Thank you Compathy Press, Netgalley, and Any Rivers for this book in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed this book, fast paced, intriguing. 🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating from me.

Thank you to Netgalley and Compathy Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Kate Medina has returned to her hometown after surviving trauma.  She then lost her mom, and spent the next 5 years coasting through her life as a high school guidance counselor.  When a student at her school goes missing, and another one suffers a significant trauma, she realizes she must wake up and get involved.  Kate, who was once a forensic psychologist, must use all her rusty investigative skills to help save the girls.  However, she can't do it alone and must repair her relationship with her sister Tilly and estranged childhood friend Roman in order to do so. 

I really enjoyed this book, and like how it doesn't shy away from the hard parts that happen when you're writing a story about trauma and recovery.  Kate, Tilly and Roman are all dealing (or not dealing) with their problems at the beginning of the story.  As they continue on and get closer to understanding and solving the horrible mystery that is plaguing their town they must dig in and work on themselves too in order to help the girls.

4-star Review:

Wow, that was the good kind of roller-coaster read.

Kate Medina is a middle-class ambitious woman, who leaves home very young to pursue her dreams in forensic psychology for prison inmates. However, a terrible experience persuades her to ditch her growing career for something "safer" back home. Through her new job as a student counsellor in the local high school (that she grew up attending), she hopes to help teenagers navigate their personal issues. However, in these sessions, Kate learns that home is not as idyllic as she remembers it to be and that the residents are anything but virtuous. Young girls are disappearing while no one bats an eye. Law enforcement, especially Kate's childhood friend and now a senior detective, Roman Aguilar, is actively looking for answers with Kate's help, but the enemy is either covering their path well or has the higher ups in their pocket. Can Kate help to bring these girls justice, expose the enemy, and uncover the dark secrets this town holds?

This novel was well-written (barring the few proofing issues here and there) and the pacing was perfect. Told through the third person, the characters were well laid out and were worth rooting for. The author did a good job of portraying Kate as a scarred yet resolute young woman manoeuvring her way in life, which, she realised, still had a lot to offer. Reading about Alamogordo and New Mexico was also a surreal experience. However, the end left me wanting more closure than I was provided and I'm hoping that my review can convince Ms. Rivers to pen a sequel so that the loose ends are all tied up well.

Edit: Yay, GoodReads says that this is the first installment in the "Legacy of Silence" series, so I'm excited to read the rest of the books as and when they're published! :)

Kate Medina a psychologist in a prison moves back home after her mother dies and Kate suffers a traumatic event at work. Now working as a school counselor she becomes interested in investigating when a high school student disappears just as a young student disappeared years before.
Trying to work her job, take care of her sickly father and wondering if she should retrieve an old relationships with her childhood friend Roman (now a cop) she is kept busy and later stressed when threatening messages begin happening to her.
The book is interesting and fast paced all though the plot ( young girls being groomed for sex) is difficult to read and the ending was left wide open and not a satisfying ending.

Wow...what a book. I read this within 2 days and loved every second of it....it was really up my street. I loved Kate as the main character and found her an interesting protagonist. Such a good read with a really good story line, wont give anything away. I am so glad that this is going to be number 1 in the Legacy of Silence series and I can not wait to read more from this author. .

I devoured this book. So many twists and turns. So much mystery and holy cows!!!!!!! The only thing I was mad about was that the mystery wasn't wrapped up at the end of the book and now I have to wait to find out what happens next! I don't want to wait!! Write fast ms rivers!!!!!!!

Such wild ride. Makes you think 🤔 thank you for letting me read this. I hope people enjoy it like it did, I already told family about it. Thank you again