What do you think?
Rate this book
Violent Crime Investigations Team #1
The Silenced Women
Who will speak for those who no longer can?
When a young woman is found strangled to death and left on a park bench in Santa Rosa, California, Detective Eddie Mahler and his Violent Crime Investigations (VCI) Team are called to the scene. The crime immediately thrusts Mahler back to two unsolved homicides--young women who were also strangled--at this same location a couple of years earlier. His inability to find evidence against the man he knows was responsible for their deaths has haunted him since.
Now suffering from chronic migraines that affect his vision, Mahler has secretly lost faith in the investigation process, and must rely more than ever on his team. Its newest member, Eden Somers, is a former FBI analyst whose ability to completely immerse herself in the evidence of a case proves both a gift and a curse. While Eden dives deep into the cold case evidence, the rest of the team chase leads to identify the latest victim, and discover that her death might be the work of a different killer altogether. Now Mahler and his team are fighting on two fronts to discover who stole the very breath from these women, and to stop the killer before he silences another victim.
When a young woman is found strangled to death and left on a park bench in Santa Rosa, California, Detective Eddie Mahler and his Violent Crime Investigations (VCI) Team are called to the scene. The crime immediately thrusts Mahler back to two unsolved homicides--young women who were also strangled--at this same location a couple of years earlier. His inability to find evidence against the man he knows was responsible for their deaths has haunted him since.
Now suffering from chronic migraines that affect his vision, Mahler has secretly lost faith in the investigation process, and must rely more than ever on his team. Its newest member, Eden Somers, is a former FBI analyst whose ability to completely immerse herself in the evidence of a case proves both a gift and a curse. While Eden dives deep into the cold case evidence, the rest of the team chase leads to identify the latest victim, and discover that her death might be the work of a different killer altogether. Now Mahler and his team are fighting on two fronts to discover who stole the very breath from these women, and to stop the killer before he silences another victim.
400 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2021
121 people are currently reading
457 people want to read
About the author
Frederick Weisel
4 books55 followersFrederick Weisel has been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. He graduated from Antioch College and has an MA in Victorian Literature and History from the University of Leicester in England. His short stories were awarded an Artists Fellowship from the Massachusetts Arts and Humanities Foundation, and his articles have appeared in the Boston Globe, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor.
The Silenced Women is his debut novel and the first in the Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery series. The second novel, The Day He Left, will be published in February 2022. He is currently at work on the third novel in the VCI series. He lives with his wife in Santa Rosa, California, and shares a birthday with his favorite author, Raymond Chandler.
You can read his essay “Behind the Book: The Silenced Women” in Crimespree Magazine:
https://crimespreemag.com/behind-the-...
You can read his essay “Detective Fiction and Dementia: A Biopsy” in CrimeReads Magazine: https://crimereads.com/detective-fict...
You can read his essay “Five Things: Last Sentences in Five Novels” in Crimespree Magazine: https://crimespreemag.com/five-things...
The Silenced Women is his debut novel and the first in the Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery series. The second novel, The Day He Left, will be published in February 2022. He is currently at work on the third novel in the VCI series. He lives with his wife in Santa Rosa, California, and shares a birthday with his favorite author, Raymond Chandler.
You can read his essay “Behind the Book: The Silenced Women” in Crimespree Magazine:
https://crimespreemag.com/behind-the-...
You can read his essay “Detective Fiction and Dementia: A Biopsy” in CrimeReads Magazine: https://crimereads.com/detective-fict...
You can read his essay “Five Things: Last Sentences in Five Novels” in Crimespree Magazine: https://crimespreemag.com/five-things...
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews
Read
January 26, 2021DNF
May 18, 2021
The Silenced Woman is Frederick Weisels debut novel and the first book in the series - Violent Crime Investigations Mystery. On sale now!
A young woman found strangled to death and left on a park bench sets the scene. Our main character, Detective Eddie Mahler is haunted by two homicides at the same location years earlier. A case he worked, and unable to find evidence against the killer, remain unsolved. Will Detective Mahler solve the case this time?
I really enjoy Police Procedurals. This book had a steady pace and is well written. Great cast of believable characters. I'm curious to see what happens in book two.
Huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Sourcebooks for my gifted copy!
A young woman found strangled to death and left on a park bench sets the scene. Our main character, Detective Eddie Mahler is haunted by two homicides at the same location years earlier. A case he worked, and unable to find evidence against the killer, remain unsolved. Will Detective Mahler solve the case this time?
I really enjoy Police Procedurals. This book had a steady pace and is well written. Great cast of believable characters. I'm curious to see what happens in book two.
Huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Sourcebooks for my gifted copy!
January 26, 2022
4.5★s
The Silenced Women is the first book in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series by American author, Frederick Weisel. When a young woman’s body is found in Santa Rosa’s Spring Lake Park, the Police Department’s Violent Crime Investigations Team is immediately reminded of earlier murders: two young women, found in the Park, seventy-two hours apart, two years previous. The townspeople are understandably uneasy, worried there will be a repeat.
Back then, Lieutenant Eddie Mahler and his now-retired mentor, Tommy Woodhouse were convinced of the guilt of their main suspect, but their evidence was too weak and, despite his history of violence against women, Irwin Partridge was never charged. Now it’s up to Eddie to get a quick result, before the worst happens.
The VCI Team has veteran detective, Daniel Rivas, whose an incredible memory has served them well, Martin Coyle, an IT whiz, and some new talent: Steve Frames is an ex-Marine; Eden Somers is an FBI-trained analyst. Eddie wants her to study the earlier murders, certain they will be linked to this one. Not everyone on his Team agrees, though, and Eden hears grumbles about mismanagement of the earlier cases, and the need to concentrate all their resources on this new murder, to approach it with an open mind.
With each of the team playing to their strengths, information and analysis eventually reveal the victim’s identity: Elise Durand, a talented graphic artist with bipolar, heavy drug use and a sizable sexual appetite, has some similarities to the earlier victims, but her murder differs on key points. It’s soon clear that they are dealing with a different perpetrator, but Eden’s research does reveal other murders that may be linked to Partridge.
Eddie is haunted by one of those previous victims, plagued by migraines and under threat from his Police Chief to make an arrest. Excellent detective work by the rest of the team reveals a likely trio of suspects, with information from an unexpected source, but hard evidence is lacking.
In the final chapters, this story has a touch of keystone cops: two experienced cops whose arrogance sees them underestimating suspects during an arrest, an attitude that comes back to bite them; and with two ruthless killers not yet in custody, Eddie relies what he believes he knows about one to secure an arrest, but makes a poor judgement call that endangers one of the team and makes for a nail-biting climax.
The story plays out over a mere four days, during which time Weisel manages to give each of the main protagonists some back-story to their anxieties, inadequacies and failings as well as their talents and skills. This is an impressive debut novel and the second book, The Day He Left, is eagerly anticipated.
The Silenced Women is the first book in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series by American author, Frederick Weisel. When a young woman’s body is found in Santa Rosa’s Spring Lake Park, the Police Department’s Violent Crime Investigations Team is immediately reminded of earlier murders: two young women, found in the Park, seventy-two hours apart, two years previous. The townspeople are understandably uneasy, worried there will be a repeat.
Back then, Lieutenant Eddie Mahler and his now-retired mentor, Tommy Woodhouse were convinced of the guilt of their main suspect, but their evidence was too weak and, despite his history of violence against women, Irwin Partridge was never charged. Now it’s up to Eddie to get a quick result, before the worst happens.
The VCI Team has veteran detective, Daniel Rivas, whose an incredible memory has served them well, Martin Coyle, an IT whiz, and some new talent: Steve Frames is an ex-Marine; Eden Somers is an FBI-trained analyst. Eddie wants her to study the earlier murders, certain they will be linked to this one. Not everyone on his Team agrees, though, and Eden hears grumbles about mismanagement of the earlier cases, and the need to concentrate all their resources on this new murder, to approach it with an open mind.
With each of the team playing to their strengths, information and analysis eventually reveal the victim’s identity: Elise Durand, a talented graphic artist with bipolar, heavy drug use and a sizable sexual appetite, has some similarities to the earlier victims, but her murder differs on key points. It’s soon clear that they are dealing with a different perpetrator, but Eden’s research does reveal other murders that may be linked to Partridge.
Eddie is haunted by one of those previous victims, plagued by migraines and under threat from his Police Chief to make an arrest. Excellent detective work by the rest of the team reveals a likely trio of suspects, with information from an unexpected source, but hard evidence is lacking.
In the final chapters, this story has a touch of keystone cops: two experienced cops whose arrogance sees them underestimating suspects during an arrest, an attitude that comes back to bite them; and with two ruthless killers not yet in custody, Eddie relies what he believes he knows about one to secure an arrest, but makes a poor judgement call that endangers one of the team and makes for a nail-biting climax.
The story plays out over a mere four days, during which time Weisel manages to give each of the main protagonists some back-story to their anxieties, inadequacies and failings as well as their talents and skills. This is an impressive debut novel and the second book, The Day He Left, is eagerly anticipated.
March 10, 2021
Detective Eddie Mahler and his investigative team are called to the scene of a woman's body, strangled, and left on a park bench. Mahler is immediately taken back to another scene quite like this one. And 72 hours after finding that body ... another body is found in the same area and killed the same way. No one was ever charged for those crimes.
BOOK BLURB: Now suffering from chronic migraines that affect his vision, Mahler has secretly lost faith in the investigation process, and must rely more than ever on his team. Its newest member, Eden Somers, is a former FBI analyst whose ability to completely immerse herself in the evidence of a case proves both a gift and a curse. While Eden dives deep into the cold case evidence, the rest of the team chase leads to identify the latest victim, and discover that her death might be the work of a new killer altogether.
He and his team must stop the killer/killers before another murder occurs.
It's a well-written, compelling, fast-paced read. Credible characters are caught up in the swirling twists and turns that ultimately lead to an unexpected ending. This book introduces the Violent Crime Investigations Team, a modern series of hardboiled crime fiction, taking on the very worst of California crime. It looks to be a compelling series and I look forward to reading the next case for this team.
Many thanks to the author / Poisoned Pen Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this hard boiled crime fiction/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
BOOK BLURB: Now suffering from chronic migraines that affect his vision, Mahler has secretly lost faith in the investigation process, and must rely more than ever on his team. Its newest member, Eden Somers, is a former FBI analyst whose ability to completely immerse herself in the evidence of a case proves both a gift and a curse. While Eden dives deep into the cold case evidence, the rest of the team chase leads to identify the latest victim, and discover that her death might be the work of a new killer altogether.
He and his team must stop the killer/killers before another murder occurs.
It's a well-written, compelling, fast-paced read. Credible characters are caught up in the swirling twists and turns that ultimately lead to an unexpected ending. This book introduces the Violent Crime Investigations Team, a modern series of hardboiled crime fiction, taking on the very worst of California crime. It looks to be a compelling series and I look forward to reading the next case for this team.
Many thanks to the author / Poisoned Pen Press / Netgalley for the digital copy of this hard boiled crime fiction/mystery. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
February 24, 2025
Couldn’t keep my attention if it tried
February 16, 2021
Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review
3.5 stars.
“The Silenced Women”, by Frederick Weisel (Poisoned Pen Press), is an interesting, engaging read, with well developed characters and a great, singular hero,
I liked the journalistic, detached writing style and found the mistery was well built, while having the good and the bad guys’ perspectives, and always in a very straightforward, non judgmental way.
Mahler is a great hero, stoic and very discreet, but such a powerful figure. The migraine episodes are wonderfully depicted, both with economy and great visualization, from the almost detached hero’s point of view.
I liked that, refreshingly, our wounded hero isn’t tall, but “short and powerfully built”.
I really liked having the criminals’ point of view and seeing how their twisted minds worked in what they consider a normal manner. It was so interesting to have their take on the detectives, Mahler’s “dangerous raggedness”, for instance.
This had a slow beginning but it kept me engaged most of the time. Perhaps the story could be shorter, with less digression; sometimes, I lost track of some of the characters or their names. I also felt I needed to know more details or be reminded more often about the main characters’ physical and even psychological features to have a more tight sense of cohesiveness.
When I finished I felt there was much more to find out about the VCI team members, hopefully in next stories in the series.
3.5 stars.
“The Silenced Women”, by Frederick Weisel (Poisoned Pen Press), is an interesting, engaging read, with well developed characters and a great, singular hero,
I liked the journalistic, detached writing style and found the mistery was well built, while having the good and the bad guys’ perspectives, and always in a very straightforward, non judgmental way.
Mahler is a great hero, stoic and very discreet, but such a powerful figure. The migraine episodes are wonderfully depicted, both with economy and great visualization, from the almost detached hero’s point of view.
I liked that, refreshingly, our wounded hero isn’t tall, but “short and powerfully built”.
I really liked having the criminals’ point of view and seeing how their twisted minds worked in what they consider a normal manner. It was so interesting to have their take on the detectives, Mahler’s “dangerous raggedness”, for instance.
This had a slow beginning but it kept me engaged most of the time. Perhaps the story could be shorter, with less digression; sometimes, I lost track of some of the characters or their names. I also felt I needed to know more details or be reminded more often about the main characters’ physical and even psychological features to have a more tight sense of cohesiveness.
When I finished I felt there was much more to find out about the VCI team members, hopefully in next stories in the series.
May 20, 2021
Not everyone can write a novel. Trite dialogue. A plot that has been done a million times before. We also know the killers early on but pieces of that make no sense.
June 30, 2021
Quick synopsis:
The body of a murdered young woman is left on a park bench in Santa Rosa, California. Violent Crime Investigations (VCI) lead by Detective Eddie Mahler is assigned to investigate this case and joining his team is a former FBI Analyst, Eden Somers - the newest member of VCI. Mahler soon realizes that this case may be connected to two unsolved homicides two years earlier at the same location.
My thoughts: This is the first book in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series and it was a pretty good police procedural with some amazing characters. I think it was almost like an inverted crime story since we know who were the perpetrators are from the beginning but there was still some mystery in the end. I really liked this type of plot and it was really interesting when the pieces are falling into place.
Both Mahler and Eden are flawed but likeable characters and I liked them a lot! While they are racing against time to catch the murderer, they are also struggling with their own personal issues. The VCI team will grow on you and I liked their good team dynamics. However, there is not a lot of character depth as we get only bits and pieces of their backstories throughout the book. But I think this is pretty normal for the first book in a series. I can't wait to learn more about them as this series progresses.
If you're looking for a good police procedural book, this may be the one for you. I really liked it and am definitely looking forward to reading the next book!
***Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and author Frederick Weisel for this gifted copy to read and review.***
My thoughts: This is the first book in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series and it was a pretty good police procedural with some amazing characters. I think it was almost like an inverted crime story since we know who were the perpetrators are from the beginning but there was still some mystery in the end. I really liked this type of plot and it was really interesting when the pieces are falling into place.
Both Mahler and Eden are flawed but likeable characters and I liked them a lot! While they are racing against time to catch the murderer, they are also struggling with their own personal issues. The VCI team will grow on you and I liked their good team dynamics. However, there is not a lot of character depth as we get only bits and pieces of their backstories throughout the book. But I think this is pretty normal for the first book in a series. I can't wait to learn more about them as this series progresses.
If you're looking for a good police procedural book, this may be the one for you. I really liked it and am definitely looking forward to reading the next book!
***Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and author Frederick Weisel for this gifted copy to read and review.***
January 24, 2021
DNF at 52%.
I really wanted to finish this book - I was intrigued by the murder of Elise. There just wasn't enough to interest me enough to finish it.
A young woman is found on a bench - posed as sleeping, wrapped in a blanket.
Mahler has been haunted for years by a series of related murders - not enough evidence to prove the suspect was even at site let alone a conviction.
Somers is a new hire - from the FBI BAU.
Elise has been dating a rich older man for a few months- her roommate barely knows Elise. Her previous roommate has some information to share. Suffering from bipolar, Elise was all over the place - drugs, men, alcohol.
I appreciated Mahler as a realistic character. Suffering from migraines, haunted by a victim, losing his patience at work and yelling at his staff - all relatable.
Somers broke a cold case - finding a detail overlooked. Now she's haunted and terrified the killer will come for her - Somers hides in this small community, picking apart the unsolved murders.
Thackery, Elise's mystery man and killer, is a psychopath who kills his girlfriends.
It just didn't hold my interest.
I really wanted to finish this book - I was intrigued by the murder of Elise. There just wasn't enough to interest me enough to finish it.
A young woman is found on a bench - posed as sleeping, wrapped in a blanket.
Mahler has been haunted for years by a series of related murders - not enough evidence to prove the suspect was even at site let alone a conviction.
Somers is a new hire - from the FBI BAU.
Elise has been dating a rich older man for a few months- her roommate barely knows Elise. Her previous roommate has some information to share. Suffering from bipolar, Elise was all over the place - drugs, men, alcohol.
I appreciated Mahler as a realistic character. Suffering from migraines, haunted by a victim, losing his patience at work and yelling at his staff - all relatable.
Somers broke a cold case - finding a detail overlooked. Now she's haunted and terrified the killer will come for her - Somers hides in this small community, picking apart the unsolved murders.
Thackery, Elise's mystery man and killer, is a psychopath who kills his girlfriends.
It just didn't hold my interest.
August 10, 2021
I wasn't sure I was going to like this because, in the beginning, I didn't care for any of the characters. But, as the story moved on, I began to see more depth in them and began to root for the VCI team. We are shown the culprit(s) early in the book and the development of the case is engaging. I was ready to follow the team into another case when it finished.
July 13, 2022
Excellent first book in a new series. Looking forward to reading book 2.
March 6, 2021
Police Procedural. First in a series: Violent Crime Investigations Team Mysteries. It's been a long, long time since I stayed up past my bedtime to finish a good book. I didn't do it this time, but I seriously thought about it.
October 3, 2022
It's hard to imagine that this series opener is just the beginning, it's such a thriller!
March 14, 2021
It took me a while to get into the rhythm of this one. The parallel investigations were confusing. I liked all the characters and think they'll come back in a strong second novel.
April 22, 2021
Thrilling
August 14, 2023
A gripping and entertaining thriller with an interesting MC.
It's a well written story, full of twists and turns, that kept me hooked and I appreciated the character and plot development.
The mystery is solid, the plot tightly knitted and I want to read other books by this author as this was my first one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It's a well written story, full of twists and turns, that kept me hooked and I appreciated the character and plot development.
The mystery is solid, the plot tightly knitted and I want to read other books by this author as this was my first one.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine
August 8, 2021
Started a little slowly but revved up as I went on. The most unbelievable part was the migraines. I have had a few and had I had as many as Mahler I would be seriously considering suicide. Not sure how anyone can function at all with a migraine. I too lost vision, etc… Loved some of the characters. Not at all interchangeable as some police procedurals I have read. (and lost interest in)
Am waiting for the next one!
Am waiting for the next one!
July 21, 2021
A classic Goodreads 2-star. (Definition: "it was ok.") I do have one question, though. Why was the male officer always referred to by last name (Mahler) and the female always by first name (Eden)?
September 13, 2021
This book really bored me to tears. The killer is revealed very early on so there isn't really any suspense, and every single character is flat I didn't care about any of them.
September 6, 2021
A murder has happened again in the same areas as others as The Silenced Woman: A Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery by Frederick Weisel begins. For Violent Crime Investigations (VCI) leader Eddie Mahler, the body on the bench in Spring Lake Park, Santa Rosa, California, is clearly yet another kill by a man he has been chasing for two years now. He knows the same guy has done it again and is sure of that fact. He could not prove it before and his marriage and his health has suffered greatly because of that fact.
Not to mention the fact that Mahler and his team’s failure to lock him up means that he was able to kill again. Clearly strangled and wrapped up in a blanket, the dead young woman was placed on a bench at the small lake in the park. While this murder does not present the same as the victims two years ago, Mahler is sure that the same killer is at work. Once again, there is no proof.
There is also no explanation for his two-year silence. The fact that he is back killing again means that Mahler is more committed than ever to stop him. Especially as, if he continues the same pattern, he will kill again in 72 hours and place another body in the park.
What follows is an engrossing and complicated police procedural where the head of the unit is dealing with debilitating migraines, a lack of support by his boss, and a public terrified that history is repeating itself. It does not help that some of his fellow officers are aware that Mahler believes he sees the ghosts of the dead victims and has conversations with at least one of them.
Not that they have any leg to stand on in the sanity department. Every single member of the VCI team is a bit off and not quite all together. Each one has his or her own mental issues which slowly are teasingly revealed to the reader. Then there is the killer who, thanks to technology, becomes aware of how they are investigating and begins to play with them without their knowing.
A foundational book for a series, The Silenced Women: A Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery by Frederick Weisel is complicated, intense, and very good. Well worth your time.
Strongly recommended.
The Silenced Woman: A Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery
Frederick Weisel
https://frederickweisel.com/the-silen...
Poisoned Pen Press
https://poisonedpenpress.com/
February 2021
ISBN# 1464214182
Paperback (also available in audio and eBook formats)
400 Pages (376 pages not counting the excerpt for the next book)
My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
Not to mention the fact that Mahler and his team’s failure to lock him up means that he was able to kill again. Clearly strangled and wrapped up in a blanket, the dead young woman was placed on a bench at the small lake in the park. While this murder does not present the same as the victims two years ago, Mahler is sure that the same killer is at work. Once again, there is no proof.
There is also no explanation for his two-year silence. The fact that he is back killing again means that Mahler is more committed than ever to stop him. Especially as, if he continues the same pattern, he will kill again in 72 hours and place another body in the park.
What follows is an engrossing and complicated police procedural where the head of the unit is dealing with debilitating migraines, a lack of support by his boss, and a public terrified that history is repeating itself. It does not help that some of his fellow officers are aware that Mahler believes he sees the ghosts of the dead victims and has conversations with at least one of them.
Not that they have any leg to stand on in the sanity department. Every single member of the VCI team is a bit off and not quite all together. Each one has his or her own mental issues which slowly are teasingly revealed to the reader. Then there is the killer who, thanks to technology, becomes aware of how they are investigating and begins to play with them without their knowing.
A foundational book for a series, The Silenced Women: A Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery by Frederick Weisel is complicated, intense, and very good. Well worth your time.
Strongly recommended.
The Silenced Woman: A Violent Crime Investigations Team Mystery
Frederick Weisel
https://frederickweisel.com/the-silen...
Poisoned Pen Press
https://poisonedpenpress.com/
February 2021
ISBN# 1464214182
Paperback (also available in audio and eBook formats)
400 Pages (376 pages not counting the excerpt for the next book)
My reading copy came from the Central or Downtown Branch of the Dallas Public Library System.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2021
April 11, 2021
A murdered woman is found on a bench in a park, and the case hits close to home for detective Eddie Mahler, who found himself consumed by two similar murders a few years earlier. Mahler heads up a team to find the murderer and see if this case is related to the priors.
The cast of characters - investigators and villains, is large and at first it can be kind of hard to keep them all sorted but by the mid point into the book everyone has enough of their personality established that it's easier to picture each one and keep them straight.
This book is pure police procedural. The only really dangerous, hold-your-breath, whats-going-to-happen parts come in the late fifty pages or so. But that's not to say it isn't interesting. Multiple murders in multiple cities, timelines crossing and lots of second guessing keep the investigators and the reader on their toes.
I really enjoyed this book. The two foremost characters were really relatable to me (Mahler has migraines and I felt every one of his symptoms, new recruit Eden Somers is a woman making her way, dealing with her own issues, and facing down her self-doubt). Even one of the bad guys was sort of fascinating.
I would definitely read another book by this author, and would love a whole series featuring these all-too-human investigators.
The cast of characters - investigators and villains, is large and at first it can be kind of hard to keep them all sorted but by the mid point into the book everyone has enough of their personality established that it's easier to picture each one and keep them straight.
This book is pure police procedural. The only really dangerous, hold-your-breath, whats-going-to-happen parts come in the late fifty pages or so. But that's not to say it isn't interesting. Multiple murders in multiple cities, timelines crossing and lots of second guessing keep the investigators and the reader on their toes.
I really enjoyed this book. The two foremost characters were really relatable to me (Mahler has migraines and I felt every one of his symptoms, new recruit Eden Somers is a woman making her way, dealing with her own issues, and facing down her self-doubt). Even one of the bad guys was sort of fascinating.
I would definitely read another book by this author, and would love a whole series featuring these all-too-human investigators.
January 27, 2021
364 pages
3 stars
This book is a fast-paced thriller from a new author to me. I enjoyed the book very much. At first, I had some trouble liking the two major characters, Detective Mahler and his new employee Eden Somers. But, as the story went on, and I learned more about them as persons, I began to appreciate them more. The book is well written and fairly well plotted for a new author. I did get confused a couple of times with the loose transitions. But, over all, nicely done, Mr. Weisel!
Detective Mahler suffers from debilitating migraines. (Do I know how those feel!) He is also haunted by two unsolved murders from two years previously. He believes he knows who did them, but could not prove it at the time. He no longer feels he has the clear sight of the law on his side.
Now, another dead woman is found in the same area as the cold cases.
This book follows the intricate and demanding investigation into all of the cases. There are many police officers involved in the search for the killer. They all have their own specialities and with varying personalities, they make quite a team.
I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions stated here are my own.
3 stars
This book is a fast-paced thriller from a new author to me. I enjoyed the book very much. At first, I had some trouble liking the two major characters, Detective Mahler and his new employee Eden Somers. But, as the story went on, and I learned more about them as persons, I began to appreciate them more. The book is well written and fairly well plotted for a new author. I did get confused a couple of times with the loose transitions. But, over all, nicely done, Mr. Weisel!
Detective Mahler suffers from debilitating migraines. (Do I know how those feel!) He is also haunted by two unsolved murders from two years previously. He believes he knows who did them, but could not prove it at the time. He no longer feels he has the clear sight of the law on his side.
Now, another dead woman is found in the same area as the cold cases.
This book follows the intricate and demanding investigation into all of the cases. There are many police officers involved in the search for the killer. They all have their own specialities and with varying personalities, they make quite a team.
I want to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review. The opinions stated here are my own.
August 8, 2022
One of the best books that I really enjoyed. I received this book through a book contest. It is about Detective Eddie Mahler and his VCI teams investigating a murder of a young woman who is found murdered in the park on a bench. He hires a young detective named Eden SOMERS who used to work for the FBI who is very experience in digging deep into the evidence of the crime and has gone to Quantico to analyze crime scenes. She is so good at it that she bumps heads with Mahler sometimes. Detective Mahler is on a real tight time limit to solve this crime because 2 years before this crime another young woman was murdered in the same way. He became the scape goat in this case because another young woman was murdered 72 hours after this body was found. The team had a suspect but could not find enough evidence to hold him. They knew it was him but lacked certain evidence to get him. The VCI team had to solve this crime with pressure from their captain and the department and the suspects who put a lot of roadblocks to prevent them from solving them and Mahler is also having problems with migraines which affects the way he deals with his relationship with his VCI team. This a great read.
February 7, 2021
A team of Violent Crime Investigators led by Eddie Mahler faces a series of homicides. Young women have been strangled and found in public places in Santa Rosa, California. The latest crime brings back similar cold cases that haunt Eddie. Is this case related? Or is it the beginning of a new crime spree? The pressure on Mahler comes from his past, a new boss and the fear that another woman may meet a similar fate before the perpetrator is caught.
What makes this book a more exciting read than other police procedurals are the author’s multi-layered focus. Weisel takes the reader inside the heads of the VCI team and the personal demons they face as they work together (and not always seamlessly) trying to solve the crime. While this is happening, Weisel introduces the suspects and takes the reader inside their heads, too. These are evil people with bad intentions…..that may even threaten the VCI team.
Exciting and scary, I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended and glad the author has started on a sequel. The team and I have a lot more to learn.
What makes this book a more exciting read than other police procedurals are the author’s multi-layered focus. Weisel takes the reader inside the heads of the VCI team and the personal demons they face as they work together (and not always seamlessly) trying to solve the crime. While this is happening, Weisel introduces the suspects and takes the reader inside their heads, too. These are evil people with bad intentions…..that may even threaten the VCI team.
Exciting and scary, I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommended and glad the author has started on a sequel. The team and I have a lot more to learn.
February 8, 2021
The Silenced Woman by Frederick Weisel is the first entry of what is going to be a terrific police procedural series. From page one, you know that Weisel can write. And write he does, taking you to the cop shops, crime scenes, interview rooms, and locker rooms of the Santa Rosa, California Violent Crime Investigations Team.
Detective Eddie Mahler is the leader of the V.C.I.T. He is also a cop who has grave doubts about the investigatory process and his ability to solve his current cases. He suffers from horrible migraines that induce paranoid dreams of conversations with past victims. In short, he is a mess and so is the investigation into two homicides by a presumed serial killer. Not only are the cases turning cold, but Eddie also must train a former F.B.I. profiler fresh out of the agency. The tension is palpable and serves to reinforce the distrust between academic police procedures versus good old fashioned street smarts.
The Silenced Woman is a joy to read. And to my delight, the second installment is scheduled for next year.
Detective Eddie Mahler is the leader of the V.C.I.T. He is also a cop who has grave doubts about the investigatory process and his ability to solve his current cases. He suffers from horrible migraines that induce paranoid dreams of conversations with past victims. In short, he is a mess and so is the investigation into two homicides by a presumed serial killer. Not only are the cases turning cold, but Eddie also must train a former F.B.I. profiler fresh out of the agency. The tension is palpable and serves to reinforce the distrust between academic police procedures versus good old fashioned street smarts.
The Silenced Woman is a joy to read. And to my delight, the second installment is scheduled for next year.
September 5, 2021
This is the kind of tough, detail-oriented crime fiction that you don't see very much these days. When a disturbed young woman is found strangled to death in a park at night in Santa Rosa, California, Eddie Mahler and his Violent Crime Investigations unit swing into action. In any case of this sort, the pressure on the police to solve the case is immediate and pressing, and Eddie, with his propensity for prolonged migraine headaches, feels the pressure more than usual. Two years ago, two other women were killed in the park in the same manner, and the community still remembers those murders, which were never solved. Is this going to be more of the same? As this goes on, first-time Author Frederick Weisel ratchets up the pressure at every plot point, until the reader is just as invested in solving the crime as the police working the case, which makes for a very involving story. This is the start of a new series, and if The Silenced Women is any indication, this will be a series of police procedurals worth watching.
July 24, 2024
*.5
It was like a mediocre episode of a 1990's TV cop show, in book form. Dull and humourless, unoriginal and uninspired, trite dialogue, with every cop cliché piled into a heap, dumbass witnesses, and cartoonishly evil villains.
Aside from being utterly artless and pointless, the plot relied on a preposterous sequence of coincidences that strained credulity to the breaking point and beyond. And despite the failed attempt at portraying a realistic view into how investigations are conducted, even the minor details are sloppy and detract rather than enhance the experience.
For instance, at one point a character "played with the touchpad on his iPad," which is infuriating as the lack of a separate touchpad is the entire raison d'être of an iPad. Then in a different scene, a cop driving on the highway hears a weird noise from the trunk, and instead of pulling over or even slowing down, speeds up to 80 and drifts into the path of an oncoming truck for no good reason other than to heighten the drama.
It was like a mediocre episode of a 1990's TV cop show, in book form. Dull and humourless, unoriginal and uninspired, trite dialogue, with every cop cliché piled into a heap, dumbass witnesses, and cartoonishly evil villains.
Aside from being utterly artless and pointless, the plot relied on a preposterous sequence of coincidences that strained credulity to the breaking point and beyond. And despite the failed attempt at portraying a realistic view into how investigations are conducted, even the minor details are sloppy and detract rather than enhance the experience.
For instance, at one point a character "played with the touchpad on his iPad," which is infuriating as the lack of a separate touchpad is the entire raison d'être of an iPad. Then in a different scene, a cop driving on the highway hears a weird noise from the trunk, and instead of pulling over or even slowing down, speeds up to 80 and drifts into the path of an oncoming truck for no good reason other than to heighten the drama.
June 4, 2021
Weisel's debut novel and first in the Violent Crime Investigations Team series, The Silenced Women is a gripping, easy to read mystery. As a huge fan of Law and Order, especially SVU, I enjoyed this one a lot.
I didn't automatically feel invested in the characters, more ambivalent. I couldn't tell if I liked Mahler but didn't hate him either, and I could relate to trying to push through severe migraines in a work setting, just maybe not one quite as stressful as trying to solve murders. As the book went on I found myself relating to Eden more, being a woman on a male dominated team. It was tough to see how she was underestimated and brushed off. I appreciated her story in this book.
I can see this being a series I keep up with, and look forward to the second book! The sneak peek at the end definitely caught my attention.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and share my honest thoughts.
I didn't automatically feel invested in the characters, more ambivalent. I couldn't tell if I liked Mahler but didn't hate him either, and I could relate to trying to push through severe migraines in a work setting, just maybe not one quite as stressful as trying to solve murders. As the book went on I found myself relating to Eden more, being a woman on a male dominated team. It was tough to see how she was underestimated and brushed off. I appreciated her story in this book.
I can see this being a series I keep up with, and look forward to the second book! The sneak peek at the end definitely caught my attention.
Thanks to the publisher for an ARC to read and share my honest thoughts.
March 12, 2023
This was an unusual book club selection since we usually do not read criminal or police thrillers. This was also the first novel by the author Frederick Weisel and apparently a first in the series of the Violent Criminal Investigations (VCI) books. Lt. Eddie Mahler has handpicked his small unit with individuals who have unique skills. The book starts with Mahler investigating the murder of a young woman who is wrapped in a blanket and left on a park bench. Ironically, this crime is eerily similar to the two year old unsolved murder of two women in the same park. That unsolved crime has physically and mentally crippled Mahler. The format of Silenced Women is one in which the murderer has a voice. The reader knows who he is, what he is and where he is and can read along until the VCI team also knows the facts. Silenced Women reads like a screenplay rather than a novel, but the storyline is fast-moving.
March 29, 2021
A little slow getting into this but most books are for me; setting the scene and learning who's who. But I must say that things got exciting quickly enough. It held my interest mostly because this squad was being led by a "damaged" man; a detective who had seen too much, too often, like so many police officers have. The suspense builds nicely. Great book!
**SPOILER ALERT: Not part of the plot but I had a great laugh when detectives were questioning a suspect's wife and they asked if she owned a red blanket. Her reaction was priceless and so exactly what I would say! (I didn't realize other women hated the color red too.)
I would like to give Sourcebooks.com a big thank you for a copy for my review.
**SPOILER ALERT: Not part of the plot but I had a great laugh when detectives were questioning a suspect's wife and they asked if she owned a red blanket. Her reaction was priceless and so exactly what I would say! (I didn't realize other women hated the color red too.)
I would like to give Sourcebooks.com a big thank you for a copy for my review.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 87 reviews