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The First Girl
She believed her serial-killer ex was innocent, but now history is repeating itself. What does she really remember?
Writer Karen Walker knows more than most about murderers. Her first love went on to become The Bagman, a notorious serial killer now locked away for life in a maximum-security prison.
Karen has spent her life running from the weight of having loved him, defended him and, ultimately, leading the police to his door. But now, ten years later, just as she’s about to publish her account of his crimes, a young woman is abducted in horribly familiar circumstances.
It can’t be The Bagman…can it? He’s safely behind bars, thanks to her. But she has to know for sure.
Returning to the hometown she thought she’d left for good, Karen is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man she’s never escaped. If there’s any chance of saving the kidnapped girl, she’ll have to face up to what really happened back then, once and for all…
Writer Karen Walker knows more than most about murderers. Her first love went on to become The Bagman, a notorious serial killer now locked away for life in a maximum-security prison.
Karen has spent her life running from the weight of having loved him, defended him and, ultimately, leading the police to his door. But now, ten years later, just as she’s about to publish her account of his crimes, a young woman is abducted in horribly familiar circumstances.
It can’t be The Bagman…can it? He’s safely behind bars, thanks to her. But she has to know for sure.
Returning to the hometown she thought she’d left for good, Karen is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man she’s never escaped. If there’s any chance of saving the kidnapped girl, she’ll have to face up to what really happened back then, once and for all…
314 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2025
4015 people are currently reading
13004 people want to read
About the author
Claire McGowan
43 books2,043 followersClaire McGowan grew up in a small village in Northern Ireland. After a degree in English and French from Oxford University she moved to London and worked in the charity sector. THE FALL is her first novel, which is followed by a series starring forensic psychologist Paula Maguire. She also writes as Eva Woods.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 306 reviews
August 13, 2025
The only person I was rooting for is myself to finish this book
January 31, 2025
I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review as part of the readalong hosted by Tandem Collective UK #thrillsandchillsreaders .
The First Girl is the first book by Claire that I've had the pleasure of reading and won't be my last.
We follow Karen, a writer from Yourkshire living in New York. She has a True Crime memoir set to publish soon when she reads a post about a missing girl with similarities to a serial killer she helped put away many years ago. Karen jumps on a plane and rushes back to the UK, desperate to find out if it's the same killer because if so, she's helped lock away the wrong man.
As Karen becomes more and more involved in the new case and starts digging into the past, she begins to suspect she's been lured back - but by who and why?
This was such an intriguing story and kept me turning the pages wanting to know about the old cases, what Karen was hiding, who the killer was... I also enjoyed all the red herrings and teasers thrown in along the way. I suspected everyone at some point in this book! I enjoyed how Claire wove the questions of the ethics of true crime into the story, making you question how you really view True Crime, too.
The First Girl is the first book by Claire that I've had the pleasure of reading and won't be my last.
We follow Karen, a writer from Yourkshire living in New York. She has a True Crime memoir set to publish soon when she reads a post about a missing girl with similarities to a serial killer she helped put away many years ago. Karen jumps on a plane and rushes back to the UK, desperate to find out if it's the same killer because if so, she's helped lock away the wrong man.
As Karen becomes more and more involved in the new case and starts digging into the past, she begins to suspect she's been lured back - but by who and why?
This was such an intriguing story and kept me turning the pages wanting to know about the old cases, what Karen was hiding, who the killer was... I also enjoyed all the red herrings and teasers thrown in along the way. I suspected everyone at some point in this book! I enjoyed how Claire wove the questions of the ethics of true crime into the story, making you question how you really view True Crime, too.
January 12, 2025
3.5-4 stars
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I could swear I've read loads of Claire's books before, but apparently I've only read one, and it wasn't even a crime one - This Could Be Us; it was very good though.
This one sounded right up my street, in a similar vein to Lisa Jewell and Gillian McAllister, who I both love.
It has come to my attention that I read a scarily large quantity of books involving serial killers...maybe I need to get that looked at.
Each chapter of this starts with a segment from the main character's (Karen) memoir, which I thought was an interesting way to look at what had happened in the past, without it keep flicking backwards and forwards. Having said that, I would have liked a bit more of what happened in the past, be it through more snippets of her book or interviews or flashbacks etc. Things are mentioned in passing, but the time of the crimes and in the decade since seemed a bit....glossed over, and I would have liked more there.
Karen was a difficult character to like, I struggled to figure her out. She's a victim of many things, but is she to be trusted? There are lots of characters, goodies and baddies and those in between; victims and attackers. No-one is perfect, no-one is fully good and fully bad. There's a lot of grey areas morally, which made for interesting reading. They're all real, 3D character with enough to get your teeth into.
It's written in first person from the POV of Karen, but it's clearly written for someone, as it's all "You did this, and then we did that". Was it a diary? A letter? Was it to the imprisoned man?
It is quite simple, no massive twists and turns (at least for the most part), and normally in a thriller I would say it needs those twists and turns to hold my attention. But I didn't feel the need in this. Claire has such a way with words that the thrill is in the things unsaid. The silence between the words and actions. And I think if she was throwing in shock after shock, we'd have missed most of that subtlety.
There are a few bits that are unbelievable. I mean, I know it's a fictional book, a fun thriller, and so it doesn't necessarily have to be 100% accurate to real life. But things still need to make sense within the context of the story, and I don't believe anyone would allow a civilian - especially one so linked to the previous crimes - to try and help solve the recent crime. It didn't spoil the reading of it. I still enjoyed it, but those kind of things just stuck out as a bit weird.
It's not my absolute favourite of thrillers, but it is still very good. I enjoyed it and read it in less than a day and will definitely be keeping my eye out for her other thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I could swear I've read loads of Claire's books before, but apparently I've only read one, and it wasn't even a crime one - This Could Be Us; it was very good though.
This one sounded right up my street, in a similar vein to Lisa Jewell and Gillian McAllister, who I both love.
It has come to my attention that I read a scarily large quantity of books involving serial killers...maybe I need to get that looked at.
Each chapter of this starts with a segment from the main character's (Karen) memoir, which I thought was an interesting way to look at what had happened in the past, without it keep flicking backwards and forwards. Having said that, I would have liked a bit more of what happened in the past, be it through more snippets of her book or interviews or flashbacks etc. Things are mentioned in passing, but the time of the crimes and in the decade since seemed a bit....glossed over, and I would have liked more there.
Karen was a difficult character to like, I struggled to figure her out. She's a victim of many things, but is she to be trusted? There are lots of characters, goodies and baddies and those in between; victims and attackers. No-one is perfect, no-one is fully good and fully bad. There's a lot of grey areas morally, which made for interesting reading. They're all real, 3D character with enough to get your teeth into.
It's written in first person from the POV of Karen, but it's clearly written for someone, as it's all "You did this, and then we did that". Was it a diary? A letter? Was it to the imprisoned man?
It is quite simple, no massive twists and turns (at least for the most part), and normally in a thriller I would say it needs those twists and turns to hold my attention. But I didn't feel the need in this. Claire has such a way with words that the thrill is in the things unsaid. The silence between the words and actions. And I think if she was throwing in shock after shock, we'd have missed most of that subtlety.
There are a few bits that are unbelievable. I mean, I know it's a fictional book, a fun thriller, and so it doesn't necessarily have to be 100% accurate to real life. But things still need to make sense within the context of the story, and I don't believe anyone would allow a civilian - especially one so linked to the previous crimes - to try and help solve the recent crime. It didn't spoil the reading of it. I still enjoyed it, but those kind of things just stuck out as a bit weird.
It's not my absolute favourite of thrillers, but it is still very good. I enjoyed it and read it in less than a day and will definitely be keeping my eye out for her other thrillers.
April 23, 2025
main character was absolutely incredibly insufferable, so whiny if I wasn’t stuck on a 5 hour drive, I would have put on a different book. The ending? I’m sorry, but nothing fucking changed, no big revelation, no shocking twist, and some things were so wildly outlandish for what is supposed to be a regular thriller.
The most shocking twist of his entire book was that karen‘s mother was dating the prison guard. what an absolute waste of time.
The most shocking twist of his entire book was that karen‘s mother was dating the prison guard. what an absolute waste of time.
October 3, 2024
Karen is returning to her hometown because a girl has been kidnapped. Authorities believe there are similarities linking this case to those of The Bagman, a serial killer. But the problem is that he’s been in prison for over ten years. Is this a copycat? Did they get the wrong man years ago? Karen knew him better than anyone, so she hopes she can provide insight to assist. But copycat or not, will she be the next victim?
Based on the blurb, I thought Karen and The Bagman were great lovers and it was a massive betrayal for her to turn him in. But the thing is, throughout the entire story, they seem to be pals, at the most. They weren’t dating, never slept together, and there was nothing romantic between them. The reader only gets a few flashbacks to their interactions and the vibe between them is slight friendship at best. Yet Karen and everyone else refers to them as 'best friends' and 'so close.'
And when she ‘turns him in’ it’s 10 years after they met and they barely interact for that decade after school ended. The story glosses over this entire decade in a rushed way, too. She has nothing to support her suspicions about him, except that he was late visiting her one night and he was in the areas of some of the crimes. And he draws a symbol. That’s supposedly so unique that the prosecution based their entire case on that. And he was convicted! What?! Seriously, too much of the plot revolves around that symbol.
I don’t know, the book just wasn’t what I expected, it almost read like a first draft before changes are made that fix inconsistencies and improve the flow of the story, etc. More flashbacks to their past interactions would have helped. And more in-depth..everything of that missing decade. I kept wondering when they would reveal what Karen did for those ten years, and again, it was just vaguely referenced. She lived here and there and I guess worked now and then? There’s slightly more background to the decade he’s been in prison, but not too much. And for a while at the start, I had the impression that he was imprisoned at school age, not a decade later.
I feel like the main plot of the story is good and will draw people in but it doesn’t meet the expectations readers will have. Which is surprising because I love this author and have read all her books. I would never guess it was written by her. Hopefully, the next one will be more in line with her usual style and flair.
Based on the blurb, I thought Karen and The Bagman were great lovers and it was a massive betrayal for her to turn him in. But the thing is, throughout the entire story, they seem to be pals, at the most. They weren’t dating, never slept together, and there was nothing romantic between them. The reader only gets a few flashbacks to their interactions and the vibe between them is slight friendship at best. Yet Karen and everyone else refers to them as 'best friends' and 'so close.'
And when she ‘turns him in’ it’s 10 years after they met and they barely interact for that decade after school ended. The story glosses over this entire decade in a rushed way, too. She has nothing to support her suspicions about him, except that he was late visiting her one night and he was in the areas of some of the crimes. And he draws a symbol. That’s supposedly so unique that the prosecution based their entire case on that. And he was convicted! What?! Seriously, too much of the plot revolves around that symbol.
I don’t know, the book just wasn’t what I expected, it almost read like a first draft before changes are made that fix inconsistencies and improve the flow of the story, etc. More flashbacks to their past interactions would have helped. And more in-depth..everything of that missing decade. I kept wondering when they would reveal what Karen did for those ten years, and again, it was just vaguely referenced. She lived here and there and I guess worked now and then? There’s slightly more background to the decade he’s been in prison, but not too much. And for a while at the start, I had the impression that he was imprisoned at school age, not a decade later.
I feel like the main plot of the story is good and will draw people in but it doesn’t meet the expectations readers will have. Which is surprising because I love this author and have read all her books. I would never guess it was written by her. Hopefully, the next one will be more in line with her usual style and flair.
September 25, 2024
3.75⭐️ Overall I enjoyed this story, but it dragged at times, plus it was a tad repetetive in the beginning. I read a lot of thrillers, so even though I was suspicious of multiple characters and had my theories, I was correct on my first guess. Even though I thought some of it was predictable, I very much liked this book and the explained ending.
March 6, 2025
Karen has a new life in New York following testifying against her friend from teenage years who was sent to prison for the murder of 8 women. Karen is drawn back to England when a missing girl is reported and their is the sign that was used in the original murders that very few people have seen. I took a star off just as I struggled to believe that the police would allow someone involved in the original case to interview so many people involved. However the story was well thought out and the ending was unexpected. Probably the only character I liked in the book was the murderer the bagman. Would be keen to read more from this author.
January 30, 2025
The story in emojis: 🔪🩸📖
3 things about this book:
•Unreliable Narration
•Serial Killer
•Book within a book
ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved this book and I didn’t want to put it down.
The story gave me everything I love - crime, police procedural, thriller, mystery and who doesn’t love a serial killer especially with a moniker like “the bagman”.
I really liked the book within a book concept, would quite like to read all of Karen’s book after the excerpts I have seen.
I cannot recommend this book enough, it’s definitely one I will be recommending for a time. Perfect for fans of Nadine Matheson and Amy Lloyd.
I cannot believe this was the first book I have ready by Claire McGowan, it will definitely not be my last!
3 things about this book:
•Unreliable Narration
•Serial Killer
•Book within a book
ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Wow, wow, wow! I absolutely loved this book and I didn’t want to put it down.
The story gave me everything I love - crime, police procedural, thriller, mystery and who doesn’t love a serial killer especially with a moniker like “the bagman”.
I really liked the book within a book concept, would quite like to read all of Karen’s book after the excerpts I have seen.
I cannot recommend this book enough, it’s definitely one I will be recommending for a time. Perfect for fans of Nadine Matheson and Amy Lloyd.
I cannot believe this was the first book I have ready by Claire McGowan, it will definitely not be my last!
July 29, 2025
Book Club Pick July: This book should be grateful that I can't do half stars or it would have been a 1.5! Thank goodness for 1.5 speed audio books or I don't think I would have ever finished it. In about 70% of this book nothing happens that is in anyway significant to the plot......There are so many chapters that you almost need to fight through and then when you get to the end you realise that nothing you learned or characters to met have any meaning whatsoever.
The only reason it is getting 1.5 stars is I did think the last 25 pages weren't too bad. Yes, I know that is not a ringing endorsement but it is the best I can do.
The only reason it is getting 1.5 stars is I did think the last 25 pages weren't too bad. Yes, I know that is not a ringing endorsement but it is the best I can do.
February 21, 2025
rating: 3.5
July 25, 2025
I did enjoy the characters in this one! I wanted to see how it would all play out re the murders. Was he innocent or not… very juicy!
July 24, 2025
this months book club pick
it took me a while to get into this, at first karen really annoyed me but in the end i could tolerate her and actually felt bad for her. i wasn’t a massive fan of the ending but overall i enjoyed it
it took me a while to get into this, at first karen really annoyed me but in the end i could tolerate her and actually felt bad for her. i wasn’t a massive fan of the ending but overall i enjoyed it
November 6, 2025
Very mehhh. Struggled to read this
February 2, 2025
Thank you to Tandem Collective for providing me with a paperback copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, we follow Karen Walker, whose first love went on to become notorious serial killer The Bagman before she put him behind bars. A decade later, she returns to her home town where he is incarcerated after new case emerges that seems eerily similar. The story is told through Karen's point of view in the present alongside excerpts from her soon-to-be published book on her experience and poses interesting questions on the sensationalising of true crime. As the story progressed, I struggled to put the book down! I had worked out some of the plot twists before the end, but not all. I was slightly disappointed by the ending as I felt it did not provide a definite answer to some of the questions, but most of the plot threads are neatly wrapped up.
A recommended read for fans of Gillian McAllister, Listen for the Lie, and unreliable narrators dealing with past trauma.
In this book, we follow Karen Walker, whose first love went on to become notorious serial killer The Bagman before she put him behind bars. A decade later, she returns to her home town where he is incarcerated after new case emerges that seems eerily similar. The story is told through Karen's point of view in the present alongside excerpts from her soon-to-be published book on her experience and poses interesting questions on the sensationalising of true crime. As the story progressed, I struggled to put the book down! I had worked out some of the plot twists before the end, but not all. I was slightly disappointed by the ending as I felt it did not provide a definite answer to some of the questions, but most of the plot threads are neatly wrapped up.
A recommended read for fans of Gillian McAllister, Listen for the Lie, and unreliable narrators dealing with past trauma.
May 5, 2025
While I thoroughly enjoyed Claire McGowan's other novel Truth Truth Lie, I found The First Girl to be bland, disappointing, and somewhat unreflective of the story promised on the blurb. The First Girl turned out to be monotone and extremely forgettable, even just hours after reading it.
Writer Karen Cruz is heading back to the UK after uncovering some unsettling news. A girl has gone missing in her hometown, and at the scene of the crime is a troubling symbol connected to Karen's own dark past. Years ago, Karen called a tipline that resulted in her boyfriend's arrest for a series of murders known to the public as the Bagman Killings. Aaron Hughes is now serving a life sentence for those murders, and he's not pleased with Karen's role in his apprehension. Karen's return to the scene of the crime brings up more than just bad memories, and it seems like it's only a matter of time before more deaths occur.
The main flaw I found with The First Girl was Karen's persistent denial that Aaron was her boyfriend, despite this being outlined in the summary. In fact, Aaron and Karen lack any believable relationship or chemistry; the absence of depth between the two characters makes even a friendship seem implausible. Additionally, the sudden shifts in perspective were disorienting, and the lack of a satisfying ending left a sour taste in my mouth. Where I anticipated a thrilling and mysterious story, I instead found a repetitive, monotonous, and dull novel. I like Claire McGowan, and I will read more of her novels, but this one missed the mark.
Writer Karen Cruz is heading back to the UK after uncovering some unsettling news. A girl has gone missing in her hometown, and at the scene of the crime is a troubling symbol connected to Karen's own dark past. Years ago, Karen called a tipline that resulted in her boyfriend's arrest for a series of murders known to the public as the Bagman Killings. Aaron Hughes is now serving a life sentence for those murders, and he's not pleased with Karen's role in his apprehension. Karen's return to the scene of the crime brings up more than just bad memories, and it seems like it's only a matter of time before more deaths occur.
The main flaw I found with The First Girl was Karen's persistent denial that Aaron was her boyfriend, despite this being outlined in the summary. In fact, Aaron and Karen lack any believable relationship or chemistry; the absence of depth between the two characters makes even a friendship seem implausible. Additionally, the sudden shifts in perspective were disorienting, and the lack of a satisfying ending left a sour taste in my mouth. Where I anticipated a thrilling and mysterious story, I instead found a repetitive, monotonous, and dull novel. I like Claire McGowan, and I will read more of her novels, but this one missed the mark.
July 15, 2025
3.5- I enjoyed this one and didn't see the twist coming!
Would reccomend as an easy read for crime thriller fans.
Would reccomend as an easy read for crime thriller fans.
July 11, 2025
3.65* A bit predictable.
January 29, 2025
Read this as part of the Thrills & Chills book club with Tandem Collective and they honestly couldn’t have picked a better book start with. Considering this is my first book by this author, I was absolutely captivated by the writing and the strong plotline. We all know I love the concept of a “book within a book” - one of my favourite examples of this being The Nothing Man - and it worked just as well in The First Girl.
Overall, I’m super impressed, LOVED the Yorkshire lingo & will definitely be on the lookout for more of Claire’s books. For fans of Jar of Hearts!!!!!
Overall, I’m super impressed, LOVED the Yorkshire lingo & will definitely be on the lookout for more of Claire’s books. For fans of Jar of Hearts!!!!!
June 5, 2025
It was interesting and thrilling but I felt it was dragged it lot in between.
July 25, 2025
Saw the ending quite a few miles off. Still enjoyable thriller/crime read
March 2, 2025
Karen is a survivor of a serial killer. Not that he attacked her but she was close with him, she loved him even if it was one way. They were exceptionally close, the media assumed they were together. But she got him incarcerated – were they that close? How could she not have known?
That first crime scene took my breath away. Karen was genuinely shocked by what she saw and so was I. But compared what I came to endure, this was nothing – this was the Bagman’s MO. Brutal and slightly chaotic.
In between the present of Karen “investigating” the past, I got snippets of her story, her life with the Bagman, her childhood love. These excerpts were close to the voice I had narrating the present but there was a difference. The present Karen was talking to her former love. I got the full thought process from Karen, not the sanitised edited version set for publication.
McGowan has orchestrated a tense thriller where I questioned my narrator. I don’t deny she was wronged by her best friend but as I went on, Karen’s teen tunnel vision love for Aaron shone through. Was she covering for him or was she that blinded by infatuation to never see what this male was capable of?
If you love a thriller that sends your detective mind all over the shot, The First Girl is the book you need to add to your reading pile. I questioned whether the right person was behind bars from start to finish!! Excellent thriller!!
That first crime scene took my breath away. Karen was genuinely shocked by what she saw and so was I. But compared what I came to endure, this was nothing – this was the Bagman’s MO. Brutal and slightly chaotic.
In between the present of Karen “investigating” the past, I got snippets of her story, her life with the Bagman, her childhood love. These excerpts were close to the voice I had narrating the present but there was a difference. The present Karen was talking to her former love. I got the full thought process from Karen, not the sanitised edited version set for publication.
McGowan has orchestrated a tense thriller where I questioned my narrator. I don’t deny she was wronged by her best friend but as I went on, Karen’s teen tunnel vision love for Aaron shone through. Was she covering for him or was she that blinded by infatuation to never see what this male was capable of?
If you love a thriller that sends your detective mind all over the shot, The First Girl is the book you need to add to your reading pile. I questioned whether the right person was behind bars from start to finish!! Excellent thriller!!
October 10, 2024
Sadly, I can't say that I really enjoyed this one. McGowan's books are usually a hit for me. I really loved her last book, Truth Truth Lie, as well as most of her previous novels. This one was definitely a miss though. The beginning was super slow and hard to follow with Karen's constant and lengthy ramblings. I'm not sure if my confusion was due to the answers I was looking for being lost somewhere within these ramblings or if they were never there to begin with. I know that I won't be going back to check. The story did not flow well at all. There was no transitioning between separate topics or dialogue. Half the time, all I could think was that nothing made sense. It almost felt like this book was written by someone else. It was so abnormal. The dialect was very heavy on the Irish...maybe? Not particularly sure, but I cringed every time someone said "were" instead of "was". I can say that the name was fitting for the main character though. She was definitely a Karen! I'm disappointed that I didn't love this one, but I will still read more from this author. I personally wouldn't recommend it, but to each his own. This is just my opinion.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for granting me digital access via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!
January 29, 2025
Up until 10 years ago, Karen Walker was the best friend of notorious serial killer The Bagman, aka Aaron Hughes, until her evidence sent him to prison. Now, a girl has gone missing, and with the only clue being the Bagman symbol, Karen must return home to discover the truth.
I must admit the plot reeled me straight in, and it was a thoroughly entertaining ride. It was interesting to read a mixture of extracts from both Karen's memoir and present-day POV, although it's clear (she admits this) from the start that she is a VERY unreliable narrator. The story did drag slightly in the beginning, but once the drama kicks in, it doesn't stop! Almost none of the characters are likeable, but i really liked how true crime sleuths were added into the mix, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that. Plus i do enjoy rooting for the "bad guy" for a little while😂 Overall it was a gripping read, full of suspense, and I'm so glad i had the readalong group to chat to because it was a thrilling mind f**k, (in a good way, if there is such a thing), and my head would of probably exploded with theories😅
I must admit the plot reeled me straight in, and it was a thoroughly entertaining ride. It was interesting to read a mixture of extracts from both Karen's memoir and present-day POV, although it's clear (she admits this) from the start that she is a VERY unreliable narrator. The story did drag slightly in the beginning, but once the drama kicks in, it doesn't stop! Almost none of the characters are likeable, but i really liked how true crime sleuths were added into the mix, and I would have liked to have seen a bit more of that. Plus i do enjoy rooting for the "bad guy" for a little while😂 Overall it was a gripping read, full of suspense, and I'm so glad i had the readalong group to chat to because it was a thrilling mind f**k, (in a good way, if there is such a thing), and my head would of probably exploded with theories😅
February 20, 2025
Karen, a writer living in New York has a memoir about to be released. But not just any memoir. Karen's ex boyfriend was convicted as the notorious Bagman. A serial killer who she helped put in prison.
Back in hee hometown in Yorkshire, a girl is missing in eerily similar circumstances. Did she send the wrong man to prison or is someone else copying the murders. We join karen as she returns home to help solve the case.
There were twists & turns along the way, secrets from the past are unburied and red herrings send you down different paths. Everyone is a suspects and the ending was great! This is told through karen and also snippets from her upcoming book. I'll be reading more from Claire
Back in hee hometown in Yorkshire, a girl is missing in eerily similar circumstances. Did she send the wrong man to prison or is someone else copying the murders. We join karen as she returns home to help solve the case.
There were twists & turns along the way, secrets from the past are unburied and red herrings send you down different paths. Everyone is a suspects and the ending was great! This is told through karen and also snippets from her upcoming book. I'll be reading more from Claire
January 29, 2025
This was the first read of the ‘Thrills and Chills bookclub’. This book was so so gripping, I really wanted to just read it all at once. The plot of this was super interesting, although I did feel some bits were a little predictable. Karen is an incredibly unreliable narrator, and I still can’t decide whether or not I hate her (I think I do). I feel like this book really touched on the ‘sensationalising’ of true crime, which is something I wish was discussed more. I enjoy true crime, but I wish there was more consideration for the victims and their families.
I would definitely like to read more of Claire’s books in the future!
I would definitely like to read more of Claire’s books in the future!
August 10, 2025
I tried so hard to finish this book. I’ve never not finished a book. Ever. I can’t even pinpoint what my problem was, I really wanted to love it! I even skimmed from 30%-60% and the. Tried to jump in with hopes that I would be so intrigued I’d be motivated to return and re-read the missed chapters correctly. Instead, I found myself skimming another 20% and by then, I had completely lost any spark of interest.
Lots of shallow characters. British language/slang (maybe that’s not my favourite style of writing?) the narrator speaks to an ex in prison but also to herself which could be confusing. The detective allows a non-detective to play a key role in the case like it’s normal to engage with civilians. Attempt to intrigue readers with a “secret symbol” but there was no incentive to case what the symbol was, just that it was there. Just not for me.
Lots of shallow characters. British language/slang (maybe that’s not my favourite style of writing?) the narrator speaks to an ex in prison but also to herself which could be confusing. The detective allows a non-detective to play a key role in the case like it’s normal to engage with civilians. Attempt to intrigue readers with a “secret symbol” but there was no incentive to case what the symbol was, just that it was there. Just not for me.
September 28, 2025
The beginning was super slow and honestly hard to follow—Karen’s constant, lengthy ramblings really dragged, and the lack of smooth transitions between topics made the story feel choppy. Half the time, I was just confused by what was happening.
Karen herself was a tough character to connect with. On one hand, I sympathized with her—she was unfairly blamed for what happened. On the other, she openly admits she had inklings about it, which makes it strange that she didn’t report anything. That contradiction was frustrating.
The blurb hooked me with such an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t quite match. The pacing dragged, the repeated hints about Karen’s involvement were more annoying than suspenseful, and her unrequited crush on Aaron just felt messy. Honestly, I ended up liking Aaron more than Karen, which probably wasn’t the intention.
In the end, I pushed through just to uncover the truth—and while the mystery had potential, the slow build and frustrating character work left me with mixed feelings overall
Karen herself was a tough character to connect with. On one hand, I sympathized with her—she was unfairly blamed for what happened. On the other, she openly admits she had inklings about it, which makes it strange that she didn’t report anything. That contradiction was frustrating.
The blurb hooked me with such an interesting premise, but the execution didn’t quite match. The pacing dragged, the repeated hints about Karen’s involvement were more annoying than suspenseful, and her unrequited crush on Aaron just felt messy. Honestly, I ended up liking Aaron more than Karen, which probably wasn’t the intention.
In the end, I pushed through just to uncover the truth—and while the mystery had potential, the slow build and frustrating character work left me with mixed feelings overall
April 9, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ I found Karen to be quite a difficult character to connect with but really did empathise with her struggles with people blaming her for what happened. It’s a weird one because I agree they shouldn’t have been blaming her, BUT she admits multiple times that she had an inkling, so if she really did, then it’s odd she didn’t report it.
July 24, 2025
An interesting plot. The story of a serial killer's "friend", before, during, and after the murders, thrown in with some ongoing crime. I wasn't sure where it was going, but it was a satisfying ending.
August 2, 2025
Quite slow but good book
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