The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood

“The Wicked Girls” is the first book by Alex Marwood and boy was it a great debut.

Twenty five years ago, two little girls were imprisoned for murder. Fast forward those years and Kirsty Lindsay is a journalist investigating a series of murders on young women that leads her to cleaner, Amber Gordon.

This is the first time that the two women have seen each other since that day when they were young girls. Aware of the danger that they are in with their news identities and families, these are two women will do anything to prevent the world of finding out the truth.

From the very offset you are immediately drawn into the dark bleak world of Amber and Kirsty as they both desperately try to keep their lives hidden but it’s hard when there is a killer practically living on their doorstep.

It was hard not to get emotionally involved in the story which sometimes caused for the unsettling reading, as the story revolves child killers it was hard not to think of the Jamie Bulger murder and some similarities that were in the cases.

Throughout the story I found myself trying to figure out who the killer, just like a game of Cluedo I was eliminating everyone that crossed the women’s path. I particularly enjoyed the flash backs of the young girls, to that fateful day where their lives changed. When those chapters appeared in the book, I read them greedily wanting more, eager to the know if the incident was an accident or intentional. These chapters were especially distressing filled with poverty and sadness as both girls had to deal with parents that didn’t seem to care for them. During these chapters a mixture of emotions coursed through me from sadness for the little girls to disabelief in their treatment of people. The sub stories were also a welcome addition, all cleverly plotted to flow within the main one all coming together nicely in the end. The characters were intriguing, disturbing and creepy in their way, which regularly give me goosebumps praying that I would never have the misfortune of meeting anyone like them!

“The Wicked Girls” is one of the best crime books that I have read, thought provoking from the word go, it’s makes for distressing but enthralling reading which is sure sign of a good crime writer.

With a dark and haunting cover of three little girls, you know you are in for a rollercoaster of a ride with this debut.

Alex Marwood is definitely one crime author to look out for!

You can buy [amazon_link id=”0751547980″ target=”_blank” ] The Wicked Girls on Amazon [/amazon_link] and other good bookshops.