They Say a Girl Died Here

 

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Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the gifted early listen! 

Anna’s family just relocated to a small farming town to help care for her grandmother, who’s slipping into dementia. Her little sister is already spooked by local legend. Her friends told her a killer called the Farmhand who’s claimed a girl every three years. The anniversary is coming up fast, the town’s in a drought (same as the last two times), and everyone’s on edge, even though the alleged killer is dead.

Except Anna can’t let it go. The more she digs into the old murders, the more she notices her grandmother getting agitated. And the more she starts to wonder if grandma’s “confusion” is actually the key to the whole thing.

This one’s part psychological thriller, part paranormal, with just enough horror creeping around the edges. Anna is a great lead. She's smart, stubborn, exactly the kind of character you want driving a mystery like this. The atmosphere is thick and unsettling, and the twists kept coming.

My one hiccup: the grandmother’s role in it all needed more explanation. I rewound a section to make sure I wasn’t missing something, and I still felt like there could’ve been a little more information there. Fair warning that I read dementia-as-plot-device stories with a slightly skeptical eye after witnessing my dad's Parkinson's delusions and my mom's dementia, so take that with a grain of salt.

Saskia Maarleveld’s narration makes this shine. She’s fantastic as always, and she nails every ounce of Anna’s fear and determination.

If you love creepy, atmospheric thrillers without a ton of gore, or you’re already a Pinborough fan, this is going straight to the top of your list. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

They Say a Girl Died Here is out August 25. Preorder a copy at Bookshop.org and help out an indie bookstore while you're at it.

If you enjoyed this review, you miay be interested in my review of Heather. It's a small town atmospheric story mystery about two sister who go missing.

About the Author

Sarah Pinborough is the award-winning, New York Times and internationally bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and 13 Minutes. She lives in London. For more news and information about Sarah’s books, follow her on Instagram or visit her website.