Where to start with this review ? How about I absolutely loved this book ! I read alot of books in the mystery/thriller genre and I honestly think all the books are starting to sound alike until I read this book. It was like a breath of fresh air. I couldn't stop reading. Lots of great characters and a serial killer that you couldn't figure out who they were till the end.What a treat ! Loved the female lead character Angie .Highly recommend to anyone wanting to read something great and different. Look forward to the next in the series. Buy today you wont be disappointed!!

If you’ve experienced any of Loreth Anne White’s work, you know she doesn’t write easy books. THE DROWNED GIRLS, the first book in the Angie Pallorino trilogy, is no different: a gritty, hard-hitting romantic thriller/police procedural with a seriously flawed (and therefore truly realistic) heroine, a much-less-flawed-but-not-quite-romance-hero-perfect hero, a large and colourful cadre of secondary characters, and a remarkably depraved--and yet surprisingly relatable--villain. Ms. White weaves these elements together with aplomb and her trademark clear, effective prose to craft a gripping page-turner with so much depth and emotional pull that it doesn’t feel like 500+ pages. Given that heroine Angie Pallorino is a detective in the sex crimes unit of the Victoria PD and hero Sergeant James Maddocks heads up Homicide, it’s no surprise that violence abounds and the crimes heinous--and sexually motivated, so definitely something to avoid for anyone whose trigger is sexual violence against women. For everyone else, THE DROWNED GIRLS is Ms. White at her (disturbing) best and a great start to what promises to be a thoroughly captivating trilogy. Can’t wait for book 2 in autumn!

The Drowned Girls is a thoroughly intriguing, dark romantic suspense. It is a great start to a new series featuring lead character Angie Pallorino, a detective assigned to a joint investigative task force to catch a serial rapist turned killer. Angie is disturbed to find that an anonymous sexual encounter she had on the eve of beginning work on the task force is another task force member, James Maddocks. Both of these characters are carrying some serious baggage, but they join forces and give their all in trying to track down the killer while trying to fight off the attraction between them.

This book had everything I could want in a romantic suspense. Great characters, a riveting storyline, and fast-paced action make it a winner for me! Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A gritty, dirt-under-your-fingernails dark romantic suspense.

The Drowned Girls  introduces us to Angie Pallorino. She is a detective in the sex crimes division who's been walking the line on sanity after the death of her partner and a young child on a case that went bad. She uses anonymous sex to numb her feelings and struggles to keep her anger under control. Working in a mostly male environment of men who don't trust her after her partner's death she becomes even more determined in her job and really wants a promotion to homicide. She gets that chance when the sexual rapist of 2 cold cases she worked years ago suddenly reappears but has upped his game to murder. To add to her long list of stressful things in her life – her new temporary partner is the last guy she had anonymous sex with and ran out on.

James Maddocks took a job in homicide which was a demotion to move to Victoria to be closer to his college age daughter. His marriage fell apart due to his job with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and he is hoping to repair his relationship with Ginny. He was as surprised as Angie when they find out they are going to be partners. He is also tasked with evaluating her mental state which it doesn't take long for him to see that she is a loose cannon on a self destruct path. But he can also see that there is a vulnerable woman underneath that's suffering from PTSD from her partners death which has triggered some other issues from something early in her childhood.

I dont think there was one conventional character in this whole book – even the dog only had 3 legs. Along with a large cast of characters the gruesome detailed descriptions of the acts of the killer kept you turning the pages. It was a well blended police procedural, suspense, romance and the psychological journey of Angie of trying to figure out if she is just going nuts or if there is some hidden traumatic thing from her childhood that she has forgotten that has been the driving force to the choices she makes in her life.

Looking for a non-conventional edgy heroine who walks a fine line give The Drowning Girl a try which is a the first in a new series.