Fast-moving, thrilling, tension-filled adventure! I’m thrilled to learn it is part of a series but read it initially without knowing that. Loved the mystery-solving team led by Ellie who doesn’t hesitate to leap in feet first to find the bad guys while rescuing the good ones.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read this exciting ARC. ( )

The Girl in the River by Rita Herron is a highly recommended detective thriller and the seventh book in the series featuring Ellie Reeve.

Detective Ellie Reeves is at the wedding of her friend Mia Norman when the bride mysteriously disappears, leaving her four-year-old daughter Pixie behind. It soon becomes clear that Mia along with Tori, her bridesmaid, were abducted. Tori's body is found in the river, but Mia is gone. As the investigation continues, it is discovered that Mia is actually Jesse Habersham, a woman who went missing five years ago right after her wedding. This complicates the case and the investigation considerably.

In this complicated case, the chapters are short, action packed, and move quickly, so the pace is like lightening and pages will fly by. As more information is uncovered, the mystery and the questions grow, as do injuries. Everything feels like a race against time to discover what happened and why, before someone else is killed or injured. Ellie must use all her wits and determination to discover the information she needs to figure out what is going on and why it is happening in order to solve the case. There are numerous twists throughout the narrative and several times I had to set disbelief aside.

There are a lot of characters in this intricate novel and I did have to pause a couple time to figure out who was who. This is my first Ellie Reeve novel and I felt like it can be a stand alone, but there were times when I wished I had more background information on the characters and their relationships. The plethora of characters also means the development of each character was limited and it is assumed previous novels provided more character development. Of course, the appeal of the novel is the perplexing case and the adrenaline rush experienced while trying to get to the resolution.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2022/12/the-girl-in-river.html ( )