continue his relationship with Sarah or return to his ex-wife and help raise his teenage son, but they cannot let that distract them from solving the cases. With an uncooperative mother and a father who is convinced the mother took him, the abduction case is spinning in circles. Ranchers are up in arms about the murder of expensive cattle and impatient to get answers. Added to everyone's stress, there is a hurricane headed straight for them and they need to solve these cases now before all the evidence is destroyed and the cases go cold. This heart wrenching story will keep you engrossed until the last page and is a must read! Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine
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