The Lost Girls

By: Jessica Chiarella

Narrated by: Stacey Glemboski

Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's Summary

When her true-crime podcast becomes an overnight sensation, a young woman is pulled into the web of a case that may offer a surprising connection to her own sister's disappearance years earlier.

It's been more than 20 years since Marti Reese's sister, Maggie, disappeared. Only eight years old at the time, Marti can't remember what happened, just that Maggie got into a car and never returned. After years of grief and countless false leads, Marti is coping as best she can: abandoning her marriage, drinking to forget, and documenting her never-ending search via a true-crime podcast. But when the podcast becomes an unexpected hit and Marti thinks she's finally ready to put it all behind her, a mysterious woman calls with new information that could lead her down a dangerous path.

For years, Ava Vreeland has been fighting to overturn her brother's murder conviction. After finding strange similarities between the two cases, Ava is certain there's a connection between the murder and Maggie's disappearance, one that could prove her brother's innocence. Together, Marti and Ava embark on a quest for the truth, but the more Marti digs, the more she's shaken by the answers she might find, and what it is she's even searching for....

©2021 Jessica Chiarella (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

One of PopSugar's Best Books of 2021 

“Elegantly written.... The book begins at a leisurely pace, all dark mood and dark character, and then accelerates at a dizzying rate.” (The New York Times Book Review) 

“A dark tale of family, loss and grief, this is a haunting story.” (Parkersburg News and Sentinel) 

“One of the best [books] I have read in a long time. Jessica Chiarella keeps you second-guessing where the story will end and just who the real culprit might have been.... [T]he plot is fast-paced and has you turning page after page to figure out what’s next.” (Bowling Green Daily News)

Terrible

The premise of the book is interesting, but the execution came up short. The writing and dialogue is often juvenile, amateurish, and repetitive. The plot is weak and relies too much on convenient coincidences. The "links" between two past crimes are tenuous at best, yet the main character is convinced a convicted murderer is innocent, and starts a crusade to prove it. She performs no due diligence or real investigative steps. The main character's actions are ridiculous and not believable. The narration is irritating and melodramatic.

Good story

Found the storyline interesting and enjoyable but just really struggled to listen to the narrator, it felt slightly overly dramatic which was off-putting.

Wonderful characters

I really loved this book. The main character's flaws were refreshing. Can't wait for the author's next book .