‘Hattie!’ Carrie called, an edge to her voice. ‘Hattie, this isn’t funny, come out now.’ Carrie moved through the woods on shaking legs. She tried calling, shouting, screaming, but everything was quiet. Her little sister was gone. Detective Carrie Flynn’s sister Hattie was kidnapped when they were both little girls. After the police failed to find the culprit, Carrie swore she would become a … Carrie swore she would become a detective and solve the case herself. But the face of the man who snatched Hattie is a blank in her memory…
Twenty years later, eleven-year-old Melanie Wilson is reported missing, a quiet child who longs to fit in, just like Hattie… Carrie has to fight off memories of her lost sister to concentrate on the case, but she soon finds grainy black-and-white footage of Melanie boarding a boat and vanishing. She discovers Melanie has been taken to Pomona, a deserted island, almost inaccessible from the city. But who took little Melanie, and why?
Then the police receive a desperate cry for help from another young girl: I gave you his name, told you where to find him, but you did nothing. My blood is on your hands. Carrie traces the call to the same docks where Melanie was last seen. Now she has a second missing child to save.
But the sound of the broken voice has unlocked something in Carrie. The blurred face of her sister’s kidnapper is starting to become clearer…
Carrie is sure the lost girls are in terrible danger – and that there’s a link between her sister’s disappearance and this case. To find Melanie, Carrie must unleash the memories she’s buried for years. And if she uses her own demons to bring Melanie home, can she finally find out what happened to her sister?
This absolutely unputdownable thriller will keep you up all night until you reach the final heart-stopping page! Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Val McDermid and Lisa Regan.
Readers are utterly gripped by The Quiet Girls!
‘Wow!!… Full of surprises and twists galore… Totally addictive. Well recommended for lovers of a good mystery and looking forward to the next in the series.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘A solid 5 stars. This book will stay with me for a long time… The pages fly by. Twists and turns you won’t see coming. I can’t wait for book 3 in the series. I will be first in line to buy it.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
‘Full of twists and turns, get ready for a ride!… If a story can keep you guessing, intrigued enough to stay up well past any decent hour of night just to figure out the twist, then it’s well worth the read! I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to get lost in a dark and twisty thriller!’ Misty’s Corner Reviews ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
‘Shivers down the spine… A great read.’ Goodreads Reviewer
‘Drama, suspense, excitement, twists and turns and a gripping conclusion… I’ve enjoyed this thriller, reading it in twenty-four hours, and am happy to recommend it.’ NetGalley Reviewer
‘An intense book!… Takes off from the first chapter and had me enthralled until the last page.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
‘Well-written plot, full of twists and turns that leave you gripped.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
‘A great story that I found impossible to put down.’ Goodreads Reviewer ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
‘Gripping… I read it in just over a day… I look forward to reading more of this author’s books.’ NetGalley Reviewermore
This mystery thriller zigged when I thought it was going to zag and went in a completely different direction from what I expected. The plotting was good, the characters (and their backgrounds) were unique, and there was enough action that I kept turning pages and finished it in one sitting. The message that even the best intentions can go horribly wrong is clear and Carrie’s backstory adds dimension to the story. I definitely recommend this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.
Detective Carrie Flynn has never fully recovered from the kidnapping of her little sister when they were young girls. She was grudgingly watching her sister when she was taken. She saw the kidnapper, but was unable to remember his face. Now as a detective, Carrie is trying to locate Melanie Wilson, who has been reported missing. The police continue to go over a recording that they received which should be a clue, but what is the voice trying to tell them? The story was a little confusing for me and I found myself going back and rereading some parts to understand what was happening. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)
Full of twists and turns, get ready for a ride! This is a story riddled with several seemingly unrelated narratives mostly centered around the idea of escaping a pedophile. How well do you really know those closest to you? What if in trying to escape the danger you only succeed in bringing it that much closer?
Eleven-year-old Melanie narrowly survives a close encounter with a pedophile, scaring her depressed father into relocating their entire family off-grid alongside another family with fifteen-year-old twins. The husbands are determined to start their own community, living off the land, whether their wives and children like it or not.
Along comes Detective Carrie Flynn, investigating the missing person’s reports filed by the schools that both Melanie and the twins previously attended, along with reports from a desperate young woman pleading for help. Throughout Carrie’s chapters, we’re provided with insight into the moments leading up to and following her little sister Hattie’s abduction some twenty-years ago. Her sister was taken right in front of her eyes, but she can’t seem to recall the face of the man who took her. As the story progresses Carrie is constantly reminded of the loss of her sister, still craving justice.. and answers.
As a mother and wife, I found myself repeatedly irritated with Alice’s character for the first 3/4 of the book. Alice is Melanie’s mother, wife to Harry. For someone so confident in the courtroom it’s a wonder why she was so complaisant in her home life. I do believe, however, that she was perfectly written for the role she plays within The Quiet Girls; likely meant to drive the reader insane! I kept wanting to yell through the pages at her, “Say something! Do something!” Luckily Alice gets it together towards the end of the story, earning herself an “atta girl” from me.
Please note, don’t accidentally overlook the final pieces of the puzzle! I was quite thankful for the epilogue and the author’s note. In the epilogue, we get those last bits of character development that we were left wishing for in the final chapter. Hewitt manages to tie everything together while still leaving room for Detective Carrie Flynn’s story to progress in a hopeful book three. As for the author’s note, don’t skip this part! This is where we learn the origins of the story’s setting, giving even more credence to the mystery shrouding Pomona.
The Quiet Girls is book two in the Detective Carrie Flynn thriller series. Rating a solid 5/5 stars! I enjoyed the many different storylines, trying to solve the case myself but not quite figuring out the connection until the final moments. You know that if a story can keep you guessing, intrigued enough to stay up well past any decent hour of night just to figure out the twist, then it’s well worth the read!
I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to get lost in a dark and twisty thriller! Also, to anyone who’s already read book one, The Night Crawler, which I fully plan to catch up on as I await book three! Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture, and the author J.M. Hewitt for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.
I was going to rate The Quiet Girls 4.5 but after thinking about the book and its ending I give The Quiet Girls a solid 5. This book will stay with me for a long time.
The Quiet Girls is several stories within the one, each with their own twists and turns.
You learn more about Carrie and what happened to her when her sister was kidnapped and murdered. Carrie has blocked out what happened that day.
Two families move to a deserted island ; each for different reasons. Harry just wants to keep his daughter safe but its too late for that as Melanie knows too much about the predator in town.
I don,t want to give anything away but the stories merge, the pages fly by.
Twists and turns you won’t see coming.
I can’t wait for book 3 in the series. I will be first in line to buy it.
Please take time to read the author’s notes at the end of the book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for letting me spend time in Carrie’s world.