Silent Evidence

Jayne and Steelie #1

by Clea Koff

Every body has secrets...

Jayne and Steelie founded Agency 32/1 with one purpose in using their specialist forensic skills to help police solve crimes.

When a bundle of frozen body parts fall out of a van on a Los Angeles freeway, FBI agent Scott Houston knows just where to go for an off-the-record post-mortem. But to everyone’s horror, Jayne and Steelie quickly determine the parts aren’t from one body. The body parts are from multiple bodies.

A serial killer is on the loose. Worse, Scott’s call has put Jayne and Steelie’s lives in jeopardy, as their unique skills can uncover evidence to unmask the killer. Can they find the killer, before the killer finds them?

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime

384 pages, Paperback

Published January 21, 2025

About the author

Clea Koff, who is mixed-race and Jewish, was born in 1972 to a Tanzanian mother and an American father, both documentary filmmakers focused on human rights issues. Her parents took her and her older brother, Kimera, with them around the world. She spent her childhood in England, Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia, and the United States.

By the time she was a teenager she had decided to study human osteology, which she did first in California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Stanford University. Koff then went on to the master's program in forensic anthropology at the University of Arizona. She completed her masters degree in 1999 at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, after combining her studies with working for the UN between 1996 and 2000.

As a 23-year-old graduate student studying prehistoric skeletons in California, Koff joined a small team of UN scientists exhuming victims of the genocide in Rwanda. Her job was to find evidence to bring the perpetrators to trial, and to help relatives to identify their loved ones. Koff captured the events in her memoir The Bone Woman, which was published in 2004.

Reviews

[Tina Loves To Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Mystery/Suspense, and this is the first book in the Jayne and Steelie series. I listened to the audiobook for this book, and I found the narrator to be just ok (not the best). I really enjoyed the mystery/case and the drama in this book. I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book. I did not like how this book ended. I cannot wait for the second book in this series. I received an ARC of this book. This review is my own honest opinion about the book like all my reviews are.

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Good writing! Solid plot with good and likable characters. I love how much dept the characters had. I usually don't read a lot of books like these but I did really enjoy it. I do think the plot could get confusing at times since it jumped from POV to POV with only one narrator. I will say the audiobook does give away the mystery a bit. I will continue on with the series!

Thank you Netgalley and HaperAudio for the audio copy!! *all opinions are my own*

[April · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent Evidence was an engrossing thriller that held my attention from star to finish. It took a medical and forensic deep dive, as the protagonist in this story seeks a serial killer!

Jayne & Steelie work in forensics, with a specialty in identifying old remains in cold cases. When several frozen body parts are found, appearing to belong to several different victims, they team up with FBI agents to assist in this case. Scott comes in town to investigate as well as navigate the complex past relationship between him and Jayne. In the midst of it, it slowly begins to come clear that Jayne & Steelie are now becoming targets of the suspected serial killer. But they’re just assisting right? Nobody really knows they’re on the case (or so they think) after all they’re the scientist not the police..

It touches on an emotional level of how families may feel about having missing loved ones & explores from both angles, giving you the perspective of the investigators and the people seeking missing loved ones. Very thought provoking and perfect fans of crime shows! I am looking forward to book 2! Narration for this audiobook was great, and I hope they keep Rachel Handshaw for the next audiobook in this series.

Thank you HarperAudio Adult and NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silent Evidence is book one in Jayne and Steelie series and it's a solid good first outing. There are quite a few characters to follow here and the case is complex and interesting.
Overall, it started off slow for me but I ended up liking it fair bit but I won't be rushing to carry on with the series. Good but not great.

[Jennifer Pearson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of Michael Connelly and Karin slaughter and have been looking for a new series to obsess over since reading all of theirs and I absolutely loved tbis! I’ll be not so patiently waiting for the next one to come out! Definitely recommend for fans of detective and crime genre. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced copy

[Karen’s Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silent Evidence was an enjoyable crime thriller featuring forensic pathologists who help to solve the discovery of several gruesome human body parts after a traffic accident.

In the beginning, the book was slow burning as the author takes us through the ins and outs of the lingo and various details of the world of forensic pathology. Once we get through learning what we need to so that we can understand what’s happening, the story picks up and the mystery and suspense draws the reader right in.

I loved the characters of Jayne, Scott, Eric, and especially Steelie, as they race against the clock to solve who is committing these horrendous chilling atrocities.

Thanks so much to Harper Collins 360 for the early galley!

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars
The main characters in this book are forensic anthropologists who have founded their own agency to assist law enforcement in solving crimes and to help families of missing people gain closure. Jayne and Steelie are assisting the FBI this time and their skills could help stop a serial killer - if the killer doesn't stop them first.

The book starts out a bit slow. It's the first in the series, but takes a little while to explain the backstories of the main characters. Jayne and Steelie have worked together for years, and Jayne has a history with FBI Agent Scott Houston which complicates things with the case. Jayne and Scott are both dealing with past traumas which also make things more complex for their work and their personal relationships.

The author knows what she's talking about. Koff worked on a United Nations International forensic team, and her knowledge and experience comes through in the story. Once I had the basics about the characters figured out, I became very engaged in the plot and the procedural details of forensic anthropology. The showdown with the killer near the end of the book is dramatic and suspenseful. The ending is satisfying and I can't wait to see what's next for these characters.

I received this book as a gift, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.

[Lainy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time taken to read - 6 days

Pages - 384

Publisher - Avon

Source - Review copy & bought

Blurb from Goodreads

Every body has secrets...

Jayne and Steelie founded Agency 32/1 with one purpose in using their specialist forensic skills to help police solve crimes.

When a bundle of frozen body parts fall out of a van on a Los Angeles freeway, FBI agent Scott Houston knows just where to go for an off-the-record post-mortem. But to everyone’s horror, Jayne and Steelie quickly determine the parts aren’t from one body. The body parts are from multiple bodies.

A serial killer is on the loose. Worse, Scott’s call has put Jayne and Steelie’s lives in jeopardy, as their unique skills can uncover evidence to unmask the killer. Can they find the killer, before the killer finds them?


My Review

So this is my first time reading this author Jayne and Steelie are main characters who founded Agency 32/1, specialists in Forensics and help with cold cases identifying body parts and bringing closure to loved ones. When body parts are found and appear to be from different people the girls are invited in and consult on the case. A serial killer who is very knowledgeable in what they do and showing no signs of stopping, the FBI are on the case and the killer shows no signs of stopping.

I took a wee bit to warm to this one, it was a little bit, I don't want to say chaotic but that is the closest word I can get to in that different povs but not always clear. I am the first to admit my head space isn't the best at present and if a book takes me this long when I have no interruptions I know its a me issue. I had to keep tabs, the investigation, the issues between the hierarchy in the ranks/agencies. The spark between two of the characters and some throwbacks references to their history, I felt I was maybe reading a second book not first, like had I missed some story. I think it is a bit of how it is written and my mild readers block but I did settle to it.

The baddy was well done, evil, shocking, shady and sometimes makes the hair on the back of your neck stand. I would read more of this series and think it was a good start for book one and a foundation book, 3.5/5.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the start of a series and my first read by this author. I listened to the audiobook.
Jayne and Steelie are forensic specialists, and they are working to help Scott (FBI) solve a mystery involving body parts strewn in various parts of the country. After the first part, which was slow, the story picks up and really became increasingly intricate, since the body parts are from multiple people and solving that riddle can then lead them to the next step. I loved the reasoning that took place to get them to that point.

The author’s extensive knowledge and ability to explain the situations were the highlight! I don’t post spoilers, but I learned so much, and can you imagine trying to put the whole picture together? What a feat!

I look forward to reading about their escapades and especially hearing more from these characters. This is an excellent start. The narration could improve, hopefully.

3.5 stars rounded up!

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The young woman had been dancing with death, and hadn't even known it."

A solidly enjoyable mystery, despite not being very meaty.
Though, I do agree with previous posters that this very much felt like the middle of a series and not the beginning of one.

I wish we could've gotten to know the characters more, because I really did like what I saw of them and their dynamics with each other. I suppose we'll see what happens in book 2!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I was reading Koff's debut mystery I watched a crime show on television. The difference between this well-researched forensic mystery and the shoddy science on the show was monumental. So much so that I ranted about it elsewhere. That said, FREEZING is a great start to what I hope will be a long-running series.

Jayne Hall and Steelie Lander run the 32/1 agency, a nonprofit organization that does forensic profiles of missing persons and tries to connect them with the many Jane and John Does who've been left in coroner's offices around the country. They're forensic anthropology expertise is requested by a friend at the FBI when a traffic accident on an LA freeway leads to the discovery of the remnants of a body. Remnants that are actually pieces, two arms and part of a leg to be exact. The agents are convinced that these body parts are connected to a possible serial killer who'd been operating in Georgia and they want Jayne and Steelie to help them prove the connection.

Clea Koff is a herself a forensic anthropologist who runs an agency much like the fictional one she has created for her protagonists. Her expertise is a great asset to the book. Every now and then she does do a little bit of info-dumping, but mostly she lets her characters tell the story. The mystery is one that builds slowly as Jayne and Steelie and their FBI counterparts put the pieces together (ackk, bad pun there). This was definitely a palate cleanser after I got done with the bad tv science.

This review was posted at MADreads:
http://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/m...

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I completely enjoyed this book. Two of the primary characters are people dealing with the post traumatic stress of things they whitnessed on UN missions, but their stresses were well handled, woven into the story, and made them richer characaters rather than just damadged people. Jayne isn't so crippled by her PTSD that we wonder why she's the main character, and she doesn't find a miracle cure for her trauma, she just lives with it, and does what she has to do. I found this refreshing in its realism. The story itself was detailed and very good. I was thrown for a loop along with the characters when the potential identity of the killer is discovered. I suspected him of being a creep, but that was all (I hope this statement does not constitute too much of a spoiler, since I'm intentionally not naming names). I've recently read reviews of other forensics books proclaiming the lab time and details get in the way of the story, that is not the case here. There was a good balance between important forensic details, police leg work, and thrilling chase. I can't wait for the next one.

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super good. Check out the author's real-life work in forensic anthropology and identifying missing persons at mpid.org and in her non-fiction book, The Bone Woman: A Forensic Anthropologist's Search for Truth in the Mass Graves of Rwanda, Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo. Looking forward to more in this series.

[Samantha · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn’t finish it!

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a forensic crime thriller, and the first book in The Jayne and Steelie Series. It was exciting, gripping, and a real page turner.

The author is a forensic anthropologist, and her experience and expertise shows in her writing. She’s not only knowledgeable in forensics, but her writing style was excellent and very engaging.

I was hooked from the very beginning and about a third of a way through, it got super intense where I couldn’t put it down.

The forensic aspect was fascinating. I loved the friendship between Jayne and Steelie. I liked the way the author included the toll it takes on examiners and forensic anthropologist as they deal with some really dark and heartbreaking situations.

There’s a bit of a romance between Jane and an FBI agent which I enjoyed, but it’s very much a secondary part of the story.

Good choice for anyone that likes thrillers and has an interest in forensic science.

[The Page Ladies Book Club · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read for me. The depth the author went into with the characters was great and I really enjoyed getting to know them! The multiple points of view really brings everything together! I have been looking for a new mystery series to get into and this one was entertaining and easy to get caught up in! I will definitely be reading the next book in the series! Thank you HarperCollins 360 and Clea Koff for sharing this book with me!

[Cindy Sobczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC. I think the story line / plot was good and interesting. I wish I would have had a hard copy or kindle to follow along with.

The narration was not the best. It had one narrator trying to portray different people/ voices and it did not work. It made the book confusing on who was talking and made me not as interested to listen to it. I think if I would have had the book to follow along, I would have liked it more as the story was interesting.

[Ashdeclet Audiobook Addict · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery. I wouldn't call it a nail-biting thriller, but it had moments of suspense.

I would classify this book as something a cozy mystery and a suspenseful thriller. Something to be enjoyed, but nothing that I felt that really kept me on the edge of my seat. I did enjoy the writing, the plot, and the character development. And I enjoyed the friendship between Jayne and Steelie. I think that is probably what will keep me reading this series, if it becomes an ongoing series. The one thing I hope that they bring into future books is a little bit more suspense and thrill.

I think this is a great book if you're looking for something that isn't quite an intense dark thriller, but you're not exactly looking for a cozy mystery either. I often like things that are a good in the middle.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarperAudio for the advanced audio copy of this audiobook. All my opinions are my own.

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but found the abbreviations/acronyms confusing at times. Terms like 'Misper' for Missing Persons were scattered throughout the book. Steelie and Jayne are forsenic anthropologists who have formed a charity company focusing on locating the identification of missing persons. A FBI agent, Scott Houston calls them in on a case. He met both women 5 years ago but has been in phone contact with Jayne on a frequent basis. Now, Scott has been transferred to LA with his partner, Eric where Jayne and Steelie now live. A van was rear-ended and frozen body parts escaped out the back door. Jayne and Steelie have been asked to help provide information on the specimens. Scott and Eric have been tracking a serial killer for years when they were located in Georgia but now they believe the body remains are evidence of the same killer. Jayne is experiencing signs and symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from a previous harrowing experience overseas but Scott is as well although he seems to hide it more effectively. As the story evolves, it appears Jayne is becoming more a target of the serial killer as well. Good plot line.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was by chance that I came across Clea Koff as I was asked to review her second book in this series so before picking it up and reading I better read her first book to understand how book 2 fits. Clea has a solid background in human osteology, which she did first in California. She earned her bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Stanford University. Koff then went on to the master's program in forensic anthropology at the University of Arizona. She completed her masters degree in 1999. The series focuses on two best buddies and work mates Jayne and Steelie that have founded their own charity linking the un identified dead with a name and closing the years of families not knowing, working with the FBI. Certainly a different take than the normal thriller/crime/unearthing bodies. I found Clea's writing bringing 'herself' to the story her experiences and more to the fact of her emotions that others would exp such as PTSD. Solid story good scenarios and an understanding of the 'body business'- 'They work halfway between the living and the dead' I would recommend, now onto book 2.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had read and deeply admired Koff's memoir, "The Bone Woman," about her experiences as a forensic anthropologist in Kosovo, Sri Lanka, and Rwanda. But I was hesitant to read her first mystery novel, the protagonist of which is a forensic anthropologist back in the States after experiences in Kosovo, Sri Lanka, and Rwanda. To my pleasant surprise, Koff knows a lot about the genre, and she tells a fairly breathlessly plotted story with minimal use of jargon. It's not exactly a great book, but I liked the plot twists, good characters, and the authenticity of the setting.

[Diana Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a debut mystery this was pretty good. One reason was the author is very experienced in forensic anthology plus the after affects (PTSD) of working to recover bodies after a genocide. Look forward to more from this author. Recommend reading The Bone Woman by this author ... true stories about her experiences as a forensic anthropologist in Rwanda, Bosnia ...

[Stephanie Millikan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just finished the audiobook version of this story. It felt extremely short of my expectations. The description of this story provided made me so exciting but I feel it was missing a lot of important details & kinda tried to just fly through the story line.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this debut novel. Looking forward to reading more by Clea Koff.

[Brenda Kirton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enthralling first book. Good character development and good plot. Very believable dialogue. I look forward to the next one.

[Zora]

Completely unbelievable opening. More research about police procedures would have helped somewhat, but I didn't believe the characters or dialog either.

[Carole Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

A random collision might lead to a serial killer

Human remains are discovered when a vehicle rear-ends a van on an LA freeway, and they may have a connection to a spree of killings in Georgia. FBI agent Scott Houston and his partner Eric Ramos certainly think so, although their bosses don’t necessarily agree. Houston reaches out to Jayne Hall and Steelie Lander, forensic anthropologists who formed Agency 32/1 which uses scientific methods to aid families in matching missing persons with unidentified bodies in morgues or living John/Jane Does. Scott had met the two women at Quantico five years earlier and has stayed in touch with Jayne (in large part due to a mutual but not acted upon attraction). He asks them to look at the remains and hopefully discover something that will prove to the powers that be that there is a serial killer on the loose and that they have moved across the country; if that is so, then Houston and Ramos can work on bringing the person to justice. Becoming involved in the case, however, may just have put Jayne and Steelie in a killer’s crosshairs.
When I selected this book to read, I was expecting it to be a twist on Kathy Reichs or Patricia Cornwell, a thriller with a forensic science base. In actuality it seems to be leaning more towards a romance novel with touches of thriller added in. The premise is more than intriguing and the author clearly has a background that could add a great deal of information to the table, so I was disappointed as I found the plot skewing off towards the “does he like me or doesn’t he” vibe surrounding Jayne and Houston. This is the first in what could become a series, yet the way background information was introduced it felt more like this was a later book in a series and the author was just tossing in nuggets from previous novels to clue in anyone who hadn’t read previous installments. Not a horrible book, but not what I expected nor anything truly outstanding about it within the genre. Reichs and Cornwell fans would not, I expect, find that it lives up to those authors’ standards; it would likely be of more appeal to readers of Alexandra Ivy, Susan Stoker or Katie Reus. My thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for allowing me access to an early copy of the novel.

[Roroblu'sMum · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* Felt like a book way, way along in a series, without enough background to the leads. Started excitingly but it fizzled out.

This is well written and the beginning had me turning pages. But then it lost its way with the utter plant that was a certain character who came up visit out of the blue, insinuating himself into Jayne's personal and professional spaces, and yep, it got utterly predictable.

There's a hint, and I do mean hint, that Jayne and Scott have a could-be thing but nothing happens. Yes, their lives are busy and they've both witnessed trauma, but goodness, there totally was time to take things a little further than a kiss after a casual almost-relationship spanning 5 years, and yet it didn't. It's 2024 and these guys are mid-30s, so yeah, sex is kind of a given, right?

There was a tiny bit about Steelie and Jayne's past and a little about their super duper receptionist cum counsellor (sadly, have forgotten her name already, but it starts with C) but there needed to be more. They felt like flat characters instead of the intelligent, determined and confident women the blurb alludes to.

The bad guy got offed far too easily and anticlimactically, which disappointed. He was meant to be some kind of psychopath and yet a quick distraction and the bound Jayne had him out flat? Yeah...no.

We're told that Steelie and Jayne will be back. There's potential for them, as what they do is decent and worthwhile but is...flat, just like they come across. We need to see life in them, as we saw in Jayne's mother. Who kind of appeared as filler then faded away when not needed. I'd like to read more, but their cases need to be exciting and have a hint of danger, which this book never quite revved up to. I suspect that this close to release date it won't get tweaked, but this could have been as good as Kathy Reich's Temperance Brennan series, but felt too flat. And my apologies for using 'flat' so many times, but it's apt.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Avon Books for my reading pleasure.

P.S. I thought it was book 1 in a series, due to the lack of background, but I think it's actually the 2nd. Hmm.

[Cornerofmadness · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this series opener. A bit about the author, she is a forensic anthropologist like the main characters and like Jayne was part of the UN team investigating the mass graves in Rwanda so there is that professional air to this. That said, this book touches on some gruesome stuff so CW serial killers, female victims, dismembered body parts, stalking and PTSD

Jayne and Steelie are friends and partners at the Agency 32/1. Both women specialize in finding missing persons mostly by culling through coroner reports etc. They are contacted by FBI special agent Scott Houston and his partner Eric who are potentially in trouble with their bosses because their former boss thought Scott was getting too close to the victim pool back in Georgia (sex workers) and is raising conduct issues with his new boss.

Scott and Eric are now in the Los Angeles area because a van got rear ended and drove off, leaving a pile of body parts on the highway. They know Jayne and Steelie and engage the ladies to help them prove these body parts are part of their case back in Georgia which they do willingly.

The clues laid out in this were very well done (again Koff's profession is a huge help in this as she knows from direct experience) There is a good deal of empathy for the lost and forgotten especially on Jayne's part. Into this we have another former coworker, Gene, who shows up briefly and vaguely insults their work. We have Jayne and her PTSD and paranoia (which in this case is justified as someone is watching her) and we have the hints of romance between Jayne and Scott (if I have a quibble with the book it was how heavy handed that was sometimes)

Overall the mystery was very good. I liked the characters a lot. I was a bit more iffy on the ending but it wasn't a deal breaker. It just felt a bit too Hollywood in my opinion. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This kind of reminds me of Patricia Cornwall, but not really.

In this one we have 2 women who are forensic investigators....they are not cops...not FBI...but they follow the trails to try to catch the bad guys...

So, when a dead body falls from a van in CA, they are called to assist.
But to their horror, they discover that it is not ONE body, but several!! ?? !!
(Did I mention that the body has been chopped up???)

OK...so overall, the story is good! It's compelling!
BUT...I kept looking up to see if this was the audiobook that was coming out, and maybe it's a re-release...but I don't see that it is.

BUT...there is talk of Blackberries. (I haven't heard that type of phone in quite some time. Those were out when I had my ?Motorola? Chocolate....that was a long time ago.)
Also, post 9/11 is referenced...making me think this was written a while ago?
Maybe it was never released?? Not sure...

Also, referenced that the individual did not have a cell phone. That's unusual too in this day and age...

All in all, I'm giving 3 1/2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫, but rounding up to 4!
I did enjoy the story, although parts of it felt outdated, it was a great baseline!!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #HarperAudioAdult and #Avon for an ARC of the audiobook. As I'm looking at the info, I see this was released in August, so it should be readily available now.

#SilentEvidence by #CleaKoff and narrated by #RachelHandshaw.

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