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When Ashley Lambert, a top student athlete, jumps eighteen stories to her death it’s a clear-cut suicide, but why pushes her parents to hire the PI team of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan. When the investigation veers toward performance enhancing drugs and blackmail, coaches, students, even her parents come into question. But Britt’s getting sidetracked by their new neighbor. Rhea McKenzie has bruises on her arms and is mourning the disappearance of her one-year-old son. Griff tells Britt to stay out of the neighbors’ business and focus on their case. But Britt is sure there’s more than one case at hand. And when she sees Rhea in the shadows at the local day care, she’s knows her neighbor has a secret. When an off-hand comment links the two cases a chain of events begins that will destroy Ashley’s family, and suck Britt into an alliance with Rhea where the decisions she makes could cost her everything.

194 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2018

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About the author

Patricia Hale

4 books92 followers
Patricia Hale is the author of the stand alone mystery, In the Shadow of Revenge. The first book in her new PI series, The Church of the Holy Child, will be released August 15th. Watch for the giveaway coming soon. Patricia lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two dogs.

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for LadyJBookishNook.
136 reviews24 followers
October 3, 2018
Scar Tissue is book #3 in the Cole and Callahan series but can be read as a stand alone. The author hooked me right from the beginning and was able to hold my attention throughout. The dialog was realistic between the characters.
This was a well-written quick read and I would highly recommend this book to everyone who likes a good page-turning thriller.
Profile Image for Dianne.
6,790 reviews586 followers
September 1, 2018
In denial of the apparent suicide of their daughter, a highly successful student and athlete, the Lamberts hire the P.I. team of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan. What they uncover will snake into their private lives and expose a young lady desperate enough to please her father, she would go to any lengths she could. Did those lengths cause her enough guilt to kill herself, or was she permanently silenced by another?

Meanwhile, Britt will find a friend in her neighbor, Rhea, a woman who tries to hide the abuse she faces at the hands of her policeman husband. Warned to stay away, it is the last thing Britt intends to do, because if the abuse continues, someone is going to die…

SCAR TISSUE by Patricia Hale is book 3 in a series and while it will stand alone, the firm foundation of getting to know the main characters is most definitely missing and takes away from fully engaging in this read. Ms. Hale’s writing is strong, and she doesn’t shy away from bold or questionable moves on her characters’ parts, hence the need to "know" them!

A good mystery, some solid events with a very contemporary feel.

Reviewed as part of a blog tour review, I would strongly suggest reading the first two books prior, if only to get to know what makes the main characters tick and why the actions they take are justifiable in their eyes!

Genre: Thriller
Published by: Intrigue Publishing
Publication Date: September 1, 2018
Number of Pages: 194
ISBN: 978-1-940758-85-5
Series: Cole and Callahan #3
Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗
Profile Image for LAWonder10.
954 reviews740 followers
August 20, 2018
I have not read the previous two novels of this series, but it wasn't difficult to get an idea what occurred in the previous one. With that said, I still feel one can do a more thorough review if one knows the foundation of a series and what actually happened in a previous novel.

Rhea and Britt has reached a level in their relationship, they are moving to "the next step". Everything seems to be going in "their favor". However, everything may not be hpow it seems/

In 'Scar Tissue', there are multiple situations which confront Rhea and Britt. Some maybe related..or not!

The author has successfully gone very smoothly between the various situations without confusing the reader or causing a feeling of "disconnect". The characters are created in a way that the reader can feel connected to them. The scenes are very easily visualized , as well.
However, I still have not discovered whee the title originated from. The only incidents I can conclude it is from were so very vague, I don't feel it was a good choice. The "Bowser" would most likely, pass by this cover and never give a second thought to it.

There are great discussion topics within these pages for Book Clubs! If I did not have my religious beliefs, I could arrive at an agreement with a couple of the author's conclusions. They are worthy of debate. "If you were the characters involved in these dilemmas, would you chose to do the same?"

READER BEWARE: There are some non-explicit sexual situations and occasional words of profanity.
I won this. novel.This is my honest review of it.
Profile Image for Joan.
3,860 reviews89 followers
October 3, 2018
This is a great mystery. It has a clever plot that is full of surprises yet is not so complex that I lost my way. Cole and Callahan are great characters. I like their snappy dialogue and the way they relate to each other. I like their methodical investigative skills. And the secondary characters are done well too. Greg is a piece of work. Hale developed him so well even I was ready to punch him. And don't get me started on Mike, a policeman, husband, and father who was even worse. Hale crafted characters that elicited strong feelings from me.

I like it when issues are explored in a novel. This one had lots about families and performance and control. There was also a troubling moral question that gave me much to think about. Revealing the issue would be a spoiler but it was a great twist in the plot.

I recommend this novel to readers who like a great plot and well crafted characters. This is the second Cole and Callahan novel I've read and I will definitely watch for the next one.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
Profile Image for Cheryl Masciarelli.
432 reviews2 followers
October 1, 2018
The P.I. team, of Griff Cole and Britt Callahan are back and taking the reader on another exciting case!!!

This is the third book in the series but easily read as a stand alone. You can see my review of THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY CHILD HERE.

Griff and Britt have been hired by the parents, whose daughter has supposedly committed suicide, which they don’t believe since she was an exceptional student with a very promising future.

During this time, the couple has also made a big step in their relationship, when they buy a house together. But something isn’t right with their new neighbors and Britt starts to investigate. What really happened when the neighbor’s 1 year old son went missing and never found. And now that this mother is pregnant again, but the bruises she is hiding, infuriates Britt and she will stop at nothing to help.

The story grips the reader from the very first page and doesn’t let go! The author’s writing style is fluid and descriptive. The characters believable. An engrossing read with an ending that had this reader holding her breath!

Highly recommend!
Profile Image for Felicia.
Author 5 books102 followers
October 16, 2018
Scar Tissue is not just an intriguing police procedural but a good look at family dynamics…dysfunctional family dynamics, because there are some totally messed up folks in this read dealing with several timely themes.

The death of a wealthy young coed, Ashley Lambert, is ruled a suicide but the family has trouble accepting it and PIs Griff Cole and Britt Callahan are called in to go deeper than the preceding police investigation.

As they dig into the background of Ashley and her family, skeletons fall out all over the place.

Meanwhile, Griff and Britt have bought a home together and while Britt is trying to wrap her head around it, she finds out all is not well with their new neighbors, a young couple whose toddler went missing and was never found.

While it looks as though there is no connection between their case and their new neighbors, the plot twists arrive and everyone’s a suspect.

In the end, you can’t help but feel sorry for Ashley… and her roommate. I can’t imagine living the life either young woman had, but oh my god, Ashley’s parents—Greg and Gwen—are proof some people should not be allowed to have children. They were both horrid people but deserved each other since they didn’t marry… or stay married for the right reasons. Their avarice and narcissism screwed up their kid, no doubt about it.

Neighbor, Rhea McKenzie, is also a sympathetic character who endured much. The resolution to her story was a bit surprising, but I understood and agreed with Britt… justice doesn’t always work the way it should.

Griff and Britt are a great couple and it was nice reading about a couple with equal footing. Their personalities compliment each other and the mutual respect is as strong as the love between them.

Scar Tissue was my first Cole and Callahan Thriller Series read but it won’t be my last. Solid writing and well-developed plot and characters make me want to read more of this investigative team’s stories. Fans of thriller, suspense and women’s fiction will enjoy Scar Tissue.

Enjoy!
Profile Image for Kathleen Kelly.
1,376 reviews128 followers
September 17, 2018
A young lady, Ashley Lambert, jumps 18 stories to her death in an apparent suicide. Ashley was the perfect person, according to her parents and they want to know why their daughter jumped. They decide to hire the PI team, Griff Cole and Britt Calahan to investigate. In another story within a story, Britt and Griff purchase a home and move in together. Britt befriends the neighbor, and when she witnesses bruises on the woman's arms and back she becomes suspicious. The two stories intertwine and create a chain of events that become dangerous. Against Cole's wishes, Britt digs further into what could be happening with their neighbors and the husband/wife relationship, why does Rhea have bruises? The investigation into Ashley's death leads them to question the coaches, her parents, and her peers. Ashley was an athlete who was near perfection in her performance which leads to the question of performance drugs.

I have read one other Cole and Calahan and enjoyed that one. The writing keeps the reader engaged and even though the book is less than 200 pages, it does pack a punch. I enjoyed the characterizations and especially the relationship between Cole and Calahan. A genuine respect between the two.

If you are looking for a mystery that will keep your attention, then give this series a try!

Profile Image for Reggie.
2,804 reviews
November 7, 2020
This is one whodunnit that will leave you speechless!
Private investigators, Cole and Callahan, are more than business partners. They have taken their relationship to the next level and are buying a house together. In the midst of this event, the couple take on a bizarre suicide case...which is connected to the new neighbors. There is an interesting dynamic between the couple next door, whom had lost their one yr old some years ago. Britt takes on, possibly, more than she can handle. Good story. Not necessary to read earlier books to ‘get into’ this one, but would be more enjoyable...yes, that means that I’ll be going to earlier books!
Profile Image for Kelvin Reed.
Author 7 books14 followers
April 17, 2020
"Scar Tissue: The Cole and Callahan Thriller Series" (2018) by Patricia Hale is the third novel in the series about private investigators Britt Callahan and her partner/lover Griff Cole. The pair are investigating the apparent suicide of college academic and athletic phenom Ashley Lambert. Told entirely from Britt’s perspective, they discover Ashley’s death is complicated. The enormous time spent describing the home Britt and Cole are buying is exasperating. Lili Dubuque’s narration is reasonably effective.
Profile Image for Susan.
1,745 reviews38 followers
April 10, 2019
Note: While this is Book 3 in the series, it works just fine as a stand alone novel.

It was fun! I enjoyed this mystery, coupled with another mystery. Britt and Griff had their hands full unwinding the two! The tale is told through Britt’s eyes and so we get to follow her around while she snoops on the neighbors and pokes into college athletics. She and Griff are finally moving in together, having bought a house out in the country. It’s a big change for both of them, as well as Griff’s teen daughter. So plenty for Britt to get used to.

I liked the mystery of the neighbors a little more than the mystery of the college suicide. Both were well laid out though. Rhea and Mike have an awkward relationship, though so do Greg and Dawn (?). Mike is a cop, an abusive husband, and an annoying neighbor. Greg is a controlling husband and parent and can’t believe that his gifted, talented, college daughter would ever commit suicide. So while Griff puts most of his energy into running down all the available info on Ashley (the suicide), Britt attempts to make friends with Rhea and get to the bottom of her woe.

There were a few things that stood out as small plot holes. Britt and Griff are PIs and no strangers to danger. So once Britt gets threatened, why doesn’t she go armed, especially when she goes running literally into danger later on? I also felt that the cops would have looked harder at Rhea later on in the story… but maybe not everyone on the force liked Mike and how he treated his wife (but that’s never brought up one way or the other). Just a few things like that, but over all they didn’t damage my enjoyment of the book.

I especially liked how Britt questions a few things in her personal life – how much to tell Griff (since he is basically lawful good); moving in together; living in the country; possibly crowding Griff’s teen daughter, etc. I think these were nice touches to round out Britt’s character and they were done in such a way as to enhance her character instead of making her wishy-washy.

Pacing was great, I was never bored. Definitely a solid 4/5 stars.

The Narration: Lili Dubuque gave a great performance. She was the perfect Britt. I also loved her voices for the guys, sounding masculine. Her voice for the college snot Mitzi was spot on as well. Pacing was good and there were no technical issues with this recording. 5/5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions, which you get whether you want them or not.
Profile Image for N.V. Cefalo.
157 reviews4 followers
July 17, 2020
*This book was given to me by the author at my request, and I provided this voluntary, unbiased review.*

4/5

This was my first introduction to the Cole and Callahan series, and I liked what I read so far. This story was set in a New England town not far from where I live, and I love stories that I can relate to the scenery with. The story itself is so saddening - which is a good thing, because it draws and fleshes out the character development of the main characters. Even though I didn't read books 1 and 2, I was able to easily follow along their past conflicts and events that flowed into this book. By the end, I was drawn in and was satisfied with the ending of this suspense/crime novel. I would recommend this and will be interested in reading the other Cole and Callahan books.
Profile Image for Erica (The Literary Apothecary).
277 reviews8 followers
October 30, 2018
It is no surprise that Hale, having earned an MFA from Goddard College, has written a strong mystery with equally strong messages. Written to entertain and doused with inspirational actions, Scar Tissue is an excellent choice for mystery readers. Moreover, I dare say, I recommend this book to those who love a strong, determined, though at times stubborn, female character who, with an affection for a Honey Berry, always follows her heart regardless of the dilemmas in her wake.

Material Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
246 reviews1 follower
October 10, 2018
Why did the perfect young lady commit suicide?

Why did the perfect house turn out to have a scary neighbor?

There’s a connection between the two and someone else may die before it’s discovered.

Secrets. Always secrets. Secrets which put both life and relationships in jeopardy.

By the time you finish the book, you’ll understand the title. I think we all must have a bit of scar tissue.

Thank you, Ms Hale, for this most interesting book.

***Book provided without charge by PICT.***
549 reviews5 followers
September 14, 2019
This story may be realistic in the sense that it's plausible, but some of the actions and events are quite contrived and illogical. Nonetheless, the story is suspenseful and the characters are compelling.

Lili Dubuque is a new voice for this series, but she does a fine job of carrying on in the style established in the previous audiobooks of this series.

NOTE: I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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