The Wicked Girls
by Alex Marwood
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On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-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, show more 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 read 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. show lessTags
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Soupdragon Both are convincingly told crime stories with dual narratives, featuring seaside towns in South-East England and schoolgirls accused of murder in the 1980s.
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From Amazon:
On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-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?
My Thoughts:
The story was really well constructed and I liked the way the story jumped between the present day and show more the past. The story of the two women as young girls and how the events unfold that terrible day are done slowly. The layers are peeled back as at the same time the reader sees what is happening in their lives currently. It seems like these two women have no chance to redeem themselves as once again their lives clash in the worst possible way. The subject matter of children that kill children may be hard for some to deal with but Alex Marwood tackles the subject masterfully. show less
On a fateful summer morning in 1986, two eleven-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?
My Thoughts:
The story was really well constructed and I liked the way the story jumped between the present day and show more the past. The story of the two women as young girls and how the events unfold that terrible day are done slowly. The layers are peeled back as at the same time the reader sees what is happening in their lives currently. It seems like these two women have no chance to redeem themselves as once again their lives clash in the worst possible way. The subject matter of children that kill children may be hard for some to deal with but Alex Marwood tackles the subject masterfully. show less
The action of The Wicked Girls starts in the seaside town of Whitmouth where Amber Gordon works as the supervisor of the third shift cleaning crew at Funnland, a beachfront amusement park. Amber is trying to be the kind of supportive supervisor people like, helping them out when she can and turning a blind eye to their minor infractions. Her life is pretty no frills, but her luck; finding a home with a good boyfriend, her two sweet dogs, and steady work; never ceases to surprise her. That is, until the night when she reports to her normal cleaning duties at Innfinityland, the hall of mirrors, and discovers the body of a strangled young girl in its passages. All the sudden, her criminal past, carefully buried and obscured by a new name show more and a quiet life, comes perilously close to the surface.
As the killings continue, and the Seaside Strangler begins to make a name for himself, the press descends upon the lower-end holiday town. With it comes Kirsty Lindsay, mother of two, hack journalist, and the incognito other half of a "criminal" duo. Kirsty and Amber were never meant to see each other again, but the coincidence of the Whitmouth crimes drags them into each other's orbit for the first time since the fateful day when their childhoods came to an abrupt end. As the saga of the Seaside Strangler continues, the back story of the "Wicked Girls" also slowly unspools.
I actually quite enjoyed The Wicked Girls, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. For starters, it was set on the English seaside, which for some reason, despite having read the spoilery jacket copy and whatever the publicist sent me when pitching the book to me for review, I failed to realize. As for me, the British slang and atmosphere set this book a little apart for me and made me like it more. Second, I was expecting more of a nailbiter when it came to identifying the Seaside Strangler. However, for anybody who has ever caught an episode of a show like Criminal Minds in their lives, spotting the Strangler was no difficult task, and I think I'd managed it before the book was half over. Rather than giving a lot of attention to the immediate crimes at hand, the book uses them to embrace its more literary side and delve into the psyches of the now adult perpetrators of a childhood crime.
As a character study, The Wicked Girls soars. It asks difficult questions about what constitutes a murder, whether a killer can ever outrun the effects of their crime, and how well another person and their motives can ever truly be known. More suspenseful than the Strangler mystery by far is the collection of flashbacks that recalls the details of the first and last day the Wicked Girls spent together and the crime, if you can call it that, that derails their futures. Marwood does a stellar job with her two main characters. They are are never quite positioned as wholly loveable women, but Marwood easily draws your sympathy toward them as she lays out the paths that each took to live a good life in the wake of crime and punishment, whether it was by being a devoted wife and mother or by always offering a helping hand to a friend or a co-worker in need. When it becomes clear that what's past is never truly past, Marwood evokes a sad situation and asks her readers to consider what really makes a person wicked and whether someone with blood on their hands can ever find redemption. show less
As the killings continue, and the Seaside Strangler begins to make a name for himself, the press descends upon the lower-end holiday town. With it comes Kirsty Lindsay, mother of two, hack journalist, and the incognito other half of a "criminal" duo. Kirsty and Amber were never meant to see each other again, but the coincidence of the Whitmouth crimes drags them into each other's orbit for the first time since the fateful day when their childhoods came to an abrupt end. As the saga of the Seaside Strangler continues, the back story of the "Wicked Girls" also slowly unspools.
I actually quite enjoyed The Wicked Girls, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. For starters, it was set on the English seaside, which for some reason, despite having read the spoilery jacket copy and whatever the publicist sent me when pitching the book to me for review, I failed to realize. As for me, the British slang and atmosphere set this book a little apart for me and made me like it more. Second, I was expecting more of a nailbiter when it came to identifying the Seaside Strangler. However, for anybody who has ever caught an episode of a show like Criminal Minds in their lives, spotting the Strangler was no difficult task, and I think I'd managed it before the book was half over. Rather than giving a lot of attention to the immediate crimes at hand, the book uses them to embrace its more literary side and delve into the psyches of the now adult perpetrators of a childhood crime.
As a character study, The Wicked Girls soars. It asks difficult questions about what constitutes a murder, whether a killer can ever outrun the effects of their crime, and how well another person and their motives can ever truly be known. More suspenseful than the Strangler mystery by far is the collection of flashbacks that recalls the details of the first and last day the Wicked Girls spent together and the crime, if you can call it that, that derails their futures. Marwood does a stellar job with her two main characters. They are are never quite positioned as wholly loveable women, but Marwood easily draws your sympathy toward them as she lays out the paths that each took to live a good life in the wake of crime and punishment, whether it was by being a devoted wife and mother or by always offering a helping hand to a friend or a co-worker in need. When it becomes clear that what's past is never truly past, Marwood evokes a sad situation and asks her readers to consider what really makes a person wicked and whether someone with blood on their hands can ever find redemption. show less
I enjoyed walking the perilous tightrope that was this book. I don’t believe in adding spoilers in my reviews. That said, most people probably read the back cover before they read the book, so here’s the premise – two eleven year old girls meet for the first time. By the end of the day, they’re murders. How could I resist a plot like that?
This book covers the subject from almost every angle. What really happened that fateful day is revealed in flashbacks throughout the book until we’re left with a scene which could easily happen to any adolescent who merely steps their toe across the line of responsible behavior – and at that age, who doesn’t?
The book follows the women 25 years later, exploring the lives they’ve made for show more themselves and the issues they deal with as they struggle to reconcile the past that haunts them both. One of the themes of this book seems to be that one mistake, a single instant of poor decision making in life can stay with you forever, a dark cloud shadowing the rest of your days. I loved the ending of the book, the last few pages where the author slides in another slice of damnation in an almost tongue in cheek sleight of hand. 5 stars. show less
This book covers the subject from almost every angle. What really happened that fateful day is revealed in flashbacks throughout the book until we’re left with a scene which could easily happen to any adolescent who merely steps their toe across the line of responsible behavior – and at that age, who doesn’t?
The book follows the women 25 years later, exploring the lives they’ve made for show more themselves and the issues they deal with as they struggle to reconcile the past that haunts them both. One of the themes of this book seems to be that one mistake, a single instant of poor decision making in life can stay with you forever, a dark cloud shadowing the rest of your days. I loved the ending of the book, the last few pages where the author slides in another slice of damnation in an almost tongue in cheek sleight of hand. 5 stars. show less
This book! If I were allowed to do so, I'd give the first half of Alex Marwood's crime novel an enthusiastic five stars. Marwood started with a bang, with the story of two pre-adolescent girls who were convicted of a murder and, years later, given new identities after their release, to protect them as their case was a famous one. The novel begins with the adult lives of the two women, although the reader doesn't know which adult was which child as both stories unfold.
In the present day, there are a series of murders of young women in the holiday seaside town of Whitmouth. Both women are tangential to the crime; Amber works as a cleaner in the amusement park where one body is found and Kirsty is a freelance reporter, sent to cover the show more story. As their paths begin to circle, the story tightens.
I read the first half of the book sure that I'd found another author as brilliant as [[Tana French]]. Then, as the story unfolded, it became more predictable, so that the third quarter of the book slipped back to a three and a half star read. I was still interested, but the plot started to fall into predictability. And the last quarter of the book was a generous two star read; the writing and the characters lost their nuance and vivacity and became rote, predictable and something that would not surprise anyone. I'm still surprised that a novel that was so good could change so completely, as though the first half had been written by a different person than the second half. show less
In the present day, there are a series of murders of young women in the holiday seaside town of Whitmouth. Both women are tangential to the crime; Amber works as a cleaner in the amusement park where one body is found and Kirsty is a freelance reporter, sent to cover the show more story. As their paths begin to circle, the story tightens.
I read the first half of the book sure that I'd found another author as brilliant as [[Tana French]]. Then, as the story unfolded, it became more predictable, so that the third quarter of the book slipped back to a three and a half star read. I was still interested, but the plot started to fall into predictability. And the last quarter of the book was a generous two star read; the writing and the characters lost their nuance and vivacity and became rote, predictable and something that would not surprise anyone. I'm still surprised that a novel that was so good could change so completely, as though the first half had been written by a different person than the second half. show less
It's a chilling tale of two 11 year old girls who were involved in the death of a small child and the resulting impact that that deed has on them. I found the story to be absorbing... plausible... as well as unsettling. It shows the seamier side of human nature and the devastating circumstances that interwove the lives of these two women. From the first page to last the book builds on the unexpected. Alex Marwood manages to fill the story with evil characters without ever making them unbelievable or the women unsympathetic. She keeps the suspense alive and viable throughout.
We've read the stories in the papers - children killing children. We're horrified, wondering how it could happen, what is wrong with them, where were their parents and more.
Alex Marwood has taken that premise and penned a riveting debut novel.
In 1986 England, eleven year old Bel and Jade meet for the first time. At the end of that one day of friendship, a four year old will be dead. And they will be convicted of murder. " I don't understand why they hate me so much. We didn't mean it. We never meant it to happen.'
Twenty five years later, each has been released and made a life for themselves. But the paths they've taken are very different from each other. It is another set of murders in a seaside resort town that sets the stage for show more their paths crossing again. 'Kirsty' is a reporter covering the murders and 'Amber' is a cleaner at the carnival where the latest victim was found.
Ohh, what a page turner!! The present day search for the murderer is alternated with chapters from the past that detail bit by bit what led up to that fateful day in 1986. The present day story is no less riveting, full of tension and questions. Each woman has so much to lose if anyone discovers who they really are. What lengths will they go to, to keep their identities hidden? Who is murdering young women?
Each woman was well drawn - I felt like they were 'real'. Their home lives and thoughts were compelling. I did find myself drawn to one more than the other. The supporting characters were just as fleshed out and had their own secrets. Especially creepy were the thought processes of Martin - a man who doesn't see his behaviour as stalking.
This was an excellent thriller, complete with a 'didn't see that coming' ending. Alex Marwood is a pseudonym for a London journalist - the crimes and the prose have a gritty, authentic feel to them.
Marwood is working on a second novel - one I'll be watching for. show less
Alex Marwood has taken that premise and penned a riveting debut novel.
In 1986 England, eleven year old Bel and Jade meet for the first time. At the end of that one day of friendship, a four year old will be dead. And they will be convicted of murder. " I don't understand why they hate me so much. We didn't mean it. We never meant it to happen.'
Twenty five years later, each has been released and made a life for themselves. But the paths they've taken are very different from each other. It is another set of murders in a seaside resort town that sets the stage for show more their paths crossing again. 'Kirsty' is a reporter covering the murders and 'Amber' is a cleaner at the carnival where the latest victim was found.
Ohh, what a page turner!! The present day search for the murderer is alternated with chapters from the past that detail bit by bit what led up to that fateful day in 1986. The present day story is no less riveting, full of tension and questions. Each woman has so much to lose if anyone discovers who they really are. What lengths will they go to, to keep their identities hidden? Who is murdering young women?
Each woman was well drawn - I felt like they were 'real'. Their home lives and thoughts were compelling. I did find myself drawn to one more than the other. The supporting characters were just as fleshed out and had their own secrets. Especially creepy were the thought processes of Martin - a man who doesn't see his behaviour as stalking.
This was an excellent thriller, complete with a 'didn't see that coming' ending. Alex Marwood is a pseudonym for a London journalist - the crimes and the prose have a gritty, authentic feel to them.
Marwood is working on a second novel - one I'll be watching for. show less
When they were children, Bel and Jade spent one day together, and by the time that day was through, the world would see them as murderers.
Now adults, living new lives under new names, the two women are brought together by the mysterious strangling deaths occurring in and around an amusement park--and they are forced to wonder just how much of their own pasts will be brought out into the present.
This is a book that just flies by-I read three quarters of it in a day. It is extremely suspenseful, especially through the use of flashbacks. Marwood doesn't reveal to the readers what truly happened that fateful day until the end of the book, and the build up creates a real sense of absolute dread.
Marwood also does a thorough and fascinating show more job of exploring the dark side of human nature--in particular, just how much a person can (or cannot) change--and how much society and the people around them will allow them to change.
I did feel like there were one or two too many subplots and characters. The book could have been tightened up a bit.
This was a quick, suspenseful read with very little light and some real surprises (including one surrounding a side character that really stuck with me). While this is not the best of this genre I've read, Marwood will suck you into the story and you will not be able to put this book down. show less
Now adults, living new lives under new names, the two women are brought together by the mysterious strangling deaths occurring in and around an amusement park--and they are forced to wonder just how much of their own pasts will be brought out into the present.
This is a book that just flies by-I read three quarters of it in a day. It is extremely suspenseful, especially through the use of flashbacks. Marwood doesn't reveal to the readers what truly happened that fateful day until the end of the book, and the build up creates a real sense of absolute dread.
Marwood also does a thorough and fascinating show more job of exploring the dark side of human nature--in particular, just how much a person can (or cannot) change--and how much society and the people around them will allow them to change.
I did feel like there were one or two too many subplots and characters. The book could have been tightened up a bit.
This was a quick, suspenseful read with very little light and some real surprises (including one surrounding a side character that really stuck with me). While this is not the best of this genre I've read, Marwood will suck you into the story and you will not be able to put this book down. show less
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20+ Works 2,069 Members
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- Canonical title
- The Wicked Girls
- Original title
- The Wicked Girls
- Original publication date
- 2012
- People/Characters
- Annabel Oldacre / Amber Gordon; Jade Walker / Kirsty Lindsay; Chloe Francis; Vic Cantrell; Martin Bagshawe; Jackie Jacobs (show all 7); Jim Lindsay
- Important places
- Whitmouth, England, UK; Banbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK; Farnham, Surrey, England, UK
- Dedication
- For William Mackesy
- First words
- There’s a blanket, but from the aroma that rises from its folds, she guesses it’s never been washed. The cells are overheated and, despite the fact that Jade balled it up and pushed it into the corner of the room when the... (show all)y first brought her in here, the stink of stale piss and unwashed skin is hard to ignore. Officer Magill picks it up and holds it out towards her, wadded in her hand. ‘You’re going to have to wear this,’ she says. ‘Over your head. Apparently they’re not allowed to see your face.’
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)‘Oh, Jeez, babe,’ he says, and enfolds her unresponsive body into a hug. ‘I’m sorry. I know you’ve been fighting her corner. But it’s not that bad. You’re knackered. It’s OK, Kirsty. I shouldn’t have kept you up. Come on. Up you get. Let’s go to bed. You need to get some sleep.
‘Trust me,’ he says. ‘It’ll all look better in the morning.’ - Blurbers
- McDermid, Val; Moyes, Jojo; Haynes, Elizabeth; Lippman, Laura
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