So so so good! I didnt want this one to end and just soaked it all in! I will definitely read more from Roger Stelljes and I cant wait to read the next Agent Tori Hunter book in this series !
I loved the tie in with it being her home stomping grounds she was returning to to investigate!
Great narration!

5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Publish date: 11/01/2024

Silenced Girls was my first book from this author and I enjoyed it.

One complaint that I have is that the book is a little long - the audio is 17 hours. Halfway through the book, our main character leaves and works on a completely unrelated case. I’m not sure what the point of that was and wish it had been removed because that would shorten the book length.

Tori’s connection to the serial killer is what made this book interesting. She’s clearly still dealing with the issues from her sister disappearing and I enjoyed seeing her struggle and determination to figure out the case.

There is a romantic aspect to this storyline, which I always love, but what I loved even more was that it didn’t take away from the story.

Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is an intriguing mystery with a compelling premise, but it could have benefitted from a tighter, more focused narrative. As part of the Tori Hunter series, the story would have been far stronger if it had stuck primarily to her perspective (and perhaps the killer’s), cutting out some of the unnecessary secondary viewpoints that can make the pacing feel sluggish. While I enjoyed the suspense and was genuinely surprised by the identity of the killer, there were moments when the plot dragged so much that I found myself zoning out.

I had the chance to listen to the advanced audiobook, and I highly recommend speeding it up to at least 1.75x. The narrator speaks quite slowly, and given the book's length, you’ll save yourself a lot of time and still be able to follow along without losing anything in terms of the experience.

In the end, Silenced Girls is a solid read with a lot of potential, but it’s one you’ll need to be prepared to dedicate a good amount of time to. While I might consider picking up another Tori Hunter book, it will probably be when I’m in the mood for a longer, more immersive story.

I totally enjoyed this.

Tori Hunter's twin sister Jessie disappeared when she was 16, and now another young woman has gone the same way (which way that is, no one knows). Tori is back to help find out who is behind these dastardly deeds, and if there is any relation to Jessie's disappearance all those years ago.

Silenced Girls was long, and maybe could have been trimmed a bit here and there, but I found that I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. To be honest, I think I've had my quota of domestic dramas labelled as thrillers, this one had bodies galore and a clever serial killer running around.

It's an intriguing, and gripping tale, with well-thought-out characters. The banter is great (I especially liked Will), and the plot and the investigative work make for great reading.

I never saw the killer coming until almost at the end, and the chemistry between Will and Tori isn't over the top, or in your face. They complement each other quite nicely, in fact. I particularly enjoyed the setting, the description of the lake and the forests. I could almost picture these remote, sweeping vistas, where sins lurk in the shadows.

I will certainly be looking out for the others in the series.

4 stars.

I really enjoyed Agent Tori Hunter as a strong female lead and would look for future books in this series, however I do think the story was a bit longer than it needed to be. The narration was great - very clear and with inflection that kept me engaged in the audiobook! Would definitely look for future audiobooks by Kate Handford!

Agent Tori Hunter is a fine character of a fierce sister fighting to have her sister gone missing case solved. And there might be much, more cases of girls missing around...But who is the perpetrator, this is the question.

This novel is seriously very long, but the story is catchy enough and Tori´s character nice enough to keep you interested.

Author’s writing is compelling. I loved the small details and detailed investigation. Characters back stories were deep and touching. This was such an intense and suspenseful read. Tori’s character is strong, determined and emotional. I felt at some point, author should have revealed the killer before but the book kept on going. Narrator did an amazing job.

Set in Manchester. Tori’s twin sister vanished on fourth of July and twenty months after that her father died because of heart attack. Other girls are also going missing since then. Tori’s life has taken a different turn. It’s been twenty years and when she receives a disturbing letter, she tries to find the k!ller. The book will keep you guessing till the end and this is a brilliant whodunnit.

Thanks to the Publisher, Narrator and Author.

Audiobook Review

Book 1 in the Agent Tori Hunter series is a great fast-paced gritty mystery thriller.

FBI Agent Tori Hunter returns to her home town of Manchester Bay, Minnesota after an absence of 20 years, ever since her twin sister went missing.

Upon her return, she learns of another girl missing in similar circumstances and her mission to find the truth ensues.

A page-turning murder thriller with some good old twists, turns and misdirection that will keep you wanting more. This book had great pacing, intelligent characters, developing relationships and the narration was perfect.

The audiobook narrator Kate Handford was superb, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to this book, the characters were well defined, a clear smooth narration and Kate brought this thriller to life in all the right places.

I can't wait to read/listen to the next instalment.

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, author and narrator for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook.

Coming to my rating: out of 5 stars ⭐️
Title : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ interesting
Cover: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ piquied my interest
Character development: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ i did love the development of the characters both mentally and also physically, to their best version. I did love the part where Tori decides to get help, and change for the good at the end.
Writing style: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the words were well written, each emotion and twist conveyed correctly.
Originality: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ the plot is good
Plot: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️the plot is general one, but with the different twists and the explanations, the author has taken the story to the next level.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4.5 stars. I just did love this story, and everything that was there. I even loved the leads, and their chemistry, I am surely waiting fornthe next installment of the book.

Audio rating : out of 5 🎶
Narration Quality : 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 the narration and different voiceovers was quite enjoyable. I did love the portrayal of emotions in the audio.
Pacing : 🎶 🎶 🎶 the narrator has paced The book well
Production Quality : 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 I did like the smoothness of the narration.
Engagement : 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 the narration kept me engaged with the story, no where did I feel like bored out or left out.
Overall Enjoyment : 🎶 🎶 🎶 🎶 overall I could say, I did like the narration.

Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes and narrated by Kate Handford is the 1st book in the Agent Tori Hunter series and a book I had in my to-read list for ages. So I am so pleased I had the audiobook to listen to and what an addictive mystery thriller this was. I loved it It was fast [aced throughout and I found this audiobook very enjoyable.....The only problem was Why Did I not read this book when it first came out?!!! especially as I love reading books like this.

I highly recommend Silenced Girls and the narrated by Kate Handford was excellent.

I received this audiobook from Bookouture Audio on NetGalley - thank you!

It is the first book by this author that I have read. It turned out to be a solid, suspenseful thriller with well-developed characters and a surprising ending (at least for me).

My biggest issue with the book was that I didn’t find the protagonist likeable. Her lack of professionalism was driving me crazy (how did she even survive training…?) and her eating sandwiches with a fork and knife was just the nail in the coffin (but also very in-character for her). To me she was stiff and boring and lacked personality. I understand that she had been shaped by the tragedy from her past, but it would be nice if she had some redeeming qualities other than good looks.

Usually I find it difficult to get fully immersed in a story if I don’t like the main character, but not in this case. The plot twists kept me engaged until the end. I especially enjoyed the aha! moment when Tori makes the breakthrough in the investigation.

The book definitely could have been shorter - the final conversation was particularly lengthy - but the narrator did a good job and all in all I had a good time.

I will be on the lookout for other books by Roger Stelljes (but not necessarily about Tori ;)

"Silenced Girls" by Roger Stelljes is a crime procedural mystery thriller. It is the first book in the Agent Tori Hunter series. I enjoyed this book as it kept moving and kept me guessing. The main character is intelligent and fairly likable. The dialogue is realistic. I will definitely seek out some other books in this series. I recommend this to people who like crime procedural mysteries.

The story is about a missing young woman, Genevieve Lash, who has disappeared in Manchester, Minnesota, the hometown of Tori Hunter, where her identical twin sister, Jessie, disappeared 20 years earlier. Tori is an FBI special agent specializing in finding missing children. She receives an anonymous letter with a note about the recent abduction. She heads home to help with the search.

This audiobook is 17 hours long, but the story moves right along, and it doesn't feel that long. The narrator is Kate Handford, and she does all right, but some of her voices do not sound very different. This was confusing. I think two narrators might be better. Another little issue is the chapter titles being quotes from the upcoming chapter. This is cheesy, and I really disliked it.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 3/5
Cover - 2/5
Overall - 29/8 = 3 5/8
Rounded up to 4 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture Audio, and Roger Stelljes for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Loved this book! This is a new author to me but I want to read more by him.
Tori is an FBI agent who lost her sister twenty years ago. She comes back home when another woman goes missing. This book had a lot of twists and turns and another short storyline that I also enjoyed
The narrator had a pleasant and engaging voice. I enjoyed this audiobook and look forward to listening to more in this series.
I absolutely loved it, I can't wait to listen to more. Many thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

The book is really long, but I couldn't find parts to cut without hurting the story. So, it's just a long book, and that's okay.

Tori is an interesting character, but I couldn't really relate to her. The story itself seems unlikely, but I'm not an expert. It's also strange how lenient the FBI boss is and how easily the FBI agent gets to use resources outside of work.

I liked how a normal person figured out the mystery and helped. That was a surprise and a good addition. But, one thing that really bothered me was how no one questioned a strange gunshot wound. The book tries to give readers clues to figure out, but that one was too obvious.

Overall, it's a better-than-average book with some problems, but it's still entertaining.

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook and look forward to listening to more in this series. I've tried a few detective themed books as I enjoy the plots. However, so far, I haven't found one that I felt I could really follow the whole series as much as this.

Tori is a very likeable character with so much heart and soul still very much in tact even after all she has experienced before she left her home town. Losing her sister was horrific, something she blamed herself for. So, coming back to help with investigations was going to be difficult but something she felt very strong about. She had an amazing partner, and they worked well together as a team in the work life. Having to go back through an old timeline you have tried to heal from and leave behind you is no mean feat for anyone, let alone, then having to view old friends as potential suspects.

Many twists and turns throughout the plot of this audiobook and it kept my interest peaked from beginning to the end.

This was well narrated very easy to listen to but not too soothing that you switch off the narration was litrally perfect for this story so much so I could envisage these characters and the story easily.

I absolutely loved it, I can't wait to listen to more. With thanks to Netgalley & Bookouture Audio for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in return for an honest review.

Twins Tori and Jessie Hunter spent the night of 4th of July, with all their friends. Tori and another friend, head off alone, leaving Jessie with the rest of their friends. At the end of the night Jessie drives home, dropping their friend Katie off on the way.
Later that night one of the local policemen come upon a car, abandoned at the side of the road, with a flat tire. He recognises the car as local Sheriff'sdaughters car. Jessie is never seen again.

20 years later another local girl Genevieve Nash goes missing under similar circumstances. At the same time now an FBI agent Tori Hunter receives a newspaper clipping of Jessie’s disappearance and for the 1st time since leaving shortly after her father’s death not long after Jessie goes missing Tori returns home.

She teams up with the local police to investigate the disappearance of both Jessie and Genevieve, are they related after all this time?
Working with local agent Will Braddock, the pair discover more missing girls in similar circumstances.

I found this to be an enjoyable read, although there were times I felt it was dragged out a little unnecessarily.
I had my suspicions all along as to who was responsible and was proved right.

I enjoyed listening to the audio version of this title thanks to Netgalley and publisher

Silenced Girls by Roger Stelljes is a masterfully crafted thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The story is deeply engaging, with a steady flow of clues and red herrings that build suspense and intrigue. Stelljes’s approach to crime fiction strikes a delicate balance: it’s dark enough to give a gritty and realistic feel without veering into sensationalism, making it both compelling and accessible.

One of the standout qualities of Silenced Girls is how well-rounded and seamlessly written it is. Stelljes has a knack for keeping readers hooked—each page pulls you deeper into the mystery, and the twists feel natural rather than forced. Just when you think you’ve figured it all out, the plot takes an unexpected turn. Around the 60% mark, it almost feels as though the story could wrap up, but that’s precisely when it shifts into high gear. This pivot highlights the brilliance and tenacity of the crime-fighting team, showcasing their expertise and dedication in an unforgettable way.

Overall, Silenced Girls is a captivating and well-executed thriller. Stelljes’s storytelling keeps you guessing to the very end, making it a must-read for fans of crime and mystery genres. It’s a book that’s hard to put down and even harder to forget.

I loved this book. Thank you Netgalley for the throw back ARC or maybe its new to audiobooks but being able to listen to the first book in this series got me hooked! And to learn there are 7 total books I am excited to continue on. Maybe because I am from Minnesota and have a sweet spot for books about Minnesota and I can actually relate to them. As Manchester Bay does not exist many things that were referenced in this book do exist and I loved it. The story and characters I also loved. At first I was skeptical as it was a really long book and wasn't sure it would be able to keep my attention for that long. I could not tell it was a long book at all. I was hooked and it flew by. I was enthralled in the story and wanted to know what was going on as much as the characters did. I also did not guess the killer. Once it was figured out it all made sense but I do love a book where I am not sure who it was until they figure it out. I will definitely be reading more of this series!

This book had me hooked! Loved how it unfolded, with so many twists and turns. Every time I thought I had it susses out, something would happen to show me how wrong I was. I will definitely be continuing on with this series that's for sure!

4.5 Stars (Rounded Down)

First of all, thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this audiobookin exchange for an honest review.

I've found a new series to binge with Silenced Girls! This gripping thriller is exciting and well-written, with plenty of action to keep you racing through. Although it takes a little time to get going—Stelljes takes the necessary time to set up the characters and backstory as a solid foundation for the series—it soon picks up speed and becomes addictive, making it well worth the initial setup.

I especially enjoyed the premise of a woman returning to her hometown to investigate a case that mirrors her sister's unsolved disappearance. The investigative work was detailed and compelling, and the chemistry between Tori and Will added an extra layer of interest.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narration was excellent, adding to the overall experience. A solid start to the series with a strong female lead—definitely recommended!