At a glance
Pages302
First published2026
AudienceAdult
The Forgotten Girls
by Elle Gray
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for: Dedicated Blake Wilder series followers who have read through the preceding thirty-two entries and want to see FBI agent Blake Wilder's story through to its conclusion in the penultimate stretch of the thirty-five-book arc.
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The Forgotten Girls is the thirty-third installment in Elle Gray's Blake Wilder FBI Mystery Thriller series, following FBI agent Blake Wilder through another fast-paced procedural investigation near the conclusion of the thirty-five-book arc. Squarely built for committed series veterans, it delivers the consistent formula — compact pacing, familiar protagonist, and recognisable procedural structure — that loyal readers have come to expect across more than three dozen entries. Newcomers are firmly advised to start at the beginning with The 7 She Saw rather than joining this late in a long-developed narrative.
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers who have followed Blake Wilder across thirty-two prior entries, The Forgotten Girls is worth reading as the meaningful payoff on a significant reading investment — it delivers the familiar protagonist, recognisable procedural structure, and forward momentum of a story nearing its conclusion. However, LuvemBooks notes that the volume and thematic similarity of titles across the series may make individual installments feel less distinctive at this late stage, and readers who prize novelty over consistency may find the formula well-worn by book thirty-three. Those new to the series are better served starting with The 7 She Saw.
- Similar books
- Readers drawn to The Forgotten Girls will find strong overlap with other fast-paced FBI and crime procedural thrillers. The natural starting companion is The 7 She Saw by Elle Gray — the Blake Wilder series debut and the recommended entry point for anyone new to the franchise. For readers who enjoy Kindle-native procedural thrillers with strong female investigators, The Woman in the Woods by A.J. Rivers and Last Girl Ghosted by Lisa Unger offer a similar blend of missing-persons tension and female-led investigation. Dire by Jeff Carson and Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea provide the same propulsive pacing in a crime-thriller key, while The Whisper Man by Alex North offers a darker, more atmospheric take on serial crime investigation.
- Who should read this?
- The Forgotten Girls is squarely aimed at existing Blake Wilder series readers — specifically those who have followed FBI agent Blake Wilder across more than thirty cases and want to see the thirty-five-book arc through to its conclusion. Fans of fast-paced, Kindle-native FBI procedural thrillers who enjoy prolific authors with consistent, high-volume output will find this entry firmly in their wheelhouse. Readers who prize standalone accessibility, high novelty per installment, or who are new to the series are not the target audience for book thirty-three.
- About Elle Gray
- Elle Gray is a fiction author whose work spans mystery and thriller genres. She is known for the Pax Arrington Mystery series, beginning with I See You, which follows private investigator Paxton Arrington. Gray aims to keep readers around the country and the world engaged with her stories.
- How does this compare to The 7 She Saw?
- The 7 She Saw launched the Blake Wilder series in 2020 and remains the highest-rated and most-read entry in the franchise according to Book Notification, reflecting both the strength of that debut and the challenge of sustaining momentum across dozens of volumes. The Forgotten Girls, as book thirty-three, maintains the same compact, fast-paced procedural formula but is aimed exclusively at series veterans — it offers narrative payoff for those who have invested in the long arc rather than the fresh entry-point energy of the debut. Readers who want to experience the series at its peak accessibility and critical standing are advised to start with The 7 She Saw.
- Do I need to read all 35 books?
- Committing to all thirty-five books is the full experience Gray has structured, and The Forgotten Girls — as book thirty-three — is specifically written for readers who have followed the series from the beginning. That said, the series debut, The 7 She Saw, is worth reading on its own terms as the highest-rated entry in the franchise. Readers who want to explore the series without committing to the full arc can start at book one and decide how far the formula carries them before pressing on.
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Is it worth reading?
Who should read this?
About Elle Gray
How does this compare to The 7 She Saw?
Do I need to read all 35 books?
Summarize this book
The Forgotten Girls is the thirty-third novel in Elle Gray's Blake Wilder FBI Mystery Thriller series, published in May 2026 as a Kindle edition. It follows FBI agent Blake Wilder in a new investigation that fits the series' established thematic preoccupation with women and girls placed in danger — disappearance, exploitation, and the procedural machinery of federal law enforcement. At a reported print length of 302 pages, it maintains the compact, propulsive pace that defines the series, and sits in the penultimate stretch of what Gray has structured as a thirty-five-book arc.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Content to know about
violence against women and girls
themes of abduction and exploitation
Skip if you want a standalone thriller or are new to the Blake Wilder series and looking for a self-contained story.
Editorial Review
The Forgotten Girls is the thirty-third entry in Elle Gray's Blake Wilder FBI Mystery Thriller series — a long-running, prolific run that began in 2020 and has grown to thirty-five novels. This review is based on published series information and source commentary; it does not reflect hands-on reading of the text.
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