The Wicked Girls: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

In 1986, 11-year-old girls Bel and Jade were convicted of murdering a four-year-old who had been casually and negligently placed in their care. Twenty-five years later, they are out of prison, have new names, and are living productive (but very different) lives. Bel (now Amber) works as a midlevel supervisor of the cleaning crew of Funnland, a seaside amusement park. Jade (now Kirsty) is a freelance print journalist in addition to being a wife and mother. When a series of murders take place around Funnland, Kirsty is assigned to report on them, and the girls meet for the first time since their trials. Both fear the events surrounding the murders will explode their carefully arranged lives and expose their previous identities. Anna Bentinck's reading of this effective psychological thriller is flawless, in a variety of characterizations that range from four-year-old girl to 40-year-old male sociopath. VERDICT Highly recommended. ["Marwood has written a terrific thriller, full of dark turns and dread, and the twisty ending will stick with readers long after they finish the book," read the starred review of the Penguin hc, LJ 7/13.]-Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

In 1986, 11-year-old girls Bel and Jade were convicted of murdering a four-year-old who had been casually and negligently placed in their care. Twenty-five years later, they are out of prison, have new names, and are living productive (but very different) lives. Bel (now Amber) works as a midlevel supervisor of the cleaning crew of Funnland, a seaside amusement park. Jade (now Kirsty) is a freelance print journalist in addition to being a wife and mother. When a series of murders take place around Funnland, Kirsty is assigned to report on them, and the girls meet for the first time since their trials. Both fear the events surrounding the murders will explode their carefully arranged lives and expose their previous identities. Anna Bentinck's reading of this effective psychological thriller is flawless, in a variety of characterizations that range from four-year-old girl to 40-year-old male sociopath. VERDICT Highly recommended. ["Marwood has written a terrific thriller, full of dark turns and dread, and the twisty ending will stick with readers long after they finish the book," read the starred review of the Penguin hc, LJ 7/13.]—Kristen L. Smith, Loras Coll. Lib., Dubuque, IA