FBI agent Emily Rea is on mandatory leave following her last case and is in Lake Arrowhead with her father who is at an early stage of dementia. Her husband and twin girls are having a break with his family. Her neighbours are an elderly woman and her teenage granddaughter, Lilian, whose parents are off on their normal important photographic expeditions. Lilian is greatly missing her friend Hayley who was found drowned a short while before and is convinced that she was murdered. Emily works with child abuse/abduction cases so is very concerned. The isolated community has all it could offer - the Alpha couple who delight in controlling everyone, the oh so religious community, a fire and brimstone pastor, anti colour/gay anything not white protestants. Emily uncovers a lot of missing girls, usually of the wrong this, that or the other and there are a lot of questions that need answering. She wheedles the answers eventually and a satisfactory ending. The cliff edge is with her family but that will be another story. Well-written, pacy, complex and a good read. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This is a pacy and chilling sequel, to Michele Dominguez Greene’s tension-filled debut, My Name is Emily Ray. After closing the case that almost destroyed her career, Special Agent Emily Ray is on mandatory leave from CARD (Child Abduction Rapid Deployment). She has retreated to the resort community of Lake Arrowhead in the Californian mountains, with her ageing father. However, all it not as it seems and Emily is soon investigating a suspected murder, missing teens, disturbing corruption, and a complex web of lies.

I recommend reading the stories in order, to fully understand the humanity of Emily Ray, who is such a compelling protagonist. This emotional and dark story includes plenty of FBI investigation and police procedural elements, exploration of the public vs private persona, complex family dynamics, and systemic failures for the most vulnerable.

Give this series a read you enjoy complex protagonists, high-stakes investigations, and pulse-pounding twists.

I am very excited to read more about Special Agent Emily Ray!

With many thanks to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy of this propulsive story, in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first book by this author and i regret not reading it in order! Nonetheless, I truly enjoyed this gripping and intense thriller read. It was like reading an episode of criminal minds that I HAD to finish it in one sitting. Although some parts were a bit far fetched, it was still good till the end. Looking forward to what’s next for our girl Em (and going back to read the first book)


Thank you to NetGalley and Michele for this ARC! Truly appreciate it 🫶🏽

I enjoyed the storyline and the potential for my storylines after reading the first book! The second book nailed it!

While on leave from her last case, FBI agent Emily Ray takes her dad to a small town where they previously vacationed years ago. Once there though, she comes across a young teenage neighbour, who is convinced that her best friend's death from weeks ago is not a suicide as the town believes.
Emily starts to realize all is not what it seems in this tourist town.

I loved this one! It had the elements of mystery that I loved- twists and turns, creepy suspects and drama! I loved it and can't wait for the next one!

I read the first book in this series, I am Emily Ray, and really liked the premise of the series. This second book knocked it out of the park.

Emily Ray takes her father to the lake town where they vacationed when she was younger. It’s supposed to be a trip to relax and unwind while Emily is on leave from work. When she arrives she meets the teenager that lives next door to the rental she and her dad are staying in. Lillian is convinced that someone killed her best friend. As she gives Emily the details of Hayley Hope’s suicide, Emily realizes that something isn’t right… Her vacation very quickly turns into an investigation that uncovers more than Emily could have ever imagined.

This book immediately gave me cult vibes, which I loved! It very quickly escalated to a town where things are not what they seem. At the center of it all is the Church on the Hill.

This book was fast paced, twisty, and unputdownable! I couldn’t wait to finish to see what happened, but at the same time didn’t want it to end. I can’t wait to see what the next book in the series is about.

This book was good but not great. I had a hard time understanding why the father of the main character was even there. It’s was more of a distraction than anything. As a super fan of Dateline, I could see this being an episode. This review doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t give the author another try.

Special Agent Emily Ray is supposed to be enjoying a vacation with her father up at a lake when she hears about a girl who was recently found drowned. It was too quickly deemed to be an accidental drowning, according to her best friend, Lillian, who lives next to the lake house where Emily is staying. She believes her friend Hayley was murdered and that there was a cover-up involving a conservative church and the local sheriff’s department. She tells Emily that there’s a group of church members who pretty much run everything up on the mountain, and they don’t take kindly to being questioned or accused. But that never stops Emily, does it?

She slowly earns Lillian’s trust and looks into her accusations. What she finds is disturbing – there’s been a pattern of missing girls who are vulnerable and easily written off as runaways. We know where this is going – it’s up to Emily to investigate and find justice before she becomes the next female at the lake to disappear.

It’s quite an emotional story because it’s so realistic. Young people in isolated communities with nothing else to do except cause trouble and intimidate others who don’t fit in. The corruption is rampant, involving even social workers and foster families. This story may be fictional, but it’s heartbreaking knowing horrible things like this occur all over every day. That’s why I admire authors who write tough stories like this, painting a picture of the neglected and abused and the corrupt agencies that are supposed to help them.

I was really invested in this story and seeing the guilty parties face justice. The characterization of the evildoers was so good – I almost couldn’t stand reading about them; they were such terrible people! This series is now one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to see who or what Emily Ray comes up against next!

I’ve been counting down the days until I could get my hands on this second book featuring Special Agent Emily Ray. I adored the first book in the series ‘My Name is Emily Ray’ and this second book, ‘Hayley Hope is Gone’, has certainly lived up to my expectations!
We join Emily, currently on mandatory leave from work, as she takes her father on vacation to a small mountain town which she knows from her childhood. However, once there, she begins to encounter worrying situations and suspicious behaviour, leading her to investigate further.
Again, I loved the characters and found myself drawn into the storyline so strongly that I just couldn’t put it down. I would say it is possible to read this as a standalone mystery but there are several references to Emily Rays backstory in it that will make so much more sense if you read the first book beforehand.
So… I am back to counting down the days until Michelle Dominguez Greene releases the third book in the series and I can continue my journey with Emily Ray.

Another great book in the Emily ray series.

I enjoyed the book however the pacing was a little off, I found the beginning quite boring however it really picked up in the middle and end.

The plot was great, I predicted a lot of it but not to the extent of what happened, I loved how it showed how a typical small town can work where everyone knows each other

My biggest pet peeve, was sammy disappeared from the book and then popped back up in the epilogue so that confused me

Overall an enjoyable read

This was such a good book. I loved the story and the writing so much. The characters were great and the story flowed smoothly. Will definitely read more books by this author in the future.

A gripping and twisty thriller. I had a hard time putting it down! The story is engaging and keeps you both guessing and on the edge of your seat. I would recommend to anyone who likes thrillers with a strong, capable and likable female lead.

Dealing with the ramifications and fallout from the Josie Vance case (Book 1), Special Agent Emily Ray packs up her dad (who has dementia) and heads to Lake Arrowhead, a mountain town where she vacationed as a child. But peace is not to be found here, when her neighbor Lillian (age 15) works to convine Emily that Hayley did not drown, she was murdered by some of the towns people. And these towns people are giving Emily some hinky vibes. Even though she's officially benched by the FBI, Emily cannot help poke around to see what she can find out... and it's such a compelling read as she struggles to find the balance between her work and personal lives. Michelle Dominguez Greene has written such an empathetic and driven character in Emily Ray - this Series has quicky become one of my absolute favorites! A huge thank you to Storm Publishing for an advanced reader of this book - the opinions expressed are my own.

Hayley Hope is Gone: A gripping and unputdownable thriller (Special Agent Emily Ray Book 2) by Michelle Dominguez Greene starts well. I was very sad to come to the end of this book. I really liked Emily Ray and thought Lillian and Eddie were great characters. I enjoyed Lillian’s grandmother and Michael, Emily’s father, and the story and the sensitivity of portraying dementia. The story is intense and quite dark with intense drama, a compelling page-turner.

Special Agent Emily Ray’s journey to uncover the truth behind the drowning of a teenage girl in the seemingly peaceful town of Lake Arrowhead is both gripping and emotional. There were some tear-jerking moments. The author did a masterful job of blending suspense with character depth, particularly through Emily’s personal struggles and her bond with Hayley’s best friend, Lillian.

The narrative uncovers dark secrets and complicity within the community, raising important themes about vulnerability and justice, and there were some "cringey" moments of how people behave in public and private. With its unpredictable twists and compelling prose, this book is a must-read for thriller fans. More, please!! I cannot wait to see what will happen next.

I would highly recommend this book and this author. Read book one so you get to know Emily Ray and her backstory. You won’t be disappointed.

#HayleyHopeisGone #NetGalley @Stormbooks_co

I enjoyed this book, second in the Emily Ray series. While Emily is waiting to be reinstated at her job in the missing person department of the FBI, she brings her father with her to a mountain resort town. She has spent many summers vacations in this town and is looking forward to reconnecting with Dad and a friend who lives in town. While vacationing, she stumbles upon some suspicious activity. With the help of the teenager in the house next door to her rental, she slowly uncovers the town terrible secrets. I enjoyed this suspenseful mystery.

This was such a dark and twisted thriller. It’s a horrible tale of greed, corruption and utterly horrific things done to children. The tale is told with sensitivity. The characters are well thought out. The book flowed smoothly. The writing is amazing. I look forward to the next book in he series. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Michele Domínguez Greene follows up her electrifying debut My Name Is Emily Ray with another emotionally charged, tension-packed thriller that doesn’t flinch from the dark.

After narrowly surviving the fallout of her last case, Special Agent Emily Ray is benched and nursing wounds that go deeper than the Bureau can see. She retreats to Lake Arrowhead, a seemingly serene mountain town steeped in her childhood memories. But peace is short-lived. When a teenage girl is found drowned under suspicious circumstances and the police close the book with a shrug, Emily can’t ignore the gnawing questions—or the pleas of Hayley Hope’s grieving best friend.

What unfolds is a haunting investigation that peels back the town’s well-kept image to reveal a chilling pattern: girls have been vanishing for years, and no one seems willing to dig into why. With her father’s declining health adding emotional weight and the threat level rising fast, Emily goes rogue—again.

Greene writes with a sharp edge and a deep empathy for the voiceless. This book doesn’t just craft suspense; it confronts systemic failure, small-town rot, and the way society fails its most vulnerable. The pacing is tight, the stakes feel personal, and Emily remains a compelling lead: flawed, dogged, and heartbreakingly human.

The emotional core—Emily’s bond with her father and her evolving sense of justice—keeps the book grounded, even as the plot twists turn sinister. While some readers may miss the deeper personal introspection seen in book one, this sequel leans more heavily into the procedural grit and corruption narrative, offering satisfying, if unsettling, revelations.

The ending hits hard. It’s not neat, not clean—but it’s real. And it sets up even more dangerous ground for Emily to cover next.

Final Verdict:
A gripping, emotionally potent second installment that deepens the mythology of Emily Ray while carving out space for chilling small-town horror. If My Name Is Emily Ray introduced the scars, Hayley Hope is Gone shows what happens when you tear the bandage off.

Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Lisa Gardner, and Meg Gardiner.

An amazingly well written thriller based on a female FBI agent who is relentless! I love a crime thriller and I read this in one night. I was talking out loud to the characters, my heart was racing, I cheered! At the end I friggin’ shed a few tears and then clapped. Someone please put this on the big screen. Now I am going to buy the first in the series, My Name Is Emily Ray. ( You don’t need to read it first, but you will want to get more Emily Ray!)

Wow another absolute amazing book by Michelle Greene!!! Literally think my heart stopped I was so stressed! It was brilliant the twists like what i still need a minute to breathe again. I adore Emily pretty sure she’s my favourite FBI agent.
I’m loving this series and can’t wait for more it’s a masterpiece of a crime thriller.

FBI Special Agent, Emily Ray is taking a much needed break after facing down the man who abducted her years ago.

It doesn't take long into her relaxing get away with her father, before she stumbles into a mysterious death of a local teen and a town that is hiding something dark.

Beneath the surface of a town that looks ideal, lies a series of missing girls, potentially corrupt town leadership, and all of it brings danger closer to Emily and her father.

This sequel to My Name is Emily Ray was just as captivating! I absolutely love the main character and how her character and storyline develop. The book is full of suspense, twists, and surprising heroes.

This one grabbed me by the throat right out of the gate. Emily is very likable, intelligent and complex. The plot is intricate and fast-paced, winding through twists and turns that will keep you on the edge of your seat; atrocities will affront while Emily’s pursuit of justice for the victims will deliver gratification. Although the resolution is bittersweet, the pursuit of it will keep you up long past your bedtime.