This is a new mystery series and it grabs you and will not let go until the end. I loved the main character and cannot wait to read more in this series. It will hold your interest the entire book.

The Silent Girls by Dylan Young is the first book in the Anna Gwynne series. What a great start!

17-year-old Nia has a sleepover in her family's stable for her birthday one evening. Her father goes to check on her and finds her friend drugged and barely conscious and his daughter missing.

Soon, Nia is found dead, in a shallow grave, with her arm reaching out and stab wounds all over her body. Strikingly similar to Emily's body found eighteen years earlier.

And as luck would have it, Emily's killer has just gone free from prison. The case seems pretty open and shut. But niggling questions are hanging in the air as to whether an innocent man may have done time for a crime he didn't commit.

The Silent Girls drew me in right away, and Dylan Young wrote a good story! The characters were likable, and the story was intriguing.

Seeing someone possibly wrongly accused of murder is a sad affair. The storyline veered off onto three different tracks. First, the current investigation, second, the prior investigation/possible wrongful imprisonment, and third, seeking help from a killer who knows the minds of killers.

I was most intrigued by the investigation into the wrongful imprisonment, but the entire book was very engaging. I'm looking forward to more Dylan Young books, including Anna Gwynne #2. 4-Stars

I'll admit it: I was sold as soon as I saw both the cover and the mention of a serial killer involved. I have a weak spot for serial killer thrillers, so I have been looking forward to pick up The Silent Girls ever since. And there is no doubt that this first book of a new detective series is a very promising start to what hopefully will be yet another favorite detective series on my list. First of all, I really liked the refreshing cold case angle. Detective Anna Gwynne is in a way another typical strong female main character, BUT her INTJ (Intuitive Introvert who prioritised Thinking and Judgement) adds a little something to the mix and the fact that she investigates cold cases is refreshing. The writing style in The Silent Girls is engaging and draws you right in; I was hooked right from the very first chapter. Both cases Anna Gwynne has to deal with have their creepy killer factor and it is interesting to see past and present collide and the secrets and lies slowly unravel. There are a lot of plot twists involved and the pace never slows down... You won't find a boring minute as you try to figure out along with Anna Gwynne what is really going on. Also, the whole Shaw subplot shows a lot of promise for the future. If you are looking for a new and refreshing detective series to follow, you should go meet Anna Gwynne!

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Ambulance and police. Something’s happened. I don’t know what. But my little girl.’ A sob choked off the sentence… ‘It’s my daughter.’

When a young girl disappears from the edge of the local forest, the Gloucestershire police are convinced she’s been taken by the same killer who stabbed to death beautiful, young Emily Risman eighteen years ago. They’re desperate to finally have the evidence to put him away. To save another girl before it’s too late.

Only Detective Anna Gwynne thinks he isn’t the real killer.

Anna can’t find proof and as time is running out, she realises she needs to get inside the killer’s twisted mind. And she knows just who to ask. Hector Shaw, in prison for killing the six men who caused his own daughter’s death.

Can Anna get what she needs from Hector before another life is lost, or could he lead her down a path that puts her own life in grave danger?

An absolutely page-turning thriller that will have you hooked. If you love Val McDermid, Angela Marsons and M.J. Arlidge, you won’t be able to put down The Silent Girls.

Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour. If you are a regular reader of my blog you will know that I mainly read books with a HEA. I am a lover of love! But I also watch a lot of crime based TV shows.  It started with CSI in my mid to late teens progressing to the NCIS', the Criminal Minds and my recent addiction Chicago PD. So with that in mind I decided it was time to start diversifying my reading genres. This is the second crime book I have read and I loved it.

This book follows Detective Anna  Gwynne as she hunts for the killer of Emily Risman, Anna comes up against many issues both within the the force and from the public.  Anna was fascinating to me. I have seen other characters with her abilities and intellect before but it still never fails to amaze me. Her reluctance to socialise really is part and parcel with her intellect but also her past experiences. I hope we learn more about this as the series progresses. 

I felt  that Anna's sister Kate was her saving grace and was my favourite side character.  

When I read the blurb I didn't see the relevance of Hector Shaw and why Anna needed him. As I read the story Hector's involvement became more apparent and it was a part of the story I really enjoyed. I hope that Hector returns in the other books in this series. I can see he will be a very interesting character and will have a lot of stories to tell. 

This book was brilliantly terrifying. It will keep you hooked and is in no way predictable. It will keep you guessing right until the very end.

"What I like about you, Anna, is that you see patterns where others see mess, you ask questions no one else does, and you don’t let emotion cloud your judgement. That’s rare in this job."
"It all starts here", she said "The evil that men do lives after them"
Detective investigator, Anna Gwynne, is called to lead the investigation of the murder of a young girl taken from her family's barn. To celebrate her birthday, her parents arranged for a sleepover with her friend in the horse barn. The next morning, her father went in to wake them up. Except, his daughter was gone, missing without a trace. Her friend was assaulted and drugged and had no idea what happened!
As Anna investigates, making more connections between a similar murder taking place long ago and this one, she begins to feel that maybe the wrong man was convicted. During her investigation, she quickly learns that in order to solve this murder mystery, she has to get into the mind of a killer. It is when she interviews convicted killer, Shaw, she begins to discover the truth! How far is willing to dog before her life is in danger?
Haunting and elegiac, Young manages to tell a story that will stay with you long after it's over. It may just make you look at convicted murder cases differently. You may think, "but what if he really didn't do it"... "where is the real killer and when will he strike next"! 
A great beginning to a new detective series! Bravo for Dylan Young!

Title: The Silent Girls

Author : Dylan Young

Publisher: Bookouture

Publication Date: 01/19/18

Dates Read: 01/13/18 - 01/16/18

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars


The prologue of this novel begins with Chris Hopkins going out to his horse stable to check on Nia, his 16-year-old daughter, and her best friend Beckie. It was Nia's 16th birthday and she had wanted to have a sleepover in the horse stable. Being that it was right in their backyard, a father would presume that this would be a safe, fun little get-together, but Chris was in for an earth shattering surprise.

Beckie is obviously drugged, out of her mind with delusions, the stable looks ransacked, and Nia is no where to be found. And the worst part--there is blood on the stable floor, on Nia's sleeping bag. As Christ stumbles through the motions of every parent's most chilling, worst nightmare, the Gloucestershire police department are called in.

***

Running alongside this plot line, is the sub-plot of Hector Shaw. Hector is a convicted murdered with quite the interesting psychological profile. Seargeant Anna Gwynn and DCI Shipwright, who are working on cold cases, visit his prison to interview him about some newly discovered DNA evidence. At a former crime scene, Shaw's DNA, along with the DNA of an unknown individual, were found and Gwynn and Shipwright want Shaw to tell them where her body is. Only Shaw isn't much for giving up information that doesn't benefit him--and he's hoping to play a game...

**

The Gloucestershire police department has made a connection between Nia's murder and a previous case--the rape and murder of 18 year old Emily Riseman. Because you see... the man they originally convicted of Emily's murder, Neville Cooper, was just recently acquitted and released due to controversial evidence and questionable police procedures. When Anna Gwynn takes the lead investigative position, due to Shipwright's falling health, she is faced with the challenge of seeing past the blurred lines that the Gloucestershire police department have surrounded Emily Riseman's case with and trying to determine the true murderer. But once she starts to unravel the thread of this mess of a case-- what dangers await her at its center?



I really enjoyed this novel!  The opening epilogue, where Chris discovers that his daughter is missing is so chilling and will shake any parent to their core. It was a fantastic opening that sucks the reader right into the story line.

There are many likable characters, many unlikable characters, and several that are downright sketchy. I had several theories as to where the novel was going and I almost had it.. I just had a few things a little backwards. And the story line of Hector Shaw that was running alongside this investigation is very significant. I love when authors of crime novels can take two separate story lines and merge them in the end. He comes into play in a very important fashion and I do believe that we will be seeing more of Shawn in future novels.

One good thing to know... Some of the chapters are from the point of view of the killer. Now, in my opinion it is very difficult to pull this off, as unless you are a genuine psychopath or you have extensively studied the psychology of them, then it's tough to really mimic their thoughts and opinions. There were a few little sentences that I kind of squinted my eyes--they didn't feel very genuine, BUT overall, I was impressed with this point of view change.

Having chapters from the POV of a killer can also be difficult to pull off because there is often a fine line that you have you walk with disclosing information of a crime, especially when it involves minors. There was one moment that I thought for sure that Young was about to let his killer narrate the description of the rape of a minor and I know for a fact that I would have sat the book down at that point and walked away. There are some things that I don't want to let my mind wander too close to and, having a little girl myself, I could not stomach to read that.. Thankfully, Young handled this as respectfully as he could, leaving out sensitive information and I was very glad for that. So while there is a trigger warning for attempted rape, sexual assault, and mention of a rape, there is no actual descriptors of a rape.

Overall, I really loved this book! I look forward to the next installment!



**Thank you to Bookouture, Dylan Young, & NetGalley for my advanced digital copy of this title in exchange for a honest review.

This is book one in the Detective Anna Gwynne Series. It’s my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it.

When Chris Hopkins went to his stable to check on his daughter and her friend he finds his daughter Nia missing and her friend unconscious. The police believe she’s been taken by the same man who killed Emily Risman eighteen years ago. When Detective Anna Gwynne takes charge of the case she doesn’t believe he’s the killer and tries to find the real killer.

I thought this was a well written fast paced read. I’d have loved to read more about Detective Anna’s personal life so hopefully we get that in book two. If you like police procedure reads then I definitely recommend you read this one.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley.
The story is about a young girl who goes missing, who turns up murdered. Years before the same thing happened and the police think the same person is responsible.
I absolutely devoured this book, couldn’t put it down. I love Anna’s character and I’m hoping this is going to become another brilliant series to add to my collection. It’s full of twists and turns even right at the end. Well written with good characters. What more could you want? Definitely a must read for 2018! Can’t wait for the next one!

A young girl disappears from the edge of the local forest and the Glouchester police are convinced she's been taken by the same killer who stabbed to death Emily Risman eighteen years ago. They are desperate to have evidence to put him away. Only Detective Anna Gynne thinks he isn't the real killer. Anna can't find proof and time is running out.

This is a creepy and gritty police procedural. There are lots of suspects to keep you guessing but it's not a predictable read. The pace is set set quite fast. It's full of twists and I'm looking forward to the next book in this new Detective Anna Gynne series.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Dylan Young for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Eighteen years ago, a young girl was found murdered on the edge of the Forest of Dean. Neville Cooper was arrested and has spent all this time in prison. But now he's been released, pending a retrial. Detective Anna Gwynne and her team are tasked to investigate this cold case but then another murder happens. Coincidence or not? The local police force is convinced Cooper is the killer and determined to prove they're right but Anna thinks they're looking at the wrong person.

The Silent Girls pulled me in from the start and just wouldn't let go. This is an incredibly gripping page-turner with a cast of truly fabulous characters. Especially Hector Shaw, who's in prison for killing the men who caused his own daughter's death. Like a true psychopath, he plays games with Anna and he's one of those characters that just gets right under your skin, making it crawl, maybe even make you feel a little dirty and in need of a long shower. And yet, utterly fascinating and I do so hope there's more from Hector in the next instalments.

I must say I love the whole concept of cold cases. Investigating a cold case is so different from a current one. Laboratories used back in the day may not be around anymore and who even knows where all the paperwork is. Original detectives may have retired or passed away as is the same for any witnesses. What possible clues could there be at a crime scene that has changed so much over the years? And who even remembers where they were or what they were doing some twenty odd years ago? But science has made progress in leaps and bounds with DNA testing, for example, being much more accurate and reliable.

The investigation itself is a thrill a minute and I found the book really hard to put down. Incredibly compelling, it had me hooked and the ultimate conclusion left me reeling. I didn't see that coming at all! This is a fantastic start to a new series and I can't wait for the next book!

I didn’t enjoy this book at all. It was trying far too hard to be Silence of the Lambs and failed completely. The story was disjointed and the characters not strong enough.

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

First in a series about Detective Sergeant Anna Gwynne and her team. Anna and her team investigate cold cases and are tasked with the case of a newly released wrongly convicted murderer who has served 17 years before being acquitted. The murderer was nicknamed the Woodsman and after all these years another girl has been kidnapped. The opening prologue is enthralling and the first couple of chapters are interesting. There is a sideline of interviews with Anna of a convicted murderer called Hector Shaw. He murdered 6 people he felt were responsible for the death of his daughter. This was a bit too much Silence of the Lambs without the excitement and tension.

I love police procedurals but unfortunately this falls flat. It seemed to be dry and a little drawn out. I know the author is a Doctor and I loved the medical aspects of the storyline. It was these parts that kept me reading. I felt little emotion towards Anna or actually any of the characters and didn't understand the need for the disconnect between Anna and her mother. I felt like this was thrown in to round out Anna's character.

Having said all that I know as the first in a series there is a lot of groundwork to be laid so am hoping that the characters become more rounded and the relationships expand as the series gets deeper.
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This is the first book in the Detective Anna Gwynne series which is a new crime and police procedural series. This started off with a fantastic epilogue of a father who goes out to check on his daughter after she's had a sleepover out in the barn and then finds she's gone. If the rest of the book had continued in a similar manner to the epilogue then it would have easily been a five-star read, however I felt like the rest of the book just fell a bit flat.

After the epilogue, there was a good few chapters before we found out what the epilogue was even linked to which was confusing because there was barely any reference to activities in the epilogue and in fact, Detective Gwynne and her team are working on another case which is unrelated to the epilogue. Detective Gwynne herself is part of a small team which mainly looks in to solving cold cases and they've had a great track record up to date which is why they get given the case of the Woodsman to look back into. Neville Cooper was originally arrested and sentenced as the Woodsman killer however he was recently released due to problems with evidence when another girl is killed and it is up to Detective Gwynne to look into the case and figure out if Neville Cooper is the actual killer or if it's someone else.

I loved the idea of the cold case team which Anna was a part of, and I actually liked the way that this was set up with the recent release of the sentenced killer due to evidence issues. It really highlighted the old way things were done in the police way, way back when to get a result and dealt with it well I think. However I felt like the writing style was just strange and it didn't gel together like it should have. I didn't really feel connected to Anna as a character and some of the more personal scenes and character development that was put, it just seemed very random and forced and like it didn't belong – like the random night at home was described and then a strange encounter with Anna's sister and Mum which shows that Anna's mum dislikes her being in the police but that's really all we get. I just feel it was missing something and it just felt withdrawn.

There was also the inclusion of the Hector Shaw case – it just seemed very random and again chucked in there as another plot point when it really didn't need to be and I feel it just added more to the story that made it confusing and just stiff because there was so much going on with so many different characters and plots. I understand that he did help with the Woodsman case but that could have always been substituted for another means of helping the case.

I think I will be picking up book 2 in this series as I did find the Hector Shaw plotline interesting – he was a respected family man who's daughter killed herself due to things that occurred online and he started killing to avenge his daughter's death. I also think it will be interesting to see how Hector and Anna's relationship progresses and see what else he somehow manages to show her.

A great start to a new series with Detective Anna Gwynne.
Anna is asked to look into a murder from the past as the person charged has just been released from prison and acquitted.
Another girl has been murdered and it is the same circumstances as the first victim so everyone assumes Cooper was not innocent after all, and has struck again.
Anna’s investigations take her into the path of Harris who is invesigating the recent murder and he doesn’t want Anna interfering in his case. She ignores him and continues with her investigation as she knows there’s something Harris is missing and is determined to find the killer.
Anna also visits Hector Shaw in prison about another case but he soon gets under her skin about the recent murder and says he can help.
I really liked Anna and loved the way she pursued the killer even though it gets more and more dangerous for her.
This is definitely a series I will follow and I’m looking forward to the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to to read this book.

"Remember, we are all capable of acts of terrifying destruction when the tenuous constraints of consciousnesss snap and the primal impulses ooze and stain the world."

Once upon a time, in 1998, 18-year-old pregnant Emily Risman was killed in the Forest of Dean. In present day, 16-year-old Nia Hopkins is kidnapped from her parents' barn and later found dead. Is this the same killer? And if so, is the convicted and recently released Neville Cooper back to his old, evil ways? Recently promoted Inspector Anna Gwynne is leading the investigation for the Southwest Major Crimes Review task force -- examining the Woodsman killings following his release. In addition, there is a wave of serial rapes. Are these connected? Anna and her team are liaising with police on the current Nia Hopkins case. But those detectives are convinced that it is Neville Cooper resuming his murder spree.

This is a police procedural more than a suspense thriller and it plods along as various aspects of the investigation are undertaken. Anna visits a prisoner who provides some interesting clues -- Hector Shaw -- in jail for the murders of those he suspected of murdering his daughter. Does he really have information Anna can use in her own case or is he just wanting her attention? Lots of questions in this complex case and Anna must use all her skills as she pits herself against the murderer and others involved on the police side.

I did enjoy this novel but found some irritations that seem to be recurrent themes in other books in this genre. First of all, why does the main character always have such a crappy relationship with her mother and a father adoration? Secondly, why does it always come down to the criminal engaging the detective in a personal one-on-one near death encounter? The other theme in this story was that much was made of the fact that Anna tested as INTJ on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This means she is supposedly an expert at thinking and judgement as well as being an intuitive introvert. It's not a BIG DEAL -- I had to laugh as I, too, test that way. It doesn't make her anything special even though the book says that only 4 in every 500 women test as INTJ. Really? I guess I'm a BIG DEAL too -- wish I'd known!! Despite all these little things that always get me in a narrative, I went along with the revelations and was unsurprised by the conclusion as it was the only thing that made sense.

If this is the start of a new series, put me down for #2 because I want to see what is in store for Anna in her next outing. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.

A real edge of you seat thriller could not put it down characters are well developed and the plot moves along nicely

Anna and her partner are working a cold case when another girl goes missing. Did the wrong man get convicted the first time and now that he is out, is he being framed again or is he the Woodsman?

Anna is not only finding few answers, but the detectives who put a man away for the crime for 17 years has now been acquitted and the police may have a few rotten apples in their midst. 

There was a real Silence of the Lambs feel to this one. With another serial killer in prison refusing to speak to anyone but Anna. He helps but on his terms and Anna must live with those to see justice done in this case.

Hector Shaw set out to find out the reason behind his daughter's death and once he did, he became a vigilante of sorts. And this guy is seriously a manipulative sociopath!

The story is the first in a series and I can tell you that I read it all in one sitting because I had to see how it ended. And no, did not see that coming until the very end!

Well Done!

Netgalley/bookouture  Release January 19.2018

The Silent Girls thrilling tale of a serial killer and the detective who is on a quest to find the truth. This was previously titled, Come Out to Play, but I do like this title a lot more. It seems to fit the story as a whole quite well. This was one those books that I found my immersed in, and didn’t want to put it down.

The story opens with a young girl going missing, it bares the similarities to a previous crime that took place 18 years ago. Neville Cooper AKA The Woodsman, who is the man who was convicted of the murder all those years ago has recently had his conviction overturned and is out of prison. The police are quick to judgement that he has killed this girl as well. But there is a new task force that reviews old cases, with a detective that believes that Cooper is not behind this specific murder. Detective Anna Gwynne has her work cut out for her, because the town and the police believe they have the right man. Will she be able to find who is really behind this horrible crime and without putting herself in danger before he strikes again?

This has a pretty wide cast of characters, you have the townspeople, the families of the murdered girls, and the suspects family members, and of course many law enforcement officers involved. Some of the officers were questionable and were strictly by the book. But Anna Gwynne is one that will do what she needs to do to uncover the truth. She was smart and an excellent investigator, she follows her instincts, even if they take her to an unlikely source for help on the case. Hector Shaw is a convicted serial killer, but he was full of information, some that would help in the case and some that was just to get under Anna’s skins. I didn’t quite understand the connection that Anna and Hector had, and at first I was a little leery of it all, I did come to understand why she went to him though. But wow, Hector was one manipulative man! With so many characters, it is hard to go over all of them, but each one played their part very well. The questionable ones too.

As all the pieces start in place, with multiple suspects and truths being discovered, the suspense builds keeping me on my toes. And then I found myself trying to figure out who the Woodman really was, was I wrong all along? It all leads up to a fairly intense and gritty ending. It was a satisfying conclusion, and I am curious to see where Young will take Detective Ann Gwynne next in Blood Runs Cold.

The Silent Girls was a suspenseful and eerie ride, and a fantastic start to the series. I can’t wait for the next book!!

Deeply disturbing, dark and dangerous and so full of twists you will never guess the bad guy!

I really enjoyed this book which is the start of a new series by Dylan Young featuring DS Anna Gwynne. Anna is feisty, deeply intelligent and loyal to her team. They are working on a really complex case going back many years that has been reopened. Liaising with another police force is turning out to be frustrating for Anna and her team but they pull together and forge ahead to try and solve the mystery.

This book was great, I enjoyed every page, it was interesting and had me captivated all the way through. I really couldn’t put it down. This is a great start to a new series I cannot wait for book 2. It is so nice to see a new female detective in a lead roll.

I highly recommend this book, I am giving it a very well deserved 5 stars because it was just fantastic.