Having enjoyed DS Carrie Flynn's introduction in "The Night Caller" I was looking forward to her second outing in THE QUIET GIRLS, hoping some of the loose ends left in the first book would be on the way to being tied up in the second. One thing I really hate in books, even those in a series, are loose ends. It's like television shows that end the season on a cliffhanger...it's not like you're not coming back so why leave fans hanging? It's a pet peeve of mine and yet so many authors are guilty of it.

THE QUIET GIRLS begins with a taster for fans where the previous one left off regarding DS Carrie Flynn's past of her missing sister, Hattie. When I read the opening chapter I found myself hoping that there would be more of an element regarding this 20 year old mystery, instead of just being a backstory as it was previously.

But we would have to wait and see for the story then takes a turn as we see Carrie and her DC Paul Harper receive and replay a telephone message over and over from a distraught caller stating they had provided information and nothing was done and that now they were going to take matters into their own hands. The voice was disguised but the closer Carrie listened the more she felt the voice was female. Carrie insists the caller is a victim but Paul isn't so sure, given their intention to possibly commit a crime.

11 year old Melanie Wilson is meeting her two friends, Kelly and Tanisha, in the hope the girls will accept her as "one of them". The three girls decide to embark on an adventure, entering what they thought to be an abandoned house. But when one of them is attacked by a man wearing a grotesque mask who is naked from the waist down, Melanie gets her two friends out as they run for their lives, without looking back.

Melanie's mother Alice arrives home at 7pm to find her husband Harry sitting in the dark, no Melanie, and oblivious to the fact their daughter has not returned home. Alice panics and goes in search of Melanie, relieved to find her disembarking a bus at the end of the street. They return home to find a dishevelled Harry, silently cursing himself for not noticing their daughter was missing.

Later that evening, Melanie discloses to her parents what happened at the house. Harry wants to report it, Alice does not. As a lawyer, she points out that the girls entered a house without permission and probably frightened the occupant with everything else nothing more than Melanie's overactive imagination. Unbeknownst to them, Kelly's mother has taken her daughter off to the police station to report what had taken place inside the house without disclosing Melanie's presence. As Kelly refuses to co-operate, the police can do nothing so the matter is shelved. But Kelly's mother refuses to let it go and organises a group of concerned parents to storm the house protesting the presence of paedophiles preying on their children.

When Carrie and Paul receive a complaint from a resident that they have been targeted by a group naming them as paedophiles, Carrie realises the girls' mother took the matter further. But as the man reveals, it couldn't have been him, or his brother, as they were out of the country at the time and with flight details to prove it. So Carrie must now inform the group of his innocence and move them on. But the resident discloses that while they were away, his brother had organised for a decorator to come in and work on their house however his details have been misplaced. So who was the decorator? Was he the man who assaulted young Kelly Prout?

Meanwhile, Harry Wilson decides that he must keep his family safe and after the incident with the suspected paedophile, particularly Melanie. So without consulting his wife, Harry sells up their house and packs up their belongings and moves them to Pomona island, a remote and abandoned island off Manchester. Also making the move with them are the Hadleys, the father whose carpentry skills Harry would find useful for their new life on Pomona. No one is particularly thrilled with the move but go along with it anyway. But once they get there and the boat that brought them across leaves, they are faced with the reality of their isolation as Harry excitedly organises them into groups to explore the island and where to find food, water and wood.

But as days turn into weeks, things are not going the way Harry had planned. Liz Hadley hasn't even set foot outside their cottage let alone made it a home for herself and her family. Their twins, Willow and Lenon, speak only to each other and spend days in the woods away from everyone else. Not only that, Melanie had seen the brother and sister sleeping in the same bed together, huddled together like lovers. And then there is Alice. Admittedly, she has made their cottage into a little home but aside from that she is not engaging with him or even their neighbours. In fact, she seems to disappear for hours at a time on her own. Only Gabe Hadley and Melanie seem to be on board with this new life. Gabe has built sheds from bits of tin and timber to store their wood for the next winter, while he has been showing Melanie how to make snares to capture rabbits for their meals. Harry feels sure that the others will come round to this new and pure way of life. Or will they?

Back on the mainland, Carrie and Paul have received reports of the Hadley twins going missing and that of Melanie Wilson from their respective schools. When they arrive at the Hadley home to investigate, they find it locked up and abandoned, with the entire family leaving early one morning some weeks ago. Where were they going and why leave under the shroud of the pre-dawn? Were they running from something? Carrie tasks Paul with looking into the Hadley's lives in the hope of uncovering any answers.

Before they have a chance to investigate Melanie's disappearance, they receive information that Melanie had been present when Kelly Prout was attacked and endeavour to question the girl's mother as to why she didn't tell them about it at the time? Whether it made a difference or not at the time, who knows, but what they do know NOW is that Melanie is missing. Did it have something to do with the assault on Kelly? And how was it linked to the Hadley twins disappearance?

Interwoven throughout the story, in alternate chapters, are flashbacks of Carrie and her 6 year old sister Hattie on the day of Hattie's disappearance for which Carrie has always blamed herself. Their mother insisting Carrie take her sister, her promises to see the horses, the long walk to the park as well as Hattie constantly asking for ice cream. We see the lead-up to Hattie's disappearance to when suddenly she is gone.

Whilst investigating the case of these missing children and the possibility of a paedophile in the area, Carrie finds herself haunted by the flashbacks and the nightmare of her sister going missing. But it's her darkest secret she must draw on to help her find these children, as they try to locate the Hadley twins and Melanie and her family.

I thoroughly enjoyed THE QUIET GIRLS far more than the first book, probably because we are given more insight into the 20 year mystery of Carrie's little sister's disappearance. In it we have a little bit more closure, though not completely, which again is frustrating though I hope Jeanette ties those loose ends up for us with the next installment.

What I especially love about this series is that the entire focus is not on the police investigation. In fact in some cases, the investigation takes a backseat to the bigger picture but without overshadowing Carrie and her partner Paul. I find a glimpse into each aspect gives the story more depth.

There is one aspect that didn't sit right with me and that was the ages of each of the "potential" victims of the paedophile. The despicable nature of such crimes notwithstanding, there is an age preference to these people, and yet the ages in this book ranged from young child to pre-teen to adolescent which is not how they work and isn't completely accurate. I felt lumping all ages together was like saying all Muslims are terrorists and all dog attacks are by staffies. It's like I like milk chocolate yet my husband likes white chocolate. It's not a technicality, it's a fact.

Although this is the second book in the series, THE QUIET GIRLS can be read as a stand-a-lone quite easily, but I think you'd be missing out if you didn't read "The Night Caller" first.

I look forward to Carrie Flynn's third outing with her DC, and maybe a loose end or two tied up a little neater to give the rest of us a kind of closure. Definitely recommend!

I would like to thank #JMHewitt, #NetGalley and #Bookouture for an ARC of #TheQuietGirls in exchange for an honest review.

Having read The Night Caller I was so excited to read the second in this wonderful Carrie Flynn series - even better than the first this is the perfect combination of psychological thriller and detective story. Never a dull moment, I rushed through to the explosive conclusion. Bring on the next one!

This was such a unique read. A police procedural where Carrie and her partner Paul investigate teenagers reported missing by the school system. A family disappearing to an desolate island Pamona to get away from it all. Another family joining to help with starting a new community. I had to google to see if anything like this place really existed and it does!! Its a dark story but gripping with a heartwrenching back tale.

Another book I enjoyed. Fantastic plot and gripping too. It went just at the right pace and I didn't want to put it down. Thank you NetGalley for this ARC.

This mystery thriller zigged when I thought it was going to zag and went in a completely different direction from what I expected. The plotting was good, the characters (and their backgrounds) were unique, and there was enough action that I kept turning pages and finished it in one sitting. The message that even the best intentions can go horribly wrong is clear and Carrie’s backstory adds dimension to the story. I definitely recommend this book. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of this book.

I can not proclaim to love J M Hewitt anymore than I already do!

Hot of the heels of “The Night Caller” comes her second book with Bookouture “The Quiet Girls” and you are most certainly in for the ride of your life once more.

What if you think the only way to protect your daughter from the evils of the world was to scoop her and her mother up and move to a remote island. Just so you are prepared you ask a friend if his family want to come along to. Your prepared because your friend has a trade and he will be useful on the island. Though after all your careful planning you are in fact leading both your wife and your daughter into further danger and into a trap from the very people you are trying to protect her from.

Mean while back in England Carrie is still haunted by her sister’s disappearance all those years ago.

In this novel we learn more about what happened to Carrie’s sister Hattie and the aftermath that followed. Which at times I found heart breaking and even shed the odd tear.

Carrie is also hot on the case of a mystery phone caller, who is blaming the police for not capturing someone after they were given his name.

There are so many layers in this book and so many character’s stories to follow, though the author writes mainly from the character’s point of view and not those who are investigating the crime I found myself entwined wanting to know how everything pans out.

Ps: My daughter is named Melanie! I never knew it came from the wind in the willows!

Melanie was a thoughtful child. She loved books & enjoyed the hours she spent with her dad who was a stay at home dad. His descents into depression were a worry; so was the every nagging wish to be in with the 'popular' girls. When an afternoon out with them leads to a narrow escape from a masked man, her dad decides that the family is not safe. Melanie's mother has been struggling as the breadwinner for a while & her sudden resignation from work is the perfect time for the family to escape from the rat race & to live a different kind of life. Along with another family they move to a small island to be self sufficient & away from modern evils. But what if the escape is not all it seems?

Melanie's disappearance from school, along with the twins from the other family send red flags to Detective Carrie Flynn, she knows what it's like to be part of a family where a child disappears- her little sister went missing twenty years earlier.

Overall this was a good read. I did struggle a bit to believe that everyone would up sticks like that & be swept along by one person's obsession, but if you put that aside, it kept me reading, wanting to know how things would turn out.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

What a perfect and brilliant continuation to what is proving to be a great series!

In this second instalment, following on from the first book - The Night Caller, Detective Carrie Flynn has a case involving a missing eleven-year-old named Melanie Wilson, and she is reminded of a tragic time in her childhood when her little sister, Hattie went missing when they were children. The face of the man who took Hattie is a blank in Carrie’s memory. The culprit was never found and as a result, Carrie swore she would become a detective.

Twenty years later, Carrie is awash with memories of her lost sister. Searching for Melanie, Carrie finds footage of the young girl with her parents at a harbour, boarding a boat. Carrie realises they have headed for a deserted wasteland, the river island Pomona. Then the police receive a mysterious message from another woman, calling from the same docks where Melanie vanished. Carrie is sure Melanie and her family are in terrible danger and something in the voice of the messenger sounds horrifyingly familiar. It may be unconnected with her lost little sister, but she would never ignore a plea for help.

This type of novel is right up my street - a tense psychological thriller about relationships and hidden feelings, as well as overcoming frustrations and those dark and negative thoughts. It also touches on the issue of paedophilia but without any graphic detail. With a chunk of police procedural to savour, the complex, multi-layered plot was well thought-out and I very much appreciated JM Hewitt's superb and varied characterisation, even though some of the realistic and believable characters weren't particularly personable.

Although this is the second book in the series, The Quiet Girls can be read as a stand-alone, but you would be missing out if you didn’t read The Night Caller first. I absolutely relished reading The Quiet Girls, which I can highly recommend without any hesitation.

Gripping until the very end, I can't wait to read more of Detective Carrie Flynn!

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Bookouture via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

The Quiet Girls by J.M. Hewitt is the second book in the DI Carrie Flynn series and what a brilliant book this was.
I was hooked within the first few pages and I just loved it. This book is full of twists and turns throughout but easy to follow. The end chapter's just took my breathe away and I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

It's a great psychological thriller that will have you hooked and wanting more by this author.

This is one series of book that will stay with me for a long time.

Big Thank You to NetGalley, Bookouture and the author J.M. Hewitt for my ARC in exchange for an honest review

The police station has been getting calls for help from a young woman but she rings off without revealing any further details.
Three girls break into a house that isn’t as empty as they hoped. A man in a mask is there…
One of the girls, Melanie Wilson, is taken to a deserted island by her father to escape society’s menace but will she be safe there?
Carrie Flynn investigates both cases and discovers they are linked! Meanwhile, she is dealing with her own past and the disappearance of her little sister which led to her mother’s mental collapse and her own trauma-induced amnesia.
I was initially quite confused by the focus on Melanie’s family and their decision to cut themselves off. Their characters are well developed through the plot and the reason behind the author’s focus on the Wilson family becomes clear. I really enjoyed the intricacies of the relationship between Melanie’s parents: they are both so human and vulnerable.
We only became aware of Carrie’s own past right at the end of the previous book so the flashbacks to her childhood are new and devastating. In the present day, she is beginning to allow herself to bond with her colleagues, in particular Paul. The police procedure elements to the book were realistic and interesting without being overdramatic.
J.M. Hewitt sustained my interest even when I couldn’t see where the plot was going. The characters create an emotional pull that makes compelling reading. I look forward to seeing what the author has planned for Carrie next as she moves forward from her tragic past.

This was an awesome follow up to J.M. Hewitt’s previous novel “The Night Caller” which was definitely one of the best books I have read in 2019. She is going to be a star in her league of great crime authors. I am very much looking forward to the follow up novel to this one “The Reckoning”.

What starts off for Ds Carrie Fisher and Dc Paul Harper as a investigation into the alleged assault or attempted abduction of a young girl eventually becomes a complex investigation into the disappearance of two families. One of which just happens to be the family of a girl who witnessed the assault.

In Harry's mind giving up everything and moving his family to deserted Pomono Island was the best way of protecting his beloved daughter Melanie from harm especially after her narrow escape and near abduction. But little does Harry realise that all his good intentions have only propelled her into more intense danger.

During the course of their investigation, Carrie and Paul are shocked to discover that a young girl who has been calling the station and accusing the police of ignoring her requests for help seems also to have disappeared at the same time as Melanie. Now they find themselves caught up in a desperate search for two missing girls. Meanwhile a sinister,twisted predator is hiding in plain sight,plotting, scheming and waiting for the perfect opportunity to act out their sickening desires.

The chapters of this totally mesmerizing, gripping thriller alternate between Carrie,Melanie and Melanie's mum and Dad, Alice and Harry. The three woman were likeable,feisty characters who each had their own individual traits and personalities. I loved Melanie's devotion to her father and her willingness to accept and adapt to her new life on the island and also her ability to read people's moods by the colours of their auras. I loved how Alice's character evolved as the story unfolded and how she started to stand up to her domineering husband. I could fully understand Harry's reasons for moving his family over onto the island, all caring parents want to be able to keep their children safe from harm but I thought that the way he went about it was underhanded and just a little bit selfish. Although I did like Carrie and I loved the working relationship she had with Paul,she did come across as having a bit of an attitude problem at times and could be quite snappy during her interactions with people especially Paul. I suppose her reluctance to get close to people was understandable considering the tragic events from her past. Interspersed throughout the story was chapters that took the reader back into the past and chronicled events during and after the day that Carrie's sister Hattie was abducted. One of the reasons that I enjoyed this book so much was that is not one of your average police procedural,there was no forensics,no team meetings and no annoying bosses hovering in the background and breathing down Carrie and Paul's necks. It was just Carrie and Paul working together to solve the case and find the missing people.

The Quiet Girls is an expertly plotted,well written thriller that had me hooked in from the first page and frantically turning the pages. On one hand I really wanted to know how the story was going to end whilst on the other hand I didn't want to finish the book. There was a prevailing sense of foreboding permeating the chapters set on Pomono Island. Whilst reading these chapters the reader had ever increasing feelings of unease and sensed that something bad was going to happen. The intensity increasing as the story unfolded. Although this is the second book in the series,it can be read and enjoyed as a stand alone. I really really enjoyed this enthralling thriller and look forward to reading more books in this series including the first book The Night Caller which I haven't had the pleasure of reading yet. The Quiet Girls is a amazing book and very very highly recommended

This is my first time delving into this authors work and I'm hooked....
I didn't read Book 1 in the series but I don't think it mattered at all....
This story is about Detective Carrie Fletcher...
Carrie's sister Hattie was kidnapped twenty years ago and the kidnapper has never been found leaving the case still open.
Carrie wants to solve the case and feels the new missing girls may be linked to her sisters disappearance.
If only she could remember though, put some features to the blank face always staring back at her every time she thinks back to that time.
A face she can't quite see every time she closes her eyes...
She is haunted by what happened to her sister...
I quite like the character Carrie, very likeable and her partner Paul. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series with these two...
They seem to get on well together.
But what has missing girl Melanie Wilson got to do with Hattie's disappearance? Is there a connection....
Carrie's race to solve the case makes you turn the pages at a rate faster than lightening....
A novel that will have your hairs standing....
Oh and there is drama, lots of it.....
An exciting read, well worth taking the time to read....

I do enjoy a mystery thriller and this did not disappoint.
Two stories run through the book, the detective Carrie’s traumatic past and the intriguing story set in the present. Will they collide? Family relationships are revealed and put to the test. I liked some characters more than others but otherwise fast paced and unputdownable.

I have been a fan of J. M. Hewitt's work for a little while now. I have read and enjoyed each and every book that she has released. The synopsis for 'The Quiet Girls' certainly sounded interesting and I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. As soon as I managed to get my fingers on a copy, I settled down and began to read. Blimey, 'The Quiet Girls' is certainly a read and a half, which I did enjoy reading but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into this book, which is because my mind was elsewhere and worrying about somebody and cannot be taken as a reflection on the author. I did eventually get into the story. I can't say that 'The Quiet Girls' was a book that I could binge read over the course of a day, but I did manage to read it over the course of a couple of days. I read it in chunks which worked for me because it meant that I could read some and then go away to reflect on what I had just read. The further into the book I got, the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I raced through the latter half of the book as I had to know just what happened to Carrie's sister and if that was connected to Melanie's disappearance. The pages turned so quickly that it was almost as if they were turning themselves and then I reached the end far sooner than I had anticipated or wanted. I don't mean that to sound bad but I was enjoying the author's writing style, the characters and the storylines that much that I just wanted the book to continue.
'The Quiet Girls' is well written but then I find that to be the case with all of the books that this author has written. She certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start and without your realising it, she tightens her grip on your attention making escape impossible- not that I wanted to escape I hasten to add. The author writes so realistically and uses such vivid descriptions that I really did feel as though I was part of the story myself. In actual fact I felt as though I was another detective on Carrie's team. I enjoyed learning more about Carrie's past and the relationship she shares with her close friend and colleague.
Reading this book was much like being on a scary and unpredictable rollercoaster ride with more twists and turns than you know what to do with. Just when you thought that you could take a breather then off the action would go again.
In short, 'The Quiet Girls' was an interesting and enjoyable read, which I would definitely recommend to other readers. I will definitely be reading more from J. M. Hewitt in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

I am seriously angry with myself!!!! Why have I never read anything by this author before?!? Despite having three of her previous novels sat on my kindle, I am kicking myself for not delving into any of them!!! Bad Knight!!!!!

I loved the dual timelines between Carrie’s past and the present and how the present splits between different people. This simple but fully intertwined concept kept me looking every which way trying to see what was going on from all angles. But when I was looking left, I probably should have been looking straight ahead as the author threw clues at me. The build was tense, topped off with a seriously delicious cherry of a climax!

This dark police procedural had me glued to my kindle for hours. The author’s writing totally gasped my imagination and emotions as Carrie dealt with buried feelings desperately trying to find missing Melanie. I’ll definitely be rectifying my omission of the author’s previous work!!

This was quite a twisted tale, a thriller mixed with a police investigation. D.I. Carrie was back with her colleague Paul, and they were thrown into quite a conundrum with the cases which came to them head-on.

It all started with 3 young girls going into an empty house and seeing something or someone which haunted them. A family rushing out to an island in order to escape evil. And one phone call by a young girl asking for help were the three pieces which started this story. And Detective Carrie had to traverse the way through this minefield. Carrie's past too came to the surface.

My second book by author J. M. Hewitt, and I was quite thrown aback at the way the story twisted and turned. From a phone call for help to an island of escape, I was quite amazed at the way the author planned out the different parts of the story. It read so fast that I never knew when it got done, I found myself quite eager to know how it would all come together.

The ending led to a massive reveal which had everyone shocked. This was one of my most different reads. I should have expected the unexpected when I knew I was reading a book by J. M. Hewitt.

Some parts might have appeared a bit unbelievable, but desperate people do take decisions in a panic. That didn't bother me much as I was too curious to know the secrets. A different but fun read. I would be on guard in book 3.

Detective Carrie Flynn is working a new case. A young girl claims to have been sexually assaulted. Anonymous phone calls to 999, a family have gone missing. Could they all be linked?

Carrie is still carrying the pain of her sister’s disappearance decades earlier and the pain her mother has gone through which resulted in Carrie’s lonely childhood. Will she ever get peace.

This is the second book in the Carrie Flynn series and I enjoyed this one more than the first. I think because the characters were more established and I would love to see what happens in the next book.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

Well, this is a weird book. No,no need to stop reading here. I mean weird in a good way.

There is so much going on that your head is spinning. It's like there are 3 books in here for the price of one. In the beginning I had no idea how that would end and how it would work out.

At this point authors can do magic. They start with storylines that seem to be miles apart and in the end you see the gap between them getting smaller and smaller until the link that binds them is finaly revealed.

What have I learned? Thinking with your heart instead of your head can put you in some very dangerous situations and sometimes you are leaping out of the frying pan and into the fire. 4 stars.

Thank you, J.M. Hewitt and Bookouture.

This book was a good read with a decent plot, it was reasonably fast paced and had a dark twisted plot that i loved. The only thing i disliked were the separate stories told by different characters. I didnt find alot of build up till the very end as each character had alot of story to explain and alot of back story.
We have Carrie whose sister was snatched right in front of her when they were very young, no one ever found her or the perp. She is the detective brought in on a possible crime/missing child/assault of a child.
Melanie- Who saved her friend from a sexual assault and whom is taken by her family to live on a remote island and live off the land with another family
The other family (Gabe, Liz and the teenage twins) A strange family that goes with Melanies family to the island to live off the land. We dont get alot of back ground on this family except the constant pointing out of their odd behaviors. Which is a little odd as some of these guys become key players.

Overall the ending was suspenseful, the story came together well and i would certainly pick up another book in this series. It just seemed a bit cluttered is all which took away from the potential.