The Wicked Girls

By: Alex Marwood

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

Edgar Award Winner, Best Paperback Original, 2014

On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two 11-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 listened to 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.

©2012 Alex Marwood (P)2013 Tantor

I didn't want to like these girls...

...but somehow, I found myself rooting for them anyway.

Belle and Jade are notorious for a horrible crime they committed when they were only 11 years old. Now it's twenty years later. One is a journalist writing Sunday Supplement "in depth" pieces. The other is a cleanup crew supervisor at a local amusement park. Both have spouses as well as new names.

They've moved on--kinda. Neither has told any of the people in her life about the past, and neither wants to. But when a string of murders brings them back together, their deception may have to be revealed.

This book was definitely a page-turner. With so many lies going around, something is always on the edge of being uncovered! There's also the suspense of finding out what really happened on that horrible day twenty years before--that story is mixed in throughout the book.

But even such an exciting story can touch on a lot of different themes. Besides deception, you'll find such topics as social inequality, relationships, parenting, and passing judgment on others. Marwood deals with all these competently, without hitting us over the head.

The most amazing thing about this book, though, is that I ended up liking people I didn't want to like, and hoping they'd come out all right, no matter what they might have done. Only careful character development can do that, and this book has it.

There are some grisly scenes here, but nothing you wouldn't find in your average crime novel. The narrator is just plain excellent. There are a lot of characters to keep track of, but she varied her voice for each. Two characters have changes in social class, and their accents change appropriately according to what time period the book is currently in.

Overall, a great, suspenseful listen and well worth the credit! Five stars all around.

A Fresh and Unique Story

I liked the way the story jumped back and forth between present day and the past and introduced us to a set of characters who grew deeper and more complex as their story was revealed. I didn't want to become engaged in their story given the horrific nature of their crime but I couldn't help being captivated. The ways in which the lives intertwined was simply great!The ending of the book for me was the most memorable because it brought everything full circle for me. I think the author made the right choice with the ending - it felt right to me on several levels and allowed for forgiveness where is was due. The writing really conveyed the feeling behind the foggy, coastal town and old amusement park clinging to the shores. It had a great setting that helped set the whole tone of the book. It was a different perspective and made me really think, which I always appreciate about a book.

Narrator Saves the Day

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Probably. It's an interesting story, though there are loooooong stretches of too much description.

Which scene was your favorite?

None.

Do you think The Wicked Girls needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No. It's a standalone story.

Any additional comments?

Excellent narrator!

I loved everything this book.

This story was not only extremely well written, it developed and was presented in a most exciting and interesting fashion. I could empathized with, and experience the mental torture, guilt, and fear of these characters. The author made them so real and believable you wouldn’t be surprised to bump into them while on vacation.
The narrator was just terrific also.
While I had never heard of this author before, I’m looking forward to listening to much more of his work.

A Real Downer

Spoiler Alert! Unless you're in mood to be depressed pass this one by.The girls of the title are very interesting and I cared a lot about them. Both have found some kind of redemption and are making a life for themselves. The author evidently wants a painful ending for what could be a great book.