Hailey Arquette Murder Files – Escape Into Reading

Publisher:

Date of publication: April 1st, 2024

Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Suspense, Romance

Series: Haily Arquette Murder Files

Perfect in Death—Book 1 (review here)

Deceptive Silence—Book 2 (review here)

Unlikely Justice—Book 3 (review here)

Phantom Reunion—Book 4 (review here)

North Side of the Grass—Book 5

Beneath a Souless Moon—Book 6

Purchase Links: Kindle | Audible

Goodreads Synopsis:

The dead body found inside a hollow tree is identified as a student at the Gifted Elite School, the one Casper Decuir was sent to investigate and secure.

When another student is kidnapped, Casper and her psychic partner set out to find the killer, before he finds them.
Spirits, shifters, and psychics come together to keep the other psychic students from the clutches of the local mob.

Murder, mystery, betrayal, and romance combine for an irresistible read.

First Line:

Gray light on the horizon yieled to early morning pinks, golds, and lavender while long shadow arms of bare tree limbs scraped and rattled against each other overhead.

Important details about North Side Of The Grass

Pace: Medium

POV: 3rd person (Hailey, Casper)

Series: Book five in the Hailey Arquette Murder Files. It cannot be read as a standalone.

Content/Trigger Guidance: North Side Of The Grass contains themes that include bullying, classism, alcohol consumption, drugging, body horror, dead bodies, loss of autonomy, needles, physical injuries, grief, death of a friend, confinement, kidnapping, murder, attempted murder, physical assault, and chemical gassing.

Language: North Side Of The Grass contains mild swearing and language that might offend some people.

Sexual Content: There is mild sexual content in North Side Of The Grass.

Setting: North Side Of The Grass is set in Hamnet, Texas.

My Review

I had been eagerly waiting for North Side Of The Grass since it was hinted about at the end of Phantom Reunion. So, when the author requested a review, I immediately jumped on it. I am a vast Reily Garrett fan and couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for Casper and Hailey. I wasn’t disappointed.

North Side Of The Grass is the fifth book in the Hailey Arquette Murder Files. This book cannot be read as a stand alone. You must read the previous four books before starting this one. You also need to read The Guardians series before starting this one (honestly, I would start with her first series and go down the list. All her books are interconnected).

The main storyline of North Side Of The Grass is centered on Casper, Hailey, and their ongoing investigation of the Gifted school where Casper is a student. A psychic student had gone missing and was found murdered. That same student is pissed at Casper for dating her love interest and throws some wrenches into her murder investigation. But that quickly ends when another psychic student is kidnapped, and a plot involving the local mob and the rest of the psychic students at the school is uncovered.

The main storyline was well-written and fast-moving. I could barely catch a breath between Casper and Hailey’s investigations. The author also showed more of Casper’s interactions with her found family (more background is given if you read The Guardian series). I loved seeing Casper act like a normal kid instead of the phasing/fighting machine that she had been portrayed as in the other books.

More attention was paid to Casper and her shifter boyfriend’s relationship. Since he is a wolf shifter, he does have that alpha male air around him, and it comes out hardcore when Casper is around other males. I figured out what that meant early in the book, but I enjoyed watching him try to figure out how to let Casper know.

The storyline with the students and the mob was interesting. I liked that the author brought a character that nullified other psychic powers. I also liked that the kids (the students) had to work together to escape where they were being held prisoner. It wasn’t a right away meshing of like souls. There were some pretty snobby people in that group. But they all came together in the end to kick some bad guys’ butts.

I loved how the book ended. The author left the main storyline wide open and added to it with the disappearance of a character introduced in book four. I cannot wait to read book six and see where that one takes me!

Many thanks to Reily Garrett for allowing me to read and review North Side Of The Grass. All opinions stated in this review are mine.

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