The Silenced Women

October 15, 2020
In this very promising start to Weisel's Santa Rosa Violent Crimes Investigations unit series, former Army Ranger Eddie Mahler, head of the VCI, suffers from chronic migraines that distort his vision and is haunted by his failure to solve the murders of two women two years before. A new crime leaves another young woman strangled and left on a park bench?the same manner of death and location as the earlier victims. Mahler's fellow officers regard him as something of a head case, and his recurring conversations with the dead women may leave readers wondering, too. Following a second murder, which appears to be the work of a different killer, Mahler and his team must deal with a plethora of suspects. Weisel delivers sensitive and well-developed portrayals of the beleaguered detectives, without skimping on the action. Readers will be reminded of P. D. James' Adam Dalgliesh when Mahler describes the art of interrogation as being like a gentle hand at the suspect's back, or when he reflects on the irony of homicide investigations, which often victimize already violated human beings.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

December 21, 2020
The discovery of a young woman’s body in a public park in Santa Rosa, Calif., drives Weisel’s strong debut and series launch, which introduces troubled police detective Eddie Mahler and his Violent Crime Investigations team. Two years earlier, two young women were strangled in the same public park within 72 hours of each other. Mahler bears the weight of failure in having been unable to solve those crimes. While his team doggedly works to identify the victim, Mahler focuses on prior suspect Irwin Partridge, whom he believes guilty of murder and likely to strike again within 72 hours. Unrewarding interviews with the suspect and his girlfriend don’t weaken Mahler’s conviction that Irwin is responsible. Meanwhile, VCI team members come up with three fresh suspects, and new recruit Eden Somers, a gifted FBI analyst who has suffered a nervous breakdown, uncovers a vital link between the murders through cold case reports. Bolstered by careful attention to detail and authentically drawn characters, this finely paced story builds to a satisfying finale. Police procedural fans will look forward to more.

January 15, 2021
A team of California police detectives struggles with a cold case turned suddenly hot. Eddie Mahler heads the Santa Rosa Violent Crime Investigations unit. His inability to close out the murders of two young women a few years ago weighs so heavily on his mind that he's plagued with severe migraines. When another woman is found in the same park wrapped in a blanket and placed on a bench, murdered in a way that echoes the earlier victims, who were killed within 72 hours of each other, the pressure is on his team to prevent a repeat performance. The newest member of Mahler's team, former FBI analyst Eden Somers, is a specialist in serial killers who doubts her own abilities. The latest victim is identified as Elise Durand, a talented designer with a drug problem. Although Mahler feels certain he knows the identity of the earlier park killer, he's never been able to make the charge stick, and the prime suspect suddenly appears less likely after security footage shows three men letting themselves and their car into the park to dump Elise's body, which forensic evidence indicates was moved from an unknown location. Eden's investigation suggests that although the leading suspect may not have killed Elise, there's a good chance he's murdered other women. The early identification of Elise's killer makes the cat-and-mouse games he plays with the team even more nerve-wracking. An excellent procedural series debut with complex characters who carry the story.

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Starred review from February 1, 2021

DEBUT When a woman's body is found in Santa Rosa's largest park, it brings back all of Lieutenant Eddie Mahler's memories of an earlier case. His Violent Crime Investigations (VCI) team was convinced they had the murderer of two young women whose bodies were found in the same park, but there wasn't enough evidence. Mahler was blamed for that earlier failure to arrest the killer. He suffers from crippling migraine headaches, even talks to one of the dead victims, but he's able to direct his team, including the newest member. Eden Somers has a gift for analyzing evidence, but she burned out working as an FBI analyst. She immerses herself in this case, and worries that, like Mahler, she might be endangering herself. The team's intense investigation leads them to conclude they may be looking at a different killer for the latest victim. But the new killer has the skills to target the team itself. VERDICT This start of a cinematic new series is an intense police procedural. Readers will be immersed in the investigation by a talented team, while also privy to the actions of a brilliant killer.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN

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