The Running Girls

by Matt Brolly

From the bestselling author of the Detective Louise Blackwell series comes a story of two murders, twenty years apart. There’s only one suspect. But what if he’s innocent?

Twenty years ago, in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas, Annie Randall took her dog for a walk. The dog returned. Annie did not. When her body was found, cruelly broken and posed like a runner, there was only ever one suspect: Annie’s husband, Frank. Now he’s served his time and come home – but the locals won’t let him forget. Especially when there’s a new ‘running girl’ murder…

Detective Laurie Campbell remembers Annie’s case. She’s also married to the Randalls’ son. Painfully conscious of the deep wounds within her family, and still suffering from a personal tragedy of her own, Laurie takes the lead on the new investigation. As much as the finger of suspicion points to her father-in-law, something doesn’t add up. If he didn’t commit the most recent murder, is it possible he never killed Annie either? And if he didn’t, who did?

As a terrifying hurricane hits Galveston, Laurie finds herself in a dangerous race against time. Can she find the answers that could heal her broken family before the wind and the waves hide them forever?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Suspense, Ebooks

313 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2023

About the author

Matt Brolly is the Amazon number one bestselling author of the DI Blackwell novels set in Weston-supper-Mare, as well as the DCI Lambert crime novels, the acclaimed near future crime novel, Zero, and the US thriller, The Controller.

Matt also writes children's books as M.J. Brolly. His first children's book, The Sleeping Bug, was released by Oblong Books in December 2018.

Matt lives in London with his wife and their young children. You can find out more about Matt at his website www.mattbrolly.com or by following him on twitter: @MattBrollyUK


Matt Brolly books in order:

DI Blackwell:

The Crossing (Feb 2020)
The Descent (July 2020)
The Gorge (March 2021)
The Mark (out November 2021)

DCI Lambert Series

Dead Water (prequel released August 2019)
Dead Eyed
Dead Lucky
Dead Embers
Dead Time

Other books

Zero
The Controller

For children (as M.J. Brolly)

The Sleeping Bug

Reviews

[Picky_Book_B1tch · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had a great premise but it was extrememely repetative with undevloped characters. The author has a good command of the technical aspects of writing but needs much more work on character and plot development.

[Phrynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is about two murders. The first occurs 20 years in the past when Fred Randall is sent to prison for the murder of his wife. After he is released another similar murder occurs and he is the first suspect.

There were a lot of good things about the book but I found myself becoming irritated by the blinkered attitude of the police investigations and therefore lost interest in the proceedings. The ending did not redeem it.

This is the first book I have read by this well liked author but sadly it did not work for me. It does get very mixed reviews so I was not an outlier.

[Alan (the Lone Librarian on film festival hiatus) Teder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hurricane Murder Spree
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle edition (February 1, 2023) released in advance of the Thomas & Mercer hardcover/eBook/audiobook (March 1, 2023)

The Running Girls is setup as a return back home to Galveston, Texas by ex-convict Frank Randall. Frank has served a 19-year sentence after a plea conviction for the murder of his wife Annie. Forensic evidence due to a physical altercation had him as the only suspect and his family and in-laws turned against him. But we know from the start that Frank is likely innocent and the real killer is already planning a new murder to again implicate Frank upon his return.

Daughter-in-law Laurie is in the Galveston P.D. and is the only person who believes Frank to be innocent, unlike his son (her husband) David who believes him guilty. Can she solve the old and new crimes before Frank is again condemned? Various possible suspects make their appearance, and Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters holds true, but the reason for the crimes is a pretty wild and obscure one which is unsolvable by the reader until the reveal.

Although the ending was a bit implausible, I still enjoyed reading The Running Girls, especially for the geographic atmosphere that the author builds around his Galveston setting which incorporates an oncoming hurricane. In fact, I was surprised to find that Matt Brolly is actually British and otherwise has UK centred detective series in his bibliography.


Sea Wall in Galveston, Texas, USA. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Soundtrack
I couldn't help but listen to Jimmy Webb's song Galveston (1968), first popularized by Glen Campbell in his 1969 recording and then recorded by Webb himself in a 1972 recording.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

[Jaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mmmmm decent twist? But, holy shit, there’s apparently nothing men enjoy writing about more than a woman who hates herself.

[Meredith · Rating 2 out of 5]

So I made a terrible mistake… I chose The Running Girls for my prime first read. Really cool premise. Possible serial killer on the loose in Galveston, while the city braces for a hurricane … And, at the time I chose it, the book had over a 4.0 Goodreads ranking. DO NOT FALL FOR IT! Any of it! It was unrealistic and unreasonable from the beginning… and it only got worse. I am so sorry to say such unkind things about a book but this was way too long, repetitive, the characters were undeveloped, and so much of it just would have never ever happened. Oh and then- everything is magically wrapped up “happily ever after.” I just cannot!

[Darryl Greer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best-selling UK author, Matt Brolly once again crosses the Atlantic to set his novel, The Running Girls, in the United States. This time, it’s Galveston, Texas where a girl’s body is found near the shore, battered and bruised and placed in a running position. Twenty years earlier, a similar discovery was made when the body of Annie Randall was found in the same area and in the same position. As her husband, Frank Randall pleaded guilty in a plea bargain, was convicted and sentenced for the crime and has recently been released from prison, it doesn’t take more than a nanosecond for the cops – and the community – to put two and two together. The lead investigator is Detective Laurie Campbell who remembers the earlier case well, even though she was a rookie at the time. To add complexity to an already complex case, Laurie’s husband, David is Annie’s son, his father, Warren, the chief of police at the time of her murder. With a category 4 hurricane bearing down on Galveston, this investigation is going to be the biggest challenge of Laurie’s career, especially as she has doubts about her father-in-law’s guilt.

Not too many authors can turn a plodding whodunnit into a thriller but Matt Brolly does it in spades. The reader’s interest is hooked virtually from the outset and from then on, it’s off to the races as one page quickly melts into the next. What helps keep the story live is the author’s gift when it comes to characterisation. Not only does he delve deeply into Laurie Campbell’s persona but not one of the cast is left out of character development. The plot twists and turns throughout the story but the imagery is clear and it is easy to follow. The use of a hurricane bearing down on Galveston is a clever ploy to add even more tension. It provides a deadline, as the general population is moved to safety before it hits. Well written, full of intrigue and as fast paced as you can get, The Running Girls is a must for lovers of thrillers as well as whodunnits.

[Alayne Emmett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a new author for me and I really enjoyed it. It was tense and fast and a quick read. All the twists and turns in it had me guessing until the end. Highly recommend this one.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, rounded up.

The Running Girls tells the story of two murders, twenty years apart. There's only one suspect. But what if he's innocent?

There are pieces that fit, as well as pieces that don't. The descriptions of hurricanes were horrifyingly believable! I liked Detective Laurie Campbell and found her to be smart and human at the same time. I found the twist at the end to be pretty much unbelievable. Having said THAT, however, The Running Girls was full of action, suspense, and mystery. Not once was I tempted to give up reading it!

[La Tonya Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a crime suspense. It was a page turner. It left you hanging to the very end on the real killer. Laurie is the head dective in Galvaston, TX. Her father-in-law has just been realeased from prison for admitting to killing his wife. The story only gets better.

David, her husband, does not speak to his father. Warren, david's grandfather, committed assault on Frank the first day he was back in Galvaston. Laurie starts asking questions about the old case when a similar killing takes place along the beach. The answers did not add up and started to point to Frank's innocence. Keep reading.

Quotes:

Seeing the house would bring back more memories, but he'd rather be trapped with the ghost of his wife than alone in a town where she'd never lived.

"I couldn't let it be true," said Sandra, shrugging her shoulders as if that explained everything.

Maurice returning into his life had been a dream, one that had morphed into a nightmare, if his last memories of him were anthing to go by.

[Amy Oetjens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d give this book 2.5/3 stars. A fast-paced book but somewhat repetitive. I did enjoy reading about Galveston as I just visited the city last year. The twist at the ending wasn’t predictable, IMHO, but felt very far-fetched.

[Lucia Delves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got early access to this book on Amazon First Reads and I absolutely loved it! Great storyline and kept me hooked. Loved the writing style of Matt Brolly too.

[ALEXIS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a mystery thriller, but an emotionally raw and gritty tale of love and loss between spouses and parents. Well written and clean! Although intense!

[coty ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 rounded up to three, because i like the writing. it's the story that didn't work for me.

though a pretty standard (which isn't bad) beginning, it quickly devolves into a mess of tropes and twists that i'm just personally not a fan of. the setting is vivid (you'd almost think the author was from texas, but there's a few quirks within the writing that make it clear he's from the UK), the character voices are distinct - but one of the characters is a woman grieving the stillborn of her child, and while i appreciate the earnestness and the author's unwillingness to shy away from displaying that grief, at times, it feels too much like her entire personality. there's a lot of self-blame, feeling at fault for the death of her daughter, and i imagine it's something parents must feel when these things occur - but too often, it tiptoes the line of becoming "women aren't complete unless they're mothers" / "a woman without a child has no purpose." i don't think that's the intent, and i really enjoy a moment the character (laurie) has with her husband, where they acknowledge that HE also lost a child (something that i do feel gets overlooked; too often, it seems people do solely acknowledge the grief of the parent who gave birth), i just wish there had been more defining work to give her a personality beyond grieving mom. she's dedicated to her job, and i wish there had been just a little more expansion on the trajectory of her career - there's hints that she commands respect because of her position within the police department, but it's all very soft and hidden behind the grief. but that's truly just my opinion.

i also think it was a missed opportunity to not provide a perspective from david, since he's randall's son. exploring his psyche when another murder occurs that echoes his mother's would've added a depth to the story that was sorely lacking, especially since it hardly feels we get anything from randall himself. he disappears for large chunks of the story, to a point where i almost forgot that the book actually starts with his POV. i think the author set out with the intention of multiple perspectives but ended up lost in only laurie's, and it's kind of disappointing.

the twist disappoints me solely because i don't like the trope of unknown sibling/child who is "evil." it feels kind of lazy at times, and though brolly manages to tie it together neatly enough, there's still a certain amount of leaping required to reach the conclusion, for me. i think more nods to the ending earlier in the story would've really helped the reveal go down easier; anything less, and the ending feels purely there for shock value. foreshadowing is a necessity in thrillers, and it doesn't make the end result any less thrilling if a reader is able to piece it together before the reveal (there's actually satisfaction in that, which is something i think some authors and film/television writers have forgotten to a degree).

but i do mean that i enjoyed the style. it's descriptive and engaging and clearly the author DOES want to tell a story instead of just write a book, because a good majority of recent thrillers end up feeling too much like the latter, and it's not a good thing. i'll be giving some more of his works a look in the future.

[Steve Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

You know those books when you pick them up again the next day you can't wait to get right back into the action, the characters, the story? "The Running Girls" isn't one of those books. Even if I had put it down only a few hours before, I had to go back and re-read the whole last chapter get back up to speed because nothing sticks with you: the story is limp and the characters all seem the same. Indeed, all the characters seem to be related, as in a Faulkner novel...only this book has none of Faulkner's literary prowess. The writing is mostly pedestrian (although the description of a hurricane ripping through Galveston is vivid enough). I couldn't help but wonder if this isn't the first example of a novel written entirely by some AI device, like ChatGPT. It's that dull, flat, lifeless.

[Chloe · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. I never stop a book half way but I couldn’t with this one. I stopped at 50% and just skipped to the last chapter, skimmed to see who did it, got mad, and quit.

This story absolutely had potential to be a good book. However the protagonist is a woman… written by a man. And not well written I might add. There was so much repetition of Louise referring to her stillborn daughter and every second page calling herself chubby or stocky. I couldn’t handle it. Despite the fact we get so much self hate from Louise she is still a flat underdeveloped character. Honestly I felt like every single character was underdeveloped. And there are too many with too similar of names to the point where I got confused.

Plot seemed good, execution… not good. And without spoiling anything the plot twist at the end is annoying cause it’s SO far fetched.

Really not a fan of this one.

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise! It’s a quick read that kept me guessing the whole time. Not only do you get a murder, but marital strife and grief over the loss of a baby. Oh, and did I mention the hurricane? You won’t be bored with this one!

[Candice Mets · Rating 1 out of 5]

My first DNF. Stopped about 30% in. Was beyond bored. Couldn’t grasp the storyline. I understand slow burns in books and keeping the reader along to drop a major bomb or twist, but if you can’t hold my attention to get to that point, you’ve failed.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mystery set during a hurricane in Galveston. This book dealt with marital problems, parental estrangement and grief--all while our MC tries to catch a serial killer. I thought the twist was good, but the way the MC put herself in extreme danger during the storm seemed unbelievable.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had me up until the 86% but I was disappointed in the twist and it was weird to have a HEA for a main protagonist who really seemed to be struggling. However I did read it in a few hours and that is why it's a 3 star and not 2.


I accessed this title with my Kindle Unlimited membership.


Goodreads review published 08/08/23

[Megan BG · Rating 3 out of 5]

The ending was kind of hard to buy... a bit far-fetched. It wasn't super predictable because you didn't get enough information to figure it out until closer to the end, which is kind of disappointing to me, because I like to create theories and see if I'm right.

[Edward J. Piquette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dénouement left something to be desired

Was going to give this 4 Stars because I liked the writing style and enjoyed the story telling, but the ending left me cold. It is an enjoyable read and I was hooked from the first paragraph presumably seen through the eyes of the murderer/antagonist of this story. However, one of the things that lead me to a 3 Star rating, is that the author never developed the premise that some defect in the 9th or 10th stride of these Running Girls served as the trigger for the killer - this stride-anomaly was never mentioned again. The real problem I had with the book is in the ending. It seems that it was thrown together with little plot development leading up to the end. After the first few murders were staged as running girls, the murderer changed his MO for the final murders attempted in the book - this change was never explained. Then as the villain is trying to kill his latest victims, he is thrown from the boat and impaled on some object in the water (presumably adrift due to the hurricane) and the heroine and others are rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter that miraculously appears in the sky - too pat. I’ll probably read another Brolly book because I do like his writing and storytelling style - I did like “The Crossing” - but I’ll be hoping for a better ending.

[luckykarmatx · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Running Girls was an interesting read with some good twists. It had some dead ends to it, but it was entertaining.

[Christine Rennie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Running Girls by Matt Brolly is a murder mystery spanning 20 years. Frank Randall and his wife Annie had an argument and Annie went for a run to calm down. She was never seen alive again and Frank went to prison for her murder. On his release from prison Frank returns to Galveston to his old family home.
Then there is another murder and Frank is the suspect once again. Detective Laurie Campbell is assigned to the case. However her husband is Frank’s son and Annie was his mother.
An interesting story and the hurricane added more tension to the story.
Recommended

[Sophie · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a Kindle freebee which is always a gamble. Matt Brolly is a prolific author and the average rating on GR is surprisingly 4 stars. There was so much wrong with the actions of the MC that were very unrealistic. At one point while interviewing a suspect her mind suddenly goes to her own personal tragedy in an inapt way. These strange correlations happen throughout the book.

The entire book was very repetitive, and the characters had no depth. The plot had a good premise but was not well executed.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a mixed bag: wrongly convicted man, grief over loss of a baby, marital troubles, a hurricane coming and oh, yeah, a murder just like one 20 years ago. I did find some of it repetitive and occasionally implausible but then again, it was a twisty plot and I went along for the ride.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! After tut first few chapters I knew who had done it. How wrong I was! I think the twist might be considered a little unfair by some, but for my style of reading, the twist was refreshing.
Sure there’s the suspense of who is going to die next, and how. The requisite stained love story, the dysfunctional small police force. But over all this was a great book I stayed up way too late and still made it to work

[Yoly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad story but it went in circles for ages, too repetitive… and undeveloped characters appeared out of the blue, it took me too long to get into it, I wanted to like it more, honestly. New author to me, I think I’m going to give him another chance anyway.

[Bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

No wonder I couldn’t figure out who the killer was! Good book until the deux ex machina ending! Knocked it down one star for that because that’s sorta Agatha Christie “cheap”.

[Cor Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was okay. The author didn’t build up the relationship between Laurie and Frank nearly enough to explain her sudden love for him. I also spent the last quarter of the book rolling my eyes at Laurie and her decision making.

[Joanne O’Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A riveting thriller with good characterisation.