Once again, Carolyn Arnold has penned a strong and impactful tale in the sixth book in the Detective Madison Knight mystery series, Deadly Impulse. Madison is suffering from flashbacks from her abduction by Russian criminals, but when a suspicious death of a sixty-eight-year-old woman becomes a murder case, her compulsion to find justice kicks in. Teamed up with her partner of six months, Detective Terry Grant, they must sift through the evidence and lies to find what has really happened and why.

Madison is strong-willed, impatient, and independent, but her abduction and flashbacks are affecting her. Despite this, she is tenacious, loves challenges, and pressures herself to have all the answers. Madison is not as likeable as many protagonists, but her faults make her feel more realistic than the perfect strong female lead. Driven to solve crimes and seek justice, Madison often goes on instinct, which doesn’t always mean she keeps an open mind. Terry is a good balance for her and she respects him. He is fair and balanced, keeps her grounded, and challenges her when it’s needed. Readers get some insight into Madison’s boyfriend, Troy Matthews, the head of the Special Weapons and Tactics department of the Stiles, Pennsylvania police department.

The book is a good mix of police investigation and the personal lives of Madison, Troy, and Terry. Readers are quickly pulled into the story line with a writing style that grabs and holds one’s attention. The plot is multi-layered and has twists and turns to keep a reader guessing. Fluid writing, great characterization, and a mystery to be solved kept me engaged. My one quibble is that I would like a little more world-building to feel like I was in Pennsylvania. Themes include, murder, friendship, trust, relationships, secrets, and much more.

Overall, this was a story that captivated me from the first page to its last. The author did a great job of weaving the threads together. I look forward to seeing what is next for Madison, Troy, and Terry. Readers of mysteries and police procedurals will likely enjoy this series. By reading the series in order, the character growth and the relationships that develop over time are more obvious. However, this novel can be read as a stand-alone.

I purchased a copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Publication date was October 29, 2015.
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My 4.16 rounded to 4 stars review is coming soon.

** Received an ARC in exchange for a honest review. **
It's hard to be a successful woman in a man's world. Madison is a stubborn, head strong, determined detective. With her past still threatening to make her buckle under pressure she is trying harder then ever to find the bad guys.

I enjoyed this book. It did take me until about a quarter of the way through before i really got sucked into the story line. Although that could be because I hadn't read the previous books. With that being said, I also didn't have a problem following along.

The plot was interesting and even i was jumping around accusing different people and trying to figure out clues as to who was the murderer. If you enjoy crime/murder mystery than I highly recommend this series. Oh, and there's also a sexy SWAT leader, if that helps ;)

It has been a while since I read a Suspenseful Mystery novel, and when I say a while I mean years. I have always been a huge fan of Patricia Cornwell. So when I was asked to review Deadly Impulse by Carolyn Arnold I was happy to take a break from the usual love story that I've been reviewing. Don't get me wrong I love my romance novels but a good mystery is always great.
 
Deadly Impulse is book number 6 in the Detective Madison Knight Series. If this book is any indication of the rest of the series I am definitely in!! Madison Knight is a tough, sassy, and intelligent Detective. She is a straight shooter and takes no crap. When she is called out to the scene of a elderly woman found dead in a wheelchair, that has a Pro Life sign, strapped to it. No ID is to be found.
Follow Knight and her partner as they struggle to put little bitty clues together when the first murder seems to flow into two more murders. When two of the victims are found to be related to each other, the suspect pool has now been blown wide open.
Carolyn Arnold has timing, flow, and character development down pat. I literally finished this book in about an hour and a half. Thank heavens for school or I would have had to put it down. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book.

This is the sixth in the Dec Madison Knight series. It is the third one that I have read and certainly the best. It's a crime/police procedural. It could be read as a stand alone. The main character, Maddie Knight, is getting well fleshed out and is a good character.
The actual story is about the murder of an elderly woman, initially unknown, found in a wheelchair near a hospital. As Dec Knight investigates, with her partner Terry, further murders happen. They seem to be linked but only two of the cases are assigned to Maddie and Terry.
Are the murders linked? Is it the same killer? There may yet be a twist to the story before it is resolved but that is proving difficult as they seem to be chasing leads that go nowhere.
It's a good read.