Hot Girl Murder Club

 

There is so much going on in Hot Girl Murder Club that I sometimes needed a flow chart to keep it straight.

Scout and Isabel have been best friends since childhood, and they move to Hollywood together to chase acting careers. Scout's younger sister Georgia follows them out to California for college. When Georgia's socially awkward classmate, the creepy son of a rich guy, develops a crush on her and invites the girls to his father's party, it should be the night of their lives. Instead Georgia is killed there. Ten years later Scout is still clawing through the industry looking for justice, collecting a network of ambitious women along the way. Then a string of targeted murders hits LA and every arrow points at Scout, and the detective on her case is carrying some tragedy of her own that ties right into it.

There is a lot to love here. Winstead's writing is sharp and the twists come out of nowhere. I was all in for the story of rich powerful men doing terrible things and women who were done waiting around for justice. Scout and her girl gang looking out for other women in need? Yes. Grey, the relentless LAPD detective? Loved her.

Here is where it lost me a little. Once Luca and her agenda entered the picture, the whole thing started to feel bloated. Winstead pulls it all together, but the heart of the story got convoluted and Grey basically vanishes when the plot shifts. Sometimes less really is more.

Brittany Pressley does a phenomenal job with the narration, but this is a book crying out for a full cast. Another voice or two would have made the dual timeline and the parade of characters so much easier to follow.

Bingeable, entertaining, and it has real things to say about grief, abuse, female rage, and vigilante justice. I just wish the message had not gotten a little lost in all that plot. 3.5⭐ rounded up to 4.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen. Hot Girl Murder Club is out July 14.

If you enjoyed this review, you might be interested in my review of Ashley's book This Book Will Bury Me.

About the Author

Ashley Winstead is the national bestselling author of many beloved thrillers, including This Book Will Bury Me, The Last Housewife, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, and Midnight Is the Darkest Hour. In addition to being an acclaimed thriller writer, Ashley is also the author of two romantic comedies, Fool Me Once and The Boyfriend Candidate, with more on the way. Her novels have been optioned for television; chosen as Book of the Month, Best of Amazon, LibraryReads, Indie Next, Apple Books, and Lone Star picks; and received attention from major outlets, from The New York Times to The Washington Post. Follow Ashley on Instagram. Find more news and information about Ashley's books at her website.