Description
Overview
Step into the world of suspense and intrigue with Leslie Wolfe’s captivating thriller, a must-read for fans of crime fiction. Published by Italics Publishing on August 30, 2016, this gripping novel is part of the acclaimed Tess Winnett series, promising a blend of psychological depth and relentless suspense. With a top-10,000 ranking in the Kindle Store and a remarkable 4.5-star rating from over 22,000 reviews, this book is more than a page-turner—it’s an addiction. Whether you’re a seasoned thriller aficionado or new to the genre, Leslie Wolfe’s masterful storytelling will keep you on the edge of your seat. Dive into a narrative where every page reveals a new twist, making this novel an unmissable addition to your reading list.
Key Features
- Publication Details: Released on August 30, 2016, by Italics Publishing.
- Format and Accessibility: Available in English, with a file size of 3.5 MB. It’s Kindle-friendly with enhanced typesetting, X-Ray, Word Wise, and Page Flip capabilities.
- Series Information: Part of the Tess Winnett series, offering continuity and depth for series followers.
- Reader Accessibility: Screen Reader supported, ensuring accessibility for visually impaired readers.
- Length: A compact yet intense read at 294 pages.
- Critical Acclaim: High ranking in categories like Kidnapping Crime Fiction, Serial Killers, and Serial Killer Thrillers.
- Customer Endorsement: Over 22,000 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, showcasing widespread reader satisfaction.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Engaging Plot: The novel boasts a riveting storyline with unexpected twists that keep readers hooked.
- Strong Character Development: Offers rich, multi-dimensional characters, particularly the protagonist, Tess Winnett.
- High Accessibility: Available in multiple formats with features that enhance the reading experience.
- Strong Series Continuation: Part of a series that allows readers to continue their journey with familiar characters.
- Critical and Popular Acclaim: Backed by thousands of positive reviews and a high ranking in relevant categories.
Cons:
- Niche Genre: May not appeal to readers who are not fans of crime thrillers or psychological mysteries.
- Mature Themes: Contains themes and content that may not be suitable for younger audiences.
- Series Dependency: Some readers may feel compelled to read other books in the series for full context.
Why You’ll Love It
Leslie Wolfe’s thriller is more than just a book—it’s an experience that transforms each page into a pulse-pounding adventure. This novel stands out with its intricate plot and compelling characters, making it an irresistible choice for those who crave suspense and mystery. As you unravel the layers of intrigue woven by Wolfe, you’ll find yourself immersed in a story that challenges your perceptions and keeps you guessing until the very end. The book’s accessibility features make it a convenient choice for all readers, ensuring that everyone can join Tess Winnett on her latest case. Whether you’re drawn by the glowing reviews or intrigued by its high rankings, this book promises to be a thrilling addition to your library. Don’t miss the chance to discover why so many readers have fallen in love with Leslie Wolfe’s storytelling—purchase your copy today and prepare for a reading experience like no other.
Frequent Reader –
An Unusually Good Book !!
This book is great! I read a lot across many genres, and I also quickly forget many of the characters I encounter in most of those books. However, occasionally an author creates a character, or group of characters, and a situation (plot) that sticks with me between reading sessions and long after I finish the book. âDawn Girlâ and the impressive writing skills of Leslie Wolfe have done that.This book would be fun to discuss with other people who have read it. There are so many interesting interactions among the characters and bits of great dialog â but, I canât describe those without creating âspoilers,â something I donât want to do. So, instead of commenting on specifics of the story, Iâll make other observations that I hope will be helpful.Main character: Leslie Wolfe has once again created a strong, smart, and very engaging female lead. If youâve read any of her novels featuring Alex Hofmann, you wonât be disappointed in FBI Special Agent Tess Winnett. If youâve not yet met Alex, be sure to read âThe Executive,â also a really good and satisfying novel. If youâre a guy who likes characters like author Lee Childâs Jack Reacher, I think youâll like âDawn Girl.â Tess has that same âget-it-doneâ and âto-hell-with-protocolâ attitude in the face of evil that Reacher does, along with the skills to back up the attitude. Itâs refreshing to read about a woman with these characteristics, and a few of the things she sayâs would make great bumper stickers.Additional characters: This novel includes several interesting characters, and the interactions among them are quite entertaining. Although the plot is fully resolved by the end of the book, should Ms. Wolfe decide to write a sequel to âDawn Girl,â she has a good support cast to work with, if she wants to bring any of them back.Dialog: Exceptionally written dialog is one of many strengths of this novel. I think itâs so well done that it could be used in a college creative writing class to illustrate how to create compelling dialog that moves the story along simultaneously with revealing important insights into the characters and their relationships and conflicts.Plot and Pacing: The plot is plausible, the psychological insights into the motives and thinking of the villain are based on (unfortunate) reality and presented in interesting and plot-advancing ways. Descriptions paint the necessary picture without slowing the fast pace of the unfolding story or interrupting the readerâs sense of the urgency of the situation faced by the âgood guys.âSex and violence: I donât mind sex and violence in my fiction, but for those who are squeamish or conservative, there is no explicit sex nor overly graphic violence in âDawn Girlâ. However, the well-written insights into the thinking of a variety of types of psychopaths may broaden your insight into just how sick it is possible for a human being to be, and that is not even fiction. Such insight is not a bad thing and is relevant to the plot of this novel (which does have a happy ending, by the way).Writing style: âDawn Girlâ actually deserves more than 5 stars considering itâs a rare blend of entertaining, fast-paced, thriller-style plotting with literary-quality writing. Writing like this is what leads a reader to continue thinking about the character(s) and the situation(s) long after the last page is turned (or scrolled, as the case may be). I enjoy certain types of good âliteraryâ fiction (not all of it is boring as some readers believe). Books like âRussian Winterâ by Daphne Kalotay or âA Constellation of Vital Phenomenaâ by Anthony Marra are like that. So is âDawn Girlâ by Leslie Wolfe.Read it. Read it while enjoying a cup of coffee. Youâll like it!
Lisa T –
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading the second book in the series – The Watson Girl.
Two teens run off in the hours right before dawn. They run to the beach to be alone and you know…watch the sunrise! While Carl and Kris are enjoying themselves on the beach waiting for the morning light, a serial killer is a stone’s throw away posing his latest victim. Once dawn’s light shines through, Kris lets out a scream that both she and Carl would most likely never forget. There was a body of a dead girl right there on the beach where they were recently taking pictures and making memories. Little did they know their dream date would become a nightmare. Detective Gary Michowsky and the local police department were on the case, but soon thereafter Tess Willett of the FBI was sent in. Tess is a victim too, but no one knows that except Tess and her friend Cat. As Tess is fighting her own demons, she enters the crime scene of DAWN GIRL… a young woman posed dead on the beach at dawn.Whether it’s because of her personality or life experience, Tess is not much of a people person. I liked her interactions with Detective Michowsky. She was herself – a straight arrow who didn’t pull any punches. Michowsky was a seasoned detective who, even though going through some rough times of his own, didn’t feel the need to burden others with his problems. He did like to play it safe, but when it really counted, he put his life on the line for what he believed in.As Tess worked the case, her own past continued to haunt her. Little by little pieces started to come together and in the end, a serial killer was found, but Tess got more than she bargained for!
The ring colors are very flat, no metallic sheen as pictured and runs a size small. Very disappointed. –
true thriller
This book kept me on the edge of my seat! It is truly a thriller and it is well worth reading.
Christine Terrell –
Attention fans of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza–this one is for you!
4.5 starsGosh, another unexpected terrific read for me! I want to thank my Goodreads friend Mike (HornFan2) for steering me to this one. Dawn Girl is written by little known (at the moment) author Leslie Wolfe. I suspect she will not be little known for long.Protagonist FBI Special Agent Tess Winnett is in trouble at work. Sheâs is as good as they come in terms of solving whatever case is assigned to her, but she has no people skills, thanks in good part to her untreated PTSD. She garners way more than her share of complaints by disrespecting colleagues, witnesses, politicians, and just about everybody else she comes in contact with. One more major complaint and she will be fired, no matter how phenomenal she is at her job. She is assigned to help out police detectives Gary Michowsky and Todd Fradella of West Palm Beach, Florida, when a young woman is found dead on the beach. Could this be the work of a serial killer? Tess has to try to mesh with these detectives in order to break the case open.We get snippets of info about the killer as the story moves along. He is a sadistic SOB with extraordinarily high-level skills in terms of carrying out his mission.I can easily heap a lot of praise on this book. Tess is a complex character who is very well written. We get into her mind a lot. Not all will like her, but I sure did. She is making an effort to change her ways for which I give her credit. I appreciate the attention paid to creating depth in the evolution of Tessâs relationship with the West Palm Beach cops. Another real plus is the highly detailed chapter involving the FBI profiler and his thought processes in determining the psychological profile of the bad guy. We essentially get a step-by-step lesson in how to determine what an unknown baddie is all about. Ditto regarding the chapter devoted to filling in a whiteboardâI found that fascinating. We get a lot of attention to procedure in this police/FBI procedural.Even in the absence of a prologue, I was pulled into the story immediately. I was riveted all the way to the end. There are plenty of high tension, twists and turns. I felt strongly invested in Tess and her makeshift team. The chapters are short and snappy and the tale flows beautifully.Why 4.5 stars and not 5? Two reasons. One of the twists I saw coming very early on, but that didnât bother me much. My main beef was that a portion of the ending is too neat and a bit unrealistic. Other than that, this novel is a total winner. I am rounding up as Dawn Girl had much more of a 5-star rather than a 4-star effect on me.I strongly recommend Dawn Girl to all thriller/crime fiction fans and readers of psychological suspense. I think followers of Angela Marsons and Robert Bryndza would especially love this book. I have already bought book 2 in the Tess Winnett series (The Watson Girl) and canât wait to get to it.Congratulations, Leslie Wolfe for what I believe could be a hit series!
Ann Adams –
Really enjoyed this book.
sasha king –
The general story was pretty predictable as in cop gets serial killer with mother issues ect but the way its written is neither predictable or general.. It’s fast paced keeping u gripped to every morbid detail the killer employs on his victims while the FBI officer crashes through police procedures upsetting colleagues and her boss especially with her lack of being a ‘team player’s but gets results everytime. It all comes foreshadowing you wanting to read the nd book by the author. Best book I’ve read in a while..Really good book
L.D. Lil –
Thisis a really exciting page turning thriller. Really like the main character and the way she bulldozes into everything she does. A little gruesome in parts, but this only adds to the excitement of the story. Highly recommend.
Amazon Kunde –
Endlich mal ein richtig guter Thriller/Krimi. Die Ermittlerin ist anfangs erwas sperrig, aber eine komplexe Figur, die im Lauf des Buches immer sympathischer wird. Die Geschichte ist mega spannend, ich habs fast in einem Stück durchgelesen.
Amazon ã«ã¹ã¿ãã¼ –
Easy and interesting to readãalso enjoyable all through