The Silent Dolls Series: Detective Ellie Reeves #1 Published by Bookouture on July 17, 2020
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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 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?
Heart racing suspense filled with small town connections, dangerous liaisons and life changing secrets. I did not want to put it down from start to finish!
Detective Ellie Reeves is an intriguing character who at first simply seems like a small town cop looking to solve a missing girl case but quickly turns into so much more as the depth of her characterization takes a turn when secrets from her past are revealed and the support system she has always relied on around her begins to take on a tainted view.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a serial killer story with a lot of mystery as well as a current storyline playing out at the same time that the hunt for a killer is on. I’m looking forward to more in the series for sure.
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