Thank you so much to Netgalley, Bookouture, and Rita Herron for giving me an ARC in exchange for review! This review will be published on my Goodreads account (immediately) and my Instagram account on the publication date: July 17th, 2020.

She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.

This is one of those books that I feel like is overwritten. I have something highlighted in many chapters that is an example of telling rather than showing, but I certainly finished it because of how fun the story was! A great and intriguing concept, and a book I mostly enjoyed, I just felt some unaddressed feminist elements, and cheesy dialogue was forced in there. There was also a heavy-handed “she’s not like other girls” trope, which is something that bothers me personally in books.

The second half of the book picked up the pace plot-wise, and though I still did not personally mesh with the writing style (I prefer more flowery when this was relatively blunt, which probably works for a lot of people) the story was a great one. It reminded me of a Criminal Minds episode and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a fast-paced thriller.

In this riveting book by Rita Herron, a little girl has been taken. She is in a very tight space, in the dark, and is holding a tiny wooden doll carved by her abductor. Well, the young girl that is missing is seven-year-old Penny Matthews and Detective Ellie Reeves is on the case. Quite naturally, her parents are devastated, especially as Penny was lost in the Appalachian Mountains. What a vast area for Ellie and others to begin their search!

As Ellie dives into things she is approached by Special Agent Derrick Fox. Decades ago, his younger sister Kim was lost in the exact same area. Derrick has always felt responsible for what happened to Kim. What's more is that he is positive that the two cases are connected, despite the twenty-five year gap between the kidnappings. What's more is that Derrick feels that this is a serial case, as their are other unsolved kidnappings of young girls.

What a thrilling story! We not only worry about Penny, as time is of the essence when it comes to finding her. Not only do readers get Ellie's and Derrick's points of view while reading this book, but also that of the killer. That made this story all that more chilling. We also get Penny's perspective, and that definitely kept me even more riveted to the story, as her fear was palpable. There is also some drama in this story beyond the kidnapping, and that involves Ellie's father. If or how this relates to what is going on is up to the reader to discover.

As The Silent Dolls is the first book in a new series, readers get to know Ellie, especially as to what drives her to do the best job possible, no matter how difficult the circumstances. I found this case, the character development and the writing all worked together to keep my attention throughout. I look forward to the next book in this series.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Seven year old Penny Matthews disappeared from the Appalachian Trail when she was having a picnic with her parents. Detective Ellie Reeves is immediately called to the scene to begin investigating Penny’s disappearance and to bring her home.

Special Agent Derrick Fox arrives with some troubling information. 25 years prior, his little sister was abducted from the same area when he was supposed to be watching her. Not only does Derrick believe the cases are linked, but there’s over a dozen other young girls who fit the profile. Now Ellie and Derrick must work together to stop a serial killer and bring home Penny before more girls go missing.

From the beginning, I was immediately captivated by the storyline. The plot starts off with a bang with the abduction of Penny. I feel like child abductions are a sure fire way to prey on our deepest fears, and the author does it brilliantly. The plot never lets up its high octane manner and is packed with twists and turns that definitely left me on my toes.

When it comes to the characters, I was definitely a bit apprehensive about Ellie at first. I love a lead female detective, but it is immediately clear that Ellie has a lot of personal issues that she is dealing with. She has a penchant for disregarding proper detective protocol like waiting for backup. She prefers to bulldoze head first into danger situations. Furthermore, her relationship with her father, the local Sheriff is rocky at best, which is made worse when he passes her over as his predecessor. Ouch. As the story progresses though, you realize why Ellie has become the person that she is due to childhood trauma, and she really shines in this story.

I don’t want to give away anything else from this story, but honestly, check this one out. It has so much to offer in terms of nail-biting suspense, great characters, a propulsive plot, and chilling atmospheric vibes.

Thank you to Bookouture for the blog tour invite as well as providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

“Someone’s taking little girls...”
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How creepy is that line? It’s so simple but that’s all it took for me to know I had to read this book. It’s the first in what will be a series of novels that follows Detective Ellie Reeves and I can tell you right now I’ll definitely be reading the second one when it’s released!
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This book was such an easy read for me. The pace was so intense I blew through it in a couple days. It follows Detective Reeves as she attempts to find Penny Matthews, a 6 year old girl who was kidnapped while on a picnic with her family. During the investigation she discovers that little girls have been going missing in the area for decades. Is this a coincidence? Are they connected? Will Detective Reeves find Penny? What else will she discover along the way?
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In the beginning, this book gave me so many Whisper Man vibes which loved! It was so creepy and so mysterious, I couldn’t stop reading it, I just had to know what happened!
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While the book was a little long and some of the moments felt a little forced and cheesy, I feel like this was such a solid mystery thriller. The end of the book had so many twists and turns that I could barely keep up. Normally I’m really good at figuring out the twists before they happen but there were so many in this book I definitely didn’t see them all coming which was amazing!

A thoroughly satisfying thriller that takes you on a race against time to save a missing child from an unknown foe and the freak storm that may just hinder the search before it's even truly begun. It's well written, suspensful and everything you could want from a thriller. I cannot wait for the next one!

When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. According to Penny’s parents, their daughter vanished after a picnic by the creek. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”. Ellie knows all too well that the mountains’ endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide. Special Agent Derrick Fox is determined to join the hunt. His younger sister, Kim, disappeared in the same area twenty-five years ago––on the day he was meant to be watching her. He’s certain the cases are linked and that over a dozen girls have vanished in the last decade. Ellie refuses to believe that their tight-knit mountain community could be home to a deadly criminal, but even she can’t deny the similarities in the cases. And when they discover the remains of a small body buried with a carved wooden doll, it’s clear they’re up against a deadly serial killer preying on innocent little girls.
This is the first book I’ve read by the author & it certainly won't be the last. I found it to be a book that once I'd started I fond very hard to put down as I was desperate for the outcome. I found it to be an uncomfortable read at times but the twists and turns held me captive. Strong characters & a well paced story added to the enjoyment. A couple of things did stretch my belief but it’s fiction. I look forward to more in the series
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

The Silent Dolls is the first in a new police procedural series featuring Detective Ellie Reeves based in Appalachia. Ellie is called in to investigate when seven-year-old Penny Matthews vanished from a small town on The Appalachian Trail where she had been picnicking with her parents. It's going to be a difficult case to solve given the sparse terrain and scant clues. With severe snow storms forecast the team must search the mountainous area for any evidence pointing to what happened to the girl. When FBI Special Agent Derrick Fox is made aware of the disappearance he wants in on it as he is convinced there is a serial killer prowling the area for victims. He has a vested interest in the case as his sister, Kim, went missing twenty-five years ago in similar circumstances. Derrick has done extensive research that shows that these girls weren't the only ones to vanish into thin air, there were at least ten others, and manages to convince Ellie that a dangerous criminal and repeat offender is stalking his prey in that area. When hand-carved wooden dolls are discovered and the killer begins to leave messages on Ellie’s doorstep they find they are in a race against time before he strikes again...

This is a thoroughly captivating read that held my attention from the beginning right through to the explosive cliffhanger ending. I was riveted every step of the way. I always enjoy multiple perspectives when it is well executed and here the point of view is primarily Ellie’s but has the thoughts and feelings of both Penny and the unknown and unidentified killer interspersed throughout the plot. It's compulsive and almost impossible to put down which is why I read it in a single sitting and loved every second of it. It's certainly well written and full of twists and reveals regarding both the main plot and Ellie’s personal life which is eventful, to say the least. The suspense and tension keep on building as you progress until the powerful conclusion. There really is never a dull moment in this fast-paced, plot-driven book set in the remote Georgian countryside. The case is made more complicated by the fact that Ellie’s father is the sheriff of Bluff County and Derrick is convinced that both her father and a friend may be prime suspects in Kim’s disappearance or at least covering up what actually happened creating a gripping conflict of interest. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.

This is the first book I have read of this author, Rita Herron and the plot line sounded interesting so I decided to try out this book. And I must say, I was not disappointed with this book!
The story begins with Detective Ellie Reeves is called to the scene when a seven-year-old girl named Penny Matthews goes missing while she was out having picnic with her parents in the woods. The Appalachian Trail is a very dense and big trail with a severe storm threatening to come in and Detective Ellie must find Penny before it was too late. Meanwhile, Special Agent Derrick Fox sees the news about the missing girl and immediately offers to help Ellie with her investigation. Twenty-five years ago, Derrick's sister Kim went missing under similar circumstances and when Derrick further investigates, he realized that dozens of young girls had gone missing for those years, and he suspected that there is a serial killer involved. Will Ellie be able to save Penny before it is too late?
Honestly, I really enjoyed reading the book. The book was well written, and I was immediately drawn into the story. There were some twists in the story along the way, and I was so hooked into the story that I simply couldn't put the book down! Ellie is actually a likable character and all the emotions and feelings that she was going through while investigating the case, particularly dealing with the missing children was very realistic. Even Derrick's feelings about this sister was also realistic, the anger and also the guilt that he is going through. The ending of the book was unexpected and shocking and I couldn't really wait to know what is going to happen next! Seriously, the author did a good job of making the reader crave for more!
Overall, this is certainly a book that you simply cannot put down, that gripped me towards the end. A real page turner book that the readers will not be disappointed! I am most certainly looking forward to read more on this series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing the free copy for reviewing!

The Sulent Dolls was fantastic! Herron is a new author for me and I eagerly await the next installment of Detective Ellie Reeves. Ellie is one tough woman, reasmthe book and you'll know exactly what I'm talking about. A young girl goes missing and then it's discovers there are a trail of missing girls. Two hunky men have the hots for Ellie. The author threw in some really good twists toward the end of the book. I don't want this one to end.

Oh my freaking gawd!! The Silent Dolls was bloody brilliant. Author Rita Heron sure knew how to raise my hackles and increase the creep factor with each turn of the page. At some moments, I felt as if someone were watching me. I was that connected to the main character, Detective Ellie Reeves.

A missing child during a picnic, and the investigation started with Ellie at the helm and Special Agent Derrick Fox assisting her.

My first book by this talented author, I was completely sucked in by the plot. Ellie was carefully etched. She was emotional and determined. Nothing stood in her way when she was searching for answers, not even the reigning sheriff, her father.

I was quite amazed at the author's writing. Having read so many police procedural, I didn't expect that I would love Ellie so much. Her thoughts and expressions were just right. The story quickened my pulse rate when another child was lost. Oh my! Search faster, Ellie!!

Pages turned faster than believable as clues were seeked and leads were followed. Derrick was quite a complement to her. The prose flowed well, bringing lies and decepetion to the forefront. Twists added to the excitement, making it a complete race against time.

An UNPUTDOWNABLE book which gripped me with the lost children and made it a rocking with the cool dudette, Ellie Reeves.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest, voluntary review. This book was phenomenal!! Exceptional writing with fantastically characterized key players in this nefarious story of deceit, lies, and murder. You will not be able to put this book down once you begin reading it. Enjoy! 📚

Finally, I catch a series right at the beginning! This was a fast-paced read. centered on Ellie, a police detective trying to hunt down a missing child on the Appalachian Trail. FBI Agent Derrick, who harbors guilt over the disappearance of his sister 20+ years ago on the same trail, thinks there is a connection and inserts himself into the case. There is also drama, both personally and professionally, with Ellie's father, who happens to be the sheriff who initially investigated the disappearance of Derrick's sister and is also working along with Ellie on the current case.

This was a well paced mystery, primarily following Ellie but also giving the reader some more information about the unknown kidnapper in chapters interspersed throughout the book. There is a good amount of history on Ellie's childhood and her relationship with her parents, but I didn't feel like that detracted from the main story, and it helped me understand her better. There was a little bit of romance thrown in which I could have done without, but it's a small part of the overall book.

This was a good read and I'd recommend it to those who are fans of the mystery genre- I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I'd say I enjoyed, truly, about 40%. I feel like the beginning was way too slow, and by the end, there was too much drama and messy history.

❄Full of twists and action: Ellie's search finds more than a killer😲

🌬4.5🌟stars👍👍
I was really impressed by author Rita Herron's deft construction of a kidnapping/murder mystery with so many twists, suspects and secrets. Add to that a strong female protagonist who pushed through mental and physical injuries "to get her man." With exhaustive searches through frigid and snowy terrain, the tension keeps mounting, more mysteries are rooted out, until an action-packed climax and, even after that, the story just keeps giving more twists and shocks right through to the end. The hints of deeper secrets laced through the story made me overconfident that I had the truth worked out: guess again!

I liked Herron's use of multiple points of view to take us in to the victim's and murderer's perspective from time to time, but Herron keeps most of the focus on the heroine detective. Her personal and professional lives are so full of drama that I look forward to more Detective Ellie Reeves stories.

Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

“The Silent Dolls” had me drawn in from page one. A fast paced well written book that kept me guessing until the very end. I can’t wait for the next book in the Detective Reeves series.

Great start to a new series for Rita Herron. The Silent Doll starts off as the biggest nightmare any parents faces. Thrown in the feeling of being hunted as Ellie is searching for the little girl.

The flow of the story will have readers needing moments to breath as they will fear what could happen and if the author will go into a dark space or bring readers the hope that they are looking for.

The Silent Dolls is one heck of a fear ride as a parent and a thriller that readers will no be able to put down. Yes you will have a book hang over before you finish this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Bookouture for the advance copy of Rita Herron The Silent Dolls.

I received this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion, and let me just say, I WAS IMPRESSED. This book took me on this wild ride and I honestly never would have guessed the ending. This book helped me get out of a long reading slump. I love Ellie’s determination and appreciate everything she did to try and find those little girls. The next book can’t come out soon enough!!

Oh my goodness, what a start to a series! I was drawn into this American based psychological thriller/police procedural instantaneously and know that I will be reading all subsequent Ellie Reeves books to find out how her career is going and what other unfortunate incidents will befall the detective.
Book 1, The Silent Dolls is a truly nail biting read. 7 year old Penny Matthews is missing. She disappeared whilst out on a family picnic on a part of the Appalachian Trail and Ellie Reeves , detective in Bluff County is determined to find her before it is too late.
FBI Special Agent Derrick Fox has never recovered from the guilt he feels over his sister Kim disappearing along the trail 25 years before. He was meant to be looking after her but she wandered away and has never been found. Fox has been monitoring the area and believes there have been many more girls all aged between 5 and 7 years who have disappeared. He is certain there is a serial killer on the loose and makes the decision to meet with Ellie Reeves to share his information and maybe at long last make the connections that will catch the killer.
There is just one snag though. Sherriff Randall Reeves, Ellie's father, was the investigating officer at the time of Kim's disappearance and Fox harbours resentment that the sherriff let the case go cold far too quickly.
Is the Sherriff hiding something?
The mountainous terrain where this story is set is so alien to me but so well described. You sense the vastness and danger and feel menace lurking in the woods and beyond. Ellie and her father know the area well but even so there are many points where a foot placed wrong could lead to death. With a snowstorm brewing and another disturbing development at the Cornbread Festival in town, time is running out for Penny, Can she still be alive or is this wishful thinking? Both Reeves and Fox have dark and traumatic pasts to deal with but they need to be able to put personal pain aside and work together to bring the Matthews' torment to a happy conclusion.
With incredible twists that had me gasping in shock and horror, this book comes with a warning. Keep the light on and be careful where you tread. You might never want to see a doll again...

The silent dolls is a new detective series featuring Ellie Reeves set along the Appalachian trail in Bluff County.
With such wonderful place names like Crooked Creek and Stony gap the setting sounds idyllic. However this is harsh territory which even the most accomplished hikers can struggle to cope with. Ravines and creeks and disused mines are just part of this wooded and wild landscape, a perfect playground for this disturbing thriller.
The action kicks off with the disappearance of a young girl Penny Matthews, who was enjoying a family picnic playing happily by the creek before she either wandered off or was snatched. It’s up to Ellie Reeves to locate this child before more severe weather sets in but apart from Penny’s discarded friendship bracelet she doesn’t have any other clues to go on.

Child disappearances are always going to have maximum impact on the reader since occurrences like this tap into our own fears and horrors, unable to imagine being faced with such a heart stopping moment when you realise your child isn’t where they are supposed to be. It can happen in an instant, in the blink of an eye and in cases like these it’s always the parents that are the first people to come under the scrutiny of the investigating officer. Has Penny fallen foul of her own parents or is something more sinister going on? It doesn’t take long for the media to get hold of the news, desperate for the scoop so it’s unsurprising Penny’s disappearance comes to the attention of Special Agent Derrick Fox who has a personal interest in events that are unfolding. It’s his belief this latest disappearance could be linked to similar unsolved mysteries, all involving small girls, and happening somewhere along the Appalachian trail, beginning with his sister Kim. Immediately the tension is ramped up a notch with this sinister turn in the proceedings. There’s a distinct possibility Ellie could actually be on the hunt for a serial predator. When the pair discover a small grave with what looks like the bones of a child together with a carved wooden doll their worst fears are confirmed. The race is on to find the unsub (a word I’d never heard until reading this book!)

It is the setting that is crucial to the plot line and the descriptions of this hostile unforgiving landscape add to the menacing feel. Many good thrillers take place in similar isolated, threatening environments and The Silent Dolls is no exception. Whilst I can imagine the trail to be scenic, it’s natural beauty a tourist attraction, I think I would be petrified hiking here, tense and fearful there was someone lurking, waiting to attack me. My imagination was in overdrive so full marks to the author for successfully tapping into my worst nightmare! I could sense the shadows and unknown eyes watching, sending chills down my spine.

However I’m not sure I entirely got the measure of detective Ellie Reeves and hope that as the series progresses her character becomes more fully developed. Obviously together with ranger Cord (very dubious character!) she knows the territory well but why does she seem petrified of the dark and enclosed spaces? Occasional flashbacks to her childhood hint at a traumatic experience and an imaginary friend Mae but that’s all I’ll divulge!

Ellie’s father Sheriff Randall Reeves is an odd character who I didn’t particularly like from the beginning. The family dynamics felt unbalanced with my suspicions on high alert. I couldn’t help wondering what secrets he and his wife Vera might be hiding.

Whilst I was shocked and scared and desperately wanted Penny to be found unharmed I thought the pace of this thriller was a trifle too slow. Despite this feeling, I was on tenterhooks towards the end, with the tension mounting, knowing I couldn’t put the book down until I’d read the last page. Fearful for everyone’s safety as the hunt turned into a terrifying game of cat and mouse, I was blindsided by the twist when it came, which did seem to come out of nowhere.

The Silent Dolls is an easy, creepy thriller to read, with just about the right level of tautness throughout. This book reminded me slightly of Karin Slaughter’s latest thriller The Silent Wife, although I don’t think the writing style here has the same level of panache. All in all this is a credible thriller that I recommend and I can’t wait to discover what’s in store next for Ellie Reeves. My thanks as always to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read.

When 7 year old Penny Matthews disappears from a picnic spot in the Appalachians Trails, Detective Ellie Reeves is called in to help. Ellie has her own fear of dark spaces because of a childhood experience but she realises that time is of essence while finding a miising child, especially when a storm is brewing. Meanwhile Special Agent Derrick Fox gets to know about the Penny missing case and he realises thats its the same trail where his sister, then 6, went missing from the same area, 25 years ago. He is convinced that she was the first on the long list of victims over the years. He joins in the search for Penny, in the hope that he will get closer to the killer. A Second girl also goes missing and suddenly there are mysterious wooden dolls next to graves of the young victims. The list of likely suspects grows and finally the girls are found, but not before some unpleasant memories from the past come tumbling out.

The story is gripping and I liked the characters and definitely looking forward to the next book in the series

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC