Dea Poirier Books In Order

Publication Order of The Calderwood Cases Books

Publication Order of Detective Harlow DurantBooks

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Dea Poirier is an American author of suspense, thriller and mystery books popularly known for her The Calderwood Cases. She was born and brought up in Oklahoma, where she found her deep desires to write when undertaking one of her courses in creative writing. She studied in the University of Central Oklahoma where she studied political science and computer science. After spending a couple of years traveling across the United States, Dea finally settled in Florida with her family, husband, son two cats, and two dogs.

The author admits that she got her inspirations to write books from history and different places she’s traveled in the US before finally settling down to focus on her family. Many of her stories are inspired by mythology, history, and places across the United States. In an interview published online, Dea admits that Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, a book from her childhood greatly impacted her writing career.

Next Girl to Die

Next Girl to Die, the first book in the Calderwood Cases series the author takes time to write a story with a detailed setting and plot. The book introduces the protagonist, Claire Calderwood, a strong detective returning to her home to trace her past. It now fifteen years after, Rachel, Claire’s sister, was violently murdered in Maine, her hometown. Claire now lives a life of a detective, and one-day local police come to her home to ask for help in the investigation in the murder of a young lady that is similar to that of her sister.

The death of Rachel still haunts Claire, and as she comes back home, she is hoping to solve the crime and end her suffering. As she begins the investigation, she is not interested in the many persistent questions Noah Washington asks her since she is not willing to answer them. Noah works as a reporter who has a better understanding of these types of cases; that’s why he is willing to help in the investigation. At first Claire is very cautious while around him because of his profession, but eventually, Noah proves himself useful, and she becomes more cooperative. The two have to deal with the gossip in the small town and sometimes find it hard to differentiate between who is telling the truth and who is lying to them during their investigations.

However, she is not ready to give up just like Noah, and they are determined to find out the truth about the incidence. Claire finds herself relying too much on Noah even when she gets new disturbing news about Rachel’s death. As they go on with the investigation, another dead body is found. This leaves them with a mystery to find out whether the killer is the same and the connection between the murdered girls. Since Rachel’s death, Claire has been haunted by the murderer, and she decided to keep it to herself. Her sister’s killer comes once again, and it’s evident to Claire that he not yet done with his killings. He is now targeting on Claire, and she will have to be courageous enough for her to survive. Claire’s mother and grandmother had stopped talking about Rachel’s killing since it happened many years back. As the story unveils, the author develops each of the characters with a well-drawn dark underpinning giving you a sense of mystery surrounding everyone in the story.

The author uses many twists and turns throughout the story, which keeps you guessing who the killer is until the end. The suspense keeps you glued on your seat to the last page. The author describes the setting in a manner even though you have never visited the town of Maine; you are able to picture the area very vividly. The pace of the story flows nicely, and the characters will leave you fascinated. Dea Poirier creates lovely family histories and mythology giving you a better understanding of the connection of the past and the present. The Next Girl to Die is a gripping psychological thriller starring one of the greatest female detectives. Clare has dark memories and a sense of guilt to combat, even as the body count increases. The author’s prose is concise and suspenseful, capturing the conflicting claustrophobia of the local island life. The suspect list is endless, keeping the reader guessing about the true killer’s identity, and fast turning pages to the shocking revelation.

Beneath the Ashes

Beneath the Ashes is the second book in the Calderwood cases. The story opens up when Claire is called upon in a murder scene. The troubled detective discovers that past fire is still burning in this emotional thriller. Memories of her sister’s murder still haunt her. Claire finds the victim tied to a bed in a motel, and her head is covered with plastic and the whole body sprinkled with ashes. Though Claire has dealt with horrible scenes in the past, this appears to be very different.

Although Noah Washington, Claire’s boyfriend, helped her discover Rachel’s killer, he is now distracting this investigation. Claire is willing to help solve mysteries of his past, but Noah seems not interested, and she suspects that he is hiding something from her. When another girl is killed like the first one, Claire suspects that is the work of a serial killer. As the case is on its climax and many pieces of evidence come up, she ends up finding herself in grave danger. Since Claire was once burned before, she must decide whether she will trust Noah to help her settle the case and find out the truth lying beneath the ashes.

Beneath the Ashes takes our heroine to another local town in Maine. While the novel setting isn’t an Island, as in the first book in the series, it has an isolated feel. Killings in local towns have ripple effects, and they touch every person’s life. Some of the main themes Dea Poirier touches in her book include isolation, grief, and the secrets that people keep. The characters in the story are all emotionally broken.

One Response to “Dea Poirier”

1. Lisa: 11 months ago

   Is another book coming in detective Harlow books? Can’t end like that!!! Omg.

   Reply