Unmarried young mums have their babies taken from them and they are given up for adoption by some Nuns. A mum gets murdered but who did it? You will not guess the ending. This book necessarily used two timespans, mid 1970's and I guess today. In some authors hands this can be messy and confusing but in this book it is integral to the story. Looking forward to part two of the trilogy which I will start immediately. Great book read in a day. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the chance to ARC

Thanks to NetGallery Paul J. Teague and Storm Publishing for an early ebook copy.

This is the first book in the series. A nun is murdered. Which leads to the story going back to a "home"that housed young women who were pregnant and sent to have babies and sign away their rights.

I definitely wasn't expecting the ending and am happy I can start the second one immediately. Definitely a mystery worth trying to figure out

The Fallen Girls by Paul J Teague

A good start in the first book in the trilogy although it's really going to be parts 1/2/3 of a continuing plotline.
The story has been told many times , young pregnant unmarried girls having their babies taken away from them , however someone's out for revenge which starts out by the murder of a nun.
Detective Hollie Turner , newly in the job is tasked to find out what is going on

I would like to thank Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an advance copy of The Fallen Girls, the first novel in a trilogy set in Hull to feature DI Hollie Turner.

I was intrigued by the premise of The Fallen Girls, a dead nun and a forced adoption scheme, but I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed it, especially as it just stops, like at the end of a chapter, with no resolution, meaning that I would have to read the next two novels to get to the end of the story. That’ll be a hard no from me as I’m not interested enough to keep going.

The narrative is split between two voices, DI Hollie Turner leading her first investigation in Hull, and Mandy Tyson in 1974 an eponymous “fallen girl”. I can understand and applaud why the author chose to do this as he wants to expose the realism and emotional cost of the practice, but Mandy is close in age to me and I really don’t need to re-live my teenage years, which, incidentally, I don’t think the author gets quite right in his historical detail. It is well done, but not what I’m looking for in a crime novel so I skim read much of it after a while. Hollie is also a troubled woman. She has arrived in Hull for a fresh start after a broken marriage without her kids and landed this case as her first, along with personnel issues.

The Fallen Girls is a well constructed and written novel, it simply didn’t suit my taste.

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this amazing book!

We follow Hollie and Mandy, who have in common that both had children has teenagers, but in very different times! In current times, a nun is murdered, while Hollie tries to solve the crime we also hear of Mandy's heartbreaking teen year in the mid 70's!

This psychological thriller keeps you guessing while getting you in all the feels. Your heart breaks for Mandy but you are also trying to figure out who done it!

That cliffhanger was just mean ( in a good way!) I can't wait to read the next two books to see what else happens!

When a nun is found hanging from a bridge newly transferred DI Hollie Turner is assigned the case.
Great start to a new series! Loved the cliffhanger and can't wait to get my hands on book 2.

Book Title: The Fallen Girls
Series: Detective Hollie Turner Book 1
Author: Paul J. Teague
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: January 29, 2024
My Rating: 3
Pages: 305

Story is told from the POV of Mandy Tyson in 1974 who was an unwed mother and Detective Inspector Hollie Turner- Present Day

Hollie Turner has recently separated with her husband and changed jobs.
Her first case is the gruesome murder of a nun – Sister Brennan.

Mandy was at St Mary and the Angels mother and baby home. Which was a home for unwed mothers, Mandy was at the Mothers & Baby Unit.
Many gave her baby Oliver up for adoption as Sister Brennan tricked her as she gave Mandy forms to sign and she didn’t realize what she was signing. Mandy was upset but there was nothing she could but she always hoped for vengeance!
Now the murder of Sister Brennan is linked to her.

This is first in a trilogy-
The Fallen Girls
Her Last Cry and
The Fifth Girl

I had a hard time getting into this as I couldn’t get beyond what was happening in 1974 as it seemed more like 1924!
Both of my daughters were adopted from Catholic Charites in the late sixties and early seventies.
Mothers were encouraged to hold and name their babies and include a note to any other special
memento for their child to keep. My husband and I were given a personally note.

[Author: Paul J. Teague] said he likes to write stories that are ‘can’t-put-down’ where normal people find themselves in extraordinary situations.
I was curious about his motivation in writing this story and was looking forward to reading his –
“A Letter from the Author” which is very interesting and wish I had read it first.
He worked for BBC Radio as an announcer, reporter, and producer.
The area where he worked is his inspiration for his novels.
The inspiration for this series came from a woman taxi driver who drove him to his early morning show, He got chatting with her and she revealed that she had been forced to give her son up for adoption. However, as an adult he made contact with her. She was so over the moon with emotions about being reunited with her son. She was also angry about what had happened to her.
.He tells us that this story is fictional but he tried to capture the sadness and anger. These women wanted at least an apology from the government for what had happened decades ago.

• As I mentioned this story is a trilogy. It ends in a cliffhanger.
• I am now in a different frame of mind and am looking forward to [book: Her Last Cry] Book 2.
.
Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 29, 2024

‘The Fallen Girls’ is the first book I have read by this author, so I wasn’t sure what to expect, what I got was a great start to a new series (this is book one in a trilogy). The tale is told via a dual timeline. From the past, we get to hear Mandy’s story, which takes place in the mid-seventies. Mandy is sent to a mother and baby unit having fallen pregnant at the age of 15. I have to say, Mandy’s story is utterly heart-breaking - her baby boy is taken from her just days after his birth, sadly something that did happen in the UK in the seventies. The mother and baby home is run by Catholic nuns and one nun is especially cruel to the girls who are sent there. In the present we are following DI Hollie Turner and her team as they investigate the gruesome murder of a nun…

As this is the first of a new series, I feel that the characters haven’t yet fully come to life, but I am expecting that to change in the following books, as the stage has now been set for each of them. Possibly somewhat predictably, DI Turner has a turbulent homelife and awkward superiors (show me a fictional DI that doesn’t), but she is likable enough and a character I think I will warm to as we go along. As other reviewers have observed, the book does come to an abrupt ending, thankfully I am able to dive straight into books two and three, which I will be doing immediately as I need to know the outcome. All in all, this is a gripping crime thriller that has an emotional element too – very highly recommended.

If I’d known this book was one murder spread across a trilogy I probably wouldn’t have started it. Not only that but book 1 & 2 finish on a cliffhanger which I despise. I liked this book enough that I will finish the series but only because I’m intrigued to know who the killer is. Hollie is an okay main character but some of her actions do annoy me. There is also a lot of repetition as well as dialogue that contradicts itself. From the first couple of chapters, I was expecting more excitement, especially with the gruesome mode of murder. However, it slows right down. We get flashbacks to the past from Mandy’s POV. She was one of the girls in the mother and baby home and I did enjoy her chapters. They were heartbreaking but really added to the story.

I received a copy of the ebook via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Well-written and a good start to the series. Detective Hollie Turner has her work cut out. A new job, a family crisis and a murder to solve. Young girls pregnant out of wedlock, sufferance and degradation at the hands of a nun. It brings several emotions to the fore and finishes with a cliff-hanger. A must read and can't wait for what comes next.

The first thing I would say is that this is not a standalone book, the story doesn’t finish here, it’s just the first instalment. I always feel cheated by this type of ending as we don’t know who the killer is by the end of the book. I’m really liking the main character and am looking forward to continuing her story and the plot is compelling.

3.5/5 ⭐️
The first in a new detective series centered around DI Hollie Turner, who has recently moved to a new post in Hull. Her first case there is intense from the start - a murdered nun whose body was left in a very public display. All clues keep leading back to connections with an unwed mother’s home. Hollie must investigate to prevent any more deaths.

Overall, I thought this was a good start to a new series in terms of characters and even overall plot. We get some clear setup for future interpersonal conflict and a good sense of Hollie as a detective. I was going to give this four stars until the end though. It doesn’t just leave on a cliffhanger after everything is resolved - the whole mystery doesn’t get resolved and leaves on a cliffhanger. For me, this isn’t good for a detective story. We want at least some semblance of a conclusion of the investigating. Then if there is an epilogue that creates a cliffhanger, great. But this one just leaves it wide open. Will I read the next one? Yes, because now I need to know what happens. But it was unsatisfying to leave it like that, especially if this series is spread out in terms of publication date.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great introduction to a disturbing and not so distant past attitude to pregnancy outside of wedlock.
The books skips between two time periods, the 1970s and modern day and dots back and forth introducing the characters who are somehow entangled in the murder of a nun.
DI Hollie Turner is a great detective character, plenty of determination to succeed in her new role whilst still nursing her wounds from a broken marriage.
The other characters gradually reveal themselves from snippets of the past and present and the whole cast is compelling to read about.

It ends on a cliff hanger...books 2 and 3 to come.

They weren't joking when they said this ended on a cliffhanger!

A 70-year-old nun is murdered. Who would commit such a crime? Well, when you've had a past like Sister Sophia Brennan, a mother and baby home provides a potential list of suspects seeking revenge.

"The Fallen Girls" weaves a gripping narrative through dual storylines. Present day follows DI Hollie Turner as she transfers to a new department and within her first days there, has a murder drop almost literally into her lap. Getting to know her colleagues and the area, not to mention her estranged husband, leads to tension and frustration as she strives to find her footing in the investigation.

The second storyline takes us back to 1974, where Mandy, deemed a "fallen" girl by the church, grapples with the consequences of a teenage pregnancy. She became pregnant at age 15 with the father nowhere in sight and her parents suffering from the great 'shame' of it all. 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. The attack on a priest connected to the home sets off a race against time for Hollie and her team, as they strive to prevent further tragedies.

A gripping crime thriller that is both painful and raw, you'll find this one hard to put down. Looking forward to books 2 & 3. Thank you NetGalley, Paul J. Teague and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of this book.

Trilogy with Detective Hollie Turner

Great start to a new series!
My favourite sort of totally unputdownable twisty crime thriller. Fast paced and a pageturner for me - loved it thoroughly

Left on a cliffhanger ! Can’t wait to read 2 and 3

Excellent mystery that I would recommend

Thank you to Netgalley, Paul Teague and Storm Publishing for allowing me to have all 3 books to peruse

Sister Brennan ran a home for unwed teenage mothers at the Church of St. Mary and the Angels many years ago. Present day her body has been found in gruesome display hanging from a bridge. Detective Hollie Turner is on the case hunting for the perpetrator and dealing with a painful divorce from a cheating spouse.
This is a very interesting read and had me quickly flipping the pages. It is the first book in a series and I can’t wait to read the others. Thanks NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC that will be published January 29, 2024!

Thanks to netgalley for providing this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

This is a promising start to a new series. It was an interesting story told in two different time frames. It does end on a cliffhanger which was a little annoying but other then that it was a solid read.

new-series, first-in-series, crime-thriller, crime-fiction, procedural, twisty, unputdownable, suspense, nuns, murder-investigation, cliff-hanger, revenge, institution, consequences, drama, shaming, teamwork, office-politics*****

Detective Hollie Turner is in the process of separation, was transferred to a different assignment in Hull, and it starts off with a bang at the discovery of a murdered elderly nun who once ran a home for unwed mothers. The tension ratchets up and the investigation progresses, and I couldn't help but gnash my teeth at having to wait for the next installment!
I requested and received an EARC from Storm Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

I quite enjoyed this book and the storyline of unwed mothers in the 1970s having their children taken from them by the Catholic Church. The cliffhanger “ending” was a big disappointment and just feels like a ploy to force people into buying another book that is not a different storyline, just a continuance. I also feel like there wasn’t a lot of development of the main character, Detective Hollie Turner, but perhaps that comes in further books in the series.

The first thing you should know is this book is part of a trilogy. When I say trilogy I mean this book stops right in the middle of the story. There is what you would call a cliff hanger and it literally does not end in a way that you could not read the next. It just abruptly stops in the middle of the story.

The story is told in two different times. Mandy who is a young girl that gets pregnant and finds herself sent to a local mother and baby home. Then also many years later follows Detective Hollie Turner who is investigating the death of a nun that worked previously at the same mother and baby home.

I did enjoy this first installment, but I have to admit I like the Mandy part of the stories way more. I wish you would have got some closure from the first installment BUT not knowing what’s going to happen makes you want to read the next one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storm publishing for an advance copy for me to read.