A parents worst nightmare brings Detective Ellie Reese, FBI agent Derek and Ranger Cody back together again in a race to find the missing girls. The investigation leads to a child trafficking ring, but they don’t have Ava. They also discover that there are so many other missing children out there. When we find out who/why the kids have been taken it’s even more heartbreaking. You definitely felt for all involved in this intense story and desperately want a good outcome. I liked that Ellie’s past wasn’t such a big part of the story this time, but that her past was still an integral part of the story. I would love to see more about the 3 main characters in future stories and would love for Ellie to find some semblance of happiness and peace in her life.

Wow thank you for the opportunity to read and review NetGalley and the publisher. Like the predecessors in this series this book didnt disappoint so i would definitely recommend to others. What a page turner could not put it down

Stolen Angels – Rita Herron

Crooked Creek Detective Ellie Reeves is hopeful for a quiet holiday season as she and FBI Special Agent Derrick Fox head to attend the town Christmas pageant. Fresh off some stressful cases, along with some painful revelations in her personal life, she’s hoping for the time to sort things out, and bridge the divide she’s created with her parents after learning she was adopted and rescuing her birth mother from imprisonment. But, it feels like the quiet before a storm, and Ellie is inexplicably on edge.

Five-year-old Ava Truman can’t contain her excitement for the school party that’s planned for today. With cupcakes in the oven along with a raging migraine, her mother Lara watches her only daughter race to catch the school bus, waves as the bus goes by and heads for a short nap, before delivering the cupcakes to school. Upon her arrival to Ava’s classroom, she learns that Ava never arrived to school, nor was she seen at the bus stop that morning.

As Ellie and her team assemble to begin gathering information, Ellie learns that the family is going through a divorce and that Lara’s husband wants partial custody, frequently accusing Lara of not caring for her daughter. Could this be a custodial kidnapping? Shortly thereafter, items of young Ava are found nearby, including her backpack, and a stuffed bunny that she never allowed out of her sight.

As the investigation deepens, Lara’s husband surfaces and denies knowledge of Ava’s disappearance, but some digging into his new girlfriend’s life has detectives on high alert. A records search for similar cases draws some strange parallels, and the discovery of another missing child who vanished a year ago to the day of Ava’s disappearance, whom has never been found.

Another great read in the Ellie Reeves series, and another book that you shouldn’t start unless you’ve got some time set aside, because it will be THAT hard to put down. Great as a standalone or in series order – if you love a suspenseful who-dun-it, add Rita Herron & Detective Ellie Reeves to your “must read” list!

I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley & Bookouture in exchange for an objective review. Do you love to read?? Visit netgalley.com and start reviewing books today!!

I am loving this series, it gets better with every book. Once I started reading I didn't want to stop. I'm looking forward to reading more

This was my first book by the author. It was a strong fast paced read. Not a typical child kidnapping. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series. Really enjoyable book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an Arc in exchange for an honest opinion

A little girl is missing, she ran out of the house to catch the bus for school and never arrived. Every parents worse nightmare and this is only the beginning. I could not put this book down and finally turned the last page in the wee hours. Gripping, emotional and heartbraking all in equal measures. Another fantastic five star read from one of my favourite authors and one of my favourite series.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Complex detective mystery that keeps you moving - interesting small town dynamics, not sure why Ellie would stay there, but have to admire her determination to do the right thing regardless. Can read alone, but even better if you read the series to get the character history, there's a lot of substance.

Right before the Christmas holidays, Rita Herron thrusts her spectacular detective, Ellie Reeves, into a heart-wrenching mystery. A sweet little girl was taken from her Mom, and it's up to Ellie, Derrick, and Cole to find her. And compounding things for Ellie, Bryce is being, well.... nice..., as nice as he can be. The further the team dives into this case, so beautifully told with imagery of the AT, the more twisted it becomes... and potentially more little girls could be affected. Ms. Herron keeps pushing Ellie both as a detective and as a person - and it's a fabulous series to dive into!

Detective Ellie Reeves is back!

Ava Truman is excited about Christmas and her mother Lara promised to bake her cupcakes. But on that fateful day, Lara had a migraine that she thought she dropped off Ava at the school bus stop. Three hours later, when Lara gets well, she bakes cupcakes and takes them to Ava's school. But Ava was not in school. Worst of all, the bus driver confirms that Ava never got into the bus. Someone has kidnapped Ava.

And there's a sexual predator who lives right across from Ava's house. Now Ellie working along with FBI agent Derrick must find Ava and they both find out that Ava was not the first victim--another girl named Kaylee had gone missing on the day Ava went missing, few years ago. Did the same person who kidnapped Kaylee took Ava?

This is a fast paced thriller. Though there were about more than one hundred chapters, I didn't feel bored and I was literally hooked into the story. The chapters were short though there were some long chapters. The writing was really good, the author doing a good job drawing the reader into the story. There were so many twists and turns--and too many suspects that you have no idea who actually took Ava. Is it her own father? Or her father's girlfriend? Or that sexual predator who lives right across the street? Or was it some random stranger? It was so intriguing that I actually couldn't wait who had kidnapped Ava. The ending was unexpected and I stayed up all night reading the book!

Overall, this book is unputdownable, giving you a rollercoaster ride with twists and turns you never would expect! Worth five stars and I can't wait for the next one!

Detective Ellie Reeves has another mystery to solve. When a little girl disappears between her house and the bus stop, the mother is distraught. At first, Ellie and her team suspect the father, who has asked the mom for a divorce, having taken up with another woman. While he is removed from the suspect list, the girlfriend comes under suspicion as a part of a child stealing group who pretends to be a legitimate adoption agency. Herron switches perspectives throughout the book, including the kidnapper, mom, two other women looking for missing children, and Fox (the FBI agent with feelings for Ellie). This approach keeps you guessing throughout the book. The suspense builds as Ellie, Fox, and the team race to rescue the "stolen angels."

Strong, fast paced read. From the first page you are sucked in and it doesn’t let go till the end. A really strong installment in the series. Looking forward to more.

A thrilling ride of suspense! This case was heartbreaking and perplexing. The multiple perspectives added a nice touch. The writing was a bit clunky in places but overall, a quick suspenseful read!

Stolen Angels by Rita Herron begins with Detective Ellie Reeves, FBI agent Eric Fox, and Local Ranger Cord McCain in Crooked Creek, during the Christmas season. Little Ava Truman age six, is missing after she did not get on the school bus. Her mother Lara is frantic. Initially, it is believed that Ava's dad Jasper may know where she is, but he is ruled out as a suspect. In other recent cases, Kaylee Wilkinson and Becky Hornsby, (who are in the same age range as Ava) are missing. Can these sweet little girls be found or is it too late?

This book started off fast paced and ended with a bang. The middle was a bit repetitive and boring at times. If you can hang on till the end, you will be glad you read it. Overall, it is a good thriller. This is the fifth book in the "Detective Ellie Reeves" series. I have not read the other books, but this worked well as a stand alone read. "Stolen Angels will be published January 27, 2022.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book. Your books rock!!

I've not read anything previously from this author but I can see why she has a following.
An excellent police procedural thriller which, although several books along in the series, certainly works as a stand alone novel.
Solid characterisation, a good plot and and excellent twist.
Whilst enjoying the book, I was wondering why this was happening but a clever conclusion revealed all.
Recommended, thank you.

This series gets better and better!

I stayed up well into the night to finish reading Stolen Angels; I really enjoyed it and didn’t guess what was happening until about 80% through - a great thriller!

I look forward to reading the next one.

This was my first book by this author. It was fantastic. Now I need to hunt down the other books in this series. Not your typical child kidnapping. Great twists throughout. Loved the ending.

We are off on Detective Ellie Reeves 5th adventure. Six year old Ava disappears a few days before Christmas and Ellie is determined to bring the little girl home for Christmas. Along the way it is revealed that Ava is not the only missing girl - is there a connection between these kidnappings? This book was a refreshing stray away from Ellie’s previous cases and while I did figure out the underlying reason for the kidnappings it was a solid mystery. The only drawback for me was again the lack of progression in Ellie’s personal life- I though with the way book #4 ended we might see a small change there. Looking forward to Ellie’s next adventure.
Thanks publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Every mother's worst nightmare. Ava disappears from the short distance between home and the bus stop for school. It is just before Christmas. it later transpires that two other children have also disappeared over the last year. Could there be a connection? A twisty novel that kept me gripped until the conclusion.

Such a great police team the author created here.

Ellie is very determined. In each case she fight with all she has against the most cruel and disturbed killers. She also has had a lot to deal with in her private life, but everything seems to settle a bit there.

Special Agent Fox. He does not lack in determination either and his relationship with Ellie is complicated due to the past.

Ranger Cord. He and Ellie go way back and there and his past is dark.

Sherriff Bryce. By far my least favourite person, but this is changing slowly for the better.

The team struggles with this case. In the beginning they think it’s crystal clear, but in fact if’s far, far more complex than that.

The story behind the culprit is really heart breaking and in a way they are not a bad person. It’s probably one example of how people can react to devastating events. It was sad and I understood what they were trying to do. The way they went about it, was of course the wrong one.

This book followed a very twisty and bumpy road and it resulted in an amazing book. I enjoyed it from the very first page and it was hard to put it down. 5 stars

Thank you

I cannot rave enough about this series. It’s almost Christmas and a girl has gone missing. Ellie, Derrick, and Cord race to track her down as the days slip past. I made the connection 3/4 of the way through the book. Herron deftly weaves several sub plots as well. I was totally absorbed the entire afternoon. The book was a refreshing change from the Dark overtones of the earlier books because there is survival in this one. I’m still Team Cord!