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Deadly Lessons

Eden Mercer K-9 Mystery Thriller, Book 2

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Deadly Lessons

By: Paige Black
Narrated by: Hannah Somerville
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For fans of gripping thrillers and intense police procedurals comes a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Eden Mercer, now a rising star in Nightfall's police department, faces her most challenging case yet. When a staff member is found dead at the secretive Cascade Residential Academy deep in the Oregon woods, Eden and her loyal K-9 partner, Shadow, are thrust into a dark world of troubled teens and sinister secrets.

As Eden investigates, she uncovers a web of abuse, manipulation, and corruption hidden behind the academy's façade of reform. The disappearance of a student, Zoe Bennett, raises the stakes, forcing Eden to confront her own painful past as she races to find the missing girl.

With each revelation, the danger mounts. Eden must navigate treacherous waters as she confronts the academy's intimidating director, uncooperative staff, and a maze of lies. The discovery of a potential serial killer in their midst turns the case on its head, leaving Eden to question whom she can trust.

As time runs out for Zoe, Eden must use all her skills and instincts to unravel the truth before another life is lost. But in doing so, she risks becoming entangled in a conspiracy that threatens to destroy everything she's worked for.

Will Eden's determination and Shadow's unwavering loyalty be enough to uncover the truth and save the missing student? Or will the dark secrets of Cascade Academy claim another victim?

Dive into "Deadly Lessons" and lose yourself in a pulse-pounding tale of suspense, courage, and the fight for justice in the face of unspeakable evil.

©2024, 2026 Charmed Pages Publishing (P)2026 Charmed Pages Publishing Crime Thrillers Mystery Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Exciting Scary
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Listener received this title free

Eden Mercer is now a detective, but still under the wing of a mentor. Her German Shepherd police and search trained dog is also involved in solving this crime storm. The setting is a private high school where the pupils are locked in at night, fed inferior rations and receive physical and emotional punishments for any transgressions of a myriad of regulations. Their places are paid for either by parents wanting to divest themselves of their teenage offspring, or communities offl;oading delinquent teens to another, remote facility. The death of one of the teachers was originally deemed an accident, but Eden unearths evidence it was murder. The faculty oppose and obstruct the investigation also trying to blame the students. Eden is persistent, canny and brave in gaining the trust of at least one of the pupils. When one of the pupils who may have witnessed the crime disappears, there is a race against time to find her with law and the faculty competing. There are plenty of suspects and motives also abound. Eden is in serious peril at the climax, yet gets a confession from the killer as they think she will not survive. We learn of other crimes and wrongs being punished or corrected, so a satisfying ending.

The narrator distinguishes the voices of the characters and delivers the text with appropriate emotion.

I received a free copy, and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Eden and Shadow's second outing crime solving.

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Listener received this title free

I was really looking forward to the second book in the series after enjoying the first one so much.
This time, Eden and her partner are called to an academy to investigate the mysterious death of one of the staff members at a school, when a bomb threat initially halts the investigation initially. We quickly learn that something is different about this school when we meet Zoe a few years in the past, after her parents send her there upon finding out that she has a girlfriend.

With the concept of Eden slowly uncovering what happened in the present, alongside a parallel storyline from a main character’s POV in the past, I felt very confident that I would enjoy this one as well. It was something I already liked in the first book, and I appreciated that it was done in a similar way here. It felt like it gave me a head start on some of the events leading up to the present, while Eden slowly pieces together the puzzle.
Focusing on one of these schools—where teenagers are sent when their parents consider them “not acting normal” or simply don’t want to deal with them—felt like a heavy topic. What Zoe had to endure was heartbreaking, especially seeing her adapt to such a harsh environment.
Overall, I really enjoyed the second book, especially listening to it as an audiobook. What I can confidently say now is that I’m glad there are many more books already available, and I look forward to continuing the series.

Consider me a fn of the series now

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Listener received this title free

Oh boy! I loved this book, talk about sat on the edge of your seat. Even though I had already read the book, it was a while ago and I mostly remembered what happens, I still found it to be a gripping story.

The story is told by a number of characters. The two main perspectives are from Eden the k9 handler who is investigating the case as it happens and Zoe's a student whose ordeal lead to the investigation, so most of her view has already happened. This means as you are listening you are never sure if there is going to be a happy ending for the young student or if it's already to late.

I liked the characters and it was nice to see Eden had a better relationship with her partner than in the previous book, which was just as compelling. Although I don't think Shadow (the dog) had as big a role in this book as the last book, although he is still an important part of the team and adorable too.
It's scary what people do to each other, yes I know this is fiction but the ideas come from somewhere. Although it makes for a great listen, I certainly wouldn't want to go through it and it tugs at the heart strings.
The investigation starts as a accident and quickly develops into a murder investigation before branching off into a missing person. This meant the story moved at a quick pace and held my attention the whole way through. I can't wait for the next case.

A teacher dies in an accident on school grounds and his wife turns to Nightfall's police department and asks them to look into it. She thinks he was being stalked and there is more to his death than the school is saying. K9 officer Eden Mercer and her detective partner arrive at the school and are given the brush off, which only makes them want to take a closer look. The more they learn about the school, the more they believe the wife is right and something is very wrong at the Residential Academy. An academy that is secretive and isolated from any neighbours or prying eyes. When they learn the teacher had a problem with a student who has gone missing, the case takes a serious turn and the death investigation turns into not only a murder investigation but also a missing person case, with a ticking clock. Will finding the girl also mean they find the killer?
The narrator is one of my favourites. I have heard a number of books read by her and she never fails to entertain or put in an excellent performance.
I received a free copy of this audio book and am voluntarily leaving a review

School life is hard without a killer around

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Listener received this title free

The first book was so good - entertaining and easy to listen to and well drawn out characters who have a back story which is slowly unravelling, I went straight onto the second book. This did not disappoint and we learnt more about the main characters and they are growing. It looks like more information is going to come out re the cult, currently been drip feed.
The crime itself was scary - as a parent I just cant imagine sending my children to a school like that and I hope that they dont exist in the UK or Australia.

Getting really into this series

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