The Silent Girls (Canaan Crime Novels) Paperback – 13 Aug. 2015

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 !

The Silent Girls is a professional, tightly scripted and intelligently written crime/mystery novel with good character depth and dialogue. It drags you in from the very start and keeps you there right to the end. Easily as good as any so called 'worldwide best seller'.

The first half of the book had me turning the pages and staying up way too late (just one more chapter!), so it had all the makings of an exceptional thriller. The only slight let down was that towards to end it felt like a rushed way to tie things up and I felt my engagement with the story fall away. However the book does end on a strong final note. This author is cited alongside the likes of Jo Nesbo, and given Nesbo (for me) has developed his art in building suspenseful endings in his later novels - if this author does the same then it bodes well for the production of strong thrillers in the future. Overall a 3.5 star read for me.

I read the book while in hospital and it kept my attention to the last page. And on the subject of the last page I hope there is a sequel !! I need to know what happens next !

Fabulous writing, it drew me in immediately. The story is a bit slow, but it's not boring. It kept my interest throughout and kept me wondering where the plot would twist and turn to next. When I was coming to the end I thought I was going to be disappointed, but the cliffhanger at the very end regarding the secondary plot redeems what I thought was a substandard resolution to the primary plot. I am very much looking forward to a continuation of the story!

I'm always on a quest to find smartly-written thrillers, and too often, they disappoint. Not this one. The characters were well developed, the plot was complex, and I loved the way the freezing Vermont landscape was evoked. The language was intelligent and skilful too. I flicked through the bad reviews out of curiosity, as I always do, and it feels like they're reading a different book from this one.

I bought this book based on the reviews but just didn't enjoy it , i just couldn't get into it ,i kept loosing track of the story , getting confused , just didn't find it a good read , obviously loads of people enjoyed it sadly I wasn't one of them , I found myself happy just getting to the end , give it a go though , you may enjoy it , only 2 stars from me .....

I realise that this book was written by an American author but at times I felt that I wad reading a foreign language. The unfamiliar names of not only places, but names of food items, items of clothing, shoes, etc, distracted me from the story. A pet hate of mine is the use of one word as a sentence, e.g. "But.", "And.", "Yet", which are not sentences, they're just words. A sentence should include a verb and a subject and an object wouldn't hurt either.Apart from the Americanisms I found that I actually got into this book, eventually becoming quite eager to pick it up. It got more exciting the further in it got into it.I'm not sure, however, if I will read any more by this author and am unlikely to recommend it

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!!!!

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.

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

Loved it. A good mystery always enjoyable

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.