Reviewed
by Christy
In 1991, Heather Cole and three of
her friends formed the Dead Girls Club. In this club, they would recount their
favorite urban legends, ghost stories, and true crime events. However, when
Becca, Heather’s best friend, starts telling a new story about the Red Lady
things start going askew. To Becca, the Red Lady isn’t just a ghost story;
she’s real. Becca believes it so much that it starts to scare Heather and
begins to fracture their friendship. When Becca starts talking about performing
a ritual to conjure the Red Lady, things go from bad to worse, and the course
of all their lives will be altered forever.
It’s been almost 30 years since that
terrible night in the abandoned house, and Heather has never told anyone what
happened there. She has a good job as a child psychologist and a happy
marriage. She’s tried her best to put that dark part of her childhood behind
her. But she starts getting reminders. First an old, familiar necklace sent to
her in the mail. Then a ribbon underneath her windshield wiper. Each of these
“gifts” escalate, and Heather knows someone is threatening to reveal her
secrets. But who?
The Dead Girls Club was an
enjoyable, solid thriller. It was well-paced, and I really couldn’t figure out
where it was going. Was it supernatural? Or something more easily explained? I
liked Walters’ writing and descriptions. I even liked the dual timeline of
“then” and “now” though I did prefer the “then” portions overall. Adult Heather
is a mess who makes sloppy mistakes but as a reader that didn’t really bother
me. I can’t say I’ve ever been in her situation so I don’t know how I’d react.
(Although I don’t think I’d pay for background checks to track down old friends
in order to surveil their neighborhoods. That’s what Facebook is for.) The
twist felt the tiniest bit underwhelming but at the same time pretty dark. While
it’s not my new favorite thriller, it was spooky fun, and I had a good time
reading it.
* I
received a copy from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest
review. *
NOTE: We have two reviews on this book from different staff members! To get Laura's take on the book, check the blog on Friday.
NOTE: We have two reviews on this book from different staff members! To get Laura's take on the book, check the blog on Friday.
Re the review of Dead Girls Club. You can't find out where people live on Facebook unless they're TSTL and reveal that information. In fact, it's getting harder and harder to find significant ID information online without paying for it. Also, I was open to Dead Girls Club, which I've seen on DorothyL "best of" lists, until I saw the child psychologist is "a mess." As a shrink myself, I am sooo tired of fictional mental health professionals who aren't emotionally healthy.
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