Lost Girls: The Maine Murders

50 States of Murder, Book 1

By: Jon Mills

Narrated by: Peter Kenyon

Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's Summary

A serial killer is terrorizing a coastal town....

When renowned FBI Agent Benjamin Forrester suffers a devastating loss while trying to catch an elusive serial killer, he quits the bureau. Years later, after a similar series of gruesome murders trigger an investigation in the coastal town of Eden Falls, Maine, Ben is called upon to assist the rookie police detective, Dakota Woods.

He soon learns he's being lured into a deadly game of cat and mouse where the only way to stop the murders is to confront his past and face his worst fear.

©2018 Jon Mills (P)2019 Jon Mills

From the author of the Jack Winchester series...

Another new and outstanding book by Jon Mills, author of the Jack Winchester series. First I would like to say that I hope Mills isn’t done with Winchester , I really like that series.
This book is the first book in the Ben Forrester series. I know there has to be a second one coming because this book end with a cliffhanger! Ben hunts serial killers and he’s good at his job. A killer he’s hunting abducts his wife and son and and leaves a clue where to find them. When Ben locates them they’re already deceased and had been for hours. Ben’s daughter hadn’t been taken and so he leaves the agency to heal and keep his daughter safe. Unbeknownst to Ben and the local law enforcement there is a serial killer who had been at work for years in the area he moved to.
This is a great cat and mouse story with the life of Ben’s daughter at stake.
Peter Kenyon does a great job narrating.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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Thank You.

Slow burn to an adrenaline-fueled ending..........

Lost Girls is the first book in a new series by the author of the Jack Winchester Series. Since I am a big fan of those books, I decided to take a chance on Lost Girls, and I am so happy that I did. The book starts at a fairly sedate pace as the author introduces us to Ben Forrester, a former FBI agent whose mental and physical health were severely impacted when a serial killer targeted his family. He is now living in a remote town in Maine with his sole remaining family members, his teenage daughter Chloe and his mother in law. Forrester splits his time remotely training future FBI agents, spending as much time as possible with his daughter, and avoiding anything that would suck him back into his previous career. This endeavor is seriously hampered when a young detective, Dakota Woods, asks for his help in what she is certain is a string of murders. Forrester reluctantly agrees to review her case files but limits his involvement until the case suddenly becomes personal. At this point, hold on because the action is non-stop until the nail-biting ending.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the action and excitement of the later scenes, I also enjoyed the relationship of Forrester and his daughter as well as his interactions with Woods. She is my favorite type of main character. She is smart, tough and determined, but she was also willing to learn everything she could from Forrester's greater experience and broader background. Against overwhelming resistance from her boss, the sheriff, Woods and Forrester painstakingly investigate all of the deaths and attempt to piece together the killer's identity from multiple years of inept investigations. The author offers much misdirection and red herrings, and I was continually second guessing my decisions about the guilty party. I can hardly wait to see what new investigations Mills has in store for this intrepid detective duo in the (hopefully!) near future.

This was my first exposure to Peter Kenyon, and I was pleasantly surprised. His narration is excellent with a flawless performance and lively delivery. He does an especially good impersonation of a psycho on the scattered chapters told from the killer's point of view. As with my desire to read more about Forrester and Woods, I am equally looking forward to hearing more from Kenyon.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

A tense and entertaining new thriller

After experiencing a great personal loss connected to his job Ben Forrester and his daughter try and pick up the pieces and start a new life. As he struggles to keep things going for him and his daughter a new threat sucks him into a new investigation that soon connects very close to home again. There is a great number of character connections forged in the early stages that really make some of the later scenes in the book pack a bigger punch. The book mounts slowly, but once things get rolling it is an exciting book all the way to the end. The characters shine and the action keeps you engaged, in what is a great first book in a new series from Jon Mills.

I received a copy of this audiobook at my request in exchange for this honest review.

Great start to a new Jon Mills series!

Author Jon Mills already has the outstanding Jack Winchester series. His new Ben Forrester FBI series promises to be just as good based on LOST GIRLS which is Book 1 in the series. The publisher's summary is a bit sparse. FBI agent Ben Forrester's wife and son are killed in Florida by a serial murderer, so he takes his teen daughter to live in Maine near his mother-0in-law. Although he is on leave with the FBI he is forced to join a manhunt for the killers of girls there. Peter Kenyon narrates very well. This novel was my first exposure to his work.

Tension Wrought Thriller

This was my first book by Jon Mills and I have to say, I was quite impressed. A FBI thriller, "Lost Girls" gives us a bit of all the good stuff: unthinkable loss, redemption, serial killers, the 'chase' and familial love. Once the hunt is on, you wont be able to put this book down; Mills does a fabulous job of keeping the reader riveted until the very end. Peter Kenyon gives a great performance, bringing the characters to live with seeming ease. I can't wait to listen to the next book in the series!

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

So incredibly bad

This book sounded as if it was written by a high school junior which seems only fitting because the narrator sounded like a kid who was asked to read in front of the class. Bad writing had a baby with awful narration and this book was born. Do not believe the positive reviews and listen to the whole sample before you use a credit on this. I got it as a daily deal and still feel ripped off. Not recommended.

Amazing gripping and suspenseful thriller

Ben left the FBI years ago after losing his son and wife to a serial killer. There is now a serial killer hunting girls, and when Ben's daughter is taken by the new killer, Ben must get back to work to try and find the elusive man and save his daughter.

What a gripping and suspenseful thriller! The story was excellent. It had a good pace, and kept my interest throughout. I love how you get to hear the perspective of the killer and what he is thinking; its very interesting, particularly given the profiling work Ben does during the chase.

Peter provided a great performance for the story. He had good intonation and was a perfect fit for the thriller. He really made the story even more enjoyable for me.

I highly recommend this book and since it is the first, i look forward to hearing more in the series!

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.

Painfully Awful

How in the world did this piece of tripe get published? And why are there so many stellar reviews?? Normally, when I come across a dud, I cut my losses an hour or so in, return it, and move on with my life. But this one was SO bad I hung in and finished it. It was like a train wreck: I couldn’t turn away.

The characters are so poorly developed that virtually everything they do comes out of nowhere. All the women are either young and sexy or old and dumpy. Whodunit was obvious from the start. All the action is hyped up - everything goes from zero to sixty with no logical buildup. Many words are used incorrectly. If there was actually an editor for this, he or she should be fired. The word smirk was (over)used so much that I found myself wishing I had the Kindle version so that I could count exactly how many times it appeared. (Hint for next time: more than once is too much.)

This was a book about sexual predation, so I expected some sexual content, but it often came out of nowhere, and the rapist’s thoughts didn’t seem all that different from the hero’s. I found myself wondering more than once if the author wasn’t trying to work something out.

About the only good thing I can say about this book is that the narration was perfect for it: the narrator was just as awful as the writing. He was overly dramatic, inconsistent in voicing the different characters, and mispronounced words that any voice actor should know. It’s not as though the author used any SAT words. One example: it’s pronounced en-VEL-oped, not EN-veloped. Was no one paying attention as this was recorded? That embarrassing mispronunciation made it through twice.

In short, don’t waste your money or your time. Seriously: how did this get any good reviews??

excellent FBI thriller

FBI agent, and profiler, Dr. Ben Forrest, was pursuing a serial killer when that killer sets his sight on Ben's family. Now years later, Ben and his teenage daughter are living in the quiet town of Eden Falls, Maine, where life is slowly returning to normal. Then there is a sudden appearance of girls that have been missing for years, and local rookie police detective, Dakota Woods, asks for Ben's help...defying her police chief. When Ben's daughter is kidnapped, he has a vested interest in bringing the killer to justice and finding her alive! Lots of action, maybe corrupt politicians (no spoilers here)...and a very determined rookie detective. Exciting story and you really won't guess the ending! Great start to this series.
I accepted a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent start to this series

Loved every minute of this audible. A rollercoaster ride of a thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat. Wonderful writing and the narrator brings he story to life.

I received this audible free a my request I'm thrilled to be able to submit my review.