This book touches on trauma and is emotional. Michele Dominguez Greene thoughtfully explores themes of mental health and family secrets, and there are powerful moments where Emily’s pain and growth truly resonate.

However, while the story starts off strong, it begins to lose focus as it progresses. The pacing drags in places, and the emotional intensity can feel overwhelming at times. Several secondary characters are underdeveloped, and some plot points feel predictable or overly convenient.

Most notably, the direction the story went in the second half left me confused. Shifts in tone and plot felt abrupt, and certain developments lacked clarity or buildup. It felt as though the narrative lost its footing, which made it harder to stay engaged or emotionally invested by the end.

While the book has a meaningful message and a compelling lead, the execution doesn’t quite live up to its potential. It’s a worthwhile read for those drawn to heavy, character-driven stories—but be prepared for a narrative that doesn’t always stay on steady ground.

My Name Is Emily Ray is a fast-paced, emotionally charged thriller that refuses to let go. Michelle Dominguez Greene introduces readers to Special Agent Emily Ray—a woman who has dedicated her life to rescuing missing children while carrying the darkest of secrets: she was once a kidnapped child herself.

When seven-year-old Josie Vance vanishes under hauntingly familiar circumstances, Emily is thrust into a case that mirrors her own past abduction. The investigation quickly blurs the line between professional duty and personal reckoning, as the kidnapper seems to know details about Emily’s captivity that she has never spoken aloud. The deeper Emily digs, the closer she comes to unraveling the truth she’s tried to bury—and the closer she edges toward losing everything she’s built.

Greene balances breakneck suspense with psychological depth, weaving a story that is equal parts heart-pounding chase and raw exploration of trauma, survival, and resilience. Emily is a fierce yet flawed heroine—strong, determined, but haunted in ways that make her strikingly real. The procedural detail is sharp, the tension relentless, and the twists will leave readers gasping.

Perfect for fans of The Wife’s Silence, B.A. Paris, and The Silent Patient, this series starter is both chilling and unforgettable.

Sometimes you gotta read a thriller! This is good if you want a steady read with some nice twists that keep you interested. Like an episode of Criminal Minds had a baby with Lucinda Berry’s Phantom Limb.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the arc copy!

With its well paced plot and surprising revelations, "My Name is Emily Ray" is a must-read for fans of thrilling fiction. Greene's skillful storytelling will keep you hooked from start to finish, making this book an unputdownable read.
Perfect for readers who enjoy character-driven fiction, mystery, and suspense.

I really enjoyed this book from the get go.
It had me invested in the story and I liked the main character. . I didn't work out the twists and I loved that. I can't wait to read the next in the series.

I get very excited when I discover a new (to me) author and this book was a corker!!

Emily is a Special Agent with the FBI and she specialises in finding lost children. She has a unique insight because she was one of them, once.

When little Josie Vance goes missing from a playground, the hunt is on to find her abductor. However, the clues that he leaves behind feel a little bit TOO close to home for Emily and she comes to the realisation that Josie's case and her own are linked.

There is a LOT going on with this story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was well crafted and there were definitely some heart-stopping moments in it. I loved the relationship that Emily has with her husband, it gives a nice bit of light to go with the shade :)

5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

Unexpected twist! If you’re looking for a mystery/crime thriller that will keep you on edge- read this! If you’re a fan of The Wife’s Silence - you’ll love this.

This is a fast paced read that had me hooked from the beginning wondering how it will play out and doing everything I could to keep reading. A very well written story that shows us the psychological side of being a trauma victim and the many ways that one might deal with managing that trauma on a continuing basis. As well as what it is like to be a woman who is balancing her career in a man’s world and having a family, which she works very hard at to not let one overshadow the other. The author did a great job at developing the MC and also giving good detail about the other key characters all while advancing the story.

We know from the cover of the book that our FBI agent, who works to find missing children, was once a missing child herself. In the first chapter we learn that she has secrets from the time when she was taken which she has never shared and never will… As the story progresses she struggles to keep these secrets safe all while still working hard to find the current missing child who also lived where she lived, taken from the same place she was taken and at the same age. There were a few times when I thought I knew what was coming but not only was I wrong, but I was truly shocked when the twist was revealed.

Thank you Storm Publishing for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Emily Ray is a survivor. After being kidnapped and held captive for eight years, she’s now built a life of purpose—leading the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team and raising a family of her own. But when a 7-year-old girl goes missing, the case hits too close to home.

As the investigation unfolds, chilling parallels between the current abduction and Emily’s own past begin to surface. Doubt creeps in. Could her kidnapper still be alive? Is this new case connected to her own trauma in ways she never imagined?

Told over the course of seven tense days, this gripping thriller is full of twists, turns, and emotional depth. Emily is a strong yet vulnerable lead, and her determination to bring the little girl home keeps the stakes high from beginning to end. I was hooked the entire time.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this free advanced copy. I’m leaving this review voluntarily.

✨ B O O K R E V I E W ✨
My Name Is Emily Ray by Michele Dominguez Greene

🎈Three girls were abducted when abducted at seven years old. The latest abduction was that of Josie Vance, when she was taken from Cove Park, California. Special Agent Emily Ray heads the investigation. She has a fight in her to find these missing children like no other investigator. Why? Because she has first hand experience of knowing what Josie is going through. She too was abducted at the age of seven.

😟I found myself holding my breath while reading this story. Whether it is the mom in me presently or the young girl I used to be who once was worried about this same situation swirling in the news in the 70’s and 80’s, I was deeply connected to this novel. I felt the pressure of finding Josie. I felt the emotional roller coaster that Emily Ray experienced. The intense way her life was smothered because of her early childhood abduction was heartbreaking.

📖 This book is out for publication now. I am looking forward to reviewing Michele Dominguez Greene’s next book in the series, Haley Hope is Gone, which is coming out this month.

🫶🏻 Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

#mynameisemilyray #micheledominguezgreene #summerreading #bookstagram #readingrecommendations #bookreviewer #crimethriller

Josie Vance vanishes from Cove Park, California. Special Agent Emily Ray leads the investigation to find her. The kidnapper gives clues which each of them are strangely familiar to her. Either the kidnapper is a psycho or they know twenty-eight years ago, she was a victim of abduction. Will she find Josie Vance?

My Name Is Emily Ray is a crime fiction thriller and the theme is about child abduction. There is a trauma which is very expressive, so I advise you to really pay attention to trigger warnings. Besides that, the story's plot is really great. The story has very deep tension and suspense which is presented in a realistic way. Especially when Emily makes a decision that will change her life completely.

Emily is like an ordinary woman in an ordinary way. A woman is not perfect, makes some mistakes, makes a foolish decision in the past. But hey, Emily is trying to be a better person and I don’t blame her for why she did that. She is never giving up on finding Josie and, at the same time, she also struggles to face her trauma and move on. During this time, she is surrounded by so many people that love her and accept her for who she is.

Another thing that really puts this story in the front line is the combat fighting. The movement, weapons and technology that are being used are very precise and detailed. Making this story more thrilling and captivating and I will definitely read the next book.

I was a little disappointed in the lack of suspense and thriller aspect expected in this genre. It read more like general fiction. The writing style was great. The story flowed well. It was a little predictable, unfortunately. I may pick up the next one sometime. If you're looking for an easy quick read, this is perfect for you.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing, and the author for this eARC.
*All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Wow, what a fantastic book this was to read! Two great storylines that have you hooked from the off with twist that you never see coming! Highly recommended!

My Name Is Emily Ray is the first book in the Special Agent Emily Ray series and it was absolutely PHENOMENAL. I loved every single second of it. It consumed me from start to finish. There was never a dull moment. The build up was amazing, the story was so good, the delivery was top tier and the procedural was very well developed. It was just impossible to put down. Of course the subject at hand is not an easy one, it is sad, emotional and traumatic, but I think the author did a really good job with it. The writing was great, not overly descriptive, but just enough so that you could grasp all the details and imagine the scenes in your head. This would make a perfect TV series.

I adored Emily, she was such a fierce FMC. She was strong, resilient and highly determined. I adored the character development, even if the novel is under 300 pages we get a lot of it and I truly applaud the author for that. I also loved that it wasn't drawn out unnecessarily, that the story wasn't padded with unnecessary fluff, everything had a purpose. It was cleverly written, expertly paced with a twist halfway that absolutely shocked me!

Overall, this was a stellar first novel in the series and I cannot wait to start the next book. It was an unputdownable read with a great plot, amazing characters and a highly entertaining storyline.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @stormpublishing & @micheledominguezgreene for my gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a story!

It hooked me immediately and kept me hanging on until the end. I really liked the protagonist and bonded with her straight away. Definitely a thriller that had a good twist.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I loved this book and read it in one day. I loved all the characters and the storyline. I would definitely recommend this book.

This was a fascinating story about child abduction and a section of the F.B.I. that tries to find them. .Having the leader of the group as one who had been a victim herself, increased the tension in the story considerably. A fantastic conclusion.

This book was an easy edge of your seat book! It was easy to follow along. You couldn’t figure out who the bad guy was…but that wasn’t the only twist!!! It was good!!!

Just finished My Name is Emily Ray and I honestly loved it. It was such an easy, natural read and I got completely drawn into Emily’s world.

What really made this book stand out for me were the unexpected plot twists. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, the story would take a surprising turn, and I found myself unable to put the book down. It kept me guessing and fully invested in the characters' lives right until the very end.

If you’re after something that’s easy to get into but still keeps you on your toes, I’d definitely recommend this one!

⁕ My Name is Emily Ray | Michele Dominguez Greene ⁕
★ ★ ★ ★ ➍ /𝟻 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚜
𝙿𝚊𝚐𝚎𝚜: 𝟸𝟼𝟾

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ partner Storm Publishing and NetGalley for the Advanced Copy of this thrilling read!

A thriller novel and the first installment in the Special Agent Emily Ray series. It follows Emily Ray, a Special Agent with the FBI who specializes in child abductions, after she was herself a victim of kidnapping as a child.

ＡＲＣ ＲＥＶＩＥＷ
💭 𝚖𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜:

Emily one kidnapped at the age of 7 and held hostage and was help in captivity for 8 long years.
Escaping and reunited with her father. Eventually with therapy she graduates school and peruses her dream of being in the FBI Card Unit.

While her life is coming together, happily married and with children she receives to a disturbing call that breaks open her traumatizing past.
A young girl has been abducted…

This was a fast paced, intense thriller that had me on the edge of my seat. There were many twists, and a lot of characters, but it was so well executed. The characters were very interesting, and I loved the portrayal of the relationship between Emily and her husband. I felt the author wrote Emily really well, showing the tentative balance she was holding between her job, her personal life, and her past trauma.

The story had bread crumbs that came together very nicely and gave an amazing plot twist and ending!

A must read for any and all psychological thrillers!

⁕ PUB DATE: May 26, 2025
My Name is Emily Ray is brought to you by Michele Dominguez Greene and Storm Publishing!

|: My Name is Emily Ray.
By Michelle Dominguez Greene
Chapter 21 Page 145
Day Four: 10.35 am
5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

[ “Well you seem fine but with a blackout, I have to keep you overnight. I can't risk that it'll happen again when you're driving.”
“Do I have to stay a full twenty-four hours or is overnight good enough?” I asked. I had work to do and if my suspicions were accurate, I needed to be on my feet and ready for the biggest takedown of my life. Twenty-four hours in a hospital bed was not an option.
“It depends if you have another blackout episode or not. Lunch will be here soon, so I suggest you just get comfortable and rest. And I'd like to give you a mild sedative, just to calm you down.”
“No, I don't need that. I have work to do,” I protested.
“Work is the last thing you should be doing Ms Ray. Work is what landed you in here...” ]

Emily Ray is head of the FBI special CARD unit which does the hard job of searching and reuniting kids with their loved ones when they go missing.. It's a tough job which needs strong people to do it and Emily Ray is one of them people.

Her unique history allows her to delve into the recess of her mind where memories hide, places and feelings tread water and visions and outcomes falter. A mind no one else would understand. 

When a seven-year-old little girl by the name of Josie, goes missing from a local park, Emily is called in but as she begins to work this case, the secrets she has locked up tight start to unwind and set themselves free and there is nothing she can do to stop it.

Despite having made a career out of trying to reunite families, the toll is beginning to mount up. She's not sure how much more of herself she can give, and when she is pulled off the case because of thoughts and feelings, showing up in a physical reaction on her body, she needs more than ever to concentrate and follow the case. 

What is she missing? Are her real-life nightmares coming to life?
It doesn't matter. Josie needs her. And she is willing to do anything to get her back. Even revealing the one secret she has been harbouring most of her life. 

This book was sensational. I was preparing myself for this story, knowing it's about child kidnapping and hard taboo subjects to talk about, I really, had to think twice about whether I was ready to read through something so harrowing. Especially as I had been reading nothing so heavy as this for a while. But… Wow!

What can I say? This book had everything in it and was packed full of adventure, horror, surprise and plot twists, from the beginning to the end. It was so thoughtfully planned out and there were no loose threads left hanging or niggling at the edges once the book ended. Creatively, it was amazing! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, it was misleading, surprising and written with so much artistic flare. I'm so thrilled I got to read it. 

A huge thank you to Michelle Dominguez Greene, Storm Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. ::|