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Agent Tori Hunter #1
Silenced Girls
She moved far away to try and forget her past. A past that would seep back in when she least expected it and crushed her soul over and over. She tried to keep the evidence packed away in boxes high up on a closet shelf like carefully packing away a tragic part of her life. As if sealing the boxes, was sealing away a time in her life she desperately wanted to go back and change. Until one day a mysterious letter arrives from an unknown sender that unravels everything.
FBI Special Agent Tori Hunter returns to her hometown of Manchester, Minnesota for the first time in twenty years to investigate the disappearance of a woman who is gone without a trace. She is desperate to solve a case that will cause her to confront her own painful past and question the motives of friends she thought she knew and trusted. It will plunge her and the other detectives into the crosshairs of a dangerous killer while in search of the truth.
From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Deadly Stillwater and Next Girl On The List, this captivating unputdownable thriller in a new series will have you hooked and keep you guessing until the final page. If you love a twisty and compelling mystery this book is for you.
A heart stopping, action-packed killer thriller that fans of John Sandford, Lee Child, James Patterson, Karin Slaughter, Rachel Caine or Angela Marsons will be hooked on by one of the best new authors in crime fiction.
456 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 19, 2019
About the author
Roger Stelljes
31 books598 followersNew York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the McRyan Mystery Series and the Tori Hunter - Manchester Bay Mystery Series. The two crime series with over 3+ million downloads and 200,000+ reviews and ratings. Get the heart-stopping, action-packed thrillers that fans of John Sandford, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, James Patterson and Karin Slaughter will be hooked on by one of the best new authors in crime fiction.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 555 reviews
November 1, 2020
In 1999 17 year old Jessie Hunter from Manchester Bay in Shepard County, Minnesota, disappears after the town’s 4 July celebrations, never to be seen again. Her car is later found abandoned on a back road with a flat front tyre, it had been slashed. In 2019 27 year old Genevieve Lash disappears from Manchester Bay after the town’s 4 July celebrations and is not seen again. Her car is found abandoned on a back road not far from her home with a flat front tyre, also slashed. In New York, Tori Hunter, the twin sister of the girl who went missing 20 years ago, who is now an FBI agent, is sent a press clipping of the 1999 disappearance and a note to look up the current news in Manchester Bay. She surmises that’s she is being summoned by the killer. As she also thinks it’s about time she found out what exactly happened to her sister she heads back home for the first time in 20 years.
This time the investigation is being headed up by Shepard County Chief Detective Will Braddock, formerly from NYPD. He and Tori work together to try and find a link between the two disappearances 20 years apart. Tori is convinced the culprit is a local man. But things soon escalate. Someone tries to shoot Tori while she is on her morning run and, later that day, Braddock’s car explodes as he uses the remote starter (just as well he used that baby)! The detectives are also looking for similar crimes over the years in the general area. What they find astounds them in terms of sheer numbers. And when they analyse the data, it points to someone that no one suspected. How could Tori have been so wrong? But there is more than a little misdirection going on here and the danger is not over yet! This was a good story that seems to fit squarely in the police procedural genre. It will appeal to fans of crime thrillers and general mysteries. There was nothing earth shattering here but it was, nevertheless, an enjoyable story to read. 3.5 stars rounded up. My thanks go to Netgalley, Bookouture and Roger Stelljes for providing a copy of the book. My opinions are my own.
This time the investigation is being headed up by Shepard County Chief Detective Will Braddock, formerly from NYPD. He and Tori work together to try and find a link between the two disappearances 20 years apart. Tori is convinced the culprit is a local man. But things soon escalate. Someone tries to shoot Tori while she is on her morning run and, later that day, Braddock’s car explodes as he uses the remote starter (just as well he used that baby)! The detectives are also looking for similar crimes over the years in the general area. What they find astounds them in terms of sheer numbers. And when they analyse the data, it points to someone that no one suspected. How could Tori have been so wrong? But there is more than a little misdirection going on here and the danger is not over yet! This was a good story that seems to fit squarely in the police procedural genre. It will appeal to fans of crime thrillers and general mysteries. There was nothing earth shattering here but it was, nevertheless, an enjoyable story to read. 3.5 stars rounded up. My thanks go to Netgalley, Bookouture and Roger Stelljes for providing a copy of the book. My opinions are my own.
May 5, 2022
My thanks to Bookoutre, Roger Stelljes and Netgalley. I haven't a negative thing to say about this book. I absolutely loved and was equally horrified by the story. The setting was magnificent! It just was. I'm often astounded by the beauty of Minnesota, but seldom read of upper Minnesota. Wowsers! I even loved the romance. Thankfully, not too much, but it made sense. Much to my delight, I've discovered that I already own 2 of this authors books! Does that mean I'll be reading them? Honestly? Probably not. I love Tori, and will definitely be reading more of herstory! "See what I did there!" But, the St. Paul thing? Maybe. .eventually. For now? Mr. Stelljes has hooked me on these books. Also, am I the only one who was waiting for that "F**king Flowers to show up, just towing his fishing boat behind?" Great story, Mr. Stelljes. Encore!
January 3, 2023
Tori Hunter's twin sister disappeared from their hometown when they were teens. 20 years later, Tori is an FBI agent who helps find missing persons. On the 20th anniversary of her sister's disappearance, Tori receives a taunting letter from the kidnapper that points to a new abduction in her hometown with an identical setup to her sister. What else is a sister to do but return to her hometown (not on the FBI dime though) and lend her expertise to the lead detective who has a history of his own.
This is a reliable suspense, police procedural. There's a big cast of characters and it's pretty much a guessing game on the who as there weren't really any bread crumbs to solve. But it was still an intriguing mystery that I needed to see how it all ended.
At close to 500 pages, this is easily 100 pages too long. Cut cut cut! There was a pointless side story in the middle where Tori was pulled back on the job for the FBI and it served no purpose. Except maybe to show how capable she was, but this could've been addressed more creatively in a paragraph or two.
The timing and the playful banter of the romantic relationship didn't strike the right balance. Lots of serious things are happening, but we're led to believe these two lovebirds are more interested in their inuendoes and getting back into each other's pants. It didn't feel authentic in many parts.
I received the 2nd book in the Agent Tori Hunter series as a gift, so I was excited to get to know her backstory here before starting. All in all, a solid read with a strong female lead.
3.5 stars, rounding up. Cheers!
This is a reliable suspense, police procedural. There's a big cast of characters and it's pretty much a guessing game on the who as there weren't really any bread crumbs to solve. But it was still an intriguing mystery that I needed to see how it all ended.
At close to 500 pages, this is easily 100 pages too long. Cut cut cut! There was a pointless side story in the middle where Tori was pulled back on the job for the FBI and it served no purpose. Except maybe to show how capable she was, but this could've been addressed more creatively in a paragraph or two.
The timing and the playful banter of the romantic relationship didn't strike the right balance. Lots of serious things are happening, but we're led to believe these two lovebirds are more interested in their inuendoes and getting back into each other's pants. It didn't feel authentic in many parts.
I received the 2nd book in the Agent Tori Hunter series as a gift, so I was excited to get to know her backstory here before starting. All in all, a solid read with a strong female lead.
3.5 stars, rounding up. Cheers!
October 29, 2020
Silenced Girls is the first in a new series from Rober Stelljes featuring FBI agent Tori Hunter.
Promised more than it delivered, enjoyable overall but with some flaws.
The set up is great. We first meet Tori as a teenager as she is being questioned by the police as her twin sister has gone missing. Tori is heartbroken as the two were inseparable.
Fast forward 20 years and Tori now lives in New York working as an FBI agent specialising in child missing cases. She left her home town not long after he sister went missing and the trail went cold and hasn’t returned since. But when a girl in her hometown goes missing again on the 20th anniversary of her sisters disappearance, and she receives a letter from the abductor goading her, she feels compelled to return to the town she tried to forget and try and help with the case, and face her past demons.
The opening of the book is great. A great set up and everything zips along. I was all in. As you get further into the book some problems do arise unfortunately. Firstly, the book is just too long for what it is. At least 100 pages too long, if not more. After the riveting opening it settles down and kind of meanders along as the story is slowly etched out. It takes way too long for the story that’s actually there.
Also the characters go from interesting to incredibly cliched. Tori herself starts off as a really interesting character and remains so for the most part but, she jumps the shark on occasion and spends a chapter or two here and there completely out of character.
There’s a very solid story in here. Maybe a 350 page story to tell. It’s just tarnished somewhat by the bloated and unnecessary word count.
It’s good. Not without its faults but still good. When it is good it’s really good. It’s just hard to get away from the unnecessary length of the book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
Promised more than it delivered, enjoyable overall but with some flaws.
The set up is great. We first meet Tori as a teenager as she is being questioned by the police as her twin sister has gone missing. Tori is heartbroken as the two were inseparable.
Fast forward 20 years and Tori now lives in New York working as an FBI agent specialising in child missing cases. She left her home town not long after he sister went missing and the trail went cold and hasn’t returned since. But when a girl in her hometown goes missing again on the 20th anniversary of her sisters disappearance, and she receives a letter from the abductor goading her, she feels compelled to return to the town she tried to forget and try and help with the case, and face her past demons.
The opening of the book is great. A great set up and everything zips along. I was all in. As you get further into the book some problems do arise unfortunately. Firstly, the book is just too long for what it is. At least 100 pages too long, if not more. After the riveting opening it settles down and kind of meanders along as the story is slowly etched out. It takes way too long for the story that’s actually there.
Also the characters go from interesting to incredibly cliched. Tori herself starts off as a really interesting character and remains so for the most part but, she jumps the shark on occasion and spends a chapter or two here and there completely out of character.
There’s a very solid story in here. Maybe a 350 page story to tell. It’s just tarnished somewhat by the bloated and unnecessary word count.
It’s good. Not without its faults but still good. When it is good it’s really good. It’s just hard to get away from the unnecessary length of the book.
My thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.
November 6, 2020
The Silenced Girls is the first instalment in the FBI Agent Tori Hunter series, based in a Manchester Bay, Minnesota. Agent Hunter moved far away to try and forget her past. A past that would seep back in when she least expected it and crushed her soul over and over. She tried to keep the evidence packed away in boxes high up on a closet shelf like carefully packing away a tragic part of her life. As if sealing the boxes, was sealing away a time in her life she desperately wanted to go back and change. Until one day a mysterious letter arrives from an unknown sender that unravels everything.
FBI Special Agent Tori Hunter returns to her hometown of Manchester, Minnesota for the first time in twenty years to investigate the disappearance of a woman who is gone without a trace. She is desperate to solve a case that will cause her to confront her own painful past and question the motives of friends she thought she knew and trusted. It will plunge her and the other detectives into the crosshairs of a dangerous killer while in search of the truth.
This is a captivating, exciting and well written story with enough action happening to keep you racing through the pages. It takes a while to get into it, for some reason, as Stelljes sets up the characters and backstory, which is necessary for a series opener, but it soon becomes fast paced and quite addictive, so it's worth persevering. The main issue I had was that although it is superbly plotted there is rather a lot of unnecessary padding to fill out the page count and it could do with a solid editor. Despite this I enjoyed it and was both engrossed and entertained.
FBI Special Agent Tori Hunter returns to her hometown of Manchester, Minnesota for the first time in twenty years to investigate the disappearance of a woman who is gone without a trace. She is desperate to solve a case that will cause her to confront her own painful past and question the motives of friends she thought she knew and trusted. It will plunge her and the other detectives into the crosshairs of a dangerous killer while in search of the truth.
This is a captivating, exciting and well written story with enough action happening to keep you racing through the pages. It takes a while to get into it, for some reason, as Stelljes sets up the characters and backstory, which is necessary for a series opener, but it soon becomes fast paced and quite addictive, so it's worth persevering. The main issue I had was that although it is superbly plotted there is rather a lot of unnecessary padding to fill out the page count and it could do with a solid editor. Despite this I enjoyed it and was both engrossed and entertained.
April 22, 2023
A good serial killer thriller that started 20 years ago when the town's sheriff's daughter disappears and was never found. She was a twin and her sister became a FBI agent that specializes in finding missing children. She gets a letter on the 20th anniversary of her sister's disappearance and figures that she is being drawn back to her home town for a reason. She has only been back once and that was when her dad passed away. It's a good who did it and why. Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
November 1, 2020
On the 5th of July 1999, Jessie Hunter (17-years-old) disappears on her way home from a party without a trace other than her abandoned car with a punctured tyre. 20 years later on exact the same date; another woman goes missing in the same circumstances. Tori Hunter, Jessie’s identical twin sister is now a successful FBI agent specialised in child abduction and lives in New York. She receives a letter (from the killer, we assume) that points out the similarities between both crimes. So, she’s lured back to Manchester Bay in Minnesota and wants to be involved in the investigation. She even puts her job on the line. Will Braddock, the lead detective isn’t all that impressed with her offer to help but slowly starts to appreciate her expertise. They discover that Jessie and Lash may not be the only victims. Then there’s an unexpected twist when Jessie’s boss sends her to Des Moines to solve the kidnapping of a 2-year-old baby girl.
Within the first chapters, I encountered several stereotypes that immediately lowered my expectations; an FBI agent with a missing sibling, the hostile encounter between the local detective and the outsider ‘expert’, a serial killer that contacts the police/a survivor. I was almost convinced that the killer would be one of the trusted long term friends. Luckily, there are a lot of those but I had my suspect based on similar stories. I’d be disappointed if it would that easy though. Was I right? You have to see for yourself.
I did like the additional case of the child abduction half-way through. That was realistic, as Tori isn’t officially detached but only helping as a private citizen. Of course, in real life, she also wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the investigation and her boss tries to send her elsewhere
The story does draw you in though. With many obstacles in the way of the investigation, the suspense is upped a little bit a time. With every consecutive suspect, you think they finally solved the case but then something else happens and the theory deflates. The book is well written and the suspense is masterly augmented with every new chapter. The characters are likeable but also not very original.
Tori is a brilliant investigator, cool, calculated, logical, methodical and dogged but also a complete pain in the ass as said by one of her colleagues.
Braddock is a real gem though, almost too perfect to be true. He’s a sensitive and caring dad. He’s lost his wife just long enough to be over it although he still speaks very loving about her. He doesn’t seem to have any flaws. You see the respect between the two protagonists growing and you know that there’s going to be some romantic innuendo sometime.
Nevertheless, I do like both of them and had a picture in my head of them as Mulder and Scully, even with the voices included. I don’t know why though.
One of the things this book does try to point out is the dangers of having elected judges, sheriffs of prosecutors. Politicians are always crowd-pleasers by nature and bow far too easily to money and influence to the extent that justice becomes inferior to those of popularity.
This is definitely not a bad book but I’ve read several similar stories in the last months. This is even better than some of those that I gave a 4-star review so I have to compare it to those standards and it deserves this 4 certainly.
I received a free ARC from Netgalley and Bookouture and this is my honest, unbiased review of it.
Within the first chapters, I encountered several stereotypes that immediately lowered my expectations; an FBI agent with a missing sibling, the hostile encounter between the local detective and the outsider ‘expert’, a serial killer that contacts the police/a survivor. I was almost convinced that the killer would be one of the trusted long term friends. Luckily, there are a lot of those but I had my suspect based on similar stories. I’d be disappointed if it would that easy though. Was I right? You have to see for yourself.
I did like the additional case of the child abduction half-way through. That was realistic, as Tori isn’t officially detached but only helping as a private citizen. Of course, in real life, she also wouldn’t be allowed to take part in the investigation and her boss tries to send her elsewhere
The story does draw you in though. With many obstacles in the way of the investigation, the suspense is upped a little bit a time. With every consecutive suspect, you think they finally solved the case but then something else happens and the theory deflates. The book is well written and the suspense is masterly augmented with every new chapter. The characters are likeable but also not very original.
Tori is a brilliant investigator, cool, calculated, logical, methodical and dogged but also a complete pain in the ass as said by one of her colleagues.
Braddock is a real gem though, almost too perfect to be true. He’s a sensitive and caring dad. He’s lost his wife just long enough to be over it although he still speaks very loving about her. He doesn’t seem to have any flaws. You see the respect between the two protagonists growing and you know that there’s going to be some romantic innuendo sometime.
Nevertheless, I do like both of them and had a picture in my head of them as Mulder and Scully, even with the voices included. I don’t know why though.
One of the things this book does try to point out is the dangers of having elected judges, sheriffs of prosecutors. Politicians are always crowd-pleasers by nature and bow far too easily to money and influence to the extent that justice becomes inferior to those of popularity.
This is definitely not a bad book but I’ve read several similar stories in the last months. This is even better than some of those that I gave a 4-star review so I have to compare it to those standards and it deserves this 4 certainly.
I received a free ARC from Netgalley and Bookouture and this is my honest, unbiased review of it.
April 3, 2021
FBI Agent Tori Hunter returns to her hometown after being gone for 20 years. Her twin sister disappeared at that time.. and Tori has always felt guilty because they should have been together.
Someone sends her an anonymous newspaper clipping about another missing girl, Genevieve. Gen disappeared without a trace, leaving behind her abandoned car..... 20 years to the day that Tori's sister disappeared.
The police have decided they have a credible suspect.. a man who was seen with her the night before she went missing. But that man was found dead in his cabin ... and another girl's body in the trunk of her car. And the man she suspects most .... the one man Tori thought she could trust.
Suspenseful from the very first page, this is well written, with characters that are solidly drawn. There are some twists and turns that lead to a very unexpected conclusion. This is the first of a series featuring Agent Tori Hunter ... I look forward to seeing more of her.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
Someone sends her an anonymous newspaper clipping about another missing girl, Genevieve. Gen disappeared without a trace, leaving behind her abandoned car..... 20 years to the day that Tori's sister disappeared.
The police have decided they have a credible suspect.. a man who was seen with her the night before she went missing. But that man was found dead in his cabin ... and another girl's body in the trunk of her car. And the man she suspects most .... the one man Tori thought she could trust.
Suspenseful from the very first page, this is well written, with characters that are solidly drawn. There are some twists and turns that lead to a very unexpected conclusion. This is the first of a series featuring Agent Tori Hunter ... I look forward to seeing more of her.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
November 24, 2020
I can't really think of anything I didn't like about this book. Maybe it was a "TAD" bit too dragged out. I think that whole side story with Tori and the missing 2-year-old could have been left out completely and the story wouldn't have suffered at all. But that was a VERY minor issue. It sucked me in from the start and kept me turning the pages.
The characters were likable (although there were a couple times I thought Tori put a toe over the line into the "unlikable" category), but again, it wasn't a major issue. I was also really taken by surprise by who the "baddie" turned out to be. I am usually quite good at Sherlocking these things out, but this one was a genuine surprise. So kudos to the author for that!
I look forward to seeing what this author has in store for Tori next!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
The characters were likable (although there were a couple times I thought Tori put a toe over the line into the "unlikable" category), but again, it wasn't a major issue. I was also really taken by surprise by who the "baddie" turned out to be. I am usually quite good at Sherlocking these things out, but this one was a genuine surprise. So kudos to the author for that!
I look forward to seeing what this author has in store for Tori next!
**ARC Via NetGalley**
October 24, 2020
My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of SILENCED GIRLS In exchange for an honest review.
Roger Stelljes introduces a new series with FBI agent Tori Hunter as the main protagonist. The book starts off with a great hook. The interesting plot line has a fast pace with engaging characters and interesting dialogue. The momentum builds to the anticipated gripping climax.... then fizzles. It did keep my interest throughout as I couldn’t figure out the villain! However, I was disappointed because I figured out a glaring problem with the police investigation , and the police should have realized the problem as well! Two red herrings were obviously just that... and wouldn’t fool anyone. There was tension, but not the edge-of-your-seat suspense kind. The climax seemed contrived and therefore was not as thrilling or gripping as I would have hoped. The conclusion was anti-climactic, yet still satisfying and sets the stage for another Tori Hunter installment. Tori Hunter’s character will be developed more in future installments, I am sure. I look forward to her new adventures as a retired FBI agent!
Mr. Stelljes’ first series featuring Mac McRyan is one you won’t want to miss reading. In all fairness, I admit to comparing Mac with Tori.... and Mac’s character is much sharper, rounder and more dimensional. Mr. Stelljes is a great story teller and I have read all of the compelling McRyan books! I look forward to revisiting Tori Hunter again, although at this point in time, I remain true blue to the dynamic Mac McRyan!
Roger Stelljes introduces a new series with FBI agent Tori Hunter as the main protagonist. The book starts off with a great hook. The interesting plot line has a fast pace with engaging characters and interesting dialogue. The momentum builds to the anticipated gripping climax.... then fizzles. It did keep my interest throughout as I couldn’t figure out the villain! However, I was disappointed because I figured out a glaring problem with the police investigation , and the police should have realized the problem as well! Two red herrings were obviously just that... and wouldn’t fool anyone. There was tension, but not the edge-of-your-seat suspense kind. The climax seemed contrived and therefore was not as thrilling or gripping as I would have hoped. The conclusion was anti-climactic, yet still satisfying and sets the stage for another Tori Hunter installment. Tori Hunter’s character will be developed more in future installments, I am sure. I look forward to her new adventures as a retired FBI agent!
Mr. Stelljes’ first series featuring Mac McRyan is one you won’t want to miss reading. In all fairness, I admit to comparing Mac with Tori.... and Mac’s character is much sharper, rounder and more dimensional. Mr. Stelljes is a great story teller and I have read all of the compelling McRyan books! I look forward to revisiting Tori Hunter again, although at this point in time, I remain true blue to the dynamic Mac McRyan!
November 12, 2020
This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Bookouture for my copy of this book via Netgalley and for letting me take part in this tour. If you follow my reviews then you will know I love a good crime story. I also love reading new to me authors. It's so refreshing to try a new style or a new series. I love it just as much as going back to my old comforts.
This story follows Tori Hunter. Tori's twin sister was taken 20 years ago and now another young woman has gone missing on the same night in very similar circumstances. So Tori heads back to her home. I really liked Tori. Yes, she is strong-willed and stubborn but underneath that, there’s a softer side that wants to come out. It’s just a little buried under everything she has been through.
Tori's partner on this case is Will Braddock. Will seems like a cool guy and someone that everyone will respect. He has had quite a career in the NYPD before moving to Manchester Bay. I really liked the way these two interacted too.
The case itself is very gripping. With two young women missing there’s a lot of answers needed for a small town. The pressure from the powerhouses above was, unfortunately, very realistic. More often than not people play the game.
I liked that we got to see Tori doing her real job as an FBI child abduction specialist. It showed us how good she really is and also how she has to drop everything at a moment’s notice.
I think the pace was good at the beginning but it did slow a little towards the middle point. This is probably more realistic of how a case goes and I’m just used to the fast pace of TV shows.
I can’t wait to jump in with another case with Tori though. I am excited to follow her journey and the series.
This story follows Tori Hunter. Tori's twin sister was taken 20 years ago and now another young woman has gone missing on the same night in very similar circumstances. So Tori heads back to her home. I really liked Tori. Yes, she is strong-willed and stubborn but underneath that, there’s a softer side that wants to come out. It’s just a little buried under everything she has been through.
Tori's partner on this case is Will Braddock. Will seems like a cool guy and someone that everyone will respect. He has had quite a career in the NYPD before moving to Manchester Bay. I really liked the way these two interacted too.
The case itself is very gripping. With two young women missing there’s a lot of answers needed for a small town. The pressure from the powerhouses above was, unfortunately, very realistic. More often than not people play the game.
I liked that we got to see Tori doing her real job as an FBI child abduction specialist. It showed us how good she really is and also how she has to drop everything at a moment’s notice.
I think the pace was good at the beginning but it did slow a little towards the middle point. This is probably more realistic of how a case goes and I’m just used to the fast pace of TV shows.
I can’t wait to jump in with another case with Tori though. I am excited to follow her journey and the series.
November 4, 2020
Jessie Hunter disappears after the town’s 4th of July celebrations. Her car is later found abandoned with a flat front tire that had been slashed. Jessie was never seen again. Tori Hunter, the twin sister of the girl who went missing 20 years ago, left that town and is now an FBI agent. She is sent a paper clipping and a note telling her to look up the current news in Manchester Bay (the town she was initially from.). Being shocked by the similarities what she is reading of another murder, she thinks that’s she is being taunted and summoned by the killer of her sister. With an opened wound again, and not satisfied until she gets the answers she seeks, and who this killer is, she goes back home for the first time in 20 years.
The killings start to escalate, and as the search goes on, Tori and her team know they are looking for a serial murderer. This killer is very crafty, and has stepped up his game.
I enjoyed the story's beginning, but was having a hard time staying interested in it. It just seemed to drag through, being too long on pages for my taste. Much of it was police procedural. I liked Tori's character, and I think Stelljes will enjoy developing Tori's character further if he so chooses, perhaps making her a little more personable, given that she has the answers now that she long sought. .
Overall, an enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The killings start to escalate, and as the search goes on, Tori and her team know they are looking for a serial murderer. This killer is very crafty, and has stepped up his game.
I enjoyed the story's beginning, but was having a hard time staying interested in it. It just seemed to drag through, being too long on pages for my taste. Much of it was police procedural. I liked Tori's character, and I think Stelljes will enjoy developing Tori's character further if he so chooses, perhaps making her a little more personable, given that she has the answers now that she long sought. .
Overall, an enjoyable read. My thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 17, 2020
So I won't lie, initially, this book seemed to have everything I loved: an FBI agent returning to their home town, an unsolved murder from years ago and new murders with a suspicious pattern. However, the outcome of this book was just a little meh to me.
I think the one thing I am finding hardest is that I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like. The writing was okay, the characters were average and I didn't think the build-up to the reveal was bad. I just didn't connect to this book as much as I expected to and I wasn't gripped by the overall mystery that occurred.
I felt like Tori was a bit bland and I wanted more from her and the events were kind of predictable, especially towards the end.
Overall, I'm finding this book hard to review because I don't particularly have many thoughts on it. It was an okay thriller and I think some would really enjoy this but it didn't do much for me.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I think the one thing I am finding hardest is that I can't quite put my finger on what I didn't like. The writing was okay, the characters were average and I didn't think the build-up to the reveal was bad. I just didn't connect to this book as much as I expected to and I wasn't gripped by the overall mystery that occurred.
I felt like Tori was a bit bland and I wanted more from her and the events were kind of predictable, especially towards the end.
Overall, I'm finding this book hard to review because I don't particularly have many thoughts on it. It was an okay thriller and I think some would really enjoy this but it didn't do much for me.
I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
March 17, 2021
3.5 stars
Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is the first in the FBI Agent Tori Hunter series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Information:
Special Agent Tori Hunter works with the FBI Missing Children's Team. Her mother passed away when she was a child. When she was a teenager, her twin sister Jessie went missing. Tori left Manchester Bay Minnesota, and went to college in Boston. Shortly after, her father, the town Sheriff, had a heart attack and died. She hasn't been back since.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When a newspaper clipping about her sister's disappearance arrives in her mail, 20 years after Jessie went missing, Tori is stunned. There is a note attached telling her to check the current hometown newspaper for another missing girl. It quickly becomes evident that Genevieve may have suffered the same fate as her sister.
She heads back to Minnesota, and meets with Detective Will Braddock, requesting to be part of the case. But Tori and Will have different points of view, and sometimes their methods differ. Sparks will fly, but they are both determined to work together. They realize that this is a much bigger case than anyone had realized.
When their only suspect apparently commits suicide, neither Tori nor Will are convinced, but the political bigwigs want this over, and want to attribute the deaths to him. But the detectives will do anything to buy some time. They are sure that the real killer is still out there.
My Opinions:
I really liked this book. The story sucked me in and held on tight. It was totally captivating plot. However, even though it started out at a good, fast pace, it seemed to drag in the middle. Overall, it was just a little too long. One of the areas that could have been cut was the part where Tori goes back to her FBI job to find a missing child. That just added unnecessary words. It wasn't needed for the plot. As well, the last couple of chapters were a little iffy.
I absolutely loved Tori, although I did find her a little abrasive at the beginning....just as the author intended. Will was the same. I came to love them both, and although I am not a romance reader, I was silently cheering them on.
So, although it was long, the actual plot was very good, with good characters, and a twist or two (although they were fairly obvious).
Bottom line, I am looking forward to the next in the series.
For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information and the reason I chose this book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is the first in the FBI Agent Tori Hunter series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Information:
Special Agent Tori Hunter works with the FBI Missing Children's Team. Her mother passed away when she was a child. When she was a teenager, her twin sister Jessie went missing. Tori left Manchester Bay Minnesota, and went to college in Boston. Shortly after, her father, the town Sheriff, had a heart attack and died. She hasn't been back since.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
When a newspaper clipping about her sister's disappearance arrives in her mail, 20 years after Jessie went missing, Tori is stunned. There is a note attached telling her to check the current hometown newspaper for another missing girl. It quickly becomes evident that Genevieve may have suffered the same fate as her sister.
She heads back to Minnesota, and meets with Detective Will Braddock, requesting to be part of the case. But Tori and Will have different points of view, and sometimes their methods differ. Sparks will fly, but they are both determined to work together. They realize that this is a much bigger case than anyone had realized.
When their only suspect apparently commits suicide, neither Tori nor Will are convinced, but the political bigwigs want this over, and want to attribute the deaths to him. But the detectives will do anything to buy some time. They are sure that the real killer is still out there.
My Opinions:
I really liked this book. The story sucked me in and held on tight. It was totally captivating plot. However, even though it started out at a good, fast pace, it seemed to drag in the middle. Overall, it was just a little too long. One of the areas that could have been cut was the part where Tori goes back to her FBI job to find a missing child. That just added unnecessary words. It wasn't needed for the plot. As well, the last couple of chapters were a little iffy.
I absolutely loved Tori, although I did find her a little abrasive at the beginning....just as the author intended. Will was the same. I came to love them both, and although I am not a romance reader, I was silently cheering them on.
So, although it was long, the actual plot was very good, with good characters, and a twist or two (although they were fairly obvious).
Bottom line, I am looking forward to the next in the series.
For a more complete review of this book and others (including author information and the reason I chose this book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
November 2, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Silenced Girls, the first novel to feature FBI agent Tori Hunter, set in the Minnesota town of Manchester Bay.
20 years ago Tori’s twin sister, Jessie, disappeared after a 4th July celebration with her classmates. Jessie was never found and the case went unsolved. Tori is lured back to Manchester Bay for the first time when she receives an anonymous clipping in the post, a clipping that highlights the similarities between the recent disappearance of Genevieve Lash and Jessie’s. She inveigles her way into Chief of Detectives Will Braddock’s investigation in an unofficial capacity.
I enjoyed Silenced Girls on the whole as it is a good police procedural with extra action to keep it interesting. I was hooked from the beginning, which is set at the time of Jessie’s disappearance, with a strong and emotional description of Tori’s grief and guilt at not being there for her. Fast forward to the present day and Tori is a decorated and successful FBI agent with no life. Putting aside the fact that, as an interested party, no investigation would allow her to participate what follows is a standard police procedural, widening in scope and reducing the suspect pool as the novel progresses. What sets it apart is Tori’s emotional response to what they uncover. There are plenty of discoveries and danger to keep the novel going at a steady pace. Unfortunately my interest began to flag about three quarters of the way through as it starts to get repetitive and Tori and Will seem not to learn from their mistakes. I think the novel is too long and could do with a judicious prune.
I didn’t initially warm to Tori Hunter as she is impulsive, emotional and prickly in her dealings with others. Fortunately Will’s hard headed logic is there to temper her impatience. I guess that’s the upside to a long novel, the reader has time to get used to her and her ways. Anyway, she seems to be a new woman by the end of the novel.
Silenced Girls is a good read that I can recommend.
20 years ago Tori’s twin sister, Jessie, disappeared after a 4th July celebration with her classmates. Jessie was never found and the case went unsolved. Tori is lured back to Manchester Bay for the first time when she receives an anonymous clipping in the post, a clipping that highlights the similarities between the recent disappearance of Genevieve Lash and Jessie’s. She inveigles her way into Chief of Detectives Will Braddock’s investigation in an unofficial capacity.
I enjoyed Silenced Girls on the whole as it is a good police procedural with extra action to keep it interesting. I was hooked from the beginning, which is set at the time of Jessie’s disappearance, with a strong and emotional description of Tori’s grief and guilt at not being there for her. Fast forward to the present day and Tori is a decorated and successful FBI agent with no life. Putting aside the fact that, as an interested party, no investigation would allow her to participate what follows is a standard police procedural, widening in scope and reducing the suspect pool as the novel progresses. What sets it apart is Tori’s emotional response to what they uncover. There are plenty of discoveries and danger to keep the novel going at a steady pace. Unfortunately my interest began to flag about three quarters of the way through as it starts to get repetitive and Tori and Will seem not to learn from their mistakes. I think the novel is too long and could do with a judicious prune.
I didn’t initially warm to Tori Hunter as she is impulsive, emotional and prickly in her dealings with others. Fortunately Will’s hard headed logic is there to temper her impatience. I guess that’s the upside to a long novel, the reader has time to get used to her and her ways. Anyway, she seems to be a new woman by the end of the novel.
Silenced Girls is a good read that I can recommend.
Read
January 19, 2021Agent Tori Hunter returns to her hometown to investigate the case of a missing woman. This case is a painful reminder for her as it's similar to how her twin went missing twenty years ago. This time will Tori finally be able to stop the serial killer and find out the truth about what happened to her sister all these years ago .
The Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is the first instalment in the FBI Agent Tori Hunter series. An interesting police procedural with great in depth characters but just a tad bit too long . Will look forward to reading the next one in the series
I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
The Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is the first instalment in the FBI Agent Tori Hunter series. An interesting police procedural with great in depth characters but just a tad bit too long . Will look forward to reading the next one in the series
I would like to thank Bookouture & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.
This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
April 22, 2024
⭐️Book review ratings ⭐️
This is my own opinions….some people may agree or may not agree…but please be mindful we are all able to rate our likes/dislikes.
All ratings are out of FIVE ⭐️’s
Storyline ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters ⭐️⭐️
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was a good read, easy to follow along with & kept me interested to read to the end!
This is my own opinions….some people may agree or may not agree…but please be mindful we are all able to rate our likes/dislikes.
All ratings are out of FIVE ⭐️’s
Storyline ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Characters ⭐️⭐️
Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book was a good read, easy to follow along with & kept me interested to read to the end!
November 15, 2022
“She moved far away to try and forget her past. A past that would seep back in when she least expected it and crushed her soul over and over”
..
Told mostly in the third person, with one or two interjections by the perpetrator, who quite early on reveals himself to be male, which rather set me on edge as I had some strange notion that I would immediately be able to pick him out. However, I need not have worried, as author Roger Stelljes is much too sneaky for that and me solving the crime ahead of Tori and Will was never really a serious option.
And so, down to business...
..
This story begins with the disappearance on July 4th, 1999, of Jessie (Jessica) Hunter, twin sister of Tori (Victoria) and daughters of Manchester Bay’s Sheriff, Big Jim Hunter. The girls could not be further apart in character, with Jessie being as outgoing and garrulous, as Tori is reserved and introspective. However, having lost their mother when they were very young, they are totally devoted to one another. So, when as time passes by, the only clue to Jessie’s whereabouts is her abandoned and deliberately sabotaged car, and Big Jim dies of a broken heart, a guilt-ridden Tori leaves the small town for good, vowing never to return.
Exactly twenty years to the day since Jessie’s disappearance and Tori, who is now a very successful FBI Agent living and working out of New York, receives a note in the post, containing details of a new disappearance, with an MO almost identical to that of Jessie’s still unsolved abduction, which will have her returning, albeit very reluctantly, back to the place of her childhood. Many of her former friends still live locally and are now well-respected members of a much-extended town, which Tori no longer recognises. Given the haste and circumstances of her departure Tori’s return is surprisingly welcomed and her friends connect with her almost as if she had never been away. Tori meets relative newcomer to Manchester Bay, widower and single parent, Will Braddock, who is chief detective for the Shepard County Sheriff’s Department. Sparks fly when Will and his colleagues don’t immediately make such a strong connection between the two cases as Tori does and as she is not there in any official FBI capacity, she has to use many rather ‘under the radar’ methods and call in numerous favours, to prove to Will that over the intervening twenty years, there have in fact been many similar disappearances of young girls, both from small towns in the surrounding areas and from adjoining States, none of which have been solved and which have never been correlated and cross-referenced for similarities.
Sparks of a different nature are also ignited when Tori and Will discover that, as two damaged souls, they have also been drawn together romantically and keeping work and pleasure separate becomes something of a juggling act, at which neither are very good!
Despite pressure from her FBI bosses to let the local force deal with what is becoming an evermore complex case involving many victims, Tori, who has eventually found a staunch ally for her theory in Will, calls on every available resource to research and track down a perpetrator who it is now clear, is known to his victims, especially when Will and she become personal targets for his games of cat and mouse. For the great and good of the community, Tori and Will’s conclusions are completely unpalatable, as by implication all their names are in the frame. When Tori makes the all-important link between the many cases, a suspect is quickly apprehended, despite his protestations of innocence. It takes the intervention of a third party to convince Will that they probably have the wrong man in custody, but by that time, Tori has gone missing, and the alert is raised….
Oh! How I do so hate it when my protagonists are left fearful for their lives. I guess you need to now know if both Will and Tori live to fight another day, and if they do, will that be together or apart…
Now that would be telling!!
..
Not quite a dual timeline story, there were one or two flashback to events which began some twenty years ago and have been happening, largely unnoticed, ever since.
For a crime thriller, this was actually quite a lengthy read, however some fluent, concise and well-signposted chapters, kept the action moving along at a cracking pace, totally immersive, gripping and realistically detailed. In fact, the chapter titles were short, one-line extracts from the narrative, which kept me alert looking for the words to appear and check out in what context they had been used. A unique approach which really worked for me and added great structure to the finished product.
In retrospection, the story was more multi-layered, intense and textured, than I had at first thought. The suspenseful atmosphere became more tense with every passing page, with the future progress of the case balanced on a knife-edge for most of the time, as the powers that be would have been more than happy to put it back on the ‘cold case’ shelf, rather than have it upset the established norm and continued prosperity of the town.
At roughly the halfway point, there was a short detour away from the main storyline, which also led to a change in location. However, this was such a clever ploy by the author, as it not only focussed the spotlight on Agent Tori Hunter conducting her ‘day job’, so to speak, but it also served to bring the two halves of the main storyline together, with plenty of clever background detail; another interesting break from the norm, which kept me glued to the pages as they sped by and a welcome ‘added extra’ to satisfy my ‘armchair traveller’ appetite. Some excellent descriptive and observational narrative and dialogue offered a strong awareness and sense of time and place, enough to drop me into this small and rather insular community, amongst this tight-knit group representing the good and great of the town, and to have me running scared for my life, amongst its hidden and long forgotten backroads.
I had thought myself to be one step ahead of the game when it came to suspects, but that would have been far too easy for an author who kept on adding red-herrings and twists to the storyline, like they were going out of fashion. The last man standing so to speak, was actually on my list, but nowhere near the top and was one of those runners who you would have least expected to beat the field and one you would certainly have never placed your bets on.
Author Roger Stelljes also did a great job of exploring and examining family relationships and the emotional impact certain traumatic events, experienced and witnessed in childhood, can continue to have in adult years, without anyone really realising. In Tori this hidden damage manifests itself openly and overtly, although she won’t admit to it and certainly doesn’t realise the problem she tries so hard to hide. It is easy to observe the fragility and frailty of her troubled mind, despite the false bravado and no-nonsense attitude she exudes, which can make her appear cold, calculating and very difficult to connect with. For Will, his emotions are much more of an open book, as he strives to remember his past life, accept its finality, yet not dwell too deeply on his loss, as he has the emotional welfare of his son at the front and centre of his mind and knows that the time is fast approaching when he needs to move on.
Altogether, a well-defined cast of background characters, some of whom were more fully developed than others, none of whom were particularly compelling, but all of whom played their parts to perfection, so in that respect were very authentic and given a strong voice with which to direct and guide the storyline.
Given the bombshell of the last couple of pages, I am wondering exactly how Roger develops this series, which is a good enough reason for me to invest in book #2 just as soon as possible!
..
Told mostly in the third person, with one or two interjections by the perpetrator, who quite early on reveals himself to be male, which rather set me on edge as I had some strange notion that I would immediately be able to pick him out. However, I need not have worried, as author Roger Stelljes is much too sneaky for that and me solving the crime ahead of Tori and Will was never really a serious option.
And so, down to business...
..
This story begins with the disappearance on July 4th, 1999, of Jessie (Jessica) Hunter, twin sister of Tori (Victoria) and daughters of Manchester Bay’s Sheriff, Big Jim Hunter. The girls could not be further apart in character, with Jessie being as outgoing and garrulous, as Tori is reserved and introspective. However, having lost their mother when they were very young, they are totally devoted to one another. So, when as time passes by, the only clue to Jessie’s whereabouts is her abandoned and deliberately sabotaged car, and Big Jim dies of a broken heart, a guilt-ridden Tori leaves the small town for good, vowing never to return.
Exactly twenty years to the day since Jessie’s disappearance and Tori, who is now a very successful FBI Agent living and working out of New York, receives a note in the post, containing details of a new disappearance, with an MO almost identical to that of Jessie’s still unsolved abduction, which will have her returning, albeit very reluctantly, back to the place of her childhood. Many of her former friends still live locally and are now well-respected members of a much-extended town, which Tori no longer recognises. Given the haste and circumstances of her departure Tori’s return is surprisingly welcomed and her friends connect with her almost as if she had never been away. Tori meets relative newcomer to Manchester Bay, widower and single parent, Will Braddock, who is chief detective for the Shepard County Sheriff’s Department. Sparks fly when Will and his colleagues don’t immediately make such a strong connection between the two cases as Tori does and as she is not there in any official FBI capacity, she has to use many rather ‘under the radar’ methods and call in numerous favours, to prove to Will that over the intervening twenty years, there have in fact been many similar disappearances of young girls, both from small towns in the surrounding areas and from adjoining States, none of which have been solved and which have never been correlated and cross-referenced for similarities.
Sparks of a different nature are also ignited when Tori and Will discover that, as two damaged souls, they have also been drawn together romantically and keeping work and pleasure separate becomes something of a juggling act, at which neither are very good!
Despite pressure from her FBI bosses to let the local force deal with what is becoming an evermore complex case involving many victims, Tori, who has eventually found a staunch ally for her theory in Will, calls on every available resource to research and track down a perpetrator who it is now clear, is known to his victims, especially when Will and she become personal targets for his games of cat and mouse. For the great and good of the community, Tori and Will’s conclusions are completely unpalatable, as by implication all their names are in the frame. When Tori makes the all-important link between the many cases, a suspect is quickly apprehended, despite his protestations of innocence. It takes the intervention of a third party to convince Will that they probably have the wrong man in custody, but by that time, Tori has gone missing, and the alert is raised….
Oh! How I do so hate it when my protagonists are left fearful for their lives. I guess you need to now know if both Will and Tori live to fight another day, and if they do, will that be together or apart…
Now that would be telling!!
..
Not quite a dual timeline story, there were one or two flashback to events which began some twenty years ago and have been happening, largely unnoticed, ever since.
For a crime thriller, this was actually quite a lengthy read, however some fluent, concise and well-signposted chapters, kept the action moving along at a cracking pace, totally immersive, gripping and realistically detailed. In fact, the chapter titles were short, one-line extracts from the narrative, which kept me alert looking for the words to appear and check out in what context they had been used. A unique approach which really worked for me and added great structure to the finished product.
In retrospection, the story was more multi-layered, intense and textured, than I had at first thought. The suspenseful atmosphere became more tense with every passing page, with the future progress of the case balanced on a knife-edge for most of the time, as the powers that be would have been more than happy to put it back on the ‘cold case’ shelf, rather than have it upset the established norm and continued prosperity of the town.
At roughly the halfway point, there was a short detour away from the main storyline, which also led to a change in location. However, this was such a clever ploy by the author, as it not only focussed the spotlight on Agent Tori Hunter conducting her ‘day job’, so to speak, but it also served to bring the two halves of the main storyline together, with plenty of clever background detail; another interesting break from the norm, which kept me glued to the pages as they sped by and a welcome ‘added extra’ to satisfy my ‘armchair traveller’ appetite. Some excellent descriptive and observational narrative and dialogue offered a strong awareness and sense of time and place, enough to drop me into this small and rather insular community, amongst this tight-knit group representing the good and great of the town, and to have me running scared for my life, amongst its hidden and long forgotten backroads.
I had thought myself to be one step ahead of the game when it came to suspects, but that would have been far too easy for an author who kept on adding red-herrings and twists to the storyline, like they were going out of fashion. The last man standing so to speak, was actually on my list, but nowhere near the top and was one of those runners who you would have least expected to beat the field and one you would certainly have never placed your bets on.
Author Roger Stelljes also did a great job of exploring and examining family relationships and the emotional impact certain traumatic events, experienced and witnessed in childhood, can continue to have in adult years, without anyone really realising. In Tori this hidden damage manifests itself openly and overtly, although she won’t admit to it and certainly doesn’t realise the problem she tries so hard to hide. It is easy to observe the fragility and frailty of her troubled mind, despite the false bravado and no-nonsense attitude she exudes, which can make her appear cold, calculating and very difficult to connect with. For Will, his emotions are much more of an open book, as he strives to remember his past life, accept its finality, yet not dwell too deeply on his loss, as he has the emotional welfare of his son at the front and centre of his mind and knows that the time is fast approaching when he needs to move on.
Altogether, a well-defined cast of background characters, some of whom were more fully developed than others, none of whom were particularly compelling, but all of whom played their parts to perfection, so in that respect were very authentic and given a strong voice with which to direct and guide the storyline.
Given the bombshell of the last couple of pages, I am wondering exactly how Roger develops this series, which is a good enough reason for me to invest in book #2 just as soon as possible!
November 5, 2020
Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for a e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
When I pick up a Roger Stelljes novel, I know that I can expect a gripping plot with twists and turns until the very end - Silenced Girls is no exception.
While I was drawn to the story line right from the beginning, I struggled with the pace of the narrative. Some chapters where quick and exciting, while others were almost lack lustre in comparison.
Nevertheless, Silence Girls is a great read for mystery addicts.
When I pick up a Roger Stelljes novel, I know that I can expect a gripping plot with twists and turns until the very end - Silenced Girls is no exception.
While I was drawn to the story line right from the beginning, I struggled with the pace of the narrative. Some chapters where quick and exciting, while others were almost lack lustre in comparison.
Nevertheless, Silence Girls is a great read for mystery addicts.
November 11, 2020
Absolutely entrancing, addictive, amazing. A pacy, thrilling, unputdownable pageturner. What a stunning debut! Cannot wait for more from this author and the undaunting yet very relatable Agent Tori. Loved, loved,loved this one. Very highly recommended to every one.
April 24, 2024
Great mystery/thriller! Had me hooked almost right away and until the very end!
November 9, 2020
This is the start of a new series.
Tori Hunter is with the FBI and hasn't been back home since her twin sister disappeared. Now 20 years after Jessie’s disappearance, Tori receives a newspaper clipping and feels drawn home again.
It seems another girl has gone missing and Tori wants to be involved in the case. She’s not met with enthusiasm but manages to persuade them to let her help.
Braddock is not keen at first but soon the two of them are working together to find the killer.
He is then contacted by some detectives that have similar cases, so it seems they have a serial killer who has been killing for years.
This is a gripping crime thriller and I really liked the way we got an insight into the killer’s mind throughout the book.
A great read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Tori Hunter is with the FBI and hasn't been back home since her twin sister disappeared. Now 20 years after Jessie’s disappearance, Tori receives a newspaper clipping and feels drawn home again.
It seems another girl has gone missing and Tori wants to be involved in the case. She’s not met with enthusiasm but manages to persuade them to let her help.
Braddock is not keen at first but soon the two of them are working together to find the killer.
He is then contacted by some detectives that have similar cases, so it seems they have a serial killer who has been killing for years.
This is a gripping crime thriller and I really liked the way we got an insight into the killer’s mind throughout the book.
A great read.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
May 17, 2019
Good thriller, in general: fast paced, great plot, interesting characters, entertaining and enjoyable read. I scrolled through some places tho...I guess, a couple of boring details or “unnecessary” details, but I liked dialogues.
Main character - can’t truly relate, can’t feel her anger, grief, love. There’s no vibe to catch...
I think probably the biggest problem - feelings in this book, but plot is cool.
Main character - can’t truly relate, can’t feel her anger, grief, love. There’s no vibe to catch...
I think probably the biggest problem - feelings in this book, but plot is cool.
April 16, 2024
I picked this title up for free at Amazon. After reading just a few chapters I knew why it was free... there may be a good story somewhere, but it is hidden between a writing style that echo's of the sixties. Not my cup of tea!
November 12, 2020
First book by the author and first book in a new series.
The story starts so well, and in a few paragraphs, it becomes so addictive that I couldn’t stop reading till the last page.
A terrible event in her teenage helps our heroine, Tori, becoming what she is today, a special agent working on children's disappearances cases.
Twenty years after her twin sister was abducted and her case became a cold one, a similar one arises and she receives a mysterious message that, of course, she can’t let it go without acting on it.
It’s an interesting story overall with fast-paced moments and interesting characters, with many twists and turns, some predictable, some unexpected, a story that sets up a must-read series for sure.
I will say though that I found some chapters unnecessary as nothing is happening there or it’s just about a daily life activity in anyone’s life that many times I don’t want to read and hence the lower star rating but it’s definitely a great book and I’m looking forward to the next ones in the series.
Very grateful to the publisher Bookotoure and Netgalley for my review copy
The story starts so well, and in a few paragraphs, it becomes so addictive that I couldn’t stop reading till the last page.
A terrible event in her teenage helps our heroine, Tori, becoming what she is today, a special agent working on children's disappearances cases.
Twenty years after her twin sister was abducted and her case became a cold one, a similar one arises and she receives a mysterious message that, of course, she can’t let it go without acting on it.
It’s an interesting story overall with fast-paced moments and interesting characters, with many twists and turns, some predictable, some unexpected, a story that sets up a must-read series for sure.
I will say though that I found some chapters unnecessary as nothing is happening there or it’s just about a daily life activity in anyone’s life that many times I don’t want to read and hence the lower star rating but it’s definitely a great book and I’m looking forward to the next ones in the series.
Very grateful to the publisher Bookotoure and Netgalley for my review copy
November 6, 2020
"Silenced Girls" by Roger Stelljes is a brutally morbid crime story that centers on the devastating disappearance of women near or within the area of Minnesota. Stelljes is a brilliant writer with a knack for emotionally intense episodes, action-packed scenes, and a flair for keeping answers just out of the reader's grasp. "Silenced Girls" is the first book of the Agent Tori Hunter series and comes highly recommended to those who are lovers of dark crime novels.
Agent Tori Hunter is a woman with confidence that borderlines arrogance, a fiery personality that can scorch her opponents to ash where they stand, and no matter what gets thrown in her way she remains resilient in her pursuit for truth. Though Tori specializes in missing children, she returns to her hometown a cut-out newspaper article is sent to her apartment that details her sister's age-old disappearance that never got solved. Worried that the person responsible for her sister's disappearance is taunting her, Tori works alongside her hometown's police force and is horrified to find shocking similarities between her sister's kidnapping to that of a woman's recent disappearance.
This new investigation causes deep, emotional distress for Tori who never gained closure from her sister's unsolved case. Spurred on by these new revelations that connect Tori's sister to another woman, she resolves to do everything she can to find the person responsible or die trying.
"Silenced Girls" is a riveting, horrifyingly dark tale that is emotionally heavy and entirely fascinating in its approach to finding out the truth behind the disappearance of women who unexpectedly and devastatingly never returned home. Stelljes brilliantly captures the emotional impact of the loss and traumatizing nature of those who are left behind and fail to receive answers on what happened to their loved ones. For this reason, the main character Tori Hunter shines brilliantly throughout this novel as she encapsulates these harrowing emotions and uses them to propel her to find justice and peace for these missing women and the families who are left grieving for answers about their children.
Absolutely brilliant and chilling in its delivery. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This is a novel to be on the lookout for.
Agent Tori Hunter is a woman with confidence that borderlines arrogance, a fiery personality that can scorch her opponents to ash where they stand, and no matter what gets thrown in her way she remains resilient in her pursuit for truth. Though Tori specializes in missing children, she returns to her hometown a cut-out newspaper article is sent to her apartment that details her sister's age-old disappearance that never got solved. Worried that the person responsible for her sister's disappearance is taunting her, Tori works alongside her hometown's police force and is horrified to find shocking similarities between her sister's kidnapping to that of a woman's recent disappearance.
This new investigation causes deep, emotional distress for Tori who never gained closure from her sister's unsolved case. Spurred on by these new revelations that connect Tori's sister to another woman, she resolves to do everything she can to find the person responsible or die trying.
"Silenced Girls" is a riveting, horrifyingly dark tale that is emotionally heavy and entirely fascinating in its approach to finding out the truth behind the disappearance of women who unexpectedly and devastatingly never returned home. Stelljes brilliantly captures the emotional impact of the loss and traumatizing nature of those who are left behind and fail to receive answers on what happened to their loved ones. For this reason, the main character Tori Hunter shines brilliantly throughout this novel as she encapsulates these harrowing emotions and uses them to propel her to find justice and peace for these missing women and the families who are left grieving for answers about their children.
Absolutely brilliant and chilling in its delivery. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with a free e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This is a novel to be on the lookout for.
July 9, 2023
3 1/2 stars. I don’t think I am a member of the book’s target audience. The main and secondary protagonist characters are likable, the villain is a bit over-the-top silly. As this is the first in a series and the book was overall enjoyable, I will likely read book 2.
February 22, 2024
New favorite book and possibly author! Highly recommend!
May 13, 2024
Kind of slow in the beginning, but gets very interesting when it picks up! Lots of twists and turns, hints of romance, a strong female lead, and overall a nice read!
August 29, 2024
I liked the thriller parts of this but it was just a tad too long and my interest was waning in the middle! The ending was great tho!
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