After reading the first book in the series, I was hopeful about book number two, but you never know. It didn't disappoint! This book can be read as a standalone but it is worthwhile reading the first one, nevertheless.

Emily goes to Lake Arrowhead with her father for a break as she is on mandatory leave after her last case and she needs a bit of time off to wind down. She rents a house from an old teenage friend, Vanna, and soon she is embroiled in small-town politics and discovers a much darker side to the idyllic place where she is trying desperately to relax. The Universe somehow isn't getting the message!

In amongst uncovering some truly heinous facts, she also has to deal with cracks in her marriage, which is not anything she thought she needed to worry about.

My heart was in my mouth quite a bit during the reading of this novel, but the author tackles some pretty heavy topics in a way that makes you cheer for the good guys whilst simultaneously worrying that small towns in your own neighbourhood could be hiding some pretty big secrets......

5 stars from me.

Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing.

This is the second in the series with Special Agent Emily Ray. And, once again the author, Michelle Dominguez Greene, has given us twists and turns to make for a great read. The story is interesting from the beginning, and kept me engaged until the last page. When I finished, I was disappointed only because I was finished with the book. I hope there will be another release in the series soon, because I cannot wait to read where Special Agent Emily Ray will take us next.

Special Agent Emily Ray is taking a break and going on a vacation with her father, but mysteries have a way of finding her. Emily befriends a neighbor girl who insists that her best friend was murdered. Once Emily starts questioning people, things start to unravel in the small town! This was a good mystery and I really enjoyed watching the investigation unfold!

I loved this book way more than the first one—probably because of the homicide investigation element. Personally, I found it much more compelling than the kidnapping trope. The combination of mystery and high tension was handled so beautifully. And when that mystery finally unravels? Chef’s kiss.
It’s absolutely chilling and heartbreaking to think there are real people out there who harm children. I also really loved the glimpses of the relationship between Lillian, Haley, and the other kids. Those moments were so heartwarming and gave the story emotional depth.

Which brings me to the way the author explains the emotions which Em goes through, it feels raw and I felt really affected by it. Overall, I’d highly recommend this book if you're into mystery, suspense, and one hell of a badass female FBI agent. It’s a thrilling, emotional ride from start to finish.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for providing me with this e-ARC. And I hope to read more from this amazing author!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’ll definitely be going back to read book 1! Special Agent Emily Ray’s job is to find missing children as the head of the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment (CARD) Unit. So after a case ended with her on extended leave, her and her dad with his declining health revisit Lake Arrowhead, a place they visited often on vacations. She’s pulled into a string of disappearances and deaths in the town. Lillian, a 15 yr old, insistent on Emily helping her solve her best friend Haley’s death femmes suicide by local law enforcement. But upon digging, Emily uncovers more deaths and disappearances which could be linked. But as she digs further, the perfect little town she remembered has dark secrets of its own. Full of danger, suspense, mystery, plot twists, tension and so much more. Can’t wait to read the next book!

A getaway while placed on leave turns into a dangerous mission for FBI agent Emily Ray, and I was quickly hooked by the strong writing. The characters are complex, interesting, and realistic - all of them, no matter their age, social status, role in the community, etc. I especially found the backstories of older relatives with diminishing health and memory to be meaningful, realistic, and relevant. As Emily peels back the layers of this small tourist town, the pieces of the mystery multiply, and when they start to come together, the tension and danger hit perfectly. I haven’t read the first in the series, but this second novel essentially stands on its own. I look forward to reading the first book, as well as those that follow this one.

Thank you to Storm Publishing, Netgalley, and the author for early access to this well-crafted mystery.

Book Review: Hayley Hope Is Gone
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Hayley Hope Is Gone completely pulled me in from the very first chapter. If you’ve read the first book in the series, get ready...this one takes things up a notch. The pacing is tight, the stakes feel higher, and I honestly couldn't stop turning the pages. Every time I thought I'd read "just one more chapter," I was sucked right back in.

What really stood out to me were the multiple points of view. Each character brought something fresh and important to the story, and it added so much depth and tension. It’s one of those rare cases where shifting perspectives actually makes the story stronger, not more confusing.

Without giving anything away, I’ll just say the twists hit hard, the emotional moments were real, and the ending left me seriously excited for what’s next. This was better than the first, hands down, and that’s saying something.

If you're into gripping, emotional, character-driven reads with mystery and heart, you need to pick this one up. I’m definitely sticking with this series.

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm publishing for this amazing ARC!

All Emily wanted was a calm and refreshing holiday with her dad but she'll find none of that. The community at Lake Arrowhead is not what they remembered from previous vacations and even though Hayley is on mandatory leave from the FBI she cannot avoid looking into the "suicide" of a teenager, Hayley Hope, whose best friend Lilian swears it was just not possible but that she was murdered and suicide was a cover up by the police. Emily's husband and children went to visit his side of the family and should join her at the lake at the end of the holidays, but the couple's relationship is also not what she believes it to be. As the investigation moves on she'll discover a ring of drug dealing, children pornography, and a community that is full of fanatics and prejudiced people.
I thank the author, her publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.

Hayley Hope is Gone is the second instalment of the Emily Ray series by Michelle Dominguez Greene. Check the book’s trigger warnings before proceeding with reading the book, though.

After being put on a mandatory leave by the FBI, Emily Ray decided to rent out a vacation home at Lake Arrowhead - the place where she spent multiple summers when she was younger - with her father. But what she thought to be an idyllic vacation spot turns out to be hiding a sinister secret when she meets Lillian Knox, who insists that her best friend, Hayley Hope, did not simply ended her own life, she was murdered.

Unlike the first instalment, My Name is Emily Ray, Hayley Hope is Gone, is being narrated by multiple POVs, thus a lot is going on, but surprisingly easy to follow. There is not much police procedural going on as well, but the eerie and creepy atmosphere that surrounds the town will surely hook you in and will keep you turning the pages.

As for Emily, this is a turning point in her life after all that has happened, and what is next for her. She was definitely fleshed out more in this instalment, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for her.

Hayley Hope is Gone is the second book in the Detective Emily Ray series.. I read the first one and was excited to see the second one was coming out. This one was so good. So many things going on but not too many that you cannot keep up. There are a lot of characters but its pretty easy to keep track of who is who. A lot of suspense and mystery. I will 100% be looking for the next book

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for a gifted copy in exchange for a honest review.

First and foremost, a huge THANK YOU to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and author, Michele Domínguez Greene for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

The second instalment in the Special Agent Emily Ray series did not disappoint. This second book was every bit as suspenseful and impressive as its predecessor, My Name Is Emily Ray which was published earlier this year.

How best to describe my reading experience? I could easily see these books as a Netflix Original series. Get right on it, Netflix!!

As head of the FBI's CARD UNIT (Child Abduction Rapid Deployment), it's Emily's job to locate, find, and rescue children who are the victims of an abduction. It's not a job for the faint hearted. After the events in the first book, FBI Special Agent, Emily Ray is currently on a period of extended leave, and has decided to spend time with her father up at Lake Arrowhead, where they used to vacation when she was a youngster. This area only exists for the tourists and 'out of season' the place is eerily quiet, except for a few locals which keep the place going through the off season.

Fifteen year old, Lillian Knox lives with her grandmother in the neighbouring house. Lillian's parents both work abroad and have left Lillian in the care of her grandmother. But her grandmother's health is declining and Lillian is more the caregiver than the care recipient. Lillian had always been treated as an outsider, but felt she could cope with the adolescent bullying of her peers because of her best friend Hayley. But now Hayley is dead, and the local police are saying that she took her own life. As someone who knew Hayley best, Lillian knows that Hayley would never have done that.

When Lillian learns that Emily is an FBI Agent, she pleads with Emily to look into her friend's death. At first reluctant to get involved, Emily is soon turned around by Lillian's insistence of foul play and the mysterious disappearances of other young teenage girls from the area.

This is a stunning follow-on from book #1 and while you could read this book as a standalone, I would urge you to read this series in full and in order for maximum enjoyment.

This is another eerie small-town setting with a slow burning plot; but the author controls the pace by building the tension and character development a little with every chapter. Emily Ray is a victim's champion. She digs into cases no-one wants to look at. The stakes are high and sometimes the outcomes are not what was expected.

Once you start you'll want to finish this in one sitting – be warned!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to one of my favourite publishers, Storm Publishing 💗 for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for July 10, 2025.

I had the privilege of reading the first in this series, and was thrilled to receive the ARC of the second installment. I feel that this story was just as good as the first!

Emily is going on vacation with her father while the FBI investigates and determines what will happen after her last case. She is excited to spend time with her father, and takes him to Lake Arrowhead, where she spent time as a child. Lillian Knox is a fifteen year old girl who lives next door to the house that Emily has rented. Lillian is struggling because her best friend died a few weeks ago. The local police say that she committed suicide, but Lillian knows that Hayley would never do that. Emily is drawn to the girl, and sees some discrepancies and suspicious activities surrounding the case, so she begins to look deeper into it. She discovers so much more about the town, the local big church, the police department. Pretty soon, Emily, her father, Lillian and Eddie (her friend) are in danger, yet determined to discover what is really going on.

Whew! There is so much going on in this book. It sucks you in from page one. The claustrophobic atmosphere of a small tourist town that is empty at the end of the season, with just the locals added tension and a creep factor. The pacing is perfection. In the beginning, Emily is gathering information and facts. This changes to a fast paced mystery/thriller. There are a lot of different strands that Emily is threading together that lead to a fantastic conclusion, with a slight twist I did not see coming.

I love the growth I see in Emily. At the end of the last novel, she was beginning to figure out who she was now that her kidnapper from childhood had finally been caught. Her husband, Antonio, has supported her through everything, but wishes that she would step back from the CARD unit. As Emily is working on Hayley's case, and drawing closer to Lillian, she realizes that this is a part of who she is, and she will always want to help kids in need. There is a hard decision that she must make, but I loved how the author wrote her growth so well, that the decision she comes to is authentic to Emily's understanding of who she is, and what she stands for.

And Lillian and Eddie- Hayley too! were written so well, my heart ached for them while also cheering them on. I wanted them to get the justice they were looking for. I even teared up at a scene in the end- it was written so beautifully.

I cannot wait to see where Emily will end up next, but I am here for it!!

This is a fantastic, FBI/thriller series. It has darkness and depth, with genuine characters that the reader can relate to. I just want to warn that there are some triggers:
sexual abuse, grooming, cultish church vibe

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t think it was as fast paced as her previous book but it still kept my attention. I really like Emily Ray and how resilient she is and determined to help those who need it. This book follows a case of murder, corruption, and deception.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an eARC to read and review!

What an 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓮 thriller that kept my attention from the very first page! This one is actually the second book in the Special Agent Emily Ray series but I will definitely be adding book one to my TBR!! If you love small town secrets, this 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 a must read!!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!!

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for an advanced copy of Hayley Hope Is Gone.

Detective Emily Ray is taking a much needed vacation with her dad after a difficult case. Her husband is taking their daughters to a family reunion. While on vacation Emily is approached by a young girl who believes her friends death was murder and not suicide. Emily starts investigating and what she discovers is truly shocking.

I really liked the first book in the series but this one just had too many moving parts and was more difficult to follow. I felt like the marriage issues that were thrown in were kind of weird.

Just finished Hayley Hope is Gone. A gripping read with an unforeseen conclusion making this a great book for fans of this genre. This slow burn thriller draws you in with its moody atmosphere and keeps you hooked thanks to FBI agent Emily Ray, a complex and fascinating lead who really carries the story.

The pacing is deliberate, but it works by building tension and emotional depth with every chapter. Just when you think you have it figured out, the story takes an unforeseen turn that completely shifts everything. The ending caught me off guard in the best way.

Gripping, absorbing, and thoroughly entertaining, this is a recommended read. I’ll definitely be picking up the next in the series!

Hayley Hope is Gone is one hard to stop reading a book once you start. Best to plan some uninterrupted time to read this book. The Special Agent Emily Ray Book 2 is just as gripping as the first book, both written by Michelle Dominguez Greene. She is a newer author to me, but this series has sealed the deal that I want to read anything she has written.

Special Agent Emily Ray is on mandatory leave, so she has retreated to Lake Arrowhead with her father. Now that is a story in itself, so if you haven’t read the first book in the series you will want to be sure to do so. While others do not believe Hayley’s best friend Lillian Knox, Emily listens and begins to look into the case further. This story pulled me into this case as Emily ignores orders and investigates. Another hit out of the park of a thriller. I highly recommend Hayley Hope is Gone to all who love a thriller that keeps you on your toes, thinking about the clues of a case.

BOOK: HAYLEY HOPE IS GONE
AUTHOR: MICHELE DOMINQUE GREENE
PUB DATE: 10TH JULY 2024
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
It's a super amazing book! And to think I was about to give up on it. First of all, I'm glad I continued the book. The first couple of chapters were boring to me, but they were necessary and filled with background information on the case and Emily's personal life. I also thought it was going to be a typical mystery, girl, was I wrong!
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
The book started off with the fbi agent fmc, taking a break at a sma town with her dementia father where she met a teenage girl who's trying to figure out what happened to her best friend, Hayley Hope. The situation interested Emily, and she started working on it. I thought it was just a single crime, but it was an organized small-town, cult-like crime.
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
The church in Lake Arrowhead, Church in the Hill, was a typical cult organization with all the trimmings, the submissive women, and the men who blame the women for all their sins. Basically, the cult controlled the whole town, and they have some people as outcasts if they don't conform to their rules. The church was really scary, and I was really glad to see their end.
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
Emily was an elite agent. She was amazing and smart. She was able to outsmart the manipulating people in the small town. She believed the girl no one else would. Now, Lillian was just 15 years old with absent parents, an old (possibly) dementia grandmother, and still managed to talk about her friend's wrongful death. She was young and brave. I admired her.
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️
Anyway, this book was really good, I liked that everyone got the punishment they deserved, and Hayley got the justice she deserved. I eoukd definitely recommend this book, and I can't wait for the next book in the series. I want to read and see more of Emily.
👩🏼‍✈️👩🏼‍✈️

This was a solid mystery with an eerie small-town setting and a dark, slow-burning plot. Emily Ray’s return to Lake Arrowhead brings emotional depth, and the tension builds nicely as she digs into a case no one wants reopened. The stakes felt real, especially with her father’s declining health adding urgency. That said, some of the twists were a bit easy to see coming, and the pacing seemed slow to me in spots. Still, the underlying mystery and themes of long-buried secrets kept me interested to the end and I'm invested enough to go back to read the first book!

Thank you to Storm Publishing via netgalley for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Review was posted (Instagram, Goodreads, bookishlytara blog, Storygraph) on July 11, 2025. (links below)

would like to thank netgalley and the publishers for letting me read this awesome book

emily ray is on special leave from her unit in the fbi so whilst they finish their investigation into her last case she takes a well earned break with her father to a place they use to visit when she was younger....

they have rented a lovely lakeside place and there seems to be only one two other people around them... a grandmother and granddaughter all is peaceful until the granddaughter lillian tells emily about her best friend hayley hope who she says was murdered....

it was enough to to get emily interested and whilst the woman who she had hired to look after her father she started to sniff around... not enough as this was a holiday to relax but it was also enough for emily to find gaps in the investigation.....

things werent adding up... and the childhood friend that emily had made years ago seems to have changed quite a bit...

ohh man this book is fast paced and shocking in its extreme... sometimes second books in a series are just that little bit flat after the first book introductions but this one kept up and introduced another element of emily that we saw....

i cant wait to find out what is next from this author... exciting times ahead