This is a great start to a new series. It's told from two timelines and two points of view; Detective Hollie Turner in the present and Mandy in 1970's Britain.

Detective Turner has just transferred to a new job in Hull but before she is able to get her feet under the table, the body of a nun is found; it's a horrendous scene but who would want to murder a nun? It's a complex and difficult investigation not helped by her own personal troubles and a bumpy relationship with some of her colleagues.

Mandy is a teenage girl who doesn't have the best home life however, this gets worse when she falls pregnant and ends up in a home run by the Catholic Church which "looks after" pregnant mothers thereby removing the "shame" from the parents and community.

When a Priest who has connections to the nun and the home is also attacked, Hollie has to delve into the disturbing past to try and prevent further deaths.

This is a great story that, unfortunately, holds a strong element of truth in the way that unmarried and teenage mothers were dealt with in the past. It deals with the subject matter via Mandy's voice with compassion but not holding back which is difficult and painful to read at times.

With great characters that are developing very nicely, this is a gripping and enthralling read which ends on a massive cliff hanger which continues to Book 2.

Many thanks to the author, Storm Publishing and NetGalley for enabling me to read and share my thoughts of this first book in a new series.

This is a new to me author and I just love a Detective Series especially one set in England so I was excited to get started.

The prologue at the start of this story hit me like a tonne of bricks, the sickening things that happen at so called “Mother & Baby Homes” really have an impact on me.

A young girl called Mandy forcibly has her baby taken away from her by the evil nuns who run the home.

Cut to the present day and Hollie has just started her new job going from a quiet village to Hull that has a huge police force she’s soon to be part of, add to this the bomb of splitting up with her husband and not having her children with her, she’s a mess but she’s landed the case of a murdered Nun and she’s in charge of the case and her new team.

I was gripped by this story it had so many twists and revelations that just added to the story in the best possible way, I loved the point of view from Mandy who was a girl in the mother & baby home but it was absolutely heartbreaking.

I warmed to Hollie straight away she’s such a likeable character.

I really like how the story isn’t over with this first book and it continues into the next book which makes this story read so much better because it’s not rushed.

The plot is an emotional one that will resonate with so many readers.

This was a hearbreaking story about young ,unmarried, pregnant girls and the treatment they were given.. The police are trying to find the killer of a nun who was part of the process. The story continues in another book.

The Fallen Girls
by Paul J. Teague
Pub Date: 29 Jan 2024

"The Fallen Girls" is a totally unputdownable twisty crime thriller which is book 1 of 3 books from the new Detective Hollie Turner series by author: Paul J. Teague. This is the first book I've read by this author. I also plan on reading the other two books in the series, "Her Last Cry" and "The Fifth Girl".

Once I read the PROLOGUE of The Fallen Girls which starts out, " 1975 - CHURCH OF ST MARY AND THE ANGELS: MOTHER & BABY UNIT, I could not put the book down until I finished it! A remarkable story.

Here's a little snippet from the book:

The baby stirred in his blanket as the girl held him tightly to her chest; goosebumps covered her arms. Her bare feet were frozen by the icy stone beneath them, and as she inched slowly along the roof’s balcony, her body shook with fear. She wouldn’t let them take her precious boy.

Many thanks to #TheFallenGirls #NetGalley and #StormPublishing for providing me with an E-ARC of this 5 star book.

Having mistakenly read book 2 in this series first, I managed to drag myself away from that cliff hanger ending to read the first in the series!

DI Hollie Turner is thrown in at the deep end when, before she has even properly met her team, on elderly nun is brutally thrown off the Humber Bridge with a sign saying 'Pure Evil' round her neck At first she is mystified as to what has led someone to do this. Finding out that she once ran the unmarried mother & baby home gives some clue. Along with the present day we follow the lives of some of the girls who end up at the sharp end of Sister Brennan's tongue & her cruelty. The two timelines work extremely well. So often with this method of storytelling, the reader wants to stay with one timeline but with this story it wasn't the case for me. The ending of the story led onto book two, which meant I could now go straight to the start of book 3!

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher forletting me read & review this great series.

Wow, this was a great start to a series and I can't wait for the next one in this series. Yes, it ends on a cliffhanger which makes the reader left wanting more. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review

A very gritty book that has you hooked from start to finish with a great story and characters that make the book what it is. I will look forward to the next book.

Phenomenal book! I could not put it down! I grew up in the Cathloic church and it damaged me so I felt for the girls in a deep way. Paul Teague seamlessly took you between the past and the present. I love a good cop thriller/mystery and the cliffhanger left me wanting book 2 something fierce!

Book 1 in the DI Hollie Turner series. The first day of her new job DI Turner has to go to a horrendous murder scene of an old nun who had connections with a young mother & baby unit in the 70’s. Twists and turns along the way and finishes on a big cliffhanger! Looking forward to the next one!

When the body of a 70 year old women is found dangling from the Humber bridge with a spray painted sign of “pure evil” around her neck, DI Hollie Turner knows that needs to figure who she is and who would commit such a heinous crime.

DI Hollie Turner is getting to know her new team after her recent transfer from Lancaster police force to the Hull department. She is finding settling in hard with this being a team that has a lot of history together. Even more there is a bit of hostility from one of the Detectives who thinks he should have been promoted into the job. Hollie is juggling the new post alongside her recent separation from husband Leon. Trying to work through this isn’t easy and now a murder on the Humber bridge needs Hollie’s full attention.

In 1974 Mandy became pregnant at the age of 15. With the Father-to-be gone, and her parents feeling the great “shame” of it. Now Mandy is a “fallen" girl according to the Church of St. Mary and the Angels. With nowhere else to go, she ends up at a mother and baby home where the babies are cruelly separated from their mothers within days of their births. Sister Brennan helped run the unit. Sister Brennan was very harsh and unliked by many.

DI Turner finds out that an elder priest has also fallen victim to this perpetrator. Determined to solve the case and uncover the details of the home at the church, she finds a clue that could help solve this whole incident. A photo with four of the young mothers who were all there at the same time. Each of the women’s babies were taken, each have their heartbreaking story to tell, and they all are possible suspects. This sets off a race against time for Hollie and her team, to find the murderer before they strike again.

This is the first book in a new series Detective Hollie Turner. It’s a fast paced exciting read, but then, it is left with such a cliffhanger! I enjoy a great cliffhanger, and boy did this one get me! I can’t wait for books 2 and 3 to come out. I loved this book, and I would Definitely recommend it!

I had the honor of reading this ARC thanks to Netgalley, the Author Paul j. Teague and Storm Publishing.

Unfortunately, this is just a book I can't get myself to pick back up again. I don't know if it's because I just read House of Eve and the beginnings are just very similar, but the theme of having young women shamed for getting pregnant and mysteriously giving away their babies to some back-room-church-veiled monsters is just too dark to read for me. I have tried and failed to read it multiple times now, it remains a DNF for me at 15%. It was a super interesting premise for me, but when it comes to sitting down an escaping into the story it crosses my comfort line into disturbing.

A nun is brutally murdered, and it seems to tie back to a mother and baby home, where young girls had their babies taken away and adopted against their will. Detective Hollie Turner has just moved to the area as her marriage is falling apart, and this is her first case in her new position. This was good and ended on a cliffhanger, and I started the second book right away. 4 stars.

I liked this book until I got to the end and it was ...to be continued. A real cop out.
DI Hollie Turner has transferred to Hull, found out her husband has a new lover, her eldest daughter has left the country to go travelling and she appears to be loosing custody of her children.
The body of a nun is found hanging on the bridge and delving into the past all signs point to a Mother and Baby home from the 70s as the key to the mystery.
The only problem is that when everything appears to click into place the book ends. A bit like the end of an Eastenders episode. Very disappointing and has put me off reading this author.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. It follows Detective Hollie Turner who has just moved to Hull to run a team. There is a lot going on for Hollie as she’s in the middle of separating from her husband as well, who’s also gone off with another woman, and if that’s not enough he wants to keep the children too. Her first case is a nun who’s been murdered and those in charge are quickly on her back to solve it. There’s some good characters in this that are easy to imagine how they’d be. The book also leaves you on a cliffhanger wanting to know what happens next. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

The Fallen Girls is the first installment in a three part series.

An elderly nun is murdered in a brutal fashion Hollie Turner is the detective on the case.

Hollie is new to town and battling some things in her personal life. Some of the towns people think she is not the woman for the job. Hollie would have liked to settle into her new job a little before working such a major case.

The story takes place in the here and now and in the 1970's. In those days the church had a home for young pregnant women.

Who would want to kill a nun? It turns out there are more than one suspect in the case.

This one kept me interested all the way through to it's abrupt ending. Yes, this one ends in a huge cliffhanger. You will want to get to the next book in the series right away.

I loved this one and couldn't wait to find out more in book two, Her Last Cry.

Thanks to netgalley and Storm Publishing for the arc.

The Fallen Girls by Paul J Teague.

I very much enjoyed reading this book, and was absolutely enthralled in the drama right from the very beginning. This book is packed full of suspense, whuch makes this a real page-turner. This story is split between two timeliness, one following present events and one that offers an insight into the past. I LOVE split POV mystery books, so this was definitely a huge selling point for me, and did not disappoint. I especially enjoyed reading the sections set in the past and following Mandy's story as one of the "fallen girls". The author does a great job at diving into the mind of Mandy as well as showing the terrible details that lead up to her becoming pregnant. It is quite obvious to readers that Mandy has been assaulted, but the fact no one ever holds the man responsible for what he did, and instead all the blame is placed on the girl, is an interesting social commentary on the ways in which people of different genders are treated differently. All of this makes Mandy a relatable and fully formed character that I found myself feeling terribly sorry for and becoming invested in. Mandy's story, like a lot of the girls, is harrowing and painful to read, so I think the author has done a great job at showing the deep psychological impact the mother and baby unit has had on the girls. I do think that the fact we focus on Mandy so much does somewhat spoilt the revelations that come at the end, but I anticipate there will be a shocking twist in the next book that will change my opinion here.

The storyline set in the present follows our Detective, Holly, as she tries to solve this case whilst also dealing with all the office drama, trying to gain respect from her new colleagues and whilst her personal life crumbles around her. She is a very relatable and flawed character, which only adds to her likeability. On the other hand, the author writes Sister Brennan in such a way that we as readers grow to despise her for all the abuse she put these "fallen girls" through. I think this author must be very socially aware, as the characters he writes are the real asset to this book.

This book I rated 4 out of 5 stars. I very much enjoyed this book and look forward to reading books 2 & 3. I would definitely recommend reading this book. However, I would just add that this book may require a trigger warning for sexual assault and child abduction, so if these topics are distressing to you I would perhaps give it a miss. Thank you to Netgalley and Paul J Teague for this ARC.

T his book definitely ends on a cliffhanger!! If you read it you HAVE to read all three!

Hollie is a very likeable main character who draws the best from the people around her.

The mystery is intense and you want to know what has gone on in the past with the characters

The intertwined historic chapters being an extra layer to a great story

I was looking for a good book to read and this did not disappoint! The pages literally turned themselves it was that good. The two timeliness blend seamless, giving us Mandy's story and the current events caused by the past experiences. Major cliffhanger at the end, thankfully I was able to start the second in the series immediately.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

The Fallen Girls is a touching story about girls who got pregnant out of a wedlock and how they were poorly treated by their families and the institution that supposedly would help them through their ordeal. Although a work of fiction there are very similar real stories that happened for decades through the early '80s in many countries. In the plot the, nun who leads the institution for pregnant girls is killed and the priest who helped her with the girls and families is almost also killed. Hollie the lead investigator, who once was a single mother, and now is going through a divorce, has to work with a team that she doesn't know well, has to deal with office politics, and look through a long list of suspects. The story is fast-paced, well-written, but ends in a cliffhanger that made look for the other books in the series. Very entertaining!
I thank Mr. Teague, his publisher, and NetGalley for this book.

Book one in Detective Hollie Turner series and I am already looking forward to more books in this gripping series.