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Silent Evidence by Clea Koff

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


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.



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