The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood
Publisher: Penguin Group
Publication Date: Paperback, July 30, 2013
Categories: Literary, Mystery/Thriller
Source: Penguin Group via NetGalley

Description:

A gritty, psychological thriller that asks the question: How well can you know anyone? 

On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-year-old girls meet for the first time. By the end of the day, they will both be charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, journalist Kirsty Lindsay is reporting on a series of sickening attacks on young female tourists in a seaside vacation town when her investigation leads her to interview carnival cleaner Amber Gordon. 

For Kirsty and Amber, it’s the first time they’ve seen each other since that dark day so many years ago. Now with new, vastly different lives—and unknowing families to protect—will they really be able to keep their wicked secret hidden?            

Gripping and fast-paced, with an ending that will stay with you long after you’ve read it, The Wicked Girls will appeal to fans of the Academy Award–nominated film Heavenly Creatures and the novels of Rosamund Lupton and Chevy Stevens.

My Thoughts:

Marwood has crafted a fast-paced and sensitive novel around the controversial subject of child murder. Those of us on the outside looking in certainly have strong opinions about this topic. By the end of this novel I was wondering about the “facts” that reach us on the outside of such cases…just how factual are they? 

The Wicked Girls is a scorching commentary on our modern media. I found this to be entirely fascinating, especially since the author is a journalist herself. This book reminded me that some news reports should be taken with a healthy grain of salt. 

Plot twists and revelations abound in this character driven tale. I was consistently taken by surprise, a very good thing in a psychological thriller. 

Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a successful journalist who has worked extensively across the British press. Alex lives in South London and is working on her next novel.