Detective Ellie Reeves has had a lull in her cases until the call comes in about a missing child.

A sudden shiver rippled through her, and she thought of Ms. Eula, the old woman who lived on the hill and who insisted that she heard whispers of the dead.

This author has such a way with words it just sends a chill down your spine. The story was a pulse pounding fast paced ride from start to finish.

This whole story was not at all what I expected. Heartbreaking and tragic with a shocking ending.

Just another reason I love this author so much.

Once again Rita Herron delivers a gripping and suspenseful thriller. That grabbed me from the start and never let go. As Detective Ellie Reeves is called in to investigate when six-year-old Ava Truman goes missing.

And it's a case that gets to everyone involved as every disturbing avenue is investigated, including the local sex offender and the selling of children on the dark web.

But the truth of what has happened to Ava appears to be far more sinister and heart wrenching. And with Christmas fast approaching and the locals becoming increasingly restless and irate at how the case is being handled Ellie and her team, including Ranger Cord McClain, FBI Agent Derrick Fox and reporter Angelica Gomez have to pull out all the stops if they are to bring Ava home alive and well.

I would definitely recommend and genuinely can't wait for book six!

4 1/2 STARS!

An intricately woven tale of terror and deceit! Rita Herron picks up STOLEN ANGELS as the fifth book in her highly addictive Detective Ellie Reeves series at a similar timeframe to when the last book left off as a child goes missing and Ellie has to scramble to cover all of the bases in the hunt to find her. The intrigue was high and the emotions were heartstring pulling worthy. I felt that Ellie wasn't entrenched quite as personally in this book as she has been in all of the rest, but the emotions were solid none the less. Loving this series!

I highly recommend this book as well as the entire series to anyone who enjoys a well plotted mystery with a town of characters always jumping into the midst of the drama to help the hunt, or antagonize the situation. Action packed and enthralling as always.

This is the fifth book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series and I was not disappointed.

Unlike in previous books, this time Ellie is not chasing a serial killer. This time, she has to find a six-year-old girl named Ava, who has probably been kidnapped. And she has to do it before Christmas.

This is a good, suspenseful story. You will definitely find some interesting twists. The whole story is kept in a Christmas vibe, which plays a big role in building the atmosphere. At the same time, it adds some tension and makes us feel how important it is for Ellie to find little Ava before the holidays. I also liked that Ellie and her coworkers catch some other serious criminals in the area while looking for Ava.

We spend the most time with Ellie. Although we sometimes accompany Cord or Derrick, but only from time to time. As in the other books in the series, we also have the POV of the villain. There is also POV of several children and their family members. While I don't usually like changing POVs, this time it didn't bother me. There was a balance between them, and events in between the POVs were not repeated.

Since this is a book about the kidnapping of a little girl, I do not recommend it to those who are extremely sensitive to child abuse. Although there are no vivid examples of physical violence against children here. You can also read this book without any fuss even if you haven't read the previous books in this series. There are some references to events in previous books, but with no details. Of all the books in this series, this one has the least focus on Ellie's life and past.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for entertainment, including those who have not read the previous books in this series.

Suspenseful and brisk paced read. The twisty story and interesting characters had me thoroughly engrossed and I read it in one sitting.
Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC .

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for this gripping book

man oh man this book grips in no other way but terror, when its discovered that a little girl ava didnt make it to school or even manage to get on the school bus all hell breaks loose

detective ellie reeves is called to the scene with days to go till christmas its a race against time to bring ava home

its not helped with the fact that the dad isnt answering his phone and is missing and so is his girlfriend

and time is a factor with missing children....

this is edge of the seat stuff and i have to admit to water leaking from my eye at times...its that good but you wont get anything else done throughout the day as you cant put this book down.. who needs food...when you can read this book

cant wait for another book from this amazing author

Stolen Angels (Detective Ellie Reeves Book 5) by Rita Herron
I am a huge fan of Detective Ellie Reeves and I always look forward to the next installation of this series. However, I do wish Herron would give Ellie a break and sent her on a long uneventful vacation because, bless her heart, the last couple of years have been beyond rough on the detective and this new adventure adds to the pressure.
A child has been kidnapped and the team rushes to find her. Along the way, they discover other local children have also been taken - are the abductions related and part of a human trafficking ring? Of course our team will save the day but who, or what, will be lost forever in the process?
Compared to some of the previous books, this one has a low body count and moves at a very slow pace. Very little action occurs and it's a tedious read in places.
The story does allow Ellie's personal story to go forward but not necessarily in the way I want it to (she and Cord need to be a couple). I am glad Shonda and Angelique are being given more page time.
Wasn't thrilled at this tome, but very hopeful about the next book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

What a cracking read. All the elements of a great, kidnap drama. The fact that it involved a young child made it more tense and I found myself willing the detective to make a break through. Written at a good pace and a very cleverly thought through plot. Plenty of dead ends and drama along the way. As the end nears there are shocks and tragedy. This really is an excellent book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Well that was really an excellent story and very well done! Lara Truman is about to walk her 6 year old daughter, Ava, to the bus stop for school on the last day before Christmas when she smells burning and tells Ava to wait while she takes the cupcakes out of the oven. When she turns around Ava is already out the door. Lara sees the school bus passing by and sees a child that looks like Ava by the window so she goes back inside and takes her migraine tablets. When she wakes up she quickly ices the cupcakes and takes them to the school. But Ava is not there!

This is the start of the nightmare for the Truman family. Ellie Reeves is on the case straight away, an amber alert is issued and a search commenced but all to no avail. As the story progresses you learn that other little girls have disappeared. Exactly one year ago a little girl, Becky, disappeared and six months ago 6 year old Kaylee Wilkinson disappeared from a beach. Her mother was arrested for her murder despite the lack of a body. The mother Renee killed herself shortly after in prison.

Ellie starts to wonder about connections but nobody could have guessed how these children were really connected. Nevertheless Ellie is relentless in her pursuit of the girls. And it all comes to a head on Christmas Eve in a literal snowstorm.

It was a very sad story really. It’s hard to imagine a mother’s anguish at losing a child. But most of us would not resort to the extreme measures that occurred in this story. The characters are, by now, very familiar and feel like old friends - Ellie the tenacious investigator, FBI agent Derrick Fox and ranger Cord McLain who I think stillI Carrie’s a candle for Ellie. The plot was fast paced and very tense.

I give this book 4 stars. I might have rated it higher but I am burnt out from reading about abducted children (and women). If the next book is along the same lines I might have to pass which is a shame because I do like the characters. Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. This series just keeps getting better. This one is another emotional rollercoaster. Missing girls bring Ellie, Derrick, Cord, and Angelica together again. This one is action packed, full of tension, and has plenty of twists. Ellie has grown so much since book one. I can't wait for the next one!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Stolen Angels, the fifth novel to feature Detective Ellie Reeves, of the Crooked Creek, Georgia Police Department.

6 year old Ava Truman runs out the door to catch the school bus while her mother’s back is turned, except she doesn’t get on the bus. Ellie knows that every second counts in a missing child case and is working flat out to find Ava, but with few clues she isn’t getting very far until a text suggesting Ava isn’t the only one arrives.

Some parts of Stolen Angels I really enjoyed, other parts I couldn’t be bothered with. This is the first time I’ve felt like this in the series, so whether it’s my mood or the novel didn’t work for me I don’t know.

The novel is told from two main points of view, Ellie’s investigation and what happened to Ava. I liked the investigation, as there are several twists and turns and there is a good sense of tension running through it. Ellie is a trier and her doggedness is appealing, as is her sharp tongue with those not as dedicated. What happens to Ava is quite boring as it is fairly repetitive, full of cod psychology and doesn’t really move the plot forward. It feels like padding to me with a couple of unbelievable surprises thrown in.

I didn’t feel that Stolen Angels had enough pulse pounding forward momentum to really hold my interest.

A heartbreaking new Ellie Reeves novel about a mising child that will tear your heart out. Ellie as always devots her days and nights to finding the missing child, though some in town seem to think she does nothing. It seems to be an uphill battle with little to show for it. With determination and a team of outstanding people around her including Derrek, Cord and her sister she will stop at nothing to find her. However there seems to be a lot more going on then she could have ever imagined and time may be running out and with Christmas days away she is more committed then ever to being her home safe.

3.5⭐

This story follows Ellie as she searches for missing Ava, and in turn stumbles into something even darker. This is the 5th book in the Detective Ellie Reeves series. I have not read the previous 4 books, and while I know things/people from previous books were mentioned I was not confused at all while reading this one!

This book was a very fast paced, edge of your seat mystery that kept me turning the pages till the end! It was also so very heartbreaking. As a mother myself, I could totally sympathize with Lara and the other mothers in the book, and felt my heart breaking over and over for them. There was so much build up to what had happened, and then I felt that the ending was too rushed.

Thank you Bookouture for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Stolen Angels is the fifth book in the series with Ellie Reeves as the primary character. This can be a stand-alone book, but the series is so good you will want to start at the beginning.

Lara Truman arrives at school to drop of the cupcakes she promised to bring for her daughter's class. But when she gets there, she doesn't see her daughter. Lara quickly begins to panic as she questions the teacher, the bus driver, and the principal, but no one remembers seeing Ava. Ellie Reeves as well as other agencies for missing children are immediately contacted. With Christmas just a few days away everyone is extremely motivated to locate the missing child. There are several suspects as always, the father separated from the wife and away for a few days moves to the top of the list, and a child predator living behind the house also becomes a suspect. There will be many twists and turns in this fast-paced story. The parents, Ellie and her team are hoping for a Christmas miracle as it turns out there are more missing children connected to Ava's disappearance.

I am a fan of Rita Herron and her stories. They have wonderful story lines and well-developed characters that keep you totally hooked turning page after page.

Wow ! An explosive page turner filled with dark secrets and heartbreak ! A mesmerizing story filled with unforgettable characters ! I highly recommend this book ! Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and this book ! Opinions are solely my own ! #Netgalley #Bookouture #StolenAngels

Stolen Angels is fifth in the Ellie Reeves series and might be able to be read as a standalone but best in order of series because Ellie’s history always comes into play. A child goes missing and the mother is blamed. A year later, another child disappears on the way to the bus stop. The mother is distraught. The child is a transplant recipient and needs daily medication. Best case scenario Ellie knows is the a custody dispute, but the father doesn’t have the girl and someone tells a reporter about other missing little girls. Ellie is in a race with time to uncover the child before her health is endangered. The usual cast of characters put in an appearance as Ellie’s support group. Fast paced, chilling, and a little heartbreaking for another Ellie Reeves book delivering the suspense and mystery to thrill and endear Ellie to readers. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

Thank You for allowing me to read this Arc.
Rita Herron is an absolutely brilliant author.
Stolen Angels is full of suspense. I was left guessing until the very end! I just couldn't put it down. I cannot praise it highly enough. Most definitely worth five stars.

"Stolen Angels" is the latest installment in the Detective Ellie Reeves series. The story centers around the disappearance of a five-year old girl named Ava Truman and Ellie's attempt to find her. All of your favorite characters are back as well as some that you love to hate. This book is feels a bit less dark than some of the other books in the series which fit my mood!

A little girl goes missing just before Christmas and Detective Ellie Reeves raced to find her. Lots of twists and turns and some heartbreak along the way.A great read.

Thank you for the advance copy of #StolenAngels by #RitaHerron
I have not read the previous books in this series Detective Ellie Reeves (but I intend to remedy that)
It can be read alone but I think it would be better if they were read in order.
Lara and her daughter Ava are so looking forward to Christmas and it’s only a few days away when the unthinkable happens and Ava goes missing. Detective Ellie Reeves and everyone else in Crooked Creek are searching and praying for her.
Ellie is chasing down leads when she learns that Ava is not the first child to go missing in the area, are they connected, can she find the truth and bring Ava and the other girls home for Christmas.
A gripping tale.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️