‘The Silent Girls’: A dark, twisty tale for readers to cozy up to this summer

Eric Rickstad's 'The Silent Girls” was first published only as an e-book by Witness Impulse, an imprint devoted to e-originals. But the thriller found traction with readers and is now available as a paperback, as well. If dark and twisty mysteries are to your liking, this book is worth a look in either format.

Rickstad's hero, former police detective Frank Rath, is a man with a haunted past, a damaged body and an iron will. Called in on a case involving missing teenage girls in rural Vermont, Rath soon finds his personal and professional lives entangled as he races to find a killer.

Rickstad is skilled at building suspense. He's a master of misdirection, and he withholds just enough information to keep the reader turning the pages. He's equally successful at creating fully-formed characters. Rath, in particular, is well drawn, and the kind of hero who one imagines could carry a significant ongoing series of mysteries. The supporting characters also are strong and Rickstad sets up uneasy alliances and festering rivalries that could prove grist for the mill for quite some time.

The villain of the piece is perhaps a bit over the top, but by the time the book's final confrontation occurs, Rickstad has brought the reader along well. The villain's motivation may rankle some readers, but Rickstad also is careful not to present his perpetrator's views as emblematic of a wide group (to say more would be to spoil a key plot point).

Though dark and set in a Vermont winter, 'The Silent Girls” may be a good choice for your summer reading list.