The Prized Girl: A Novel

by Amy K. Green

From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: A teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town and her sister's search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.

Days after a young pageant queen named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny's tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. The most obvious suspect is one of her fans, an older man who may have gotten too close for comfort. But Jenny's half-sister, Virginia—the sarcastic black sheep of the family—isn't so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.

But for Jenny's case and Virginia's investigation, there's more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lies beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny's life. Alternating between Jenny's final days and Virginia's determined search for the truth, the sisters' dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.

Infused with dark humor and driven by two captivating young women, The Prized Girl tells a heartbreaking story of missed connections, a complicated family, and a town's disturbing secrets.

• ISBN10: 1524745103
• ISBN13: 9781524745103
• Publish Date: 14 January 2020
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
• Imprint: Dutton
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9781524745103

Reviews

[Joni Reads]

This book was all over the place but not really in a bad way?

The whodunnit was impossible to guess. I changed my mind with almost every chapter. I didn't see it coming. Nor did I see that ending coming. Still not sure what to think about it.

I liked Virginia's character. Specifically, I liked that she wasn't overly likable. She was morbid, depressed, she was a mess. Her inner thoughts were messy and harsh and she it had a level of realness to it that I hardly ever find in books.

Jenny on the other hand was so not believable. I have a 14 year old daughter and with her comes lots of 14 year friends. Not one of them would do the things this little girl did in this book. She was reckless to the point of destructive but in the least dramatic way. She was so chill about the dumb crap she was doing and it really annoyed me.

In the end this book had a really unique story but will I remember anything about it next year? Probably not.

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Prized Girl is a standalone mystery thriller and debut from Amy K. Green. Due out 14th Jan 2020 from Penguin on their Dutton imprint, it's 384 pages and will be available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats.

This is a darkly taut psychological thriller told in alternating PoV between two sisters in a small town. Their family dynamic is extremely dysfunctional, with themes of emotional and physical abuse, substance abuse, alcoholism added into a narrative which also contains pedophilia, rape, torture, blackmail, and multiple murders.

The contrapuntal point of view worked very well and the author's use of alternating third person PoV (for the murdered sister, Jenny) and first person (for the living sister, Virginia), was technically flawless. This is a very well written and very readable book. The plot threads are interwoven as the book progresses until they merge into a single twisty denouement and resolution. That the majority of the plot twists were expected before they were revealed is more a consequence of having read hundreds of books in the genre and not because the author lacked proficiency (she's quite adept as a writer).

I didn't find myself really warming to any of the characters, they were all quite flawed. This was undoubtedly intentional on the part of the author. The epilogue and resolution stuck with me all day.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.