A dark and suspenseful mystery about missing and dead children. This case pulls at the core of Zoe Storm and she will do everything in her power to find the missing and bring the killer to justice. Her partner is a behavioral psychiatrist and Zoe is in the FBI, which is a lot for this small town where bad things rarely happen. While Zoe struggles with her own demons, they slowly peel back the layers of this case. A good initial start for a series with good narration.
My thanks to the author, publisher, @Bookouture, and #NetGalley for early access to the audiobook of #TheHangingDolls for review purposes. Publication date: 30 July 2025.

Special agent Zoe Storm is on the case of a little girl in a tree with signs of more to come. Her and her partner, Dr Wesley gather details and work on profiling who is taking girls from their beds in the night.

This is going to be a series and I absolutely love a good mystery series!! While this wasn’t as jaw dropping as this authors previous thrillers, I really appreciated the character driven story and getting to know agent Storm. This was a solid mystery and told really well. I am excited for the next book!

The narrator did an amazing job, I loved their portrayal of the characters!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Ruhi Choudhary, and Bookouture Audio for providing this free ALC. This is my honest review. This publishes on Wednesday!

The Hanging Dolls is a crime thriller about an FBI agent (with a dark past) who investigates the murder of a young girl in a small town. The story explores themes of vulnerability and justice. There's an understory of Zoe exploring the secrets of her past. As a thriller, it was gripping and had an interesting twist. I found the character development of Zoe strongest which makes sense as it's the first book in a series. I enjoyed it enough to want to read the next one.

I listened to The Hanging Girls on audiobook and wow, I was hooked. The story was fast paced, thrilling, and packed with that classic “who done it” energy that kept me on edge the entire time. The characters were incredibly well developed and I found myself emotionally invested in their arcs, which is rare in a book that moves this quickly.

Where it lost a star for me was the structure. The timeline jumped around a lot, and while I eventually pieced everything together, it definitely took a few mental gymnastics to keep track. Some of the side stories and subplots felt important, but they were not as clearly tied in or organized as they could have been. A little more clarity would have taken this from great to unforgettable.

Still, if you are into twisty thrillers with depth, dark secrets, and a strong dose of suspense, this one is worth diving into. Just maybe keep a notepad handy for the timeline shifts.

Zoe Storm is an FBI agent called to assist local law enforcement with the murder of a young girl and subsequent missing of another young girl. Zoe has to help solve this case while it brings up memories and people from her past. Eventually a third girl is missing. Everyone is a suspect in the murder of the little girls and it is a race to try and save the third girl to be abducted.

Multiple POV and stories. There are snippets about Zoe’s early life and the death of her mother Rachel but it doesn’t provide a lot of information. I can see where in follow up books in the series where the mystery of Zoe’s mothers death and who they were running from will slowly be revealed. TW for child murder, child endangerment, and Munchausen syndrome by proxy. The Hanging Dolls is paced well and a listener can become engrossed in the story. The story ended but I was still invested and wanted to keep following Zoe. The narrator was good, listened at 2.5 speed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. A cop, landed in a town to solve child abductions, turned murders. Lots of mis-direction to lead you astray, the story was solid, but I felt the planted distractions were just that. Constant opportunities to make you consider new suspects. I loved Zoe’s character, but felt like I had missed a prequel…. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Ruhi Choudhary delivers a masterclass in crime fiction with The Hanging Dolls, the gripping first book for the Detective Zoey Storm series. Set against the brooding backdrop of the Pacific Northwest, this audiobook pulls listeners into a tangled web of secrets, trauma, and suspense that never lets up.
Choudhary’s descriptive writing, brought vividly to life by the narrator, immerses you in a haunting setting where every shadow seems to whisper a secret.
Zoey Storm is a compelling protagonist—driven FBI agent, vulnerable, and haunted by her past. Her emotional depth adds gravity to the narrative, making the stakes feel intensely real.
From the eerie discovery of a doll hanging in the forest next to a little girls body, to the unfolding investigation, the plot is packed with twists and turns that keep you on edge.
The voice performance of Stephanie Cannon enhances the experience beautifully. The narrator delivers with nuance and tension, capturing the characters’ personalities and emotions with precision.
This audiobook is a must-listen for fans of psychological thrillers and procedural dramas.
Choudhary crafts a suspenseful, emotionally layered story that grabs hold and doesn’t let go. If you love strong female leads, dark secrets, and edge-of-your-seat pacing, The Hanging Dolls will not disappoint.

Thank you to the author, narrators, publisher and Net Galley for providing an E-audio ALC of this title.

Publication date July 29, 2025

Man did this one mess with my head. Truly a psychological thriller. I did like this book and all the twists but I do think a need a Sweet book chaser after this sad book. The ending was not what I thought it would be.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc.

The Hanging Dolls by Ruhi Choudhary was absolutely awesome! Especially on audio! The narrator truly brought the story to life and made the tension feel so real. I was completely hooked by the plot and the dark, chilling atmosphere. The race to catch the killer before another girl went missing had me hanging on for dear life! I loved all the characters and the side plots that added depth and built up to a brilliantly twisty ending. This is an all-around fantastic thriller in my book!

Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC audiobook.
What a great book!!
I will be honest, at first I did not like Zoe, I still don't like some of her mannerisms, but she became more tolerable as the book went on.
This book was so twisty!!
I listened in one day because I literally could not stop!
It was constant action and boy, what a twisted ending.
I look so forward to future books in the new series!
The narration was spectacular!
Now, off to tell all of my reader friends!

What a twist! I felt on end he the whole time I was listening. It really delved deep into trauma and how individuals are impacted by events they have experienced.

This is the first book in the Zoe Storm series and it was a goodie. From the get-go I really took to Zoe as a character. She’s an FBI Agent with a backstory of her own that I’m so invested in. There is 2 storylines running alongside each other in this one and I’m here for it and I can’t wait for the next instalment. I really liked this authors style of writing along with the well developed storylines and characters. I could really see myself getting into this series and getting to know Zoe more…

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review #TheHangingDolls

The Hanging Dolls by Ruhi Choudhary
Narrated by Stephanie Cannon
Publication date - 30th July 2025
Thanks to @netgalley and @bookouture for this audio book.

I enjoyed this book, and looking forward to reading more of the Zoe Storm books in the future. I really like her character. This book was filled with so many twists and a mind blowing ending that I didn't see coming (no spoilers). If you like murder, fbi agent, and small town drama - then this books worth a read.
5 stars

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I thoroughly enjoy reading thrillers, and this one was captivating. The book was engaging right off the bat and the intentional reveal through third person narrative, helps continue the mystery and slow reveal so the reader doesn't feel like the characters are withholding information. It just flows as it would if you were hearing a story from someone else.

Well written and captivating. It was easy to read and basic. Easy to follow and not very many layers to the story.

I reviewed the audiobook, the narration was good. I loved that I couldn't hear the narrators breathing or any background noise. I think I would have enjoyed the book more. The audiobook was narrated and they did a few voices for the characters, so that took away from the plot a bit.

The story was well written. Engaging and captivating, I couldn't put it down because I wanted to know what was coming.

It is the beginning of a new series so I'm excited to see more character development and it might be more like a series in which we get more information about the main characters as they have more cases.

Excited to see what's next

***Awaiting approval of Amazon review

Zoe Storm is an amazing woman! Even with dark mysteries in her past surrounding the death of her mother, she still goes out and helps those that need protecting. And this time it is the horrible crime of a child's death, with possibly more to follow. I love that despite how strong Zoe is, she is not perfect. She has her own devils to deal with (especially when going undercover to catch a very bad man) and sometimes that leads to vigilante justice. She is balanced by Aiden Wesley, a psychiatrist with a great brain to tease out the clues the killer left behind with each new dead girl. Now this case with Lily and the others is very twisty and it leads to an edge of the seat experience in the race to catch the killer before they strike again. So many suspects and red herrings plus other crimes muddying the waters and secrets galore. For such a small town, it holds quite a lot! And if that isn't enough, Zoe finds more hints about her mother and why she may have died.

This is a good first book of a new series and I am looking forward to see what crimes Special Agent Zoe Storm is called to solve and whether she can find out the truth about her mother and the dark past she was running from! I got the chance to listen to this as an audiobook and the narrator, Stephanie Cannon, did a great job in bringing the characters and story to life! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to listen to follow Zoe as she lets nothing get in the way of answers and finding the killer!

This was a good listen. Plenty of twists to hold my interest. Most I did not figure out, which is always a good thing. Good narrator. Looking forward to rest of series!

Special Agent Zoe Storm and Dr Aiden Wesley will travel to Harborwood, Washington after the body of. Seven year old girl is found. An unknown man was seen and cryptic notes left at the scene. Before they can find the killer another girl is taken and killed. Is there more than one person responsible?

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook’). Good characters that have complicated pasts that they are still trying to deal with. Well paced crime novel where the killer leaves no clues for them to follow. The FBI will work closely with local law enforcement, putting themselves in danger too.

The Hanging dolls
Author Ruhi Choudary
Narrator Stephanie cannon
Mystery /police procedural
4*
Good story
Good narration
Special agent Zoe Storm is sent with Dr Aiden to assist with a missing child case , unfortunately the girl is found dead in the woods.
As the case unfolds and we learn more about the town and its in habitants , we also get flash backs to Zoe finding her mother dead and setting her on a quest to help others in need as well as discovering the truth behind her mothers death .
This is the start of a new series and both Zoe and Aiden look like being interesting characters with depth that is going to be developed further .
The plot was interesting and there were plenty of suspects and evidence to keep me engaged and I was surprised by the ending .
I will definitely be looking out for the next in the series .

I absolutely loved this book! The story was great and so was the narrator! I was hooked and couldn’t stop listening!

Say it with me… PLOT twist! That ending… I did NOT see that one coming. This is a new to me author so I wasn’t sure what to expect but dang girl you might be a new favorite of mine. I enjoyed the multiple povs since It helped me get to know the characters. I’m eager to see how things develop for Zoe in the next chapter. My girl has a lot of issues to deal with and I hope she confronts her past. Overall this was an excellent read and I’ll eagerly await the next book!