3 stars. The first half was much better than the second half. Clara left behind her past and became a detective. No one knows of her upbringing in a community where polygamy occurred. She has numerous siblings, many born after she left the community. When one of her younger siblings is abducted, Clara returns home to assist with the case. Will she be able to find her sister in time? Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review

Detective Clara Jeffries has been working in Dallas PD's Crimes Against Persons Unit for 3 years. She's a workaholic who gets the job done and never seems to take time off. When her boss orders her to take a few days of leave, she's at her wits end for what to do with herself. Around this time she gets an unexpected call from an old acquaintance, Max Anderson, who tells her that he believes her half-sister has gone missing. Clara agrees to return home to help Max work the case because he is having trouble speaking with Clara's family.

This was an intriguing mystery with a setting that I didn't know much about. Casey writes about the intricacies of this Mormon community and the struggles that they have gone through. She gives a thorough treatment to the religious aspects as well as the pitfalls of this faith community, including the mistrust they have of outsiders. Ultimately, this was a thoroughly plotted mystery with a healthy amount of twists and turns. It's not overly gory, but there is some violence and there is definitely a villain. I can easily see this novel being turned into a movie.

Also, the first chapter is seriously creepy and I loved the tone that it set. The cover art is perfect for this title and I'm not sure I'll ever look at cornfields without thinking about this read again.

This was my first book by Kathryn Casey, and I am looking forward to reading more.
Great suspense filled with mystery, intrigue, and a nice twist at the end.
Clara was born and raised in the polygamous town of Alber. She ran away ten years ago, and once gone her family considered her a Fallen girl and no longer has anything to do with her. She is now a detective in the Dallas Police Force. Clara receives a phone call one night from an old friend in Alber, Max. letting her know that there is a possibility that her sister, Delilah is missing. Taking some time off, Clara heads back to Alber to investigate. Once there, she is faced with hatred, lies, and cover ups. But soon the prices start to fall into place as Clara realizes Delilah is not the only missing girl. The families do not trust outsiders, and look to their Prophet and his family for guidance, and none of them wants to cooperate and help find the girls. Clara must find a way to get her family, and the families of the other missing girls, to trust her and help her find Delilah and the others. But time is a luxury these missing girls don't have. Clara and Max must fight agains the prejudices of the town to find the girls before it is too late.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely love when you start a new series and you LOVE the first book and can't wait for more to come! Clara goes back to her hometown and past to find her missing sister and ends up uncovering the towns dirty secret. There is a serial killer among them and Clara will not stop into she finds him. Suspense, mystery, great characters and great writing you will want to read this book! Can't wait till the next book in this series!

A good start to a new series. The protagonist character is well developed. The story is different involving a polygamous town, though a slow starter it picked up later on. The back story felt incomplete as to why she left the town or why the prophet did not get a wife for his son. Looking forward to the next book. Recommended.

The book was a pleasant surprise for me, being that this is first book I have read by this author. It was an addictive read, entirely enthralled with the book within the first twenty pages. A very well written police procedural. Looking most forward to the next book in the series!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book.
#netgalley #thefalengirls

A really enjoyable read and great start to a series. Based around the morman faith . It reminded me very much of Linda Castillo who writes a series of a police chief who is ex armish. I did enjoy the book, the only reason it didn’t get 5 * is because I felt that the outcome was a little predictable and easy to guess. I will definitely read more by this author and looking forward to the next one in the series

I could not put it down! I rarely give a book 5 stars and can't put it down but this one deserves it! When I first started reading and saw it was a story that took place in a culture, a Mormon community, I thought I would not enjoy the book. I read it in three days only because my iPad was running out of battery so I couldn't read it sooner. It was a captivating story of gils gone missing, not being reported, and the one girl who comes back to the community and puts her heart into figuring out what was going on. This was the first book I have ever read by Kathryn Casey and I can't wait to read more! I highly recommend this book to any mystery reader. If you read this book make sure to read the end when you read the writers connection to the book. It was great to hear her connection to why she wrote and how she came up with this book.

Detective Clara Jefferies has returned to her home town of Alber, Utah after she is notified that her sister is missing. However, Clara's help is not wanted as she left her polygamous family years ago and now no one is talking to her, about anything let alone the missing girl.

The plot was gripping but I found the first half of the book quite slow. The last half was much better paced and I was quite intrigued with the characters. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series to see what's next for Clara!

Thank you to #Netgalley and @Bookouture for an advanced copy of The Fallen Girls.

I liked the promise and the Utah setting of this book but it took me a long time to actually get into it. I figured out the killer, early on and the plot was unusual. The book was well written and gave a good insight to a different culture from different times. A good start to a new series. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

A closed-off town, a disappearance, and roadblocks left and right. These types of obstacles make for a good mystery in The Fallen Girls. Clara, a Dallas detective, is called back to her family home by a long-time friend who is also a cop because Clara’s sister is missing. Clara is caught between doing her duty and having to straddle the line of the family she left behind and trying to get information about her missing sister. The subplots were done well, moved the main storyline along, and kept me interested.

The main character, Clara, is well developed. The story delves into a small town polygamous Mormon town in Utah. I was absorbed in the story from page one until the explosive and exciting ending.

Kathryn Casey writes an intricate and page-turning mystery. I liked her writing style. She gave enough details to keep the story moving forward but did not bog it down with extraneous information. The dialogue was done well and was realistic. All the characters were developed well and were unique. Even though the reader may know how the book will end, it is no less intense and heart-pounding.

I’m excited to read more in this series, and I want more!

#TheFallenGirls @bookouture #NetGalley

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will certainly look forward to Book 2. Great storyline really liked the main characters. Recommend.

i so enjoyed this story .detective Clara Jefferies left her home of a community cult never ever wanting to go back .she gets a call from the police there .her sister has gone missing but denying it how this story unfolds is just brilliant i so recommend this book

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Bookouture for the ARC.

What a great start to a new detective series! Well-written, interesting characters and believable dialogue. Such an unusual setting I found it totally absorbing.

Detective Clara Jeffries works for Dallas PD dealing with murders and sexual assaults. Her job is her life and she doesn't rest until a case is solved by her dogged determination. She grew up within a polygamous family within a fundamentalist Mormon sect in Alber, Utah; now a small settlement surrounded by cornfields at the foot of mountains.
Clara gets a call from Max Anderson, now Chief Deputy for the Smith County of Utah - he too had grown up in Alber. He needs her help - an anonymous note received had said a 12-yr old girl had been abducted two nights previously - her half-sister Delilah. Despite being despised by the Alber families as an outsider Clara had no choice but to return there after 24 years.

The Sheriff's department were getting nowhere; no-one would speak to Clara; no missing person's report had been filed and it seemed that her hands were tied, but then she hears of two other young women who had disappeared and when a body is discovered under the scree at the bottom of the mountain, Clara asserts her authority and takes charge of the investigation. Why had no-one connected the three disappearances?
Someone at least is hiding something from her - and then she is given access to a secret storeroom of files which give a lie to past reports and investigations within the Sheriff's office.

There is something evil in Alber, Utah and Clara Jeffries is going to find out who it is.

This is an atmospheric portrayal of a polygamous community, its poverty and its fundamentalist views - which prevent the families from talking or seeking help. Can Clara get to the bottom of this case to prevent further disappearances - she has suspects in mind, but no proof as the story twists and turns and forces her to re-think.

An absorbing start to a new series. I really enjoyed the unusual setting and complex challenges encountered by the main character. It added an extra interest level and I look forward to reading more.

The start of a new series and I can't wait to read more. An insight into the life of a true Mormon community. Trues Mormons are polyogmanous, the husband is allowed many wives. Detective Clara Jefferies used to belong to this community. Due to an incident Clara left when she was a teenager. Now some one from that community is asking for her help. Her sister is missing and no one is talking.. When she returns she is shunned by her family and friends but Clara does not care, she needs to find her sister and fast. During her investigation she learns that more girls have gone missing. What are the local police doing???? Clara is up against a blanket of silence, can she break it and find the missing girls before it is too late. This book kept me reading late into the night I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH. Full of tension and suspense and plenty of misdirection. A well deserved 4.5 stars .
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for the ARC.

I would have never thought I would read a book with polygamy to it’s entirety but here we are. I absolutely adore the main character!!! Definitely a good interesting read that you can’t put down. I love the little love story brewing in it as well. It will be interesting to see where that goes as the series plays out. Aren’t we all suckers for relationship statuses that are, “it’s complicated?”

A rather strange look into the lives of the people in a Amish type community. Where the men can have multiple wives and sire many children by them and the younger people in the community can be exiled if they do not accept this lifestyle. The story involves abduction and murder of teenage girls from the community. Took a long while to get into the story which finally led to an intriguing end.

Complex thriller in an unusual setting. Missing girls that no-one in the tight knit religious group will admit to, nor will they help Clara ,an outsider who once belonged to the group. Fast paced with lots of twists.

It took me a long time to get into this book - I was over halfway through before I stopped thinking about abandoning it. I figured out who the villain was & wanted to know how the story would end.