Wendy Dranfield Books In Order

Publication Order of Dean Matheson Books

Publication Order of Detective Madison Harper Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Wendy Dranfield is an English author of Crime, Suspense, and Thriller books popularly known for her Detective Madison Harper crimes series. She has worked as a corona assistant before becoming a full-time crime writer focusing on a mix of crime series, standalone thriller novels, and short stories.

Some of Wendy Dranfield’s books have been listed for several awards and writing competitions, such as International Thriller Awards and the Mslexia novel writing competition.

Who Cares if they Die?

Who cares if they die is the first book in the Dean Matheson series by Wendy Dranfield. The author welcomes the reader to Maple Valley, a small town in New Hampshire, a small town where the residents seem to know each other or, in one way or the other, dated each other.

If you visualize it, Maple Valley is a close-knit town where you can sneeze without your neighbor on the other side of the block realizing that you’ve sneezed and reporting back how loud it was.

One of the most famous residents in the town is Officer Dean Matheson. He’s always dreamed of becoming a detective, something that was inspired him by his mentor and best friend, Detective Jones.

Unfortunately for him, Detective Jones retired and was replaced by one of the meanest and most rude detectives by the name of Miller. From the word go, things appear wayward for our detective Dean, but in a sheer luck, he gets a break when detective Miller gets a heart attack during a live broadcasted press conference.

Detective Dean gets a chance to investigate the strange female hanging from a tree in the woods near the town. In theory, the case appears to be suicide, but for Detective Dean, it’s more than suicide, and something doesn’t add up.

What appears to be just a suicide case grows into a more complex and dangerous case when bodies start piling up, deaths that look like suicides.
Dean tries his best to prove that he’s a worthy man capable of getting a promotion to a detective rank, but his personal issues won’t let him be. He’s a grieving man, mourning the loss of his brother, and yet at the same time, his marriage is in turmoil since he was caught having an affair.

Dean is a very vulnerable man who doesn’t think straight when he meets the beautiful Beth, who immediately becomes entangled. Beth is a gorgeous British woman working as a psychiatrist in a local correction facility. Wendy Dranfield provides the reader with some information about Beth that Dean doesn’t know- Beth isn’t the kind and loving woman she appears to be, something Dean isn’t aware of. She is a cold, manipulative, and cunny woman. But is she really the serial killer?

Dean is a really likable character with some redeemable qualities. He’s not a superhuman you’ll read in most books, and like any other human being, he’s a person with flaws and struggling to get the best out of his life. You will sympathize with him once you get to know him, especially when his world starts to crumble around him.

The author articulately puts the readers at crossroads. Our vulnerable detective to be becomes entangled in a relationship that he doesn’t know will eventually affect him, even though the readers are given a glimpse of the inner life and circles of the woman he’s in love with. Despite being a man in love, Dean wants to redeem himself and prove to his superiors that he’s worthy of a promotion to a detective rank.

Who Cares if the Dies is a police procedural that doesn’t follow the normal police procedural plot. The author is able to provide the readers with enough information to see which direction the story is moving along. In doing so, the reader is well glued to the story while the protagonist is still trying to work out the facts. The reader is left to watch out slowly as the protagonist slowly tries to process the situation, and the reader can only hope that Dean connects the dots before it’s too late.

Who Cares if they Die closely resembles the 2009 American thriller film, The Stepfather, with the only difference being that the main character in the film isn’t a cop.? The reader already knows the killer and the motive, but the main character is yet to discern the facts. The only hope for the reader is that the main character connects the dot before it’s too late.

Shadow Falls
Formerly known as Find My Child, Shadow Falls is the first book in the Detective Madison Harper series by Wendy Dranfield. The book is set in Northern California.

In Malibu, we meet a retired cop Madison Harper staying at a motel serving as a halfway house for those released from prison. Madison has been in the halfway house for 7 months after serving six years in prison for voluntary manslaughter. As a recently released police killer doing time in her hometown, Madison manages to get by working at Big Bob’s Diner.

On the other hand, is Nathaniel, aka Nate, who’s been out of prison for 2 years after spending 17 years on death row for killing his fiancé Stacey. Nate believes that his uncle, Jack murdered her. He’s trying to get back on his feet after receiving compensation for his wrongful conviction.

Both Nate and Madison have a common objective; to find out the person who framed them. Nate works as an unlicensed private investigator, and Madison connects with him after discovering his story in the newspaper.

She meets Nate and reveals to him that she believes her framing was done by a fellow cop. Initially, Nate doesn’t believe her and has his own reservations regarding taking the case. He finally agrees to help her only if she agrees to help him with new cases that come in. But when a local girl goes missing after attending a summer camp, things get a twisted turn too soon.

Will the two associates find the missing girl and, at the same time, find the truth about their cases? Shadow Falls is a fantastic series opener with two interesting main characters. The story is well-plotted with lots of twists and turns, making it a hard to put down novel.

One Response to “Wendy Dranfield”

1. Bertha McLaughlin: 5 months ago

   I have not enjoyed a series like Madison Harper in awhile, wanting to read instead of sleep!

   Reply