The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

The Wicked Girls

by Alex Marwood

The word-of-mouth bestselling debut from multi-award-winning bestseller Alex Marwood

That's us. We're the girls who killed Chloe. We are the devil now.

One fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-year-old girls meet for the first time and by the end of the day are 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 town when her investigation leads her to interview funfair cleaner Amber Gordon. For Kirsty and Amber, it's the first time they've seen each other since that dark day when they were just children. But with new lives - and families - to protect, will they really be able to keep their wicked secret hidden?

An absolutely gripping, ripped-from-the-headlines psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Suspect by Fiona Barton and The Rumour by Lesley Kara

'[I] devoured every page . . . cleverly plotted and pacy, with all the storylines thundering towards a final, gripping conclusion. I loved it' Elizabeth Haynes

Praise for Alex Marwood:

'So good I wish I'd written it myself'
VAL McDERMID

'Without a doubt, she is one of crime fiction's brightest stars. Not to be missed'
MEGAN ABBOTT

'Alex Marwood has become one of my must-read crime writers'
SOPHIE HANNAH

'Scary as hell'
STEPHEN KING

'I cancel all engagements for a new novel from Alex Marwood'
ERIN KELLY

'Crime writing at its best'
LISA JEWELL

'I can't wait to see what Alex Marwood comes up with next'
JOJO MOYES

_____________________

Don't miss the shocking new novel from Alex Marwood - THE POISON GARDEN is out now

Reviewed by Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews on

3 of 5 stars

Share
Fond of:

Novels about devious children have always interested me, thus the plot for The Wicked Girls drew me in.
I thought the concept of how one day or action could drastically change someones life is an interesting idea and the topsy-turvyness was well executed.
The flashbacks to 1986, the day of the crime were well paced and kept me reading further to find out the complete result of that day.
The way in which the girls were found out was very unique and subtlety done. I liked that the person who pointed the finger at Kirsty and Amber faded from the spotlight with center stage continuing to shine on the girls.

Not Fond of

Martin, from the beginning he is shown as a creepy stalker towards Kirsty. Marwood gives the impression that he knows something, perhaps he is someone from their past? It is not a spoiler alert to say nope, there was a lot of build up for nothing.
I wish we had learned a bit more about Jade and Bel's time in prison, as it may have formed a more well-rounded view of the girls.
After Amber's true identity is found out pitchforks ensue. I knew there would be backlash but I thought the extent of it was a little too extreme.

Final Thoughts:

The Wicked Girls held my attention and is a decent read-in-a-day kind of book. Even though it was a quick read I found the ending to be a little lacking, and didn't hold up to "an ending I never saw coming" that was proclaimed on the cover.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 4 October, 2014: Finished reading
  • 4 October, 2014: Reviewed