The Quarry Girls

A Thriller

By: Jess Lourey

Narrated by: Jess Nahikian

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

One of Audible's Best of 2022

Killers hiding in plain sight. Small-town secrets. A girl who knows too much. From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Unspeakable Things and Bloodline comes a nerve-twisting novel inspired by a shocking true crime.

Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games.

Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate.

Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents. But she can’t stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.

She also knows she’s next.

©2022 Jess Lourey. (P)2022 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“[The Quarry Girls is] one of the most anticipated thrillers of the fall season…[The] novel is about innocence lost, the unwritten rules of silence in small towns, what ‘broken men’ do to others, and what boys growing into men do in packs that they would never do alone. And then there’s the courage of one woman who will not allow herself to be killed.”—St. Paul Pioneer Press

“Like Unspeakable Things and Bloodline, Jess Lourey’s The Quarry Girls is ultimately a morality tale—almost a dark fairy tale except that the plots are rooted in reality and the danger is all too real. The sad fact is that there is no shortage of past crimes to prompt Jess Lourey’s creative mind, but readers can rest easy knowing that this author will approach every idea with deep reverence for the victims and a goal of providing a healing and heartfelt journey—for both the characters and their readers—within the pages of some truly exceptional crime fiction.”—BOLO Books

“Few authors can blend the genuine fear generated by a sordid tale of true crime with evocative, three-dimensional characters and mesmerizing prose like Jess Lourey. Her fictional stories feel rooted in a world we all know but also fear. The Quarry Girls is a story of secrets gone to seed, and Lourey gives readers her best novel yet—which is quite the accomplishment. Calling it: The Quarry Girls will be one of the best books of the year.”—Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Secret Identity, Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, and Miami Midnight

I can't

The weary, resigned narration was too much. I found myself unable to follow the story and stopped at, "Julie was shoveling a glistening, orange meat nugget into her mouth." I wish I could return this title.

AMAZING!!! Do NOT pass over this title!

I snatched this up on Monday when it first became available since I was laying in bed sick and my other title was finished. I had passed over Unspeakable Things multiple times because the summary gave me such an uneasy feeling. I guess I'm weird about some things. THIS had me instantly. The NARRATOR I swear absolutely made this story come alive 100%. The story was great, but without this particular narrator, I don't think I could have been what it was!! It was like she was the perfect age, for the character and as thoughts, feelings, experiences were occurring you actually could see and feel everything playing out perfectly she was that good. I have been with Audible for just about 10 years and regularly download the listen/read free from kindle unlimited and do hear some good stuff....this was REALLY GOOD. Definitely recommend 👌

This Was a Sucker Punch of a Great Book

This book is not for the faint of heart. As a matter of fact it might break your heart just a little. As a mother of two lovely young women, it was a tough read. That said, it’s Pretty. Freaking. Brilliant.

I read/listen to a lot of this genre. Most contain cardboard character sketches, with gruesome autopsy scenes or unnecessary explicit sex in order to shore up all the things lacking in the cookie cutter, slapdash writing style. Not so with this author. Phenomenal writing style, perfect pace, and characters I cared about. I listened to the whole thing and couldn’t stop. The narrator was also fantastic. GREAT BOOK all around. Wow.

A Good Coming of Age Story

This is a good story of a group of kids living in that choppy transition from childhood innocence to young adulthood. They are now struggling to come into their own individuality and each chooses a path that may keep that lifelong friendship or stretch the bonds nurtured from early childhood. With all of the issues & hardship that just growing brings, we now add to the mix that somebody is killing young women. Also thrown in is the influence outsiders have on young minds trying to be all grown up. And perhaps the hardest lesson is learning that the people you love the most are capable of being human & that can bring all its goodness as well as the darker sides which can come to light even in the best of us. For myself this was not the thriller that some reviews called it. I feel this book should be heralded more for the story of the façade that people try to put forth of being “the perfect family” and the overall harm that touches all parties involved.
These examples are probably more exaggerated than most, but the emotional harm, especially on the young, even if not so dramatic as in this particular story, can make for lifelong injuries in areas of trust, confidence in others and self worth.

The narrator did an outstanding job. She did not go crazy trying to come up with all kinds of different voices. The reader will know who is talking always and will hear a difference between male & female voices. This, for me, makes listening flow much more easily than listening to someone who tries too hard to come up with so many different voices. One can feel the emotion in the voices, and that is what makes the listening worthwhile.

Overall I believe this is a good book and worthy of a listen. It brings to light some excellent points as to how we should learn to be more open and honest in living our lives.

So much potential

I was initially so into the story but it just got more and more contrived as it went along. The characters weren’t believable and neither was the story. Super disappointing

Took a Chance - Loved it

I wasn’t sure what book I wanted to use my credit in. I read reviews of a ton of mystery/thriller books and it seemed some people loved a book while others hated it. But this book had consistently good reviews so I took a chance. I am so glad I did. I loved it, I couldn’t stop listening. I thought the story was great, as was the narrator. I will definitely read all of this authors books! Thanks for a great read!

Emotional rollercoaster

This book is an emotional roller coaster, especially for Boomers or Gen Xers. It's a walk with nostalgia as it takes place in 1977 during which the author brings up things like party lines, Johnny Carson, and lots of great music. Unfortunately, not everything was fun back then, not even in the hypothetical events which very well could have actually taken place. Come to think of it, they still could (and do) in the here and now. There's a great quote which I shared on my FB page from somewhere in the last 2 chapters. You'll hear it, especially if you're female. I really enjoyed this book.

A tender and terrifying glimpse at small town secrets

This story was so well written and imaginative, not the typical cookie cutter story I keep accidentally latching onto. The narrator has a pleasant voice and kept me listening while anticipating what was to come. Highly recommend.

Quite the book

When I first started this book, I wasn’t sure if I was going to continue it. I can’t handle reading about the darkness that’s out there…just lurking, looking for
the unsuspecting innocents. They are experts in manipulation and telling people what they want to hear. Like a spider entrapping the innocent in the web. Whether it’s people we know or people we don’t they become victims. You are such a great job and twisting the story, showing the world just what could happen. Well worth reading!

A page turner indeed

Just when you think it’s one person it turns out being another. Twisty, turny.. loved it.

Good read

This was a well crafted and descriptive book. Horrifyingly real, and very sad. But I do recommend reading it as it does make you think.

Well written and disturbing

I almost gave this up early on, as I realised it was based on real events and has sections that include narration by a kidnapped girl. While these sections and some others are disturbing, it isn’t really graphic either. I was around the age of the girls at the time this is set and the horror they experience is a partly a product of these times in small town America. They are always polite and mostly compliant, even when it puts them in danger, as it’s the code of the times. Except for one, males are all monsters and complicit with each other and the women and girls just have to live with it. The ending does suggest and end to this. I enjoyed the narration and the whispery-ness does get better. I felt that it illuminates the times well and gives some insight into young women’s lives in rural US in the ‘70s, a time that many men there seem to want to condemn women to return to.

Excellent

Really enjoyed this book. Narration was great, story great, the ending did let it down slightly, would have preferred a bit of a twist but the rest was so good that it didn’t matter too much.

Whisper voice is irritating

it was very difficult for me to get into this story but it was worth it in the end. The narrator whispered the story and it was simultaneously sleep inducing and irritating.
After a slow start, the story picked up and was ultimately gripping and engrossing.