Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.
When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl … Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.
Thanks to her own childhood––which keeps her up at night, tossing and turning––Ellie knows all too well that the endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide, and a little girl doesn’t stand a chance. Racing against a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny.
But when she discovers the remains of a small body, hidden by fallen leaves and wildflowers, the breath is knocked out of her. The old bones, and the carved wooden doll they’re buried with, have clearly been there for years. Ellie fears she’s up against a serial killer who has been stalking the mountains for decades, preying on children.
When Ellie spots tiny footprints near the unearthed grave, she’s certain they belong to Penny. As she begins to untangle the truth, she realizes the monster they’re looking for is connected to her own dark past. To save the little girl she needs to confront her own demons. Can she face her greatest fear before the twisted killer claims another helpless victim?
A totally gripping and utterly addictive new crime-thriller series for readers who love Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. Prepare to stay up way past your bedtime––but be warned: you’ll be scared to turn the lights off after you’ve raced through the pages.
Readers absolutely love The Silent Dolls:
“Oh my freaking gawd!! The Silent Dolls was bloody brilliant… Rita Herron sure knew how to raise my hackles and increase the creep factor with each turn of the page… An UNPUTDOWNABLE book which gripped me.” Book Reviews by Shalini, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Wow!… I literally haven’t been able to put this book down! This has completely gripped me and been utterly impossible to put down… A superb start to the series, I am gutted I need to wait for the next instalment.” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Oh my word!… What a great storyteller Rita Herron is! From the fabulous plot which quite frankly had me on the edge of my seat throughout to the amazing character development, I am overwhelmed by this book! It was so good!… Oh my goodness! The twists! They kept coming! The final two though were shockers!… This book is an astoundingly well-written novel and I hope many readers pick it up based on my review as it is an absolutely exceptional read!” NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Loved this book! Action packed and with so many twists, had me hooked from start to the end!! The ending was amazing!! I cannot wait to read the next book in the series!!!!!!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Wow, what a brilliant book… Rollercoaster of emotions… I found it very jumpy in places as I was so engrossed. Don’t read when on your own!” NetGalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“This book was so damn good! I just couldn’t put it down until I finished it!… Had me hooked on right from the start… Amazing!!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Truly brilliant… Right from the first chapter I was hooked and I needed to keep turning the pages… There were times during the book that I felt I was on edge and my heart was bumping. You know a story is good when you start getting physical reactions.” Chells and Books, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Y’all this book was amazing!… The plot & ending was simply brilliant!… Filled with twists, turns, the unexpected! Had me hooked, to where I could not put it down till I finished and saw what happened next! I honestly don’t think I’ve read a book this year with so many twists to it! But this one here packed the punches!… Every bit of 5 STARS!!!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Loved it!!!!… A real page turner which I devoured in one sitting. Atmospheric, chilling, creepy and terrifying. A plot full of twists and turns which kept me guessing and constantly changing my mind.” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Breathtaking! This book was a wild ride from the first word to the very last. Just when you think you’ve read the last secret… Boom! Another jaw dropping revelation!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Amazing… Such a gripping and thrilling book… Had me hooked from start to finish and I read it within a few hours!” Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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This is the first book in a new series by Rita Herron and if this book is any indication of what we as readers have what to look forward too with this series I can’t wait for more. I loved this first book from the first page to the last page and I am waiting for the next book to come out to see what happens with Ellie and what she found out at the end of this book. Rita Herron has a great series started with The Silent Dolls!
I was in love with this book and the story from the start and it only got better as it went on. I kept trying to guess what was going to happen and I could never get it just right and that is what I look for in a great suspense book. Then the end what can I say about that except for WOW! I can not wait until for the next book to see who Ellie turns to for help and what she ends up doing with everything. This book was one of the best books I have read so far this summer.
The Silent Dolls gets five out of five stars!
When a young girl goes missing from a family pick-nick somewhere along the Appalachian Trail, detective Ellie Reeves remembers a night when she herself was lost in the woods as a child and will do everything to find the child. Ranger Cord McClain is the best tracker around and organises the Search and Rescue teams. With a big storm brewing up and freezing temperatures, there’s no time to lose. As part of normal protocol, both parents are interrogated and all their little and big secrets are exposed. But then, FBI-agent Derrick Fox turns up with the theory that there’s a serial killer hunting the trail for the last 25 years, his own sister being the first victim. It’s not only her own past demons that make life difficult for Ellie. She just found out that her dad, the local sheriff, chooses his deputy Bryce above her to be his successor. Bryce seems more interested in making a good impression on the press and public can obstruct their investigation. She doesn’t know who to trust anymore and negative sentiments are only the start of a deteriorating relationship between the rescuers.
The way the suspense in this story is kept up throughout the whole book is fantastic. The suspicion slides back and forth between several people, including those involved in the search. I had my own ideas as to whom the killer was with lots of hints from the author that send me in this or that direction, but all were wrong. The final explanation and reveal were still different from what I assumed.
My main problem with this book is the lack of realism when it comes down to police procedures, protocols, or investigation techniques. Ellie just does what she wants without any knowledge or consent from her superiors and teammates. She ignores her boss’ phone calls for days on end without any repercussions, doesn’t tell anyone where she goes or what she does. She seems to work completely alone most of the time. During the initial stage of the investigation, she has some colleagues helping with inquiries but when Derrick turns up, it’s just them 2 doing everything. It’s as if the rest of the team vanished in thin air. Also, the time frame for the last 2 days is completely impossible (in my opinion) given the difficulty of the terrain in combination with the weather. Usually, I don’t mind a bit of creative imaginative writing but here it stretches rather far.
But if you’re prepared to overlook those imperfections, it’s a real good and entertaining thriller. There’s a twist in the tail with a serious sting and this opens the door for 1 or more sequels. If they come my way, I’ll read them.
I’m in limbo over the rating; 3,5 would be my vote, a 3 doesn’t give it enough credit but I’m not completely happy with a 4.
I thank Netgalley and Bookouture for their free ARC; this is my honest and unbiased review of it.
Disturbing, Gritty and Powerful start to a new series. Action packed edged of your seat page turner.
Detective Ellie Reeves is called to the scene to investigate a missing girl. What she finds is so much more than one missing child. A serial killer has been praying on little girls for years. When the truth comes out it changes everything.
Me. Herron grabs you from the first page and leaves you wanting more at the shocking ending.
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.