A promising start to this FBI series.

4.5 stars rounded up.

On July 4, 1999, at the age of 17, Tori Hunter's twin sister Jessie was abducted from their small town in Manchester Bay, Minnesota. Twenty years later, Jessie has never been found and Tori is now an FBI agent specializing in finding missing children. When a mysterious letter arrives from her former hometown, Tori realizes that there has been another abduction with eerie similarities to her sister's case. Returning to Manchester Bay for the first time, Tori promptly joins the local investigation into the most recent disappearance, hoping to finally be able to solve the mystery of what happened to Jessie as well.

Putting aside jurisdictional issues and, most importantly, the fact that no one in their right mind would let the sister of a victim join a criminal investigation, not even unofficially and no matter how talented of an investigator they are - any defense attorney right out of law school would have a field day with it! -, this is an excellent procedural. Sure, the whole "FBI agent has a traumatic past that catches up with her as she's chasing a serial killer" idea is not exactly new. But with a gripping story, characters that possess actual depth, good writing, and a well-done (if not completely surprising) whodunnit, this book has all the hallmarks of a great thriller. My only complaint was the book's sheer length; some aspects of the story were too drawn-out and could have easily been shortened. Other than that, I was swept up in the case and will gladly return to Manchester Bay for more.

I listened to the audiobook, and really enjoyed both the production in general and the narration specifically.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The audiobook of "Silenced Girls" is slated to be released on November 1, 2024.

The mystery around her sister's disappearance has shaped FBI agent Tori Hunter. When she receives a newspaper clipping with another missing girl in her hometown, she knows she has to go back. She knows the murderer is playing with her and gets help from the police to try and figure how it is all related. As she connects with her high school friends, it becomes apparent that it has to be someone she knows. More women go missing. She calls in favors and finds out that this is part of a pattern and that she is dealing with a serial killer. There are a few times when they narrow down to a suspect, but it isn't until she is kidnapped until it all becomes clear. She will then need the help of those she's been working with to save her and take down the murderer. The mystery and suspense are good and it's hard to put the pieces together other than knowing that her first two suspects aren't right.
Since I listened to this I rate the narrator as good but not great. She has a great voice, but I like my male characters to sound male and female characters to sound female as otherwise, it's tough to keep characters straight. It's just someone talking. A personal preference which may not bother others.
Also, I had a hard time liking the main character as she was arrogant and difficult at times. She would be all enthusiastic they had the correct suspect in the interview room and then suddenly decide maybe they didn't do it. It seemed like she only started acting like a professional the last half of the book. And once again, it may not bother some and it may not have bothered me if I had read versus listening.
Overall, a good story and I would definitely read another book in the series.

Tori Hunter is now an FBI Agent but 20 years ago she lived in Manchester Bay when her sister disappeared. She is now back after another woman dissapear. Could they be related and why now? Will Tori find out?

Very enjoyable well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Great characters in this well paced and action packed novel. Lots of tension as Tori investigates this and other cases. Good read, enjoy.

This was my first Roger Stelijes book and I will definitely read more of his work. First off, I received the audiobook version of the novel and it was 15+ hours in length and I thought that is so long, but I was drawn in right away and had no trouble with the length of the book as I went along. Silenced Girls has an intricate plot and well developed characters that sustained my attention throughout.

Thank you Net Galley, Roger Stelijes and Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to preview this novel and the opinions shared are my own.

This audiobook will be available Nov.1, 2024.

Tori Hunter is an FBI agent who returns to her hometown in Minnesota after 20 years. She had left soon after the disappearance of her twin sister in hopes to heal from her painful past. After receiving an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be her sister’s killer she’s hopeful she can finally get answers to what happened.
I loved the character development especially with Tori and Will. The story had lots of suspense and kept me fully invested. Looking forward to the next book!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

FBI agent Tori Hunter receives a letter from her home town about a woman going missing in the same way and date as her sister did years earlier, she goes back after twenty years away. Although a long listen ( 17 hours) it never gets boring as the twist keep coming and ably handled by narrator Kate Handgord. I would easily recommend this audiobook, give it a listen you won't regret it. Thanks to Bookoutre audio and Netgalley for this review ARC

This was an amazing read. It was a great plot. Well written. I liked the new characters in this new to me series. I thought I knew who the killer was early in the story. As they pursued that theory, I was sure I was right. But there became a new element to the plot. The chase was on. It was an explosive ending. Read it if you want a good entertaining read that will have you mystified. Great read. I'll be reading the whole Tori Hunter series now.

Tori's twin sister disappeared the summer that they were 17. The case has never been solved. It shaped Tori's life and she is an FBI Special Agent. On the 20th anniversary of her sister's disappearance, another girl goes missing in their town under identical circumstances. Both cars were found on the side of the road with a blown tire.
Tori has not returned home to Manchester Bay since her father's funeral- less than a year after Jessie's disappearance. But she receives a mail clipping about the new disappearance and is on the first flight back to Minnesota.
The killer is good- there are no clues. She inserts herself into the case, determined to solve it once and for all.

I really enjoyed this. It was fairly long, yet completely held my interest. I am eager to see where things take Tori next. I was a bit perturbed about some misdirections, but I get it and why it was done.

Kate Handford narrates the audiobook. There are lengthy pauses at the end of sentences, which is a pet peeve. It makes it hard to speed up- the speech becomes too fast before the pauses are dealt with.

I received an advance audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Silenced Girls was a great crime thriller that had me guessing who-done-it until the very end. Tori’s involvement as an FBI agent alongside local police from her hometown, hunting a serial killer with close ties to her past was a great ride. Will Braddock was an excellent character counterpart to Tori, likable and sharp, but balanced enough to soften Tori’s worked up sharp edges. Lots of twists throughout, but still tied up nicely at the end. I’ll be tuning in for Tori’s next adventure for sure.

This book was pretty good I am not big on detective thrillers which this was. This is a little bit longer than I like my thrillers as well this almost being 500 pages. This was a good book with a lot of suspense kept me wanting more. The twist and turns well keep you guessing I rally enjoyed this audio book.

I loved this book. It read like a true crime story with lots of moving parts. The author did a great job of writing in a way that was easy to follow, not confusing. I can't wait until the next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author/publisher for this audiobook.

This audiobook is 17 hours long and it felt much longer. I DNF this book at 22%. The dialogue is way too much for each chapter and seemed to have way too many details, at least for my personal preference. It seemed to be overly described which made it hard to focus after a while because it seemed the story started to fade a bit. At 22% in it was also getting lost of what was going on with the jumping around but I feel like if I had more focus I may enjoy this one.

Well thought out, and very well executed.
The characters and relationships were compelling and believable. The small lake town setting felt like a true community and a character in and of itself, too.
The twists and turns throughout the case were satisfying and gripping, I could hardly pause my reading even for a moment.

Overall a very enjoyable read, and I look forward to seeing what comes next in the second book for Tori Hunter.

I think it must be really hard to write a thriller. You have to decide how far to the edge of their seat you want your reader, how many twists and plot shifts, etc. This one was a promising start to what should be an interesting series. The characters were layered, the plot complex, and I definitely want to visit Minnesota lake country now. I could have done with a little less “here’s how I did it” chatter from the villain but that is my only quibble. The narrator held her own with the complex story and many characters.

For whatever reason, I love a good book that follows a detective trying to solve a murder. This was no exception. Throughout this book, we learn about Tori Hunter and the lasting impact of her twin sister's disappearance. Tori returns to her home town to try to solve the disappearance of another woman ; the person responsible is presumably also responsible for her sister's disappearance 20 years prior. I didn't expect all of the twists and turns of this book but it made for an enjoyable read.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to listen to the audio copy as an arc.

I usually find it easy to review books. My own criteria is that anyone who has the skill and patience to write and publish a novel deserves five stars for that alone.

I would give this novel 3.5 / 5 but that isn't an option, so why did I go for 3 rather than 4?

The repetitive dialogue and over description were the main reasons. When I read ( or listen to) a book I like enough description to enable me to viualise the characters and then form my own interpretation of how they react in the circumstances. There is just no chance to do this here. Every little thing, expression or comment is then explained to the nth degree. I know how much description is enough is subjective but it really began to grate.

The narration was actually very good, however I imagine they were quite glad when this came to an end. The storyline was interesting (& I will try the next in the series), quite honestly I think if this had been a third shorter it could be a 5☆ read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this ARC.

This book was really interesting. I kept thinking I knew who the killer was gonna be and then it switched up again. The mystery was good, the characters were likable, and the narration was great. 😊

Silenced Girls by R. Stelljes, published by Bookouture/audio, is the first book in the Agent Tori Hunter Series. I already read the book and now that the audio book is available I just had to have this too.
Beautifully narrated by K. Handford, this audio is a pleasure listening to.
Blurb: FBI Agent Tori Hunter was away from her home in Manchester Bay, Minnesota for twenty years, ever since her twin sister disappeared on the Fourth of July, when the girls should have been together. But when she receives an anonymous newspaper clipping about another missing girl, Genevieve, Tori is dragged back to the past. Just like Tori’s sister, Genevieve vanished without a trace, her empty car abandoned on a lonely lakeside road as Independence Day fireworks lit up the sky overhead.

Returning to Minnesota lake country, Tori finds Genevieve’s parents desperate for answers. How could their beautiful, popular daughter be snatched so near her own home? Under pressure to make an arrest, the police have no time for Tori’s theories. Besides, they already have a suspect for Genevieve’s abductor: a local man seen flirting with her the night she disappeared.

But then the suspect is found dead in his isolated cabin, days before another girl’s body is discovered in the trunk of her car, two strange dots on her back. The bloodstains surrounding her body belong to the one man Tori thought she could trust. Tori knows the closer she gets to the truth, the more her own life is at risk. But can she catch this killer before it’s too late for Genevieve?

"It has to be devastating to know your sister was killed by someone you thought to be a friend.
Now I think I know why because he is a cold blooded killer. He sent you that article at first to taunt you and then to draw you here. Once you were here, he let you hunt for him before he tried to kill you. That didn't work, so now, he's doing the next best thing. He's killing you by driving a stake into your heart . He wants you to die a little each day knowing the truth . He knows that every time you think of Jessie, you'll think of him. He's been dying to do it for 20 years and he just got to do it now and he's going to want to continue doing it to you."

Phew!!! 17 hours and 3 mins in audio format. Finally done 😂.. I enjoyed listening to this gripping thriller but at the same time, also glad it's finally over - for book 1, that is...😂😅 There are parts which are a bit dragged out and I can't with some of the repetitive dialogues, unnecessary conversations. For the most part, the narration was good and captured my attention/ interest. Circumstantial evidences pointed out to Gunther and Eddie as the suspects but one commited suicide while the other strongly denied the allegations. Who is the real suspect? I'm just glad the killer did not turn out to be Will Braddock - the one I heavily suspected from the start -or else I'll be really pissed that I've wasted my time.😅
📖 If you like:
✔️Twins as MC
✔️ Missing girl tropes
✔️murder mystery/ Cold cases (this one a total of 26!)
✔️Multiple POVs - including the killer's
✔️Enemies to lovers plot 🤷‍♀️

3.75 ✨ rounded up
2.5 🌶️

Original Date of publication is April 19, 2019 but NetGalley recently posted this audiobook version with Nov 1, 2024 as publication date . Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for granting access in exchange for honest review! 🖤

On coming to write this review I note the title was released originally in 2020 and that there are another 5 available, another 5 added to my wish list immediately I should add. Perhaps there’s a book 7 on the way, or a change of publisher. No matter. I loved it!

I loved Tori pretty much instantly, more importantly though the story was absolutely fantastic. I kept thinking that I could really envisage it adapted for tv, Mare of Easttown type vibes. Plot twist after plot twist executed to perfection, fabulous narration. This worked brilliantly for my liking.

4 stars 🌟
No notes.

My thanks to Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for this ELC