The Girl from Silent Lake  by Leslie Wolfe

According to the subtitle this is a “totally gripping and heart-pounding crime thriller”. It’s a story that features justice and vengeance. No real redemption, but it’s also book one of a series, so hopefully, the main character will grow in that direction. The story features FBI profiler Dr. Kay Sharp who either quit the FBI or is on an extended leave of absence. This detail is confusing and oscillates throughout the book. She has come back to her hometown because her brother was given a six-month prison sentence for a bar fight. Kay has returned to watch over the family house and fight for her brother, who she feels was given way too harsh of a sentence for a first-time offence.

Oh, and there’s a serial killer on the loose in Mount Chester, Kay’s hometown. And of course, since Kay is an FBI profiler, she has to get involved in the case. It turns out she’d been monitoring the case from San Francisco, where she lived, and had been sending in anonymous letters to the sheriff’s department in Mount Chester. Kay works herself into the case and along with a tall, handsome deputy from Texas, tries to find the serial killer.

I found the story compelling. Not sure I’d go as far as “totally gripping” or “heart-pounding”, though the ending was suspenseful and kept me reading until it was over. Some minor inconsistencies, though, between chapters forty-five and forty-six.

There are three main point of view categories. First, the main characters, Kay and Elliot, the handsome deputy. Then there’s the killer’s victims. Finally, the killer himself. Not really a spoiler saying “himself”, as ninety-plus percent of all serial killers are male. I could have done without the killer’s point of view. This is a personal preference, but in general, I’m not a fan of this approach. This book was not categorized as a mystery, which is good, because I figured out who the killer was thirty-six percent into the book. He wasn’t revealed until eighty percent. And it’s mostly because of the killer’s point of view I figured it out. That and one flashback scene to Kay’s childhood.

The writing is good. The pace is good. The details are at an appropriate level. The characters are sufficiently deep. Both Kay and Elliot harbor deep, dark secrets, and since this is book one, neither learns what the other’s is, but both know there’s something unsaid by the other. And of course, there’s an attraction between the two. Overall, an interesting and entertaining read. The serial killer profiling and information is deep and fascinating.

But…many would say this book is written to market. I call it cliché. Woman FBI profile. Cliché. (By the way, only 23.5% of all special agents in the FBI are female). Suspended or leaves her job and returns to hometown and gets involved in high-profile case. Cliché. Handsome deputy detective who isn’t quite as smart as the FBI agent. Cliché. I reviewed another book this year by Kate Bold with an almost identical story line, only New Mexico rather than California. Bold’s came out after Wolfe’s and Wolfe’s was much better than Bold’s, no argument there. I’ve seen other books by other authors with similar storylines. Quick Amazon search, at least five other authors with the same basic character going after serial killers. I’m done with reading books about female FBI profilers chasing serial killers in their hometowns. I’m going to try and find different crime fiction. Tired of the clichés.

As for content. There is profanity throughout, though not too much. No sex, but there are triggers. Child abuse. Spouse abuse. Implications of rape, torture, kidnapping. And violence against women. Not sure I’ll read another Kay Sharp book, but I might read another Leslie Wolfe. We’ll see. But, on to something more original. The final ranking for 2023. And this one comes in at number thirteen.

1. Rooms by James L. Rubart
2. The First Lady by Ed Gorman
3. Every Dead Thing by John Connolly
4. I’ll Be Seeing You by Mary Higgins Clark
5. In Darkness Cast by Jonathan Shuerger
6. Several Deaths Later by Ed Gorman
7. Citadel (Palladium Wars Book 3) by Marko Kloos
8. Blazing China by R.F. Whong
9. Redemption by Deborah J. Ledford
10. Death of a Messenger by Robert McCaw
11. The Little Grave by Carolyn Arnold
12. Shadow Games by Ed Gorman
13. The Girl from Silent Lake by Leslie Wolfe
14. Navajo Autumn by R. Allen Chappell
15. Barrier Island by John D. MacDonald
16. Serial Killer by Perry Martin
17. Jake of All Trades by A.T. Mahon
18. Fireplay by Steve P. Vincent
19. Wrong Place Wrong Time by David P. Perlmutter
20. Nowhere Safe by Kate Bold
21. The Bone Key Curse by Mike Scantlebury
22. Run for Your Life by C.M. Sutter