Her body floats. A bloated thing half atop the river. Naked. Pale. Mouth and eyes open wide.

When two fishermen discover a corpse floating in the Clackamas river, profiler Violet Darger heads to rural Oregon to hunt another serial killer. What she discovers in the woods might change the course of her life.

What secrets does the water conceal?

The girl in the water marks the third such case in the area -- all drowned with superficial stab wounds and discovered in a body of water -- and Darger feels certain she won't be the last.

The corpses are badly decomposed. The flesh purpled and softened from their time in the water. The forensic evidence distorted by decay and the elements.

But the victims share one more thing in common -- all were discovered roughly five days post mortem. A coincidence? Something with meaning to be discerned?

Darger suspects the timeline to be significant, but without evidence, she can only guess as to why. That sets up what might be the key to the case:

What is the killer doing to the victims for the four days between their deaths and dumping their bodies?

It's Darger's first case without Loshak, and it will test her like none before.

This pulse-pounding thriller will have you holding your breath until the final page. Fans of John Sandford, Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn, and Lisa Gardner should check out the Violet Darger series.

The books in the series can be read in any order, so grab Five Days Post Mortem and get started today.

Praise for the Violet Darger series:

"Un-put-downable! I cannot wait for this series to grow. If you love Sandford, Slaughter, Kava, Stelljes and Deaver, you’ll LOVE Vargus & McBain!" -- Melody M

"The Violet Darger books are honestly the best detective novels I've ever read." -- Devin

"Vargus and McBain have, in Violet Darger, created a character that absolutely stands up with some of the greats -- Phillip Marlowe, Dave Robicheaux, Elvis Cole, Charlie Parker, August Dupin, Jack Reacher, Harry Bosch, etc." -- Lucinda E. Snyder

"I devour each installment in this series the instant it is available." -- Shelley R. Klouzal

"Wow, just wow! If you like scare-you-half-to-death mystery books this is the one for you. It starts with a bang and just doesn't stop." -- Ada Lavin

"Violet Darger is a unique, incredible character, and I immensely enjoyed taking this journey with her." -- Cat

"A rush of excitement, twists and turns." -- C. Munger

"Insightful, bloody. Page turner about the corruption of morality and warped thinking patterns." -- Bella from Readingnstuff.com

"Refuses to let go until you have read the last sentence." -- Bloodymummer

"Reading a Violet Darger novel always feels like coming home to an old friend—we hang out, we drink some coffee, we talk about her and Loshak’s personal lives, we interview victims’ families, we chase down some serial killers—all the stuff you normally do with your friends, except better. More exciting." -- eden Hudson, author of Revenge of the Bloodslinger

"These books are kind of a nice combination of crime fiction and horror. Ok nice might not be the right word to use. How about gruesome. Or thrilling? Terrifying? Gripping? They're all that. They suck you in right away. And you just can't put them down until it's over." -- Melanie

"If you are a fan of Silence of the Lambs, this book is a spiritual successor." -- Amazon customer

"Vargus and McBain spin a fine tale with characters I want to climb inside -- but not in a weird way." -- Jeanne Tarrants