The Girls in the Basement

by Steena Holmes

Jillian thought she knew her husband. They’ve been married for twenty years. But she doesn’t know him at all.

Jillian Harper thought moving to the quiet little town in Montana would be the fresh start her family needed. A charming farmhouse, friendly neighbors, and endless open fields — it was supposed to be perfect.

Until the bodies are found.

Buried deep on their land. Hidden for years.

The police are everywhere. The town is whispering. And Tucker — her devoted husband — is acting . . . strange. He won’t tell her where he was all day. He won’t explain why his phone was off. And worst of all — he won’t meet her eyes.

Jillian knows Tucker is lying. She just doesn’t know why.

But the truth is far worse than she imagined. Because someone left those bodies there. Maybe the real monster isn’t lurking out there in the fields . . . Maybe he’s sleeping in her bed.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Survival

339 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2025

About the author

Steena Holmes is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with nearly 3 million copies of her titles sold worldwide, including The Patient, The Forgotten Ones, and Sister Under the Stairs.

Named in the Top 20 Women Author to Read by Good Housekeeping, she won the National Indie Excellence Award for her breakout novel Finding Emma and the USA Book News Award for The Word Game. Steena has been featured in various newspapers and magazines, websites such as Goodreads, BookBub, RedBook, Glamour, Coastal Living and Goodhousekeeping.

One of Steena's passions is to travel with her readers, so she created her Sweet Tours, where she shares her love for the sweet life with her readers, whether in Paris, Italy, or exploring Christmas Markets.
To learn more about her books and join her on the next Sweet Tour, visit her website at http://www.steenaholmes.com.
You can also find Steena on the web at:

Instagram: www.instagram.com/authorsteenaholmes
Facebook: SteenaHolmes.author

LIST OF HER NOVELS STARTING FROM MOST RECENT:

SHE TOOK MY BABY

THE GIRLS IN THE BASEMENT (follow up to The Sister Under the Stairs)

THE TWIN

ENGAGED TO A SERIAL KILLER

THE SISTER UNDER THE STAIRS

THE PATIENT

THE FORGOTTEN ONES

SAVING ABBY & ABBY'S JOURNEY

THE WORD GAME

Stillwater Bay Series:
Stillwater Shores
Stillwater Rising
Stillwater Tides
Stillwater Deep

The Memory Child & The Memory Journal

FINDING EMMA series:
Finding Emma
Dear Jack
Emma's Secret
Dottie's Memories
Megan's Hope

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious. Boring. Jillian was excruciatingly clueless. The whole book was her begging her husband to tell her the truth and him avoiding her and telling her nothing. The ending was rushed and lackluster. And, by the way, whatever happened to Becky and her son???

[Cyd’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for approving me to read this, I am rating it 3.25 stars.

I was intrigued by the blurb, and I did find the story quite engaging. I feel like the ending is a little bitter sweet and I would’ve liked more of a conclusion.

I quite liked Jillian and Meri, they both carried the story for me and their moral compasses didn’t waiver. Jillian especially had some tough choices, that being said I would’ve liked us to expand more on the ending with her and her family.

I recommend this for fans of fairly fast paced thrillers who enjoy a dark plot with multi POV.

[Danielle-Gemma💜 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did enjoy parts of this book, but the ending felt really rushed and unfinished - not sure if the author is leaving the story open for a second book but I wish they hadn’t

[Laura Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE GIRLS IN THE BASEMENT BY STEENA HOLMES.
Release date set for the 10th of April 2025.
This is my first book by this author.
I was drawn to the cover instantly. Love it.
Multiple POVs and really easy to follow along.
I thought this was a tense thriller
.

[Ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

That ending was so bad. What about Becky? Very curious

[Megan Ketchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

Only read this if you love clueless annoying characters and no resolution at the end 😍

[Kate Cedras · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is her husband a monster? Does she know him?

Phew- this is a wild ride but so fun! I enjoyed the story, how it flowed and the ups & downs throughout. The twists twisted and I found myself excited to know more and unable to out it down!

Worth the read!

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars

This book is listed as a psychological thriller, but I don’t think that is correct. It was not even really a thriller. This book is about human trafficking, but there wasn’t any intensity until the very end and that was very mild. Also, there were no twists in this book to make it a psychological thriller. Everything was very obvious throughout the book.

I also struggle with weak FMCs. You can’t tell me a wife would be that naive to not know what is going on when they have moved that many times and have been in the witness protection program. That annoys me.

Thanks NetGalley and publisher for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Bethreads · Rating 2 out of 5]

Felt rushed to me and I knew what was happening didn't feel much emotion didn't hit me in the fields the way I thought it would

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️

Original premise
•
Dark secrets
•
Unique perspective
•
Haunting trauma

This was a plaintive psychological thriller that explored heavy topics and deep emotional scars left by trauma and secrecy. It was not a fast paced thriller but rather a slow burn, emotional story that pulled me in with a subtle intensity. Despite not being completely engrossed in the narrative, I was drawn to the atmosphere, themes, and disturbing truths uncovered. I wasn’t entirely connected to the characters but I was invested in their experiences and learning how their story resolved.

Altogether, I enjoyed reading Steena Holmes newest release since it’s been a few years when I last read a book of hers. The Girls in the Basement delivered a slow burn mystery story that had a dark, emotionally driven intensity with a strong psychological undercurrent. I only recommend this to those who have read other books by Holmes and/or are stimulated by heavy and complex narratives that will leave you feeling unsettled. (Audio)

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

The narration on this book flowed perfectly throughout and she did a wonderful job covering all the characters! The story was a bit dull for me at times and predictable, but there were some twists and turns that caught me off guard. I enjoyed all the background information that came to light and how detailed and descriptive the story was. I would recommend to anyone who likes psychological thrillers dealing with family and lots of death!

[Nurse Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely underestimated this book! Chapter one, hook, line, and sinker. The rest of this book had me in a chokehold, unable to put it down or think of anything else. The storyline ended up being something completely different than I anticipated- and it was amazing. The fluency of the story, the pacing, the anticipation. I both loved and hated the FMC, Jillian. I wanted better for her and hated the decisions she made, but her character was so likable that you can’t hate her overall.

I cannot recommend this story enough. I’ve been underwhelmed with popcorn thrillers that have so many twists you lose plausibility. I anticipate this to be a crowd favorite among thriller readers! Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for this ARC!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ooo, this was a dark one. I also do not buy that the wife has no idea what was going on. How oblivious do you have to be? Especially if your main object is protecting your son? And MARRYING THE MAN YOUR BEST FRIEND COULD HAVE BEEN TRAFFICKED BY?! How willingly blind do you need to be? ESPECIALLY after you were already in a witness protection situation because of your husband? You'll do anything for your son but leave the man causing all the problems, huh? Even your mother said it was a bad idea, ma'am. Oh boy, nothing pisses me off more than a willingly blind woman. And this is only a portion of the story, there's like 4 other levels you have to sort through.

[Tabea Vanessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a shitshow

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have so many unanswered questions. Jillian is an idiot. That is all.

[Dartanyan Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 🌟

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for this audiobook ARC.

Now, let me set the stage:

There are 4 POVs (if I’m remembering correctly) but only 2 characters matter, and they are Jillian and Meri. At the beginning of the story, we find out Jill and her husband, Tucker, have a shaky relationship. They moved to a small town in Montana in hopes of rekindling their flame (and to also escape some dangerous people that’s never really explained). Jillian and Tucker have a son who seems to notice his parents are drifting apart from each other.

Meri is an agent/detective who stumbles on a human trafficking operation. 20 years ago, her sister went missing, and she never stopped looking for her. Certain clues lead her to believe the human trafficking operation might reveal her sister’s location (or remains), which lands her in the town Jillian is in.

Stage set. Let’s get into it.

The premise was strong, but certain people’s behavior, especially after the inciting incident, made little sense to me. For example, the police discover trailers filled with old dead bodies on Jillian’s property. Her husband seems to know something about the bodies because Jillian notices he’s lying to the police…but she never pesters him about it. He says don’t worry about it, and she shrugs it off. Not only that, but she wants to stay at the house where the dead bodies were found. WHAT?! I understand she’s tired of moving from state to state to avoid some dangerous people, but THIS IS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN?! When there are dead bodies on your property? Nah.

There’s a smaller arc going on with Jillian. In high school, Jillian’s best friend went missing. 20 years later (yes, 20 is a popular number) and Jillian runs into a lady in the store that looks just like her missing friend. SPOILER ALERT: It is her friend! When they finally get a moment alone to speak to each other, there’s no emotion. I mean, this was her very best friend who disappeared after walking home from a party! Jillian blamed herself because if she would have walked her friend home, she would have been safe (survivor’s guilt). And when they finally reconnect, there’s nothing? No burst of tears? No tight hugs and apologies?

There were a bunch of times when I thought the emotions and behaviors were off, but my biggest issue with this story was how easily vital information came to the main characters. Too often, they’d be somewhere and overhear conversations important to the plot. They rarely had to work for anything. Part of the allure of a murder mystery is how the pieces of the plot come together, and how the mystery is solved. The way everything came together in The Girls in the Basement was very anticlimactic and ended with a lot of questions unanswered. But, as much as I wanted to fight this audiobook, the story was easy to follow, the writing was decent, and the narrator was great.

[Faye Sabin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Debated DNF’ing the book multiple times. In hindsight, I probably should have.

Quite frankly, it was boring and extremely tedious. The plot is obvious from the beginning and this is basically 300 pages of a woman running around clueless as to what’s going on, constantly asking her husband for the truth and doing bugger all to figure it out or get help. To be honest, Jillian comes across as an oblivious idiot. Who goes that long without clocking on to all the suspicious behaviour her husband is up to, only to read that she suspected him when her best friend got kidnapped, just for her to go ‘eh, don’t think he’s involved, I’ll marry him’. Even her own mother didn’t trust him and she just ignored it.

Then there’s the whole issue of her constantly asking her husband to tell her what’s going on and him always avoiding giving any answers. Yet, she was completely fine to just go along with it? What kind of idiot, with a child, just follows along obliviously and accepts when her husband doesn’t give her the answers she’s asking for? Completely unrealistic!!

Her husband is constantly referred to ‘being involved’ in this sex trafficking organisation and yet, we never actually find out what the hell his involvement even was even his ‘the truth’ email is so vague and answers absolutely nothing. Apart from the little snippet of finding out that he picked out girls when he was younger, we get zilch. Was that all it was? Was there more to it? Who knows…

The book is called ‘The girls in the basement’ yet there’s basically nothing about the girls or the basement in this story whatsoever… there’s multiple mentions of the ‘red house’ and ‘bracelets’ these girls apparently wear, but so little of the book is actually focused on this.

The reason this all cracks off is because there’s a bunch of bodies found in random trailers on their land and yet 0 explanation as to why? If this was because of a sex trafficking organisation where girls are sold off to the highest bidder, why are there then a bunch of bodies in Montana, if the Red House, where all these girls were kept, is in Texas?

The ending was so rushed and so much was left unanswered.
What was Jillian’s boss’ involvement in all of it? Why did Lola have the scar and why did the woman at Red House keep her around, what made her so special to not be sold on like all the others? Does whoever her father is have something to do with it? Who is her father?

And the biggest question, what the hell happened to Becky and her son? She manages to escape out of the back of the trailer Jillian sent her to and then we literally never hear from her again?

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐️: 3.5/5

Jillian Harper and her husband, Tucker, just moved to Montana with their son. They’re settling in nicely and hoping for a fresh start; that is until someone gives law enforcement a tip that there are two trailers full of bodies on the Harper’s property.
Tucker claims that even though the house was bought at an unbelievable price, quickly with cash, and in his name alone, he had no idea about the bodies.
While picking up snacks before her son’s baseball game, Jillian swears she sees her best friend, who went missing when they were younger. Then again at the games, she’s adamant that it has to be her; they look so much alike. At the same time, Jillian is noticing unusual behaviors with her husband since they’ve moved. She’s worried he could be up to something, which is what caused them to move in the first place.
Does Jillian really know her husband of twenty years, the father of her son, as well as she thinks? Is the mystery lady at the baseball games her missing best friend? Was there more to this move than her husband let on?

I did really like this book, but the ending, ugh! 🤯 It’s hard to give this book a proper rating without giving an explanation that will involve spoilers.

The ending left me with so many unanswered questions. There definitely could be a sequel if the author wanted to tie up all the loose ends.

I have so many questions about the town, the sheriff, what happens after, what happened to the family, where did the bodies actually come from, and who should be held accountable!?!? SO MANY QUESTIONS‼️

I definitely will read more by this author. I only rated this book so low because of the way the ending lacked details and explanations.


✨Thank you @netgalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first time reading this author and I absolutely loved this book! It is full of twists and turns. But better than that, it is full of artfully crafted suspense that is held throughout the entire book. There is the main story line of the book, like a tree trunk, but then there are these little story lines, like the branches of the tree. And they are all done so well, without the branch overshadowing the trunk, each one complete.

The writing itself flowed so well. It is fast paced and action packed. There is a ton of dialogue which really helps move the story along. The characters were not throw away characters, not interchangeable. They each were well thought out, with their own backstory, and with their own purpose. Did I sometimes want to yell at Jillian? Yes, yes I did. But that’s normal for me!

While of course there are only so many tropes, this book just felt different than other thrillers that I have read. And the ending was FANTASTIC! It’s just really, really good. I think thriller readers should read this book.

[Tori Paige · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you’re wondering at what point Gillian grows a back bone and attempts even a little bit to protect herself and her son…

Spoiler alert- she doesn’t 😂

What a hard read.

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my second experience with Steena Holmes and she is growing on me. I love the multi-POV format and all the twists and turns throughout the book to keep the reader engaged and intrigued.

My criticism falls with the ending which I was left with so many questions of things that weren’t tied up or addressed. You would have thought this was a set up to have a sequel but I don’t think that’s the case.

I consumed the audiobook and the narrator Christina Traister did a great job with the material and spoke at a swift pace for the 1x speed. I listened to the majority at 1.25x to make sure I could grasp everything.

This title comes out April 22nd so thriller lovers get it on your TBR.

I am thankful to have gotten a complimentary audio ALC from Brilliance Audio through NetGalley to read which gave me the opportunity to voluntarily leave a review.

My rating system since GoodReads doesn’t have partial stars

⭐️ Hated it
⭐️⭐️ Had a lot of trouble, prose issues, really not my cup of tea (potentially DNF’d or thought about it)
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Meh, it was an ok read but nothing special
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Really enjoyed it! Would recommend to others
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Outstanding! Will circle back and read again

[Rainbow Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were parts of this book that I absolutely loved. The subject matter was dark, but it was handled really well.

I enjoyed some of the characters, though others were truly awful—and not always in a deliberate, well-crafted way.

A part of me wanted to rate this higher, because there were elements I connected with so strongly. But where it really fell short was in the ending. The way everything came together felt rushed and a little haphazard, as though it hadn’t been fully thought through.

What disappointed me most was that several characters simply disappeared from the narrative. Their storylines were left hanging without any resolution, and I was honestly gutted about that.

[Nelson Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75

[RoosBookReviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a very dark thriller, but absolutely worth the read. There were multiple POVs and a dual timeline that connected at the end and gave good backstory for the characters. the moral dilemmas that were faced were very tough: how do you do the right thing when it's the people you love who want you to do the wrong things? I hope to read more my the author!

thank you to NetGalley, the author Steena Holmes, and Brilliance Publishing for my ARC of this audiobook.

[Karlie Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay but like I enjoyed this and the reviews are mostly less than 4 stars?

Yes it is giving predictable but I was expecting Tucker to be more involved than he was. I was also not expecting her boss to be involved. So there are some twists and turns in this one. Super easy and quick read, I really liked the storyline. I do have one gripe and its character development- I felt like this could’ve been stronger and more evolved to make the main characters more interesting.

[Jen (noelle w. ihli's version) · Rating 1 out of 5]

booooooo

[Anna Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had great potential but Jillian is so clueless, I could hardly stand it. Why would anyone stay in the position she was in?? And the ending just made me mad

[AGilden · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story was told from the perspectives of four characters. First, Jillian, a woman who tried to raise her son inside a marriage to a man who kept plenty of secrets that put their family in danger. Then FBI agent Meri Amber, who tried to investigate a ring that trafficked women. And, lastly, Lola and Becky, women who lived inside that ring.

Needless to say, the tension was high in Lola and Becky's sections, and they captivated me completely. But they were short and infrequent. Meri was likeable and her sections were interesting, but not eventful.

But I found Jillian's sections, which made up a majority of the book, beyond tiresome to read. She spent much of them trying to pry secrets out of her husband, which he refused to give. "Tell me," "No," "Tell me," "No," became tedious very fast. And when she wasn't doing that, she was explaining away obvious red lines that showed her the nature of the man she was married to. And when I say obvious red lines, I'm not expecting a character to be clairvoyant, like many readers tend to do. I mean bodies in the backyard and body parts in the attic. Hello, you have a son to protect, for heaven's sake!

And believe it or not, I haven't spoiled the plot for you, because the fact that he was somehow involved was literally this obvious throughout the book. It's even all over the blurb.

But even if I could get through that, the story was just too slow for my liking. Very little actually happened throughout the book, and what happened was predictable. |There was a sort-of menacing atmosphere, which was the only reason why I finished it.

[Codi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was very underwhelming

[Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book should be renamed the dumbest wife on the planet. This book should’ve been a lot more than the stars is the wife had woken up and decided to leave her husband and turned his ass in and played a cat and mouse game. Instead she just rocked with his lies and fuckshit b/c sHe WAs iN lOvE 🙄 for 50 chapters. How many times do we have to read about a stupid weak willed woman who will not speak up or go against her husband just to move the plot forward??? These authors are not beating the “I hate women allegations.” Jillian is so stupid from the start. Letting her husband, Tucker get away with lying and keeping secrets from the day they met. And all she does is make excuses for his sorry ass. Thinking men can change will leave you exhausted. Her goofy behavior pissed me off so bad. Tucker is TRASH 🗑️ and ain’t no redeeming that.