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Detective Megan Carpenter
Series · 6 books · 2019-2025

Books in series

Snow Creek book cover
#1

Snow Creek

2019

Footprints were scattered about like fallen leaves. She looked down into the ravine, and once more her lungs filled with fear. A body lay silent and unmoving in the bushes. When Ruth Turner walks into the Sheriff’s office in Jefferson County’s Port Townsend claiming her sister Ida Wheaton has been missing for over a month, Detective Megan Carpenter’s instincts tell her that she needs to do more than just file a report. Racing over to Ida’s secluded farmhouse in the hills above Snow Creek, Megan finds Ida’s teenage children alone and frightened. She can’t help but notice there’s no TV. No video games. Nothing of the outside world. Something about the Wheaton family doesn’t add up and triggers a painful childhood memory for Megan – when one day, in a flash, both her parents were gone. Then the body of a woman is discovered in an abandoned pickup truck close to the Wheatons’ home and Megan’s convinced the cases are connected. If she has any chance of catching the killer, Megan must first unravel the secrets of the isolated Snow Creek community. But Megan has dark secrets of her own… Hidden in the back of her closet is a box of tapes containing every single recording of her therapy sessions over thirteen years ago. Can she finally confront the past she’s spent years trying to block out? And will reliving her own painful story help her solve the complex case unravelling in the hills above Snow Creek before another innocent life is lost? From the Number One, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon Chart bestselling author comes an absolutely heart-stopping and completely unputdownable crime series, introducing Detective Megan Carpenter.
Water's Edge book cover
#2

Water's Edge

2020

The young woman’s body is lying with her arms stretched out to each side. Her lips slightly parted. Her face untouched by injury and her hair spread around her head like a fan. A redhead. Just like the others. When the body of Leann Truitt is found in a secluded cove in Mystery Bay, Detective Megan Carpenter is one of the first on the scene. The victim has tell-tale marks on her wrists, ankles and neck where she has been bound. But that’s not all. Next to Leann’s body lies a puzzling clue – an unusual symbol scratched into a rock. With rookie Deputy Ronnie Marsh under her wing and the investigation underway, Megan starts to receive disturbing messages. Someone knows about her traumatic past. They know what she did. Determined to stay focussed, Megan soon makes a chilling link between Leann’s brutal killing and the unsolved murder cases of two other women – all redheads with the same marks on their bodies, the same symbol carvings found at the crime scenes, and most shockingly, all had been pregnant. The killer stalks his prey, kidnapping and torturing them in a very exact and methodical pattern. And he is not finished yet… When the body of another woman is found bearing a striking resemblance to the other victims, Megan must crack the clues fast if she is to catch the twisted soul before they strike again. Megan might be closing in on the killer, but someone is watching her every move. Can Megan hide the secrets of her past threatening to destroy her future? And can she protect herself and Ronnie before they both find themselves in terrible danger? An addictive, gripping and completely unputdownable crime thriller from the Number One New York Times and Amazon Chart bestselling author. Read what everyone is saying about the Detective Megan Carpenter series: ‘OMG!!...I was simply blown away by this… I couldn't look away from my kindle even when I wanted to. The story took me by my throat making me gasp every few chapters…Wow!!’ Shalini’s Books and Reviews ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Holy cr\*p what a complete stunner of a read this is. It had everything, sensational, creepy, addictive with a stunningly complex plot from beginning to end and I loved. loved, loved it !!...So this is going to rate as one my best reads of the year.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘OMG! Wow. I loved this book!! …it was amazing! I can’t wait to read more! It kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down. Loved, loved, loved it!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Brilliant! I do believe this is the best book by this author to date. The book is dark, intense, and makes you say oh he##.The storyline flows and the characters are intriguing. I read this in one sitting and can't wait for more.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wow, I absolutely loved this book! Gregg Olsen is an amazing author. Snow Creek is definitely one of the best books I have read this year. I read it every chance I had. I really liked Detective Megan Carpenter, she is a strong and intelligent woman and a cracking police officer.
Silent Ridge book cover
#3

Silent Ridge

2020

One bath wall is a mural of a brilliant-yellow sunflower. The theme carries over to the shower curtains, but the yellow vinyl is spattered with red blotches. Propped against the mirror is a South Kitsap High School photo of a teenaged girl. Detective Megan Carpenter is no stranger to horrifying crime scenes, but when she arrives at the home of a woman whose body has been brutalized, Megan is shocked to discover that she knows the victim. Monique Delmont helped Megan when she was in danger years ago. And the killer has left a disturbing calling card… two laminated photographs of a sixteen-year-old high school girl – Megan. Someone is taunting her in the worst way possible and Megan is convinced she knows who is responsible. She just has to find him. With the help of her new partner, Deputy Ronnie Marsh, Megan begins to unravel the clues that will lead them to the killer including links to three female murder cases from nearly twenty years ago – one of which was Monique’s daughter. But to protect those closest to her, Megan must continue to hide the dark truth of her past, even if that means lying to her team about her connection to Monique. When two photographs of a teenage Megan are found at her boyfriend’s place in Snow Creek, she knows the killer is circling and ready to strike again. Can she get to him before he finds her? And will she pay the ultimate price for trying to keep her terrifying past buried? An addictive edge-of-your-seat crime thriller from the Number One, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and Amazon Chart bestselling author.
Stillwater Island book cover
#4

Stillwater Island

2021

“Mommy, I’m scared.” Marlena’s precious boy lies with his little arm thrown over her thigh. It’s pitch-black, and she can hear seagulls. She realises they must be near water, and a new panic rises in her. At 2 a.m. one icy winter morning, in the smart suburbs of Jefferson County, local father Ben Parker reports his wife Marlena and their little boy missing. Rushing to the impressive family home, Detective Megan Carpenter finds the halls adorned with pictures of the beautiful, stay-at-home mom and their bright-eyed son. But that’s not all she finds… A bottle of prenatal vitamins in the bathroom cabinet reveal that Marlena is pregnant. Why didn’t Ben mention this in his panicked call to the police? Digging deeper into their seemingly perfect marriage, Megan’s fear begins to grow. The couple are separated, there’s talk of an affair, and the neighbors report loud fights. And then, Megan tracks a young woman believed to be Ben’s secret girlfriend, only to find her lifeless body in a secluded wood. Ben’s watch lies in the undergrowth, and Megan’s team think she’s cracked the case, but she’s sure something’s not right. Ben’s family has wealth including a private island, and connections in high places. Is someone trying to block their investigation? As Megan starts to wonder if the answer lies on the Parkers’ closely guarded island, just offshore, a shocking revelation makes her question everything. With a killer on the loose, can Megan find the missing pieces to the most complex case of her career and bring Marlena and her little boy home alive? Or will it be too late to save them? A totally edge-of-your-seat mystery thriller that will have you racing to the end, from a number one, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Amazon Charts bestselling author. Perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni, Michael Connelly and James Patterson.
Cougar Point book cover
#5

Cougar Point

2024

She wakes to find herself alone in complete darkness. Fearing for her life, in that moment her only thought is for her beloved daughters. What will they think when they find out she’s missing? Then it hits her. She’s kept a secret hidden from her family for years. Is she about to pay for it with her life? When Victoria Marsh disappears from her family’s exclusive resort in Cougar Point, Washington, her family is devastated. A charity worker and pillar of the local community, how could she just vanish without a trace? Though not officially her case, Detective Megan Carpenter races to the scene for a very personal reason. Victoria is Ronnie’s mother and Megan will do anything to help her when she has sacrificed so much. Together they build up a picture of the days before the disappearance but the only clue is a note with the words, “You promised” scrawled on it. It soon emerges that Victoria’s marriage was far from perfect and she had spent years running from a deadbeat brother. Could someone in Victoria’s family want her dead? But when the body of another woman is found, Megan starts to link the cases. Both women had huge ransoms placed on them. Both families received chilling threats in the mail. And with one victim already dead, time is running out to find Victoria alive. Local law enforcement warns Megan off the case but she’s certain that the disappearance is more than just bad blood. But with a potential serial killer on the loose, how much is Megan willing to risk? Worse still, could they be closer to her than she had ever imagined?
Final Victim book cover
#6

Final Victim

2025

“Megan, you need to call me. Wallace was here. He left a message to say please don’t worry. He’s coming for you soon.” As I hang up the call, my blood runs cold. I’ve spent a lifetime running from this man. But as I look down at his next victim, their face frozen in one final moment of fear, I can’t escape the feeling that I will be next to die. When the body of Detective Susan Dupont is discovered lying across the dividing line of two counties, Detective Megan Carpenter is immediately called to the scene. When her body is examined they find a sharp piece of metal has been lodged in her eye. A detail that takes Megan back to a deeply-buried memory which she has long been running from. Twenty-four hours later, retired Detective Riley Denton is found dead at home. His death is deemed a tragic accident. He fell down the stairs and had no enemies. Why would anyone want him dead? But Megan feels sure there is a link to the deaths and there is only one person she can trust with her theory. Calling in the help of her partner Detective Ronnie Marsh, they start to piece together a link that places Megan right at the centre of a deadly plot. As they race to find the killer before they strike closer to home, a string of murder victims going back years starts to emerge. And when Megan discovers how the murders are linked, she has to finally accept a dark truth she has spent her life running from. A killer from her past is back just like they promised and they will stop at nothing to take everything she loves. Can Megan stop them dead in their tracks or will she pay the ultimate price?

Author

Gregg Olsen
Gregg Olsen
Author · 57 books

Throughout his career, Gregg Olsen has demonstrated an ability to create a detailed narrative that offers readers fascinating insights into the lives of people caught in extraordinary circumstances. A #1 New York Times bestselling author, Olsen has written ten nonfiction books, ten novels, and contributed a short story to a collection edited by Lee Child. The award-winning author has been a guest on dozens of national and local television shows, including educational programs for the History Channel, Learning Channel, and Discovery Channel. He has also appeared on Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Today Show, FOX News; CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, MSNBC, Entertainment Tonight, CBS 48 Hours, Oxygen’s Snapped, Court TV’s Crier Live, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, and A&E’s Biography. In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post. The Deep Dark was named Idaho Book of the Year by the ILA and Starvation Heights was honored by Washington’s Secretary of State for the book’s contribution to Washington state history and culture. Olsen, a Seattle native, lives in Olalla, Washington with his wife and Suri (a mini dachshund so spoiled she wears a sweater).

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Detective Megan Carpenter