I liked this mystery. The heroine, Nikki, is a conflicted person. She is a well known FBI agent with a reputation to uphold but she also has a chance to further investigate the 15 year old unsolved murder of her younger sister. She is sometimes driven more by her emotions than by tested FBI techniques. It really gives a sense of her humanity. I am sometimes leery when an author writes the lead character of the opposite sex but was pleased with Nikki.

Perry did well in creating the other characters too. I wanted to hate the uncooperative police chief and slap Nikki's boyfriend. I'm not sure I accepted the devious character explanations of the local police officer, however. The plot moved along rather well though their was some repetitive thinking about the old case. The periodic bits of suspense helped me continue reading. There were enough red herrings that I did not anticipate the identity of the villain.

I liked this novel and I would definitely read the next one in the series. Perry's writing style is clear and makes for a fun and entertaining read.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Partners in Crime Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.

FBI Agent Nikki Cassidy, is visiting her hometown when a young girl disappears. The similarities remind her of 15 years earlier when her sister was found murdered But the man believed to have killed her sister was sentenced and is behind bars. However, this is the first year he has broken his silence with Cassidy. He claims that he is not responsible for her sister’s death.

As Nikki begins looking into the current case, she can’t help but wonder if the man sitting behind bars for killing her sister is guilty. What starts as a small thought quickly turns into a full-fledged investigation.

The Nowhere Girls, the first of a new series, drew me in as the FBI joined Cassidy in her quest for truth and answers.

My Concerns
At times, I struggled with the protagonist and dialog. Nikki Cassidy didn’t always click with me. Her relationship with her former boyfriend felt too predictable and tidy. And the dialog didn’t always feel natural.

One of my biggest pet peeves regarding a book is for it to be a cliffhanger. While I thought this would end that way, it didn’t. The story just suggested a reason to reach for the next book. That was okay. It felt complete but had a new avenue that needed to be explored.

Final Thoughts
Nikki Cassidy and her FBI colleagues feel that time is of the essence as they try to locate the newest missing girl.

I didn’t hesitate to reach for the next book in this series.

Pretty standard police/crime mystery.

I found Nikki quite irritating to start with especially with how she made everything that she could to try and link things to her sisters death- however minor. I did wonder at the beginning if she was just picking at threads for the sake of it and for her own peace of mind to start with and I hoped the whole book wasn’t going to just be her trying to find the missing girl whilst trying her hardest to make this girls disappearance more about her sisters death than the girl who was missing. Thankfully it picked up and all come together.

I don’t know if it was intentionally meant to be funny but this made me belly laugh.
“What if someone comes after you with a gun and tries to shoot you”
“Then I’ll shoot them back” 😂😂

There was a description of Huntsdale and it had No body of water in or around Huntsdale… but then further in the book it said that “Grant woods even had a lake” which I believe was in or around the Huntsdale area. This confused me slightly as the police discarded information due to their not being water in the area.

The ending was slightly rushed and underwhelming. There was an opportunity to make the reader sit on the edge of their seat and possibly make them cry but it just fell a little flat.

All in all the book was perfectly fine. I looked forward to reading it, I found it in parts gripping with a good twist a the end and found it easy to read.

We have another winner. The Nowhere Girls is the first book featuring FBI agent Nikki Cassidy. Her sister was abducted and murdered when she was 12. Nikki has always held some guilt over the her death. When she is called back to her home town to find a missing girl, she might be able to solve what happened to her sister.

I really enjoyed this one. So much that I binged the second and third books in 2 days. Stay tuned for those reviews later in the week. I really like Nikki as a character. She isn't perfect and makes a few wrong guesses. I really liked that part because nothing is more boring than a detective or agent who gets everything right the first try. I also enjoyed her relationship with her partner Alex. There are red herrings and twists throughout. There are also some unanswered questions that will pour over into the next books. I highly recommend this one.

New series - check
New to me author - check
plot and mystery had me hooked - double check
Would I recommend it - yes a d double yes to picking up books 2 and 3 to see what happens next .

A brilliant start to an amazing series. I loved this one SO much. Thrilling from start to finish. Just wow!

I really enjoyed this book. The plot and mystery aspect was great. I was intrigued at every chapter and wanted more.

My only complaint was the main character was portrayed as a strong woman in the FBI, yet she allowed her fiancé to talk down to her and suggest quitting her job. In my opinion she should have left him in the beginning of the book.

I look forward to reading the next book in the series!

Thank you to Bookouture, Dreamscape Select | Bookouture, and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

"The Nowhere Girls" by Dana Perry was a riveting and action-packed read, earning a well-deserved 5-star rating! The story follows star FBI Agent Nikki Cassidy of the Crimes Against Children Squad, whose heroic arrest of a killer in Denver catapults her into the spotlight. However, Nikki's world is turned upside down when she receives a summons from David Munroe, the man imprisoned for the murder of her sister. This unexpected encounter sets Nikki on a relentless quest for the truth about her sister's tragic fate.

I thought this was a well-written story that held my attention from start to finish. Nikki is very likable, even with her flaws, which make her feel human. I found myself fully invested in her journey, eagerly turning pages to uncover the secrets of her past.

Overall, "The Nowhere Girls" is a well-written and compelling novel that promises an exciting series ahead. I am looking forward to the next two books in this series!

Thanks to Bookouture, Dana Perry, and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity to read this ARC and share my honest review.

Book Review:
The Nowhere Girls (Detective Nikki Cassidy 1) by Dana Perry
Bookouture, 2nd April 2024

FBI agent Nikki Cassidy returns to her hometown on the fifteenth anniversary of her sister's death. The murderer is behind bars, and has remained silent until now. He has just told Nikki he was not the one who shot her sister.
With another young girl missing, Nikki re-examines her sister's case whilst working with the local police department to track down the missing girl.

This is a fly by the seat of your pants novel with a lot of attention to detail. Nikki is a strong female lead who will stop at nothing to crack her case. As every clue is explored, we get sucked deeper into the case. And as more shocks and twists unfold, it's clear that with Nikki Cassidy, Dana Perry has created someone you want to get to know and explore more cases with.

Professionally, she's tough, but she has a dilemma to deal with in her personal life. These different sides of Nikki really show depth of character and let us get to know her personality, just enough to whet the appetite for the next book in the series.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks to Bookouture and Dana Perry for the ARC provided via NetGalley; this is my unbiased review.

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When the man convicted of FBI agent Nikki Cassidy's sisters murder tells her he didn't kill her then a girls goes missing. Nikki investigates plenty of twists and conspiracy in this fast paced thriller. Well plotted and good characters. Thanks to Bookoutre and Netgalley for this review copy.

This well-written book features a strong female lead, an FBI agent troubled by memories from the past and uncertain about the kind of future she seeks - in both her personal and professional lives. She returns to her hometown every year on the anniversary of her sister's disappearance, filled with a sense of guilt over her death. When another local teen disappears, it becomes apparent that the date has significance to someone else and Nikki is determined to find out who and why. The pace is somehat slow at first but picks up midway with suspense building as the story unfolds - with a fair share of twists and a surprising ending. The Nowhere Girls is a great choice for lovers of crime fiction. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Content advisory: This book include graphic descriptions of child abuse and murder which may serve as triggers for some readers./show/6417003276

What a phenomenal & gripping new series! Nikki Cassidy’s a wonderful protagonist. She works cases with ties to the murder of her sister years ago that still haunts her.

I flew this one in one day!

Thank you, Dana Perry, Bookouture, & netgalley for my early copy! All opinions are my own.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Nowhere Girls' by Dana Perry.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Dana Perry, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 2nd April 2024.

This is the third book I have read by this author it is also the first book in the 'Detective Nikki Cassidy' series. I have previously read 'Her Ocean Grave' (book 1 in Dana's 'Detective Abby Pearce' series) and 'Silent Island (book 2 in the 'Detective Abby Pearce' series),and I would also highly recommend them both.

This novel consists of a prologue and 64 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'The Nowhere Girls' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Dana discusses/includes child murder.

Wow!!!!! What did I just read!!! Mind blown!!!! Absolutely shattered after being up all night reading but boy was it worth it! Absolutely unputdownable!! Clear your schedules before picking this book up as you will not be able to put it down!!! An extremely well written novel with vivid descriptions that suck you into the storyline. The cover, title and synopsis suited the storyline perfectly!!

There are very few male authors I know if that can pull off a female lead in a novel but boy oh boy does Dana do it perfectly!!! Unfortunately when female leads are written by men they tend to make them very sexualised, this was not the case at all!!! In fact I can't even remember the last time I read such a page turner by a male author, not for a very long time!!! This book is an absolutely explosive and perfect way to kick off what is guaranteed to be an absolutely addictive series!!! The storyline was fast paced, addictive, breathe taking, nail biting, suspense filled and had me completely absorbed!!! It was filled with crime, mystery, lies, murder, friendships, romance and deceit. Absolutely everything you need to make a fantastic crime thriller!!!! I was absolutely mind blown by the explosive twist which I would never have seen coming in a million years!!! I have read thousands of books and many of them are psychological thrillers so it is getting harder and harder to shock me but Dana managed it hook, line and sinker!! Not only that but it is also so hard to come across a unique storyline which is another thing Dana has managed with this gripping and nail biting page turner so a MASSIVE CONGRATULATIONS DANA!!! Everything tied in perfectly at the end, I absolutely hate loose ends!!! Dana has most definitely done his research into past crimes along with police procedures and it absolutely shines!! A pet hate of mine is reading crime novels and having so many small things being obviously wrong due to authors not doing any research. This would make a heart racing movie and I for one would absolutely love to see it!! It is one of this absolutely addictive books that I just could not put down!! Each and every single time I promised myself just one more chapter it would end in a way that I just HAD to know what happened next!! This happened over and over until I had come to the mind blowing ending! I just could not put it down and had my kindle glued to my hand walking around the house and doing housework! It is also one of those books that is perfect to read wrapped up in front of a fire or reading it under the sun on a beach!! Yet another well done Dana you not only managed to shock me once but several times which is not an easy feat after reading so many crime novels!!! Dana's evocative writing skills brings the locations, surroundings, emotions and characters to life and it feels like you have been sucked into the storyline!! I shouted, screamed, laughed, smiled and even ended up shedding a few tears after a certain event so you may even want to get the tissues at the ready!! I am not the type who cries easily (unless it comes to animals, sorry humans!!) but OMG a certain part of this book had me welling up! There were several occasions where I looked up and it took me a while to work out where I was as I was so lost on the storyline!! I absolutely LOVED this brilliant start to this new series and as soon as I have finished writing this up I am off to read the second book in this series which is called 'Last One To Die' so keep your eyes peeled for my review for that book which is coming soon!!

I clicked and connected with FBI agent Detective Nikki Cassidy immediately and became completely invested in her!!! Nikki and her fantastic team very quickly became to feel like friends and I am definitely looking forward to meeting her again as soon as I start her next adventure!! My heart went out to her for how she blamed herself and I could not stand the way her mother blamed her. Nikki is determined to discover the truth about her sisters death and no threats or attacks will stop her and I love how determined and strong willed she is. I just absolutely loved her kick a**e personality and she is definitely not someone to be messed with!!! . I also enjoyed meeting many of the other characters including Alex Del Vecchio, Les Polk, Officer William (Billy) Weller, DA Tommy Thompson and several more. I was not a fan of Nikki's fiance Greg who I found to be too needy and not understanding enough of her job or Chief Frank Earnshaw who I thought was just a stubborn, childish mule (to put it nicely). Each character was unique, well defined with their own backgrounds and personalities. They were all realistic and the team dynamics were intriguing. I was devastated when I came to the end and had to say Goodbye but am definitely looking forward to meeting many of them again.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Dana on an explosive start to what promises to be an epic series!!! This is why your on my top 3.male author list!!! I cannot wait for your next promising success 🥂 !!!

Overall an addictive, gripping, explosive page turning unputdownable crime thriller that will keep you up all night!!

Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first three chapters of Dana's ' Last One To Die' which is the second book in this series. It promises to be just as addictive as this book and is one I'm definitely looking forward to reading myself. Keep your eyes peeled for my review of it coming soon!!

Overall an absolutely unputdownable, action packed, intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you up at night on the edge of your seat with a pounding heart!!

361 pages

This book is just £1.99 to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 for the audiobook with Audible and 8.99 in paperback via Amazon at time of review which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5/5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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"The Nowhere Girls" is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Dana Perry has crafted a complex and engaging protagonist in Detective Nikki Cassidy, whose determination and grit make her a compelling lead character. The mystery at the heart of the novel is full of twists and turns, keeping readers guessing until the very end.

Nicky Cassidy is a star FBI Agent, a media celebrity and also daughter of Luke Cassidy, the Huntsdale police chief. The novel opens up in few pages to investigate the disappearance of Nicki's sister Caitlin and her murder fifteen years ago and her body was found days later in a wooded area of the small town of Huntsdale. A man named David Munroe is convicted and send to prison for this murder who refuses to speak anything about the killing or why it was committed by him. The story takes a turn when David speaks up to Nicky at the prison visit and who denies that he killed Caitlin. Then who did it? Nicky also finds wreath of roses at her sister's grave. She is determined to find not just Caitlin's murderer but also similar disappearance of another young girl who went missing on the same day as Caitlin. The novel takes a interesting plunge to the world of policing and investigation which I found very gripping and unable to put the pages down.

Perry's writing is sharp and atmospheric, creating a vivid and immersive world for readers to get lost in. The pacing of the novel is fast-paced, with plenty of action and suspense to keep the plot moving forward. The relationships between the characters are well-developed and layered, adding depth and emotion to the story.

Overall, "The Nowhere Girls" is a thrilling and captivating read that will appeal to fans of crime fiction and detective novels. Dana Perry has created a memorable and engaging protagonist in Detective Nikki Cassidy.

Holy cow that was good! I am new to Dana Perry and didn't realize what I was getting into, but I am really glad I did. Talk about not expecting who the villain is. I had no idea until the chapter before the reveal. I love when that happens. Great characters, great plot and really great suspense. Now, I'm off to read the next one!

Favorite Quotes:

“I can’t believe that you’re actually comparing yourself to J. Edgar Hoover, Nikki.” “Why not?” “History has shown us that J. Edgar Hoover was a pretty mean, petty and despicable person.” “Yeah, but we both liked to wear dresses.”

I’m what they call a ‘jailbird dater.’… There’s something wild and daring and kinkily crazy about it— it just gives me a thrill I could never get out of dating normal men on the outside of prison walls. Is it dangerous? No, it’s probably the safest dating you can do. I mean they’re in prison. They’re under control twenty-four-seven. So don’t you see? Meeting up with a prison inmate like that is not as dangerous as picking up some strange guy in a singles bar or on Tinder or any other dating spot or app.


My Review:

I gained several new brain wrinkles perusing this tale, but one such wrinkle concerning what happens on the dark web was rather chilling and had the little pea in my brain shuddering. I already know too many things I don’t want to know.

The premise was original, and the plot was well-contrived and unpredictable with active story threads that went in all directions yet managed to converge back in a cohesive manner. The majority of the characters were realistically flawed and most were deeply damaged yet still functional. Many were also unlikable yet they still held my attention and provoked my curiosity.

I’m in for the ride to read the rest of the series.

The first book in the Nikki Cassidy series starts with a lot of action. Nikki is a FBI agent who just went viral with a video of her taking down a kidnapper and saving a girl. Nikki is haunted by the murder of her sister 15 years ago so when the murder finally agrees to talk with her she goes. She finds more than she bargained for and it leads to a thrilling story. Fans of Lisa Ragen’s Josie Quinn series will love this series. Nikki is a strong and smart woman who wants to solve crimes and return children to their homes. I loved the police work and the non stop action. A great read and I can’t wait to read the rest of the series!

If you're a fan of CSI, Criminal Minds, etc, then you'll love this book! It follows FBI detective Nikki Cassidy who's sister was kidnapped and murdered 15 years ago when they were kids. Now, 15 years later, the man who confessed to her murder tell Detective Cassidy he didnt do it. Then, another girl goes missing and the clues to the case point to being connected to Cassidy's sister's murder.


When I say this book was good! It was interesting and chilling and had you guessing. The only reason I give it 4 stars is because the author was quite repetitive throughout the story, repeating info, full names, etc when not needed. It is still a great story and i'm about to go read book 2 right now!

This was a great start to the Detective Nikki Cassidy series, it had everything that I was looking for and glad it had that suspenseful feel that I was looking for. It had that crime thriller element that I was looking for and was invested in the characters. I enjoyed everything going on and was excited to read the next entry in this series. Dana Perry does a great job in writing this and making me want to read more.

The Nowhere Girls is book one in the Nikki Cassidy series that is written by Dana Kelly. This book is a captivating crime thriller, We are introduced to Nikki - who works in the FBI. Her sister was kidnapped and murdered and the person responsible for it wants to talk to her. However, while she is there, another body shows up. Could the cases be related?

Suddenly the killer takes back his confession. The FBI digs in deep and tries to sort everything out. Nikki has had to work through some things since she blames herself for her sister’s kidnapping and murder. This book is full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed getting to know Nikki. Her character is well developed and I am excited to continue to read more of her story. The book is well written and is a perfect crime thriller for those who like to figure out whodunit.

Thank you to the author, publisher and Partners in Crime book tours – all thoughts are my own.