THE SILENCED WOMEN

A team of California police detectives struggles with a cold case turned suddenly hot.

Eddie Mahler heads the Santa Rosa Violent Crime Investigations unit. His inability to close out the murders of two young women a few years ago weighs so heavily on his mind that he’s plagued with severe migraines. When another woman is found in the same park wrapped in a blanket and placed on a bench, murdered in a way that echoes the earlier victims, who were killed within 72 hours of each other, the pressure is on his team to prevent a repeat performance. The newest member of Mahler’s team, former FBI analyst Eden Somers, is a specialist in serial killers who doubts her own abilities. The latest victim is identified as Elise Durand, a talented designer with a drug problem. Although Mahler feels certain he knows the identity of the earlier park killer, he’s never been able to make the charge stick, and the prime suspect suddenly appears less likely after security footage shows three men letting themselves and their car into the park to dump Elise's body, which forensic evidence indicates was moved from an unknown location. Eden’s investigation suggests that although the leading suspect may not have killed Elise, there’s a good chance he’s murdered other women. The early identification of Elise’s killer makes the cat-and-mouse games he plays with the team even more nerve-wracking.

An excellent procedural series debut with complex characters who carry the story.