The Forgotten Girls

Stevens and Windermere, Book 6

By: Owen Laukkanen

Narrated by: Edoardo Ballerini

Length: 9 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

They are the victims no one has ever cared about - until now.

Agents Stevens and Windermere return in the blistering new crime novel from the fast-rising, multi-award-nominated suspense star.

She was a forgotten girl, a runaway found murdered on the High Line train through the northern Rocky Mountains and, with little local interest, put into a dead file. Only, she was not alone. When Kirk Stevens and Carla Windermere of the joint FBI-BCA violent crime force stumble upon the case, they discover a horror far greater than anyone expected - a string of murders on the High Line, all of them young women drifters whom no one would notice. But someone has noticed now. Through the bleak midwinter and a frontier land of forbidding geography, Stevens and Windermere follow a frustratingly light trail of clues - and where it ends, even they will be shocked.

©2017 Owen Laukkanen (P)2017 Recorded Books

Terrific. Windemere and Stevens are great together

This is the sixth book in this series, and it actually does keep getting better. We get to know both of these people as partners and as individuals, and their teamwork when it comes to solving tough cases is just delightful. Carla is voluble and Kirk is calm, like many of us good, solid mid-Westerners. We don't get ruffled all that easily. We get pulled into the story of yet another serial murderer (why has this become such a gigantic thing lately?) who works the High Line, which is a series of freight trains that speed up and down the rails along the northwestern states of the country. Kids who are kinda lost have begun jumping these trains and riding them back and forth across the coldest climes in the country. Needless to say, there are dangers of all sorts attendant on this kind of hoboish behavior. The girls are at the worst risk. A killer begins stalking them and then killing them, and he racks up quite a scorecard before Windemere and Stevens start getting close to him. Possibly the greatest pleasure for me in this series is the narration of Edoardo Ballerini. I just love this guy. He is so easy to listen to; he never slips up, and he seems to be very calmly in command of his extraordinary talent at all times, no matter how frantic the action becomes. I would listen to him read almost anything, although maybe not the proverbial NYC phone book (isn't that an anachronism by now? Aren't all phone books now subsumed under the web?). Anyway, I digress. Duh. The plot holds you very tightly, and there are many moments when you truly believe that the villain has the upper hand (he truly does at several points). But Carla and Kirk come through in the end, as of course you knew that they would, or else how would there be more books in the serial? As far as I am concerned, Messrs. Laukkenan and Ballerini could well continue to weave these fine stories for years and years into the future. I will be happy indeed to surrender my credits to them, and to Audible. Bravo! Encore!

Reread - mmmmm

During this time home I am rereading some of my series and while I enjoy the stories of the Stevens and Windermere I have come to the conclusion I don't like Windermere - not at all. I like the stories but her character makes me angry - first time around I didn't feel that way - anyway still leaving a good review - just wish I didn't dislike Windermere so much.

Laukkanen writes a good series made better by Ballerini

I have enjoyed all of the Windermere and Stevens series. Edoardo Ballerini's stellar narration just makes them that much better.
This book is a police procedural that does not involve super human scenes. It is just a believable story of crime and suspense and a mad man who wants to murder beautiful women because he believes he's been wronged by all beautiful women he has ever tried to spend time with. So he picks the ones he thinks no one will miss and leaves their bodies along the railroad in Montana. Needless to say it's freezing and the murderer is an experienced hiker which our heroes are not.
This is a book about outfoxing someone who has been at it so long he believes himself to be the fox.
This is also a book about friendship and one young woman's quest to get justice for her friend and the lengths she will go to do this.
The ending is kind of sad but does bring full closure to this story.
This book is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.