The Silent Girls (Canaan Crime Novels) Paperback – January 27, 2015

I'm a fan of mysteries, crime thrillers, psychological thrillers and horror. When I come across an author who is able to hit all genres simultaneously and deliver masterfully, he or she is an author I'm going to look forward to reading again. With one book, Eric Rickstad has inserted himself onto my list of favorites.From the first few opening pages, I was struck by his craft and eloquence with words. Almost anyone can write but not everyone can write well; elevating their work to an art they take care to carefully create and construct. Rickstad paints with words and in The Silent Girls, he creates a dark, moody and barren feel on his narrative canvas that, I gather, is probably just as stark and vivid as Vermont in Winter actually is - or at least he made me believe it is, having never actually been there, myself.Rickstad is a master of metaphor... but also a master at crafting a good, solid, page turning story with interesting characters who generate a desire in the reader to want to learn more about what makes them tick. Rickstad gives plenty to understand each character's motives and agendas but is just as careful not to reveal everything too soon; careful in some cases not to reveal at all and leave you wondering, mulling, speculating.Another example of great technique: the dialog style. Very quick, even and believable back and forth but also the insertion the unusual, flow/halt/flow speaking patterns for certain characters - what some reviewers misunderstood to be a failure to punctuate properly but what was actually a clever device that gave greater insight into specific characters and their personalities; a brilliant way to demonstrate caution, hesitation and the censoring we all do from time to time when trying to articulate ourselves without offending, putting our foot in our mouth or shooting that same said proverbial foot. Show, don't tell. Rickstad presumes the perceptive abilities and intelligence of his reader and deftly understands how to show us what he wants us to see and know without hand-holding and overtly pointing things out in a Julie McCoy activities director kind of way. I appreciated this.The story itself - expertly constructed. I kept looking for opportunities over the week it took me to complete the book to resume reading, eager to find out what happened next; feeling just as eager to unravel the mystery as Rath was. 5 minutes here on my Kindle app while waiting in the check-out line at the grocery store, 15 minutes there while on my morning and afternoon breaks at work. I found the story had an even flow that kept the suspense and tension momentum building throughout.I have to admit, I did guess a couple outcomes long before they were revealed... but I didn't come close to guessing everything, despite the clues being there - and I loved Rickstad all the more for keeping me unsure and off balance with my theories.The reveal at the end - impressive! Several mysteries - only one of them being the primary - laid bare and open. And yet, I was still left disturbed, unsettled. Many loose ends neatly tied up but a few left hanging in a fantastically disconcerting way. Perfection! Life is, after all, seldom wrapped up in a nice, neat package.Thank you, Mr. Rickstad, for a decidedly suspenseful, disquieting and totally enjoyable read! I look forward to your next work.

I really enjoyed the novel. I love the author's writing style; very descriptive and detail oriented. In my opinion, the plot was creative and I disagree with other reviews that the characters were cliche. I was pleased to not be able to figure out the ending as quickly as I usually can in most suspense novels. I didn't see this ending coming by a long shot and enjoyed being left somewhat on my toes. I did figure out pretty quickly who was behind the missing girls, but the author still found a way to have me second guess myself. Overall, I think the journey through this novel was a pleasant experience and not at all boring (even the detective meetings). I appreciate a writer who gives a lot of background and details on a character, even if they don't play a major role in the book. That may not be everyone's writing style, but that's what makes this author unique. I hope he continues developing characters this way, I disagree that it makes it too wordy. For me, it helps create and sculpt the world the author had to have in mind. You can be crystal clear on a character's personality. This author writes impeccably and no two characters possess the same dialogue. I think his writing style alone was worth the read, but I truly was entertained by the plot as well. I actually purchased the audible version of this novel to listen to at work. I found myself ignoring calls and trying to stay confined in my office as much as possible to continue listening. There are many twist and turns and that's what a suspense novel is all about. I didn't find the novel to be predictable by any means. I am actually quite surprised by the negative reviews. I feel this author did a fantastic job and I look forward to reading his work again. With this platform, I can see his work getting better with each novel he writes.

I did enjoy this book, I read through it in one week, and with my schedule right now, thats actually really good. I thought the characters were very well developed, and the main character Rath, though completely flawed, was likeable and you root for him. The plot is dark, and there are very descriptive rape/murder examples, especially when Rath remembers or discusses' old cases. Think of an episode of Criminal Minds and thats pretty much what this book was, as far as murder scenes go. The author makes the main character, at times, unlikeable with quotes like "... eleven thousand years before the world’s most famed carpenter supposedly rose again. Nowadays thats called Zombies. People worshiping a Zombie...” Yes I took offense to this and saw it as completely unnecessary. All he was doing was describing a house that sat on a field! Also there is an obviously pro choice stance in here, again, offensive how it was portrayed. tt has the totally cliche part where the villian stops his attack to take ten minutes and fill Rath in on his childhood and how he got to where he is, all the previous murders which tied the last chapter in with the first chapter, etc; all the events that the reader was still guessing on. When are authors going to stop using this as a way to bring closure to a story? Injuries were sustained that would have killed someone, yet the person got up and continued on his quest; not believable, the attack should have been less ghastly if the person was going to survive. The ending left me searching my kindle app looking for the last chapter. I totally thought the last of the book had not been downloaded. It wasnt a cliffhanger, or surprising end; the ending makes you think the last chapter got left out. So if you take out the offensive stuff, which may not offend everyone, and the unbelievable parts, it is a good plot and the author does a good job of making the scenes so real it does feel like you are there.

This book took so many turns ....what a lot of surprises! I couldn't put it down.......very simulating read!!!!I recommend to anyone who thinks they can guess the end..... You will be shocked!!!!

Enjoyable read, gripping and sometimes scary. Well written and descriptive. Will certainly read more of Eric Rickstad. Would definitely recommend.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book . At times I.did find it a bit odd in the beginning , all the scenery description mixed with what rath was doing or thinking . Once I got into the story though it was brilliant . Great characters , great plot with twists and turns and a cliffhanger ending . I recommend it to.crime and mystery fans !

Loved it. A good mystery always enjoyable

Great book. Keeps you guessing all the way through. Good flow and plotline.