If you’re looking for a quick fast paced serial killer book that has some DEXTER vibes then this one is for you! It’s giving the ice truck killer (IYKYK)

Frozen body pieces are flying out everywhere, but what does this mean? A serial killer!

I enjoyed the writing style by this author and would be open to reading more from them in the future.

So this is my first time reading this author Jayne and Steelie are main characters who founded Agency 32/1, specialists in Forensics and help with cold cases identifying body parts and bringing closure to loved ones. When body parts are found and appear to be from different people the girls are invited in and consult on the case. A serial killer who is very knowledgeable in what they do and showing no signs of stopping, the FBI are on the case and the killer shows no signs of stopping.

I took a wee bit to warm to this one, it was a little bit, I don't want to say chaotic but that is the closest word I can get to in that different povs but not always clear. I am the first to admit my head space isn't the best at present and if a book takes me this long when I have no interruptions I know its a me issue. I had to keep tabs, the investigation, the issues between the hierarchy in the ranks/agencies. The spark between two of the characters and some throwbacks references to their history, I felt I was maybe reading a second book not first, like had I missed some story. I think it is a bit of how it is written and my mild readers block but I did settle to it.

The baddy was well done, evil, shocking, shady and sometimes makes the hair on the back of your neck stand. I would read more of this series and think it was a good start for book one and a foundation book, 3.5/5.

A great read, a new series and a fresh twist on forensic identification and missing persons.
Jayne & Steelie run an independent non profit agency 32/1, an intriguing name, the origins of which are eventually revealed, whose aim is to match unidentified bodies or missing persons from forensic profiles.
A new and clever take on the old serial killer/whodunnits. Not only does this foray into fiction provide a great read its also educational as its interspersed with information about the genocide in Rwanda. This is all the more interesting and poignant as the author is famous for her work in the identification of victims from both this and other International atrocities.
Great main plot and a nice subplot which has lots to offer. I'm looking forward to catching up with Jayne & Steelie again.

Thank you Avon Books and Netgalley for this ARC and sorry for the delay in reading.

It took a really while for me to get into this book but once I did I couldn't put it down.
Great storyline and good characters with a nice bit of evil thrown in - if you want to know you have to read!
Definitely recommend this even if it is a slow burner.

It took a really long time for me to get into this book but once I did, it turned into a very good read. Good characters, even the evil one!, that you got into and a storyline that once it got going turned out to be very good!

The first book in a new series about forensic experts Jayne and Steelie. They set up ‘Agency 32/1’ - a service dedicated to solving crimes and identifying missing persons. When body parts from multiple victims are discovered on a Los Angeles freeway, the FBI calls them in to assist. I found this book really interesting but struggled to get to know the characters well and I felt the story lost its a way a little in the middle. Overall a decent read.

An excellent novel from Clea Koff, an author who I hadn’t read before

Action pack no fast paced, I hope she continues this to a series

This is the first book in a new series featuring Jayne and Steelie, forensic experts who, driven by their own past traumas, form Agency 32/1, a business dedicated to solving crimes and identifying missing persons. When body parts from multiple victims are discovered on a Los Angeles freeway, the FBI calls them in to assist. The forensic details are intriguing and well-written, but as I read, I felt like a prequel is needed to provide more backstory.

Thank you to NetGalley, Avon Books UK and author Clea Koff for the opportunity to review the advance copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

A fascinating and tense murder mystery with added forensic details and plenty of suspense. Hard to put down. I really enjoyed this story and hope to read more in this vein from Clea Koff in the future.

Jayne and Steelie run an agency specializing in the forensic identification of missing persons. Their latest case begins dramatically when bones unexpectedly spill out of a van on the freeway, prompting their team to investigate the remains. The stakes rise as they aim to uncover not just the identity of the bones, but also the killer behind the mystery.

While the premise has strong potential for a gripping crime novel, the execution fell short. The story quickly felt unfocused, lacking a clear direction. Instead of gradually unveiling character backgrounds, the narrative thrusts them into the spotlight all at once, which diminishes their depth and makes it hard for readers to form connections with them or engage with the plot.

http://thesecretbookreview.co.uk

As the title Silent Evidence suggests, this story features forensic detail. The author's background in Forensic Anthropology makes this an authentic read, with gruesome scenes that define the story. I enjoyed meeting Jayne and Steelie but would have welcomed more background. I like their relatability and the connections between them because it makes what happens to them matter to the reader.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

An interesting note at the beginning confirms that 32/1 does not exist - but should! As an anthropologist Clea Koff obviously knows what she is talking about and it shows in her writing. Her main characters are well rounded and their backgrounds are alluded to. Fast moving story although Jayne and Scott's relationship - or lack of it is a little too slow for reality. Some of the dialogue is a bit clunky but apart from that a good read. Look forward to more stories about this agency.
Three and a half stars.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Clea Koff/Avon Books for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I'm always attracted to a potentially good thriller and, being a huge fan of the Patricia Cornwell Kay Scarpetta series, I thought this might in a similar vein. This is the first book in what is likely to become a new series, so I was hoping for great things. The premise is certainly interesting and, for the most part, well delivered. However, I felt the characters and their background could have been better introduced and developed as it felt like this could have been the third or fourth book rather than the first. I also found the style bordered more on being a romance novel and the 'will they get together' element slightly detracted from the actual thriller element. For me, not quite on a par with Patricia Cornwell, but a good read nonetheless - but be prepared to have lots of questions about the characters! Hopefully, more will be revealed in subsequent books - which I will still give a go based on this one. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for this review.

This is a well researched story with a good plot but there was something about it which left me cold. It’s difficult to put a finger on the reasons why but the tech references placed it somewhere in the early 2000, which meant that the cold cases from the 1990s were a little less cold than I first assumed. Also the main characters, Jayne, Steeley and love interest Scott felt a bit generic.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy to read and review.

Forensic Anthropology seems to be cropping up frequently in my reading and I find the whole concept to be fascinating.

Silent Evidence does a rather good job of merging fact and reality with fiction and I enjoyed every page. Some of the detail might upset the stomach of some but if you are OK with almost graphic detail, I suspect you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

I found this lacking in background so I had trouble working out the relationship between them and their history. The principle story was excellent but maybe it needed a first book to understand the dynamics of the jobs and why they did this and set up the agency.

A random collision might lead to a serial killer

Human remains are discovered when a vehicle rear-ends a van on an LA freeway, and they may have a connection to a spree of killings in Georgia. FBI agent Scott Houston and his partner Eric Ramos certainly think so, although their bosses don’t necessarily agree. Houston reaches out to Jayne Hall and Steelie Lander, forensic anthropologists who formed Agency 32/1 which uses scientific methods to aid families in matching missing persons with unidentified bodies in morgues or living John/Jane Does. Scott had met the two women at Quantico five years earlier and has stayed in touch with Jayne (in large part due to a mutual but not acted upon attraction). He asks them to look at the remains and hopefully discover something that will prove to the powers that be that there is a serial killer on the loose and that they have moved across the country; if that is so, then Houston and Ramos can work on bringing the person to justice. Becoming involved in the case, however, may just have put Jayne and Steelie in a killer’s crosshairs.
When I selected this book to read, I was expecting it to be a twist on Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell, a thriller with a forensic science base. In actuality it seems to be leaning more towards a romance novel with touches of thriller added in. The premise is more than intriguing and the author clearly has a background that could add a great deal of information to the table, so I was disappointed as I found the plot skewing off towards the “does he like me or doesn’t he” vibe surrounding Jayne and Houston. This is the first in what could become a series, yet the way background information was introduced it felt more like this was a later book in a series and the author was just tossing in nuggets from previous novels to clue in anyone who hadn’t read previous installments. Not a horrible book, but not what I expected nor anything truly outstanding about it within the genre. Reichs and Cornwell fans would not, I expect, find that it lives up to those authors’ standards; it would likely be of more appeal to readers of Alexandra Ivy, Susan Stoker or Katie Reus. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to an early copy of the novel.

Very Different to the usual thriller, confusing to start but worth sticking with.**************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Another ARC courtesy of netgalley and Avon Books Uk. Due to be published 29/08/24

If you like Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs then you'll love this. Similar but Koff holds her own and I really enjoyed this one.

Was evenly paced so you get good detail as the story unfolds. I liked the potential for stories to follow and the themes of missing people/serial killers and cross agency working do set things up quite well for a potentially long lasting series.

Great crime fiction with a good storyline and characters. Follow the characters solve the case of a serial murderer through forensic anthropology.
I really hope this will be the beginning of a series of books with Jane and Steelie.