Girl Without a Trace (A Tara Strong FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3)

Written by Rylie Dark

Narrated by David Bickle

When a B&B owner in a small mountain town is found dead, suspects abound, and it falls to Deputy Sheriff Tara Strong to crack the case. But when another victim shows up, Tara soon realizes this case is far more complex—and shocking—than it seems, and time is running short before this killer strikes again.

“A brilliant book. I couldn’t put it down and I never guessed who the murderer was!”
—Reader review for Only Murder
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GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE is book #3 in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed mystery and suspense author Rylie Dark, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

Tara Strong has risen to become her county’s Deputy Sheriff through her bravery and her brilliant capacity to enter a killer’s minds. Small-town life in the mountains, centered around their picturesque lake, should be idyllic. But Tara has already seen enough to know that there is a dark side to everything, that small towns hide secrets, that everyone has something in their past—and that a killer may just be lurking right next door.

Tara remains haunted by her own past, by her missing sister, by her guilt over the unsolved case. She must battle the demons of her own past, while trying to get ahead in a male-dominated police force.

Can Tara keep it together long enough to catch a killer?

A cat-and-mouse thriller with harrowing twists and turns and filled with heart-pounding suspense, the TARA STRONG mystery series offers a fresh twist on the genre as it introduces two brilliant protagonists who will make you fall in love and keep you turning pages late into the night.

Books #4 and #5—GIRL WITHOUT A NAME and GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER—are also available.

“I loved this thriller, read it in one sitting. Lots of twists and turns and I didn’t guess the
culprit at all… Already pre-ordered the second!”
—Reader review for Only Murder
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“This book takes off with a bang… An excellent read, and I'm looking forward to the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
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“Fantastic book! It was hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
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“The twists and turns kept coming. Can't wait to read the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
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“A must-read if you enjoy action-packed stories with good plots!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
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“I really like this author and this series starts with a bang. It will keep you turning the pages till the end of the book and wanting more.”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN
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“I can't say enough about this author! How about ‘out of this world’! This author is going to go far!”
—Reader review for ONLY MURDER
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“I really enjoyed this book… The characters were alive, and the twists and turns were great. It will keep you reading till the end and leave you wanting more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT
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“This is an author that I highly recommend. Her books will have you begging for more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT
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• Language: English
• Publisher: Lukeman Literary Management
• Release date: Jul 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094326849

Reviews for Girl Without a Trace (A Tara Strong FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 3)

[Dr. Mike · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After completing this third book in the series, I feel that I have some confidence in reaching certain conclusions about the main character and the series, as a whole. I think my considered opinion is well-informed and relatively objective. I felt compelled to say something about some of the issues I have had with this series, especially its protagonist.

I have a preference for mystery thrillers. I think that this series might have been miscategorized because this book is essentially a police procedural. To be a good mystery, the author must supply the reader with enough clues that they can reasonably put together the pieces of the puzzle, if they are clever. In police procedurals, it is the police against an unknown perpetrator who is usually a complete stranger to them and the audience. You are not provided with the motive, means, and opportunity of the villain until the climax, in which the protagonist finally confronts this completely unknown antagonist when they are caught red-handed. At this time, the motive, means, and opportunity are revealed, usually through exposition. For me, this is a lot less fulfilling than a mystery.

We follow this story mostly through Tara Strong's experiences and inner thoughts. She has been described as brave and brilliant...by the publisher. I would not describe her as such through reading these volumes of her exploits. As a person, she is emotionally stunted, immature, insecure, reckless, and often clueless with very little intuition about criminal procedure. She thinks nothing of pulling rank and insists on formality, demanding that subordinates and civilians call her Deputy Sheriff, even though it is a very small county and a really small department where everyone knows everyone. She engages in petty sibling rivalry with her older sister and it makes her look like a petulant child. True, her sister is often a smug bitch who thinks it is appropriate to revert to their childhood dynamic in front of others, despite both of them being grown ass women. You would think that their shared trauma would bring them closer, especially since they are in the same career field. However, her sister, Sheriff Jessie Strong gloats, belittles, and relishes that she is more successful. Both seem like extremely lonely women with very little joy or purpose in their lives, besides their jobs. They are both emotionally stunted and hide behind their positions as justification to avoid meaningful social engagement.

Tara often treats her partner exactly how her sister treats her. She constantly reminds him that she is the senior officer to shut down his opinions and quell his instincts. Throughout the series, she repeatedly leaves him behind and takes on dangerous situations alone and often ends up in trouble. This is not bravery, it is foolishness and often just her own pride. Despite her insisting that her partner follow her direct orders, she has a reputation for ignoring procedure. She is often selfish, cuts corners, and frequently gets things wrong. She wants all of the credit as a means of competing with her sister. She comes up with absurd theories and often jumps to wild conclusions and accuses three or four innocent suspects before the real culprit is caught, typically ruining their lives in the process. The case is usually solved by her stumbling into the bad guy while they are committing their latest crime, not through competent police work.

Maybe I am being too hard on Deputy Sheriff Tara Strong but I don't think she is an example of a strong, independent woman and an even worse cop. She actually wished for bad things to happen in her county because she was bored and jealous that her sister got more interesting and tougher cases. She is not particularly intuitive when it comes to solving crimes and refuses to ask for help, even when she is completely over her head. This character defect has resulted in people being killed. Halfway through the next book, it seems she has no intention of improving this trait. Honestly, I would hate to live in the town where she is the local sheriff. I would not feel safe at all. To be perfectly honest, I do not really care for her, as a person.