This was such a good book the only reason it got 4⭐️ and not 5 is that I guessed a major twist before it happened but the other one caught me off guard and I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller

This is my second experience with Steena Holmes and she is growing on me. I love the multi-POV format and all the twists and turns throughout the book to keep the reader engaged and intrigued.

My criticism falls with the ending which I was left with so many questions of things that weren’t tied up or addressed. You would have thought this was a set up to have a sequel but I don’t think that’s the case.

I consumed the audiobook and the narrator Christina Traister did a great job with the material and spoke at a swift pace for the 1x speed. I listened to the majority at 1.25x to make sure I could grasp everything.

This title comes out April 22nd so thriller lovers get it on your TBR.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Brilliance Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this audiobook ARC.

Now, let me set the stage:

There are 4 POVs (if I’m remembering correctly) but only 2 characters matter, and they are Jillian and Meri. At the beginning of the story, we find out Jill and her husband, Tucker, have a shaky relationship. They moved to a small town in Montana in hopes of rekindling their flame (and to also escape some dangerous people that’s never really explained). Jillian and Tucker have a son who seems to notice his parents are drifting apart from each other.

Meri is an agent/detective who stumbles on a human trafficking operation. 20 years ago, her sister went missing, and she never stopped looking for her. Certain clues lead her to believe the human trafficking operation might reveal her sister’s location (or remains), which lands her in the town Jillian is in.

Stage set. Let’s get into it.

The premise was strong, but certain people’s behavior, especially after the inciting incident, made little sense to me. For example, the police discover trailers filled with old dead bodies on Jillian’s property. Her husband seems to know something about the bodies because Jillian notices he’s lying to the police…but she never pesters him about it. He says don’t worry about it, and she shrugs it off. Not only that, but she wants to stay at the house where the dead bodies were found. WHAT?! I understand she’s tired of moving from state to state to avoid some dangerous people, but THIS IS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN?! When there are dead bodies on your property? Nah.

There’s a smaller arc going on with Jillian. In high school, Jillian’s best friend went missing. 20 years later (yes, 20 is a popular number) and Jillian runs into a lady in the store that looks just like her missing friend. SPOILER ALERT: It is her friend! When they finally get a moment alone to speak to each other, there’s no emotion. I mean, this was her very best friend who disappeared after walking home from a party! Jillian blamed herself because if she would have walked her friend home, she would have been safe (survivor’s guilt). And when they finally reconnect, there’s nothing? No burst of tears? No tight hugs and apologies?

There were a bunch of times when I thought the emotions and behaviors were off, but my biggest issue with this story was how easily vital information came to the main characters. Too often, they’d be somewhere and overhear conversations important to the plot. They rarely had to work for anything. Part of the allure of a murder mystery is how the pieces of the plot come together, and how the mystery is solved. The way everything came together in The Girls in the Basement was very anticlimactic and ended with a lot of questions unanswered. But, as much as I wanted to fight this audiobook, the story was easy to follow, the writing was decent, and the narrator was great.

The audiobook is amazing! The plot will have your heart racing. The narrator has an "American" accent, she did a fabulous job of narrating. If you like twisty story lines, this is for you.

Read the trigger warning, if you like Criminal Minds or shows like that, then you will love this book.

I found this to be very similar to say- criminal minds. I didn’t mind the plot but it got to be alittle confusing with all the characters.

This was a great thriller/mystery. I didn't suspect the "bad guys" right away so that is always a plus. This book definitely covers sensitive topics and will not be for everyone but if you can stomach reading a story involving human trafficking then this book is an engaging read. This book is told from several POV's that all are seemingly different but the storylines all come together at the end and it has a gratifying ending.

I enjoyed the audio narration done by Christina Traister.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for access to the ALC in exchange for an honest review.