Melissa Weisbard 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Grave Justice (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 2)  | A Great Psychological Thriller
Another great book in the Jennifer Riley series! I love seeing the prospectives from the social workers of CPS as well as the child victims. Very insightful look into the world of Child Protective Services.  Heartbreaking at times, but so good!
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Melissa Weisbard 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | A Great Psychological Thriller!
A very insightful look into the world of Child Protective Services. Heartbreaking, mysterious, a little bit of romance, and overall a great book.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Trish 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Grave Justice (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 2)  | Grave Justice by Angela McClintock
Angela McClintock, Social Worker extraordinaire, has, once again, captured real life in the horrific experiences of everyday individuals and the social workers who help them. A masterful story teller, Ms. McClintock grabs the reader’s interest from sentence one. She, as she did in “The Boy in the Basement”, also leaves the reader hanging and begging for more. I for one cannot wait for book three.


Hurry up Angela and sharpen that pen. Waiting is excruciating!
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Robyn Luther 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Grave Justice (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 2)  | 2 People, 2 Cases, who did it? And can you prove it?
This is my first time reading a book by this author and let me tell you that she does not disappoint!!! We have multiple story lines that flow with ease, mystery, murd€r, and plot out the wazoo!!! It’s a quick read and definitely worth adding to your tbr!


We follow Charlie, a young girl, who is in a touch space at home. Her parents are always fighting, her dad drinks a lot and yells, and sometimes gets physical with her mother. Charlie feels lost and alone and that her parents don’t actually see her. This beats her down, and makes her an easy target, for when the older man working at a convenience store shows her kindness and compliments her. Leading her to do things that she wasn’t prepared, or wanting, to do.


We also follow a few social workers. Kim is the lead on Charlie’s case. Jennifer, is her superior and fills in for Kim when she can’t make something. Daniel is the lead on a separate case and he is in a relationship with Jennifer. I only mention the social workers because they play major roles both in the cases and in the dynamics with each other. They are important.


Daniel is chaperoning a group of boys on game night. At light out, he takes the first “hall watch” to ensure no one sneaks out. At the end of his turn… you hear screaming. One of the boys he was chaperoning is found de@d, assumed overdose. No one is sold on the overdose because the boy was never into drugs. They try to contain it and investigate but it becomes a bigger issue when reports of other kids in other areas had also overdosed on the same medication.


While investigating these 2 cases… there are so many ups and downs, twists and turns, and “are you serious?” Moments. I enjoyed the plot and seeing the characters play out and solving the cases right along there with them!


Highly recommend!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Suzetta Gaudreau 
 
 
 
 Verified 
Grave Justice (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 2)  | Realistic story, shows compassion for the CPS caseworkers as well as the cases they handle.
This book was amazing, it was a good story line as well as educational. As a domestic violence survivor, I was able to relate to a lot of things in this book.  I like how she identifies with the lives of CPS caseworkers and their compassion for their cases. I would recommend this book.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Mabel Havlin 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | Heartstrings Pulled
Angela Lacy McClintock wrote a book that severely tugged on my heartstrings. How could a parent do such a reprehensible thing to a child?


Chris lived his life as a normal child until his brother passed. This tragic event caused his mother to spiral downward and do inconceivable things. Unfortunately, mental illness can cause a person to lose control of their actions.


Michael, with CPS, worked with Chris to talk through the difficulties in which he endured. You learn more about the system and what a Case Worker goes through everyday. There are a couple more cases in the book as well. Different scenarios but each one has a horrific story that breaks your heart.


I commend every person that works in this field. I know it can’t be easy but thanks to you some of the children live better lives.


Angela has you feel pain, and sorrow but also gives you hope with each case.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Nikita B. 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | More than just a story.
This story was heartbreaking and tragic. Yet, I learned a lot. I'm a huge true crime fan, but I never knew of  the inner workings of child protective services and their process/procedures. The thought also never occurred to me of the trauma these workers go through. This story was multi pov, so we got every angle of the story. Don't let the title fool you. This story is about more than just a boy in the basement. Great read. I can't wait for the next one.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Heather Nichols 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | Amazing work of Art
They always say when you start writing to write about what you know and Angela McClintock did just that.

This is a book with multiple POVs and follows a CPS worker, Jennifer who is just doing her job and follows her interactions with her employees. It also follows a young boy locked in a basement and a couple of other cases that Jennifer and her employees deal with.


This book has a little psychological thriller aspect to it as they follow a murder and you’re left with guessing who done it.


I love that she wrote about the importance of Mental Health Awareness and how we need to be self aware of secondary residual trauma from things many people see in their careers.


Fabulous job, Angela. I hope there will be more to Jennifer and Daniel.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Clive 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | More like nonfiction than fiction
The Boy In The Basement appears to be the debut novel from author Ms McClintock. Before I continue, a disclaimer: I’m a professional editor, which means I’m a lot stricter in my reading than an average reader.

The main story is about a shaken baby case, and the main character is a child welfare officer. As noted in the ‘About The Author’ page, the author has 30 years in the role, and that shows in the story, which I feel is very representative of her career.

Besides the main story, several other cases are followed. There is a very tame romance element, so much so that it’s almost invisible. I ended the book feeling that it would have been perhaps better as a memoir, in other words, nonfiction, similar to the ‘true crime’ genre.

The story is strongly written and the characters are three-dimensional. As an editor, I felt that it was a real shame that the publishers failed to offer editorial advice because it was obvious that the manuscript hadn’t been edited by a third party. I began marking up my copy as I would if I had been editing it, and I found quite a lot of issues, ranging from incorrect punctuation, through wrong word choices, to run-on sentences. I would say my main complaint is that the dialogue seemed stilted. That’s sad because it takes away from an otherwise solid read, and results in my deducting one star.

Overall: story quality and veracity, 4 stars; writing quality, 3 stars; work done by the publisher, 0 stars, and that includes the cover, which could do with a replacement.
  
 
  
 
 
  
  
 
 
 Sahreth 'Baphy' Bowden 
 
 
 
 Verified 
The Boy in the Basement (The Jennifer Riley Series Book 1)  | Very Insightful & Bursting with Emotion
Author Angela Lacy McClintock has made a powerful debut with 'The Boy in the Basement.' It tackles topics of abuse, addiction, challenges to moral convictions, doubt, loss, self-care, understanding, mental illness, and mental health. McClintock has a definite message for readers, which she relays in an entertaining tale.


Set during Halloween season 2019, the story follows the events surrounding three CPS (Child Protective Services) cases, starting with a nine year old boy who has been locked in a basement by his mother, who may or may not decide to come around every day to feed him. The lead investigator, Jennifer, works to guide Daniel and Michael through the cases they are assigned while she herself is thrown off kilter when a girl (now woman) she once saved is murdered at the hands of her abusive boyfriend.


There is an emotional core to the novel that was not what I expected and I mean that in the best of ways. Typically in these sorts of stories, the major focus is on the children, whether that is a character-driven narrative about their development or one plot-driven about their escape. While still illustrating what these children went through that led them to be investigated, McClintock has put primary concern on the CPS workers rather than the families. We learn of horrific events coming to pass when they are reported to CPS and journey alongside the investigators as they get to the root of the issue (if they are able to get to it at all), then must say goodbye to these people with little more than hope that there are no repeat tragedies.


It's raw insight into the lives of those tasked with one of the most mentally taxing jobs there is and how they must learn to cope in a way that keeps them sane without sacrificing their compassion for those involved as well as prudence in the job. Something I greatly appreciated about the novel is Jennifer's insistence on the investigators not judging the parents, but rather doing everything to understand why they are the way they are and have done the things they've done. It is exceedingly difficult to see a mother beat her son nearly to death and not want to beat her in kind. However, as Jennifer explains, it isn't about giving leeway, but rather that if we can understand the why behind people's actions, we can then work to prevent such occurrences and even reverse the damage causing people to act as they do.


That said, she finds it hard to take her own advice about compassion and self-care. I absolutely loved the ways her convictions were challenged and how she stumbled or overcame them each time. I'm sure many will be able to relate to her struggle. Another thing I appreciated was the knowledge on "Secondary Trauma." I think most of us have heard the whole topic of therapists needing therapists, but they aren't the only ones. I never really thought about how constant bombardment of child abuse cases might severely affect the mental welfare of the CPS investigators. The author puts it in easy perspective though and Jennifer stresses to her underlings the importance of taking care of their own emotions.


'The Boy in the Basement' is a fast-paced, character-driven novel bursting with emotion. McClintock has written the psychological trials of all the characters incredibly well, even that of the "villains." The book is a fantastic challenge to the audience's own morals by presenting points of view on tough topics in a way that makes them easy to receive. Throughout the story's dark overtone shines a sense of hope that is wrapped up nicely in a happy(ish) ending.
  
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Amazon rating score: 4.2 of 5, based on 95 reviews