12 cold cases. 12 kidnapped women. One diabolical serial killer. In this riveting suspense thriller, a brilliant FBI agent faces a deadly challenge: decipher the mystery before each one is murdered.
In the Maya Gray series (which begins with Book #1—GIRL ONE: MURDER), FBI Special Agent Maya Gray, 39, has seen it all. She’s one of BAU’s rising stars and the go-to agent for hard-to-crack serial cases. When she receives a handwritten postcard promising to release 12 kidnapped women if she will solve 12 cold cases, she assumes it’s a hoax.
Until the note mentions that, among the captives, is her missing sister.
Maya, shaken, is forced to take it seriously. The cases she’s up against are some of the most difficult the FBI has ever seen. But the terms of his game are simple: If Maya solves a case, he will release one of the girls.
And if she fails, he will end a life.
In GIRL TEN: WANTED (book #10), new victims are appearing near bodies of water, and the clue linking them is just out of Maya’s reach. When she finally has a realization, a shocking twist leaves her in the crosshairs, and makes her realize she just may be out of time….
A complex psychological crime thriller full of twists and turns and packed with heart-pounding suspense, the MAYA GRAY mystery series will make you fall in love with a brilliant new female protagonist and keep you turning pages late into the night. It is a perfect addition for fans of Robert Dugoni, Rachel Caine, Melinda Leigh or Mary Burton.
Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).
An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.
Ugh Why does the leading FC continue to make selfish and incompetent choices …. Why does the writer keep repeating the same monologues while removing other dialogue with more interesting and obviously smarter characters. Maya keeps proving her own agenda to be superior to the ENTIRE FBI’s, including her fiance (former partner) and her sister (former kidnap victim) … all because the serial killer told her so?!
I keep reading the series because I was originally interested in the plot and finding the truth of the case. Now, I can’t speed up the audio books fast enough to get through all of the redundant “should I”, “shouldn’t I”, “but I can’t”, “I must”, … barf.
I tried to stick it out but this series has become an unrealistic cycle of rinse (moonlight killer, FBI promotion, I love Marco), wash (postcard arrives, new serial killer to hunt, “only I can save the kidnapped girl” and inevitably lie to the entire FBI and affiliated police forces mindset), repeat (moonlight killer is smarter, FBI threatens to fire Maya (seriously, how has she not been fired yet??!), Marco wants her to trust him and stop lying!!), …. I’m pulling the plug. Sorry.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 Girl Ten: Wanted by Molly Black was another thrilling ride in the Maya Gray series. I really enjoyed seeing how the story would spin off after the capture of Frank, and it definitely kept me hooked from start to finish. The suspense was sharp, the pacing was quick, and I still find myself drawn into Maya’s relentless determination case after case. That said, one thing that pulled me out of the story a bit was the repeated near-death experiences. Honestly—how many times can Maya Gray be strangled by a rope the exact same way and still bounce back? By book ten, it’s starting to feel a little far-fetched. Overall though, I still loved the tension and mystery, especially with the new twists near the water-related crimes. It was entertaining, gripping, and a strong continuation of the series. That’s why I’m giving it 4 out of 5 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
First of all, I blame myself. I have no one to blame but me for reading this. But hear me out—I was tricked by other reviews promising a “twist ending.” Alas, I was beyond disappointed, and the more I write this, the more irritated I get. Don’t worry, I won’t spoil the twist ending—though “twist” might be too generous a word, since it bends about as much as a piece of uncooked spaghetti.
As everyone has said, this book repeats itself. A lot. It’s shocking the writer hasn’t corrected this—it’s almost a crime. How did the editor not point it out? How many times do we need to be reminded that Marco has “a swimmer’s body” (10 books in, still hasn’t been to a pool), that Megan has “delicate, fragile features,” or that “Maya needed a new plan” while also thinking for the thousandth time that she’s going to die and her last thoughts will be of Marco and Megan? At this point, the characters need to be thinking new things and, frankly, growing a little. After all this time, why doesn’t anyone believe Maya? Especially Marco—whose sole job seems to be holding her hand and, occasionally, her gun. Can’t she reflect on the fact that she’s surrounded by idiots? Honestly, Maya needs to start thinking about tacos. Or going to the gym. Or literally anything else.
But here’s what really grinds my gears: Maya goes undercover and doesn’t change her name. Insert facepalm here. For someone who brags constantly about her military intelligence training, the thought never once occurs to her? I just can’t.
The wasted potential is what stings most. We could have gotten more depth with the hostages. Or the serial killer—whose terrifying name is… Frank. Or Michael. Seriously, nothing screams “average dad at the barbecue” like Michael. We’re also expected to believe this guy was sentenced in one year? One. As in 365 days. In reality, look at the Idaho murders case—which was very real. A criminology grad student murdered four co-eds in November 2022. He wasn’t sentenced until July 2025, where he pleaded guilty and got four consecutive life terms. That’s nearly three years of legal battles. Does this writer even know how the legal system works? Or imagine if Maya’s cases all got tossed because she never bothered to obtain a warrant—that would’ve been interesting.
But alas. None of that.
So no. No, Molly Black, you will not trick me again.
After having the moonlight killer incarcerated, Maya is bored with her desk work. She feels that there were that were 3 cases still unsolved the moonlight killer was having her find before was arrested. Maya receives a postcard from another killer, requesting her assistance again. The nightmare starts again. A Very surprising and unexpected ending!
Ten books in and it is still the moonlight killer. 🙄 Every single chapter wants to repeat the SAME INFORMATION OVER & OVER & OVER. Maya is nothing but a self-centered whiney ass. Molly needs to find some new material & stop beating the same dead horse.
Spoiler alert!!!
Moonlight killer escapes & this story will continue. 🤦♀️ How many more books can she write about this??? Ugh.
Okay so I LOVED this series! It got repetitive at times but it always kept my interest. Got through the series in 2 weeks. BUT I feel like this book could have been skipped UNTIL I realized maybe theirs 12 books and this is a way to keep it going??? I hope so!
Ugh, where was her editor?! So many errors (wrong names, wrong town, entire words or parts of sentences missing), so I wonder if it was really rushed or what happened.
3.2 Least favorite of the series At this point almost felt insulting to the reader with how they re-explain things and Maya’s insistence that she’s smarter than everyone else
She doesn’t deserve Marco. She needs to get in trouble for her stupid choices. And honestly she is really self centered and proud and never makes the smart choices
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Okay, I am *kinda* glad I kept reading. This one was better than the last....six? I do appreciate that the Frank storyline keeps going but Maya needs to be put in her place, seriously!