I have read and utterly loved other books by this author and when I saw this one, I did not bother to look at the blurb. I just wanted to dive into it and get to know this series I did not know yet.

When I started, I realised this is a paranormal thriller and let this genre not be my cup of tea... But I always finish the books I start and I always read with an open mind, because even if a book is not a genre you usually pick, it is very possible you end op loving them. It happened to me before, so why should it not happen again?

And it did happen again! I loved everything about this book. The author created great characters and the suspense was very thrilling. 

I did not read the previous two books and that's a pity, but I will try and catch up as soon as possible. 

For me this was the perfect combination of paranormal and police procedural. I cannot wait to read more. 5 stars

Thank you

Net Galley sent me a preview copy of the Girls on Floor 13 by Helen Phifer. This is the third book of the Maria Miller series. I had not read the prior two and I felt that I needed to read them first.

The Girls on Floor 13 is a haunted hotel story. It is not The Shining, of course, but it is well constructed. The atmosphere the author creates is filled with dread. Much of the suspense comes from the back story of the Hotel itself. Room 1303 is associated with the goings on that bring Maria Miller and Frankie Conroy from the Strange Case Review Team of the NYPD on the case. They are investigating the deaths of the teens who traveled unaccompanied to the Parker Hotel to record segments as a Ghost Hunter.

The star of the story is the Hotel itself and the spooky atmosphere. The last couple of chapters were a let down for me and that is the reason for this 3-star review.

I have read other Helen Phifer books and have enjoyed them and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for the book #TheGirlsOnFloor13 by #HelenPhifer. I love the Frankie/Maria series and this book is amazing! I love the paranormal aspect in these stories. This one is about a haunted hotel and an evil demon in it that killing and cutting off women’s feet. I highly recommend this book/series and hopefully there will be more to this series.

This is a solid novel which feels like a mixture of Prime Suspect and the Exorcist. For me it also had echoes of the Eagles Hotel California.

This is the third novel in the Detective Maria Miller series. I’ve not read the first two but this one seemed so intriguing I had to read it when the opportunity came up.

Having not read the first two I feel like it took me a little while to suss out the main characters and understand the relationships between them, even though there was information hinting this. I thought the characterisation was quite good.

In terms of the plot, I liked the supernatural element which was a little different from the detective books I normally read. The prose was decent too, no tortured metaphors or anything. The speech was also solid.

Overall, a nice little detective book. It didn’t grip me but it is a solid little read.

Thank you to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the arc of this book.
I went into reading this book without any knowledge of the first two. It was easy to follow and eluded to the previous stories without giving them away. It was written so well that I will be reading the first two.
The story follows detectives Maria and Frankie who work in the special division of the NYPD. They work to uncover the mystery of the 13th floor in the Parker hotel and the reasons for so much tragedy in room 1303. A group of unlikely friends join together to help solve the mysterious evil forces trapped within the walls.
I personally have not read a book like this before and am looking forward to reading the others.

Trigger warnings: suicide, death, mutilation.

It took me a while to get into The Girls on the 13th Floor but when I did I was hooked. This is book 3 in a series and although it didn't matter that I hadn't read the other two books, it frequently mentioned the other stories and I felt like I was missing something.
I enjoyed reading this and had to know the end but I still have questions and I don't feel like we got a complete ending. We never found out who was possessing Arnie and why he committed the initial crimes etc or why he waited so long to come back. I have more questions after reading than I did before finishing the book.
A good read but I need to know more.

In this 3rd installment, Detective Maria Miller investigates the mysterious deaths of two teenage girls found in a New York City hotel room. The girls were not supposed to be there, and clues suggest they were lured to the hotel using its haunted reputation. With no DNA evidence, Maria suspects a hotel employee is involved. As she delves deeper, she uncovers a connection to a past double murder and faces danger herself. The story revolves around Maria's race to solve the case before becoming the next victim of the room on the thirteenth floor.

This is a standalone book, which is great because I haven't read the 1st and 2nd book. While the plot was interesting and also unique (because of mixing paranormal and thriller stuff), the end felt abrupt to me and cliché. After all the brutal murders that happened there, it was resolved just like that? I was expecting more. Nevertheless, I still enjoyed this quick read and I liked the characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Storm Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. This will come out to your bookstore shelves on May 30, 2024.

The Girls on Floor 13 is a crime thriller with some supernatural on the side. I love this series, however this can be read as a standalone. It's a relatively quick read (because you won't want to put it down). The characters are fun, and the story flows well. I'm looking forward to the next installment!

This is such a good read indeed, even though it’s not came out as how I expected it to.
I was intrigued with the synopsis as I thought it would be a great mystery thriller or might have some psychological into it with the murder, yet kinda disappointed me as it’s not really went to that.

The plot growth is good, but as getting to more chapter, the story focuses on paranormal approaches than what I thought it would be as mentioned earlier. Hence kinda like a bummer to me. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy paranormal / horror genre, but it just that the story started off really good and I think can be much better than how it went. Maybe I shouldn’t expected much from the start, but yeah my bad I guess. I did get bored at some point, yet still managed to keep going as some part came up and pick my interest to know what’s next, so for me it does got some bumps along my reading ride but doesn’t really bothered me or stopping me from keep on reading.

Don’t get me wrong, overall was an okay read. The ending was good considering the whole story, even it feels like it finish with kind of a bit roughly - like I hope the scene could be elaborate / expanded more or something. It’s okay though, I’m just glad everyone is alright at the end. Thank you for the ARC in exchange for my honest review ❤️

Thank you netgallery for providing me the copy of this book.

This was a horror mystery story where two girl's are murdered and their feet is chopped off in room 1303 of the Parker hotel.
Detective Maria and her partner Frankie starts looking at the case to uncover that its not just a killer they are looking for....but a far greater evil. The hotel has a reputation of being haunted And as they dug more, they discovered much more gruesome things that happened in the hotel over the years.

I liked the story, it was interesting and kept me hooked. I love the paranormal and spooky stuff that happened in the book. I really enjoyed Maria and Frankie And the other characters.

Overall its a great fun read, you should definitely give it a try if you enjoy paranormal mysteries.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC.

This was part of a series so I was slightly lost reading and understanding some of the scenes but was able to figure out the background easily.

Maria and Frankie are detectives and on-the-job partners. They’ve managed to become involved in paranormal cases and this book details their current paranormal activity.

The Parker Hotel is haunted by a Lady in Blue and room 1303 has a disturbing, dark history. Maria and Frankie answer a phone call that leads them to investigating the Parker and on a wild, dangerous ride.

Overall, the book was decent. There were a lot of loose ends (Betsy, Harrison) that were never mentioned again. Hopefully they’ll be in the next book. The ending felt rushed and that the problem was solved too easily. Maybe I watch too many horror movies but I feel like something more should have been required.

Overall, I’m unsure if I’d read another of this series but I wasn’t bored.

The Girls on Floor 13 is the third book in Phifer's Detective Maria Miller series. While all could potentially be read in any order - it is recommended that you start with The Haunting on West 10th Street. During this book, we not only have our paranormal investigation (with spooky links to previous hauntings), but we also get a little more of a glimpse into Maria's private life. One of my favourite parts of this series is the amazing banter between both Maria and Frankie and their perfect impression of Mulder and Scully! This one definitely felt inspired by other hotel murders, so if you're a fan of true crime and ghostly sightings and disappearances this one is a must to add to your list.
Thank you to NetGalley, for an advanced copy for review.

First of all I want to thank NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Helen Phifer for allowing me to read the ARC of "The Girls on Floor 13" in exchange for an honest review.

Think X Files. This is the vibe I got from it and I do absolutely love that.

I rarely endulge into paranormal thrillers, not because of lack of interest if I am being honest but simply because I just do not really ... find any that catch me? However, Phifer had me in a tight grip from the very first page to the last.

Two teenagers are found dead in a Hotel room with the number 1303 (already so much bad luck, innit?) and the investigation begins, revealing one dark piece of history regarding the hotel after another, and one string darker than the other begins to pull at Maria Miller and Frankie Conroy.

This story did not only had me guessing and wondering but it also gave me goosebumps and had me feel paranoid, wondering if there are any loose ghosts. The writing of Phifer had me, without a single lie here, jump whenever I heard some random noises at night for at least a week after I read it.

Two girls are found murdered in a haunted hotel room, their bodies staged the same as a murder from decades before that happened in the same room. This is the premise of The Girls on Floor 13, and its a good premise. I was all set to sink my teeth into this juicy mystery/cold case/ghost story. But all the juicy bits are right in the premise and the rest of the book falls flat.
A lot of what I didn't like about this book can be chalked up to the writing style. The conversations felt stilted and clunky, people kept throwing their heads back to laugh at weird places, and the pacing was slow. The two detectives run around interviewing a bunch of people but most of the questions are about the case from decades before, not the current one, or about the ghost Maria, one of the detectives, saw in the hotel when they visited the crime scene. While there is a ghost element to the crime, the ghost of the woman in blue didn't have anything to do with the murders so questions about her felt out of place.
I did have a few issues with the plot of the story as well. For one, Maria spent a lot of time worrying that she isn't good enough for her boyfriend because he's rich and generous and had to be told by two strangers that he likes her because she's a 'strong, independent, woman' a statement that felt contradictory when laid out next to her concerns that she's not good enough for him. Also, paranormal stuff starts happening to Maria pretty early in the story. The night after visiting the crime scene she has a dream about being stabbed by a shadow and wakes up with a stab wound. But she spends a good chunk of the book trying to convince herself that she was not stabbed by a shadow/ghost. Which I would understand, except that she's the detective that deals with the paranormal cases and has dealt with ghosts, demon, and time travel before.
Details really started to fall apart by the climax of the book. Characters that had no business being involved in the investigation kept showing up to confront the killer because they had a bad feeling. Two people were possessed by the same ghost at the same time, but didn't know they were both being possessed by the same ghost and had an argument about it. A POV character who'd been telling the reader for the whole book that an evil shadow spirit was telling him to do things turned out to be possessed by the ghost and had no memory of every doing the things he did.
And at the end they decided the ghost that was possessing people and the evil shadow spirit were two different entities both haunting the same hotel, but they only dealt with the ghost and did nothing about the evil spirit.

This is book 3 in the paranormal series featuring Detectives Miller and Conroy. It was a bit unbelievable for me as paranormal is not my type of genre. Detectives see ghosts and being hurt by them is just a step too far. Other readers may enjoy it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

Helen Phifer's third installment in the Detective Maria Miller series, *The Girls on Floor 13*, delivers a riveting crime thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Set against the backdrop of a hauntingly decrepit New York City hotel, this novel combines the intrigue of a classic whodunit with the spine-tingling elements of a supernatural mystery.

Phifer's mastery in crafting a gripping plot is evident as Detective Maria Miller is plunged into a baffling case involving the mysterious deaths of two teenage girls. The story's premise, centered on the eerie thirteenth floor of a rundown hotel with a dark past, provides a chilling and atmospheric setting that heightens the tension. Fans of crime thrillers will appreciate the novel's clever intertwining of contemporary investigation with historical intrigue, as Maria uncovers unsettling parallels to a decades-old double murder.

Character development in *The Girls on Floor 13* is robust and engaging. Detective Maria Miller is portrayed as a determined and intuitive investigator, driven by a strong moral compass and a deep sense of justice. Her character's depth is explored through her relentless pursuit of the truth, despite facing numerous dead ends and the psychological toll of the gruesome case. Maria’s interactions with her team and the hotel staff are realistic and add layers to her character, making her both relatable and compelling.

The novel’s supporting characters are equally well-drawn, contributing to the story’s complexity. Each hotel employee becomes a potential suspect, adding to the mystery and keeping readers guessing. The sinister undertones and secretive behaviors of these characters enhance the suspense, as Phifer skillfully keeps the true culprit obscured until the final, satisfying reveal.

Phifer's writing excels in maintaining a brisk and engaging pace. The plot is meticulously structured, with each chapter peeling back another layer of the mystery. The sinister messages on the victims' phones and the hotel's notorious reputation for hauntings add an extra dimension of dread, ensuring that readers remain invested in uncovering the truth alongside Maria.

What sets *The Girls on Floor 13* apart from other crime thrillers is its seamless blend of procedural detective work with supernatural elements. The eerie setting of the closed-off thirteenth floor and the chilling discovery of historical parallels create a palpable sense of fear that will appeal to fans of both crime fiction and ghost stories. Phifer’s ability to balance these elements without tipping into melodrama is commendable and keeps the narrative grounded and believable.

Overall , *The Girls on Floor 13* is a standout addition to the Detective Maria Miller series, showcasing Helen Phifer’s talent for creating suspenseful and atmospheric crime thrillers. With its well-crafted plot, dynamic characters, and haunting premise, this book is sure to captivate fans of the genre and leave them eagerly awaiting Maria Miller’s next case. Phifer has once again proven her ability to weave a tale that is as chilling as it is compelling, making this novel a must-read for enthusiasts of gripping detective stories.

Third in a series and I feel that I would have gained more from having read the earlier two but, having said that, it wasn't essential. Haunted hotel with a dark past, detectives working a murder case but also with supernatural aspects. Interesting, bizarre at times, certainly gory at times. I would have liked to know more about the woman in blue and her story - she felt side-lined to me. Detecting ok and the two detectives Maria and Frankie worked well as a team. Writing was atmospheric which worked well with the storyline. Worth reading although I wasn't sufficiently engaged to want to read the earlier books in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me hooked from the start. I haven't read the previous 2 in the series, so it is definitely also a stand alone novel which can be read without prior knowledge.

It kept me gripped, it is written very well and flows. It is easy to keep up with the characters too which I found a bonus when there are a few in the story.

The only reason it didn't get 5 stars was the way the supernatural parts were portrayed. More details could have been explored and more history given. I don't want to put spoilers in, but if you read the book, you'll understand. Especially when Maria and Ricky are in the lift together towards the end.

It would be great to get one more book in the series showing what Frankie and Maria end up doing. It has also had me gripped so much and made me enjoy reading that I am going to read the first two in the series too.

If you like twisty mysteries with a bit of supernatural, this is definitely the book for you!

Haunted Hotels are my favorite paranormal hotspots. This one starts off a bit more gruesome than the last book, with two teenagers being found dead in a hotel, one that anyone who stays there could and will tell you how haunted it is.
Maria and her partner are working on the case, and Maria especially can feel that what happened didn't start with the girls. They take a deep dive into the hotel's past, and find plenty of horrendous things that happened. and one in particular seems awful familiar to what just happened.

The Girls on Floor 13 is suspenseful, and tense from the moment we find the bodies, and it grows throughout the book until we reach the final confrontation with the big bad. This is the kind of series where you are invested in all the characters not just Maria. It kept me on the edge of my seat from the first page to the last. I hope we get many more stories with Maria investigation some more haunted places!

I devoured this creepy paranormal crime thriller filled with spooks and intrigue. I enjoyed Detective Maria Miller's determination to keep going no matter what, and her partner Frankie complimented her well. I also loved the marriage of paranormal and human villains woven into an engaging plot that kept my interest throughout.