Title:The Silent Girls
Author:Eric Rickstad
Series:Canaan Crime Series, #2
Narrator:R.C. Bray
Published:May 2015, Tantor Audio
Length:9 hours 33 minutes
Source:Library
With the dead of a bitter Vermont winter closing in, evil is alive and well …
Frank
Rath thought he was done with murder when he turned in his detective’s
badge to become a private investigator and raise a daughter alone. Then
the police in his remote rural community of Canaan find an ’89 Monte
Carlo abandoned by the side of the road, and the beautiful teenage girl
who owned the car seems to have disappeared without a trace.Soon Rath’s investigation brings him face-to-face with the darkest abominations of the human soul.
With
the consequences of his violent and painful past plaguing him, and
young women with secrets vanishing one by one, he discovers once again
that even in the smallest towns on the map, evil lurks everywhere-and no
one is safe.Morally complex, seething with wickedness and
mystery, and rich in gritty atmosphere and electrifying plot turns, The
Silent Girls marks the return of critically acclaimed author Eric
Rickstad. Readers of Ian Rankin, Jo Nesbø, and Greg Iles will love this
book and find themselves breathless at the incendiary, ambitious, and
unforgettable story.
My thoughts:Eric Rickstad is a brand-new author for me and I am just picking up this book now because the second one in this series, Names of the Dead Girls, will be out next week!!! And if you know anything about my reading habits, you know I really prefer reading series in order if I can. That being said, I’m so glad I did – this was one heck of a thriller and now I can’t wait to start reading the next book!
This is the type of book that reinforces why I love reading crime fiction – it’s dark and twisted and kept me on my toes, guessing as to what is going to happen next! This one starts with a bang and has such a cliffhanger, that I’m so glad I’ll be reading the next book really soon!
Frank Rath is a great protagonist. He’s a Private Investigator, which means that unlike a cop, he can skirt the law when investigating, which he sometimes he tends to do. He is a well-developed character – strong and complex, yet not without his faults. He has a past that is never far from his mind and this is in part what motivates him.
The other characters we meet, particularly the law enforcement crew, are pretty well developed, and they all seem to work well together as they take on this latest case. While we didn’t get as much on them as we did Rath, I have hopes that as this series goes on, we might see more of them.
I was on the edge of my seat as the all the pieces of the puzzle finally started coming together. The setting in this book, the cold Vermont winter, really adds to the overall tension and when you add in what is going on in Rath’s personal life, it just amps up the suspense. You really feel that sense of foreboding hanging in the air.
This is a gripping, gritty read that will have you glued to the pages as you try to figure out how all the threads comes together. It’s peppered with twists and turns that will have you begging for more and it will leave you with an ending that will have you scrambling for the next book! I cannot wait to start reading it – luckily I already have my copy, but not to fear – the next book is out September 12th!
Audio thoughts:R.C. Bray is a new narrator to me and I quite enjoyed his narration of this book. I thought he did a great job bringing these characters and this story to life. His pacing was good and made this a great listening experience!
Books in this series:
- Lie in Wait
- The Silent Girls
- The Names of Dead Girls – due out 9.12.17
New author and book for me. Thanks for the review.
Eric Rickstad is new to me as well but now I must go find this book! I like that this is a fairly new series so I don't have 15 books to catch up on. Of course that means I have to wait longer for the next one to come out!