I listened to this is audio and got into it straight away. The fact it's a new series and new story to me didn't matter..the characters were warm and inviting, they had depth and were developed enough to allow you to like them and understand them.
Obviously I'd like to know more about Freya's parents, but I'm sure that will come in future books.

Freya was very likeable, tough, but with vulnerabilities and out to so the right thing.


I'd definitely read the next one, sadly my request was turned down on Netgalley, so I'd be very happy if it could be provided!!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC

Good narration. Listened at 2.5x speed with no issues.

Diving right into the story, I wondered momentarily if this was a series that I'd walked into, but no-the plot just jumps in full speed. The story highlights a small town police department's rush to find the identity of a drowned girl while simultaneously learning that several other young girls are also missing.

Freya's backstory is pretty vague (serial killer parents that she eventually caught), but it has a big impact on how her hometown treats her. The colleagues at the police department are capable and hungry. Their camaraderie adds some grounding to the story to make it more realistic. A few small twists and turns, nothing earth shattering. The ending a relatively easy to see coming.

Still, it was an easy listen that delivered on its premise. I'd definitely listen to more Freya Sinclair stories in the future!

Overall: 4 stars (I really liked it)

I'll tell my students about: child death, murder/gore/violence, language, mental health, trauma

**Thank you to NetGalley & Bookouture Audio for the free ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.**

I have been craving a "simple" type of thriller lately - one where it's just thrilling for entertainment value, with no ulterior motive or preaching (and honestly, no drugs). Emily Shiner answered my desires with The Drowned Girls, book one in the Detective Freya Sinclair series!

This story jumps right into the action with a disturbing prologue and doesn't let up for a minute! Detective Freya Sinclair is a strong female character, trying to overcome ghosts of her past as she relocates back to the town and police department she left a few years ago; her own secrets slowly unravel along side the mysterious drownings of the young girls, and it was addicting! I was hooked early on, and at 22% in, I simply had to know more about Freya's history, and I needed to know who was behind the killings!

Audiobook narrator Amelia Sciandra brought the book to life! The voice acting was superb, and each characters voice was very distinct! I found myself remembering which character was speaking more so on the voices used with narration than what my Kindle page told me!

I'll be starting One Liar Left, book two in the series, later this week, and I just can't wait to see what happens next in Fawn Lake!

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Instagram review post link: https://www.instagram.com/p/C6EUIMZroHK/
GoodReads review link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6433633459

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Oh my goodness!!! I gasped out loud at the twists, so of them I totally didn’t see coming. This is a twisty, quick paced thriller. Freya is the daughter of serial killers turned cop, who returns to her hometown. She has to investigate the drowning of a little girl. As a mom and a teacher, this was disturbing to me, but unfortunately there are many evil people in this world. I thought the author handled it well. I definitely need to read the next book to learn more about Freya’s parents. This is a great start to the series.
I listened to the book on tape and the narrator’s voice was pleasant. Many thanks to the author. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#ThreeDrownedGirls #EmilyShiner #NetGalley #Bookouture #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksOnTour #NewThriller

Detective Freya Sinclair has a twisted dark history. Her parents are serial killers. Now she has taken an oath to bring other criminals to justice. The moment she returns to her hometown, a young girl is pulled from a local river. Confusion grows as time goes on and nobody has reported the girl missing. As Freya and newly promoted Det. Candy attempt to make headway, a different girl from the local school is reported missing. Is this a coincidence? As another girl is found in the river, Freya knows it's a race against the clock to find and stop a serial killer.

I enjoyed this read. It was easy to follow. The police procedural with likeable main characters made this a quick read for me. Freya is determined, strong and unrelenting making her drive to stop this serial killer strong. The description of the murder of children was not over the top and tastefully done. Enough for you to get the picture without making you sick to your stomach. There were enough twists to keep me engaged and although the end was expected it still was well done. I truly look forward to future reads with Freya Sinclair.

I received the audiobook of this. I truly enjoyed Amelia Sciandra. She did a fantastic job portraying the seriousness of the cases while still expressing the proper emotions of each speaking character.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Shiner, and Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Shiner takes a break from her standalone thrillers with the first in this new dazzling cop procedural series, Detective Freya Sinclair #1—THREE DROWNED GIRLS. The local town's little girls are missing in this small lake town in North Carolina. With a troubled detective, this haunting, deeply unsettling, atmospheric, shocking, and riveting crime thriller will keep you on the edge until the last page is turned.

Innocent little girls go MISSING.
Then DROWNED.
What SECRETS lie buried in the dark
rivers of Fawn Lake, North Carolina?

THREE DROWNED GIRLS is spine-chilling! Complex and multi-layered, with plenty of red herrings to keep you turning the pages. It's a haunting and beautifully written thriller chock-full of secrets and twisted evil. Surprising and unexpected, it is a dark, unsettling story of a sociopath and a damaged detective out to stop the murderer in a race against time. She must save the young girls from those who should be protecting them.

A big fan of the author —this is one heck of a spine-tingler steeped in the secrets of dark river waters and a mysterious forest. A harrowing venture into a cult-like community hidden among everyday suburban families.

A troubled Detective, Freya Sinclair (emotionally and physically damaged), with her demons, is determined to do the right thing, to make the world a better place, and feels guilt from the past after making a mistake arresting the wrong people for a heinous crime on the road to redemption. Now she has her chance.

The author skillfully hooks you from the Prologue with a drowning and never lets go. A young girl is wearing her best white dress and somehow in the water, and someone is pushing her down. She longs for her mother and someone to help her. She is not strong enough to get to the surface.

Detective Freya Sinclair is back in her hometown of Fawn Lake, North Carolina. She knew coming home was always going to be complicated. When Freya was young, she had no clue what her parents hid in their basement. They were evil. Due to her last name and the media, she has a bad name in town. She must prove herself.

She had run away from NC to Texas for five years and is now returning. Freya became a detective to bring serial killers like her parents to justice. However, some do not trust her since she is the daughter of two serial killers (she helped put away). In the process, she was shot in the hip and currently lives with the trauma and pain in her hip every day.

She returned for Esther, the kind-hearted woman who raised her when no one else was there for her. Esther owns the local Parker's bakery across the street from the police department, and she adores her.

Now, Freya is a Captain in charge of the detectives due to the department restructuring after she left town when she could not face the scrutiny every day. She must answer to her boss, Chief Callahan, and oversee and work with detective team members Candy and Brad (a rookie).

On her first day back, the call comes in about a body found in the river near the woods. A young girl around 5 to 6 years old. The caller was fishing with his young son and discovered the body. He had pulled her from the body to try and help her but was unable to save her. The body had been in the water for some time.

Was it MURDER? Or an accident? Why didn't anyone report her missing? Could it be a tourist visiting, or was it a local? The first place to check is the local elementary school.

Then there is vandalism at Esther's Bakery. Was someone trying to get to her through Esther? People had long memories, and it was crazy to think anyone had forgotten what her parents had done.

Deep into the investigation, another girl is reported missing. Her age is six, which is about the same age. Then they find another girl murdered? What is going on? Are the girl's cases connected? These beautiful, innocent little girls. Who would want to hurt them?

The only link is the girls were on the community soccer team, and not all attended public school. Some are homeschooled. There has to be something they are missing. Some of the mothers had taken their daughters out of school. Then the mothers go missing, and the daughters?

Could it be the coach of the soccer team? Why is someone murdering and taking little girls? Then, she discovers a connection between the principal and the janitor (pedophile), who is questionable, creepy, and has a hidden past with a creepy mother.

Two drowned girls. One daughter is still missing. Can Freya save the missing one before she becomes the third victim? What ties all these cases together? How many more little girls are out there dead they do not know about yet?

Sophia, Isa, and Liz
6-year-old innocent little girls.
A leader.
A river.
A forest.
A principal.
A janitor.
A soccer coach.
A predator.
Elementary School
Homeschooling
Mothers.
Daughters.

What is the connection or link between them?

There is a sociopath on the loose. A murderer. A serial killer. Then, we hear alternating chapters from a mysterious, evil, anonymous, spine-chilling voice. (trust me, it is not the kind of sociopath you can imagine).

Why hasn't someone come forth to claim the dead girls or report missing girls? Some must be homeschoolers since the public school has not reported any child missing or absent. A predator or something else? Trauma tourism? Or has the killer already set their sights on Freya next? Freya must put the pieces of the puzzle together by going undercover before the latest young girl winds up dead.

Do we truly know anyone? Often, the monsters are right in front of us, disguised as "normal" in suburban families.

A dark, fully immersive, addictive, twisty whodunit. With many red herrings, you will not see this clever plot twist coming. From a cult-like vibe, manipulation, brainwashing, and sinister acts, motherhood, daughters, and families—the author shines in this twisty crime thriller/cop procedural with tension, mystery, action, and suspense in a race against time.

THREE DROWNED GIRLS is psychologically rich, delving deep into the human psyche. A flawed, troubled detective faces her demons, and this emotionally charged story hurtles toward a shocking and unique reveal. Thought-provoking, the author cleverly parallels the emotional cases of girls not being kept safe and questioning why the parents aren't protecting them, much like Detective Freya's past.

This is a super kick-off series. I look forward to learning more about this mysterious detective and Esther. I also enjoyed the team and how they work together (well, some of them). For fans of Christina McDonald's (Det. Jess Lambert) and Robin Mahle's (Det. Rebecca Ellis) and lovers of cop procedural series and crime thrillers.

AUDIOBOOK: I enjoyed the e-book and the audiobook narrated by Amelia Sciandra for an engaging and intense performance.

INTERVIEW: Check out my #LitLiftMiniAuthorChat with Emily, THREE DROWNED GIRLS on pub day, April 22, 2024, and a BLOG Tour stop.

SERIES: You will want to continue this intriguing saga with #2 in the Detective Freya Sinclair series, One Liar Left (pub date April 22, 2024). I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a .5 sequel novella about Frey's childhood and past.

Thanks to Bookouture, Hachette UK, and NetGalley for an advanced reading and listening copy.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: April 22, 2024
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This is the first book in the Detective Freya Sinclair Series. It is an absolute gripping thriller. Heart-stopping, bingeable and full of unexpected twists and turns that had me guessing.

Overall an engaging, quick read. It bought to the surface some of the horrible things that can happen to children. The author explained the occurrences in a respectful fashion, yet, with enough description to engage the feelings of fear and worry from a mother’s standpoint.

The actual plot was engaging and different to the ‘normal’ thrillers, and a little dark.
Overall, it was a fast and entertaining read.  I will be looking forward to the next in the series.

A massive thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course Emily Shiner, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Captain Freya Sinclair became a detective in North Carolina, so that she could bring serial killers (like her parents) to justice. She has recently returned home to Fawn Lake to where it all began, and to Esther, who raised her as if she was her own. It’s been five years, but she’s re-joining the town’s police force. Freya’s partner and old friend is Detective Candy Ettinger, and they get help from Officer Brad Williams. The Coroner in town is Lance Jones. Her boss is Chief Callahan
Freya Sinclair has returned to her home town after 5 years and not everyone in that town is happy about her return. Her past is to blame (because of her parents and her misjudgment). She re-joins the police force and her Chief assigns the case of missing/ drowned girls.
As the town is reeling with the shock of finding a dead girl in the lake, there’s a report of another girl who has gone missing – what is the connection? Is there a killer in the school?
Freya and her team work hard in finding the person behind this whole mess.
The fast paced story was all good, until I realized that Detective Freya just keeps running from pillar to post and just seems to be doing that – did the author do this in order to keep the investigation moving forward? I think this could have been done better!
Thanks to netgalley, bookouture audio and Emily Shiner for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Something’s happening to little girls in Fawn Lake, NC and the first mission of the strong female main character, Detective Freya Sinclair, as she returns to her hometown, is to find what ties their disappearances and deaths together. The only thing she knows is that you can trust no one. A gripping police procedural thriller with an ending that I didn’t see coming. Three Drowned Girls is first in the crime series- I am excited to read the next and hopefully gain more insight on Freya’s past, as it was brought up a number of times without many details…suspense! The narrator’s southern accent for the main character really brought Freya to life.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture Audio for this advance reader copy of the first book in the Freya Sinclair series.

This book unfortunately wasn't for me. I had a hard time connecting to the characters and feeling the flow of the story. I felt like Freya's past was going to have more to do with the story than it did as much as it was mentioned. By the end you still don't know exactly what happened with her and her parents. I figured out what was happening with the little girls long before the detective did but maybe I read too many thrillers. Initially I thought this was a debut author but knowing she's published several books I've decided that maybe just this one wasn't for me and I'll try another one her books.

This is my second Emily shiner book and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the story line and the suspense. If you’re a fan of police procedurals with a strong female lead, this is for you!

I have 2 little complaints and it’s related to the narrator and the lack of back story. I think the narrator made the character seem a little whiny and victimized, I know it seems silly, but it bothered me! And I did wish the back story was explained more about Freya’s family history and the previous case, i think it would have added a more dynamic layer and explanation to freya, but! There’s a book 2, so I hope it gets explained there!

I will certainly be reading the next installment!

Special thanks to netgalley and bookouture audio for the ALC!!

Detective Freya Sinclair is on the case in this unsettling, twisted, and shocking mystery thriller. When the body of a young girl is pulled from the river, Freya is determined to get to the bottom of things. Three Drowned Girls had me doing my own detective work trying to figure out whodunit.

Freya has a dark history. Her parents are serial killers, and she has vowed to do her best to bring other criminals to justice. She knew returning to her hometown would be hard, but she never imagined what would be waiting for her when she did. Freya is determined, hardworking, tough, and unrelenting. I loved her relationship with Esther, the woman who took her during her teenage years. Enough is provided about Freya's serial killer parents to whet my appetite and pique my interest. I look forward to learning more about her past and her parents in future books.

This is an interesting and dark police procedural with a likeable character - Freya, Esther, Brad, and Candy. I enjoyed them and look forward to getting to know more about each of them in future books.

Although this book did not move as fast as I would have liked, I found it to be enjoyable, with a nice number of twists and turns. Reading about the murder of children is not easy but the author handled it with care, and nothing is told in detail or graphic.

I had both the book and audiobook versions of this book. I enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. I thought she did a great job bringing the characters to life.

Dark, twisted, captivating and well written.

A good start to a new police procedure type novel about Detective Freya Sinclair who has returned to her small home town, to become the new police captain, Freya fled five years before and the annoying part of the book (and not just this book, it seems most authors are doing it ) is the author keeps sliding to the scandal without saying what it is, which makes me the reader and I'm sure I'm not the only one that you have missed a book, it's like watching a series and missing the first couple of episodes, it's annoying, anyway that aside the story started off reasonably well, got a bit repetitive in the middle but did give a reasonably satisfying ending, I'm not sure if its a series I would rush to follow but as a QuickBooks it worked well.

I loved this book! She is one of my new favorites! Can’t wait to read the next book! The characters, story line everything was perfect! Well written!

"📚 Just finished 'Three Drowned Girls' by Emily Shiner! 🌊 Started off strong, but found myself drifting as it went on. 😕 Overall, not terrible and did enjoy parts, but it did drag a bit. ⏳ #BookReview #EmilyShiner #ReadingCommunity"

Three Drowned Girls was full of suspense and mystery. I was kept intrigued by what was happening and NEEDED to know the ending.

The characters were easily identified and distinguishable and did not all merge into one character.

I would like to have heard more about Freya’s back story as this was repeatedly referred to but with very little detail. This would have been so much more interesting.

The characters emotional reactions to discovering the murder of girls were very subdued and did not match the trauma which were believed them to be witnessing.

It felt like I was watching an ID channel show of a small-town detective finding out who the town serial unaliver was! It was so real and relatable, unfortunately. I was hooked I had to know what went on and who did it and the twists! Let's just say who you think did it didn't do it!

I have come to love Emily Shiner’s domestic thrillers, so I was excited to read this first crime thriller in her Detective Freya Sinclair series. This first book did not disappoint. Every chapter left me wanting more. I found myself really liking Freya, and enjoyed the small pieces dropped about her past. At some point in the series, I would love more details about her parents and their crimes.

The plot was fast paced, and the suspense building was intense. I was so invested in this story and what was going to happen. This was such a dark and twisted crime thriller. I devoured this in just a few hours. There were twists and surprises throughout, and some secrets that were revealed as time went on. There was a small, clique-like vibe in this book. So many secrets needed to be uncovered to prevent another death.

Even after the big reveal, I thought the book was over, but there was more drama and more secrets to be revealed. I am IMMEDIATELY jumping into book two.

Amelia Sciandra did a phenomenal job with the narration! A single narrarator that makes the audiobook seem like there was a full cast. She did a great job building suspense along with the plot, as well as effortlessly switching between characters.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Bookouture Audio for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book grabbed me right from the start. The writing is easy to follow and digest, with the right amount of descriptions and character building. It was a level- paced ‘whodunit’ thriller, with twists and turns everywhere. The ending was shocking, heart breaking and gut wrenching. I absolutely loved it and will certainly be reading more by this author.

Two drowned girls. One daughter still missing. Can Freya save Isa before she becomes the third victim? Or has the killer already set their sights on Freya next?
The first in a new, totally gripping serial-killer thriller series by Amazon bestselling author Emily Shiner.

Entertaining and gripping thriller with some twists. Very much enjoyed the narrator. This made my commute incredibly more enjoyable. I wish there was more background to Freya’s story, but I do realize this is book 1.

🕵️‍♀️💧🏊🏻‍♀️👧🏻⚽️

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture Audio for the advanced copy.