The Shadow Girls (A Rylan Flynn Mystery Book 2) by Dawn Merriman (2023)

 

I open my eyes. The room is dark and I can see no windows, only stairs leading up to a metal trapdoor. From the shadows, a figure emerges. A little girl with long, pale hair. She smiles at me. “Are you my new mommy?” she says.

A young woman is missing. And Rylan Flynn was the last person to see her alive.

Nobody has heard from Bess Freeman since Rylan saw her leaving a bar and walking into the night with a stranger. Normally quiet and shy, Bess would never skip out on her family and friends like this. The small town of Ashby is in shock.

While the police struggle to find leads, it’s immediately clear to Rylan that this is no ordinary abduction. Her ability to see ghosts reveals sinister clues on all sides.

In the basement of an abandoned church, Rylan finds the spirit of another young woman who may be a victim. And when the police uncover human remains beneath a barn, a male figure watches them closely, then disappears.

Ashby’s handsome head detective, Ford Pierce, is as reluctant as ever to involve Rylan in the case.

But when another woman’s body is discovered hidden in a derelict family home, it’s clear that Bess is in mortal danger. And her time is running out.

For years, a killer has been lurking in Ashby, driven by a darkness that is more than human.

Desperate to find Bess before another innocent life is lost, Rylan must work with Ford to unravel a dangerous web of lies. But is she drawing closer to the truth or walking into the killer’s trap?

A gripping paranormal thriller packed with dark secrets, danger and slow-burning romance that will keep you turning pages late into the night. Fans of Wendy Wang, Heather Graham and Dean Koontz will love The Shadow Girls.

If you are still in the mood for a spooky story after Halloween then look no further than the Rylan Flynn Mysteries.

Shadow Girls is a crime thriller with a heavy dose of supernatural elements.

Central to the story is Rylan Flynn, who is able to see and communicate with ghosts. Unfortunately, any spirits who haven't crossed over tend to be those who have been murdered or need help in some way.

Rylan's interactions with the spirits are very eerie especially those with ghosts who have been dead for a very long time as they seem out of place in time and it adds to the otherworldliness. Child ghosts make for particularly poignant reading and it is heartwarming when Rylan and her Dad help them cross over.

The mystery of the dead women in this book makes a very exciting yet tense and disturbing reading as it involves a very creepy little girl and her father. I was on tenterhooks for Bess' survival and had high hopes for her as Rylan was not experiencing any visits from her spirit. 

The secondary storyline of Rylan helping a couple with a haunting is equally exciting and spooky. However, the living are more dangerous than the dead and getting involved means putting herself in harm's way more often than enough.

Rylan's family are protective of her however, her brother shows it the wrong way and they always seem to end up arguing. Rylan has a similar relationship with Detective Ford Pierce but I was glad to see him being more open-minded and actively seeking Rylan's help in finding Beth. I'm enjoying seeing their friendship develop slowly into something more.

The story ends with a little hint about the third book and if it was already published I'd be diving in right now.