Cover Image: The Silent Dolls (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 1)

The Silent Dolls (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 1)

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Member Reviews

This book has been on my To Read list for way too long. I started it after I just simply could not finish the last book I picked up. This was exactly what I needed.

The authors writing style puts you right in the scene. I could picture the world around this small town cop, and the incredibly difficult case she was involved in.

I thought I had it figured out the whole book, only to be surprised in the end.

I was happy to see it is part of a series so I can read more!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

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Great thriller which kept me engaged throughout to the very end. Only wish I had read it sooner! Will be reading more by this author and recommend highly to others.

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Initially, I enjoyed this read. The plot has plenty of potential and was pretty fast-moving. Then, as the book progressed, several things began to aggravate me. When I read a book, I like to become immersed in it, to feel like I am there, experiencing whatever is going on along with the characters. I feel like I am being 'told' what is happening, not 'feeling' it. There is no depth to the characters, or to anything including the amount of research that went into this book. ( example femurs are legs, not arms)

The setting is magnificent - the North Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail. It's winter, and the area is in the grip of a storm. Although I would imagine in the mountains in a storm cell reception wouldn't be great and using it to call the ambulance seems kinda sketchy,.

It is a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the story enough but Ellis was not my favorite character, She needed more depth and was not really believable as law enforcement ( maybe a meter maid). She consistently goes off on her own, in dangerous conditions, with no backup, and without letting anyone know where she’s heading. She frequently lets calls from her commanding officer go to voicemail and then doesn’t check-in. Even in a small town, I can’t see that kind of behavior is found acceptable.

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This book was dark and thrilling. I loved the creepy atmosphere and overall story of this book. Great read!

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Thank you Netgalley and Bookoutre for this book and I am sorry it has taken so long to read and review.
This is the first book I have read by Rita Herron and it won't be the last.
This was so well written and full of suspense and I also found it an emotional read. I can't wait to read the next in the series - please say there will be a series!
I would definitely recommend if you like this sort of fiction.

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I do not understand why this book is still listed for me I send my feedback three years ago. Sending this to remove,

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Brilliant, I absolutely loved this book, right from the first page. A little girl goes missing on the Appalachian Trail and her parents are frantic.
Detective Ellie Reeves’ father Sheriff Randall Reeves is thinking of stepping down and Ellie is desperate to be his replacement. When she finds her father is backing his deputy Bryce, seemingly because he’s male, Ellie is angry and heart broken. Unfortunately she needs to work with her father if they are to find little Penny before it’s too late.
FBI agent Derrick Fox arrives in town with a theory that many young girls (including his sister) have mysteriously disappeared on the trail over the years and not one was found. He thinks there is a link and this forces Ellie to look closer to home than she’d like for answers.
I couldn’t read this quickly enough and suspected all the main characters along the way! The end was excellent and left a perfect cliff hanger for me to download and buy the second book in the series.

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Loved this one! So easy to read and lots ofntwists and turns along the way. Definitely a quick read and one I recommend.

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This was absolutely brilliant. I was on suspense throughout the whole book and felt so many emotions. Detective Ellie somehow managed to keep her calm and was brilliant at what she did! I can't wait to read the second in the series! Would definitely suggest to read if you like this sort of genre.

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I couldn't put this book down. What a gripping book from the start to finish. I can't wait to read book 2. Be looking for more off these books from this author

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The description of this book intrigued me, and I can safely say that the story was so much more than I had anticipated!.
It is a brilliantly written police procedural thriller that has you sat on the edge of your seat as the story begins to unfold. The suspense levels are so perfectly paced, with it really ramping up as the story nears the end.
The Silent Doll's grasped hold of my attention right from the start, and I found myself fully immersed in the story immediately.

This is the first book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series, and it has certainly made a good impression!.. Full of suspense that keeps the reader wanting more. It is certainly a very good start to what looks to be a wonderful series of books.

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The Silent Dolls is the first book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series. It is also a top notch police procedural/ thriller/ don't read this when you are alone book. Suspenseful throughout and tension filled right up to the end, I found this one too good to put down. The race to save a little girl when they are sure she is not just lost but stolen, adds an urgency to the story that Rita Heron has conveyed expertly. This is an excellent start to a promising series.

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Gripping. Disturbing. Fastpaced. This book was so well-written and had me spellbound from cover to cover. Great pacing and well-crafted detail that puts you in the heart of Appalachia. Couldn't put it down and the danger, drama, intrigue consumed me. An excellent mystery/thriller/suspense.

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The Silent Dolls by Rita Herron is the 1st book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series and I loved it. Rita is a new author for me and I love the way she writes. This book had an excellent start and was excellent all the way through it, it's full of twists and turns that will have you gripped.

I highly recommend this book and author and looking forward to read the next book in this Detective Ellie Reeves series,

BIg thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and Rita Herron for the review copy in exchange for an honest review

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This book brought out somethings we do not like to speak about. The missing child is a beautiful little girl. Ellie is a detective and she is handed the little girls case file. This book is filled with suspense. I could not stop reading this book. I was on edge the whole time. This is kind of a wild ride.If you are looking for a book to get your adrenaline going, then this is the one for you.

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This book started off with a bang. The book was so easy to read and I really connected with the characters. The pace was fast and I will look forward to reading #2 in the series. It held my attention from the first page right to the very end.

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This book is well written and has good character development I just couldn’t personally get into the story and found it a little bit of a struggle to keep reading. Either way it just left a little lacking for me personally. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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Some parts of this book were a bit ridiculous, like how many head injuries Ellie sustained without needing to see a doctor or ending up seriously ill. I also hated how refusing to take medication for anxiety/depression was portrayed as the right thing to do. Apart from those niggles though I really enjoyed this book. The story was gripping and I liked the main characters. Although I wasn't a fan of Ellies mum, I just couldn’t get my head around why she did the things she did. I also guessed part of the twist but I was still gripped until the end and I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series to see how Ellie’ character develops.
3.5 stars rounded up

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

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‘The Silent Dolls’ has a really strong opening, a little girl goes missing in treacherous conditions and while everyone searches for her wondering if she has wondered off, we know it is a lot more sinister than that. We have a headstrong, kick-ass lead in Ellie who is quick to jump into action. Even when facing some personal drama with her father who is also the local Sheriff. Although the case was interesting and the setting was great, I did struggle with the pace and writing style at times. Especially the last few scenes felt like it was more a list of what people were doing than something that flowed well, which did make it hard to stay in the moment at times. Although character development was strong and there were some interesting characters which were well fleshed out, the interactions between characters did seem a bit flat. A lot of loose ends were left, and characters or situations were not explained, even though these seemed to play a big part in the overall story. The writer seemed to focus too much on an explosive ending than tying up loose ends that were relevant to the case and unlikely to be mentioned again in the series. The scene was great, creepy and dramatic. However there was sometimes a lack of consistency, hopefully this is something that will be improved on in future books. I have read a lot of this genre and they are not always realistic, however the amount of times Ellie ‘blacked out’ was verging on comical. It was hard to believe that all this would happen, and she would just jump back up again and carry on. I believe towards the end it was creeping up towards double digits which did have me nearly rolling my eyes which took away from the drama slightly. Although Ellie is a lead detective, I found myself questioning multiple scenarios where she was left to her own devices and only received an angry phone call from her boss? I’m avoiding giving away any spoilers here but it ended up getting slightly ridiculous and wasn’t realistic at all, which spoiled the overall read for me. This is an interesting read for a debut novel and I believe that this is a strong base to start from, however I don’t see myself carrying on with this particular series as it currently is.

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I found this a bit rough as I found that the story while it had some great parts I found that I was losing the plot with the setting.

I guess I am more fond of the UK style of crime. It did have a lot of potential and the writing was done well.

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