Member Reviews
I wasn't aware that Dead Girls was the 2nd book in a series. I prefer to begin with the 1st book, if I'm interested in a story. I did feel lost sometimes, and could have really benefitted from the background that came in Normal, the previous book. The suspense here is more of a slow-burn than I usually like, especially in a thriller. It was laying the groundwork for the latter parts, where the pace really picks up, and the action that was lacking before never lets up. So, I still would recommend this book to other readers, as long as they read Normal first.
3 stars
I received a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to Park Row Books and Netgalley.
Will he hurt someone again? As long as I live, he won't. Enter the mind of Detective Alisha Green. Why is she so committed to stopping this serial killer? Because she was horrifically attacked by him two months ago. The killer thinks he can toy with Alisha and move on. But Alisha has other plans.
If only Ali's memory wouldn't keep failing her, catching the killer would be much easier. Things that are real seem like fiction, and things that aren't real actually feel true to her. Can she sort through all her memories and see what's really in front of her? Or will it be too late.
I felt kind of lost as I hadn't read the first book., All in all a good read but not necessarily a stand-alone.
Fast-paced. Riveting. Emotional. Suspenseful. This book brings it ALL! It was an artful melding of twisted psychological thrills and nail-biting suspense.
2.5/5 stars
Dead Girls is a British mystery/thriller. It is the follow-up to Normal.
On netgalley there was no indication that this was book two in a series. Most of the goodreads reviews seem to imply that readers read Dead Girls as a standalone (which I did). But it seems clear that this is a continuation to the story told in Normal.
I did not read Normal, but it seems like that book is told from the POV of the serial killer. And that some of the characters from Dead Girls are in that book (Erica being the main one).
This book is mostly from the POV of the detective (Ali). Although there are multiple other 3rd person narrators.
I don't know if this book would have made more sense if I had read book one first. But I just didn't really connect with Ali or the story.
The story is only about catching the serial killer. We see injured detective Ali trying to put the pieces together. But I wanted more. This book was just okay for me.
Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron is a fast paced read, there is alot going on in this book and quite a few characters you have to keep straight. This is the 2nd novel in this series, I wished I would have realized that before hand as I think it would have made it a little easier to keep up and know what some of the background info was....that being said, I do recommend this book and I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publishers for allowing me to read this ARC book.
Thank you Park Row Books & NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book - all opinions are my own.
This book was a slow burn for me - there is alot going on in this story, so I realized quickly that I needed to pay strict attention to what was happening. Once I got dialed in, I was IN - and couldn't put this back down, as I was dying to see exactly where the twists were taking me.
Synopsis: Two months after Detective Ali Green was attacked and left for dead by a serial killer, she is still working on her recovery - including figuring out her new normal, featuring large gaps in her memory and inability to remember even the simplest details. Before she can completely sort herself out, she's drawn back onto the case when new evidence comes to light indicating the serial killer may not be working alone.
Graeme Cameron writes terrific suspense - there was never a moment in this book where I felt that I could relax and breathe. The entire time felt like the killer was breathing down the back of everyone's neck and I was consistently on edge waiting for the next twist to come flying at me. Graeme does great work writing complex characters who are deeply flawed (which I love), while making them very human and relatable.
This book did pick up speed for me, once I was about a third of the way in, so I recommend sticking with it if you are finding the beginning a lot to take in. While you could arguably read this as a stand alone, reading Graeme's first book, Normal, will certainly add a lot of context to the characters and the plot.
Overall, I really enjoyed this and I am hoping we might be seeing more of Ali Green in the future.
I have been anxiously awaiting this book ever since I finished the first one awhile back. I LOVED the first one. It was SO SO creepy! This one is creepy to but a little slower. The story picks up right where it left off with Ali Green the detective on the trail of the Man as she calls him, a serial killer who is the worst person ever but also totally hilarious! I loved the Man or Reed or Rob or whatever his name is and I really missed his point of view throughout this book--it made the last one. He is so matter of fact about everything that he is doing and what happens to him, completely nonchalant like it is totally NORMAL when it is crazy and he is also, in fact, crazy! That was the part that this book lacked. The story moved a little slowly following the investigation of all the missing people, dead bodies stacking up, and the continued search for the escaped Erika who is a great character as well. Strong and feisty and smart! Annie a little odd but also gets it somewhat together towards the end. The book really picks up plot-wise in the last third where the Man comes back and things really start to happen which is when I could not stop reading! I really enjoyed the writing in these books and the entire story as well. SOOOO creepy and twisted but really makes for an enjoyable read! Don't miss both of these books!!!
I hate that i didn't enjoy this one because the reviews were all so good but i guess this wasn't my jam. I found myself skimming the pages a lot then i kinda just gave up because i couldn't really get what was going on and then got to the point where i just didn't care.
This was a great read. It kept me entertained the whole time.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own
I didn't realize when I requested this book that it was the second in a series. I read about 20% and decided I'd wait and try to read the first book before this one. I felt like I should have understood what was going on, who the characters were. I'm not going to rate this one anywhere else since I didn't finish (yet).
I didn't read the first book in the series and from what I can tell Dead Girls is a Stand Alone novel.
Dead Girls is a cat and mouse game from a police procedural side. The story is more of a psychological thriller with Alisha Green unsure of what she remembers after being attacked by a killer in the first book.
While the story is quick moving the problem is the list of characters that will trip up readers as well as the author switching from first to third person throughout the book. Which is the reason for the 3 star review for the book. Pick a voice do not keep switching because it will trip of readers.
Once the readers is able to understand the authors voice the story moves quickly but doesn't keep this readers interest because of the endless characters that had me lost who was who.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Park Row for a copy of Graeme Camerson's Dead Girls.
I feel weird rating this book because I believe the majority of the reason I didn't particularly enjoy it was that I didn't read Cameron's other novel, Normal. When I requested Dead Girls from Netgalley I assumed it was a stand-alone. It didn't mention being the second in a series nor did I see anywhere the encouragement to read Normal beforehand.
I first started getting confused when Ali started alluding to events I felt I should have known more about. So I went on Goodrads and did my due diligence research. I couldn't find Ali mentioned in the synopsis nor any reviews. I continued reading. Then the name Erika appeared and I remembered seeing her name. Then came Annie's POV. This is when I realized that this was indeed a true second novel of a series.
From reading other reviews on Goodreads, I feel most did not know, or did not read, Normal before Dead Girls. Most reviews say the same thing as my thoughts: it's confusing, feels all over the place, and had a lot of story lines.
If you've read the first book in this series, then I believe you will enjoy this one. However, if like me, you thought this was a stand-alone (or could be read as one), you will feel immensely lost.
Thank you to Harlequin-Park Row Books and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron in exchange for an honest review. Detective Sergeant Ali Green has been attacked by a serial killer and left with severe memory problems. Upon her return to work, she tries to overcome and mask her memory issues while investigating the abduction and murder of several young women. This psychological thriller has great potential and has all the markings of a fascinating read but it seems to confuse the reader with too many characters with too few reasons for being in the story. However, the author brings the novel to a satisfactory end. I would like to read more books by this author because he shows capabilities for writing good suspense fiction.
Dark, twisty, intense – Dead Girls has all the things you look for in a psychological thriller. Still it took me a while to get into this one. For one, there are too many characters. You don’t get to hear from every one of them. More than half are dead when the book starts and you only “hear” about them in passing, which makes it more difficult to keep track of all the names and who is who. The writer also has a very different style of writing that took some getting used to. While it has been written as a standalone, I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous novel by the author. I didn’t even know it had one until another reviewer pointed it out. I would have also liked to know more about Reed. Who was he? How did it all start? Why did he toy around with Annie? I think I’ll pick up a copy of Graeme’s Normal. Maybe it will have all the answers I’m looking for.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This book was everything I normally look for, but fell really short of my expectations once I began reading. I don't know if it was because it was written in the point of view of the victim or something else, but I had a hard time finishing this one.
Detective Ali Green is on a mission to catch a serial killer, and will stop at nothing to catch the person who tried to end her life. But she's at a little bit of a disadvantage, because the attack she endured left her with a failing memory, so certain important details about the killer and the case are a little fuzzy, but she is not about to clue her partner into her issue in fear of being sidelined. But as her memory continues to play tricks on her, the harder it becomes to maintain clarity and keep a handle on her emotions and all of the things that are happening around her... and before long those around her start to see her struggle and start to doubt her abilities. But she isn't about to give up that easily, she has a job to do and she has a killer to catch!
Dead Girls is a crafty little thriller riddled with twists and turns that will leave you reeling! Hold on tight cause this one is sure to take you on a wild adventure, just when I thought I had things figured out, Ali would make a new discovery and leave me stumped all over again. What a great first time read this one turned out to be, it was downright enthralling!!
I requested an advanced copy of this title and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion
3 Confused Stars 🌟🌟🌟 😕
Well the reviews are all over the place on this book, and I did finish it... I do not enjoy writing negative reviews... because I respect books and authors and I recognize the fact not everybody has the same taste.... so I will keep this brief and just mention a few things I did not care for about this book...
First off I should have love this book, the blurb has everything I enjoy about a good thriller mentioned in it... unfortunately this was not the case... I never understood really what was going on... I spent the majority of this book confused... not always quite sure who was talking, or who was who.... Conversations seemed to blend together and there was just simply too much going on...
I have read good reviews on some of this author’s other books, and I will absolutely give him another shot! This just was not the book for me...😞
*** thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for my copy of this book ***
When I read the synopsis, I was excited. This book sounded like I was going to love it - just the type of book I love to read. UGH! From the first paragraph, I found myself having to keep going back to get the characters straight in my head. The story ... the thoughts ... the dialogue ... none of it flowed. It was choppy and confusing. I couldn't even finish it. Very disappointed as I was really looking forward to reading this one. Thank you #netgalley and #harlequin-park row books for this eARC.
3.5 stars I thought this book was good, overall. It was disturbing and fast paced enough for me to get completely emerged in and find out what ride we were going to take. I thought the original point of view was interesting, because it's never done from a victims standpoint. I'll be recommending tomorrow in Chapter Chatter Pub.