Elle has a podcast that investigates unsolved cases. She is currently focused on The Countdown Killer (“TCK”) who commits a murder and the victim’s age is one year younger than the previous victim. The murders ended after the 11 year old potential victim escaped. But, TCK is on the hunt again. And Elle’s friends’ daughter goes missing.

It was just okay for me, I found the pace to be too slow for my liking and couldn’t stay engaged. The plot itself was good, so I kept going and did finish the book.

2.5/5

Thank you #NetGalley for the complimentary copy of #girl11 in exchange for an honest review.

Elle Castillo left her job as a social worker six years ago and began her own podcast to solve cold cases in the Twin Cities. The Countdown Killer or TCK is the most notorious serial killer and biggest cold case in the area, and Elle decides to tackle this case in her newest season. TCK stopped killing 20 years ago, so some people believe that TCK is already dead, but Elle disagrees. As Elle continues to dig deeper into the case, TCK decides it is time to come out of the shadows and threaten Elle and her loved ones. Will Elle be able to solve the case in time?

One of my favorite books from last year was The Night Swim, so when I saw Girl, 11 was also going to be about a true crime podcaster I was very excited. I loved that the plot was interspersed with chapters with dialogue from the recent podcast episodes. This is the second book I have read with this format, and I loved it just as much as the first time. This format sets this book apart from other thrillers.

I had a really hard time with Elle as a character. I didn’t dislike her per-say, but there were many times I questioned or disliked her reactions and decisions. I also felt like she always jumped to the wrong conclusion, when the right one was always right in front of her. She was her own worst-enemy.

This definitely wasn’t a mind-blowing thriller that kept you guessing, but it was still very enjoyable. I figured out the plot pretty early on, but I wanted to keep reading. If possible, I found this to be an easy read, for a thriller at least. The story just flew by, and even though I knew what was going to happen, I became invested in the story. I recommend this one to anyone who is looking for a quick thriller or is a fan of true crime. 4 stars.

I received a free digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Are you a fan of twisty thrillers? Then, GO Get This Book Immediately!

Girl, 11 kept me on the edge of my seat as I followed Podcaster and independent investigator Elle Castillo in her hunt to uncover the Coiuntdown Killer.. I refuse to give anything away but this book is easily my favorite book of the last year. Amy Suiter Clark perfectly blended third person narrative with podcast transcripts to weave this tale of a serial killer and the woman with a hidden past. Her husband Martin is her source of strength but has she gone too far this time?

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC to enjoy and review this amazing book.

This was a strong 4.5 for me, rounded up. I like podcasters that are solving crimes and she and hte rest of the characters are very likeable. Would like a series on her. The parts about the serial killer and his back story didn't work as well for me and took away from the book, in this case giving him less attention would have been a better read for me.

I got an ARC of this book

This is a 3.5 stars read to me.

This story follows podcast host Elle Castillo as she cover murders from ages ago and, as we is over as the story moves forward, that have affected her in a way that we cannot imagine until the proverbial cat comes out of the hat.

I her quest for justice for the victims, Elle is supported by her husband, Martin, a pathologist and her friend Sash whose daughter will become a vital piece of the puzzle as the story goes. There’s also 2 police officers who are of two minds when it comes to Elle and her obsession with the villain in her podcast.

I like that this storyline was built so it took me a long time to put some pieces together and the religious stuff isn’t that overpowering throughout the story. On the other hand, I found that Nathalie, the friend’s daughter was a bit too smart for her age. Overall, a good read and I would gladly buy or recommend it to friends and family.

The language and characters are very good, but I'm not too fond of the jumping around in time, and I definitely don't like the predictable twists. Especially not the big one that the main character should have seen coming. There's also too much repetition and unnecessary descriptions.
Readable and entertaining, but could have been much better.

I really struggled between rating this book 3 stars or 4 stars. There are so many things I loved about this book, yet there are some glaring problems that I just couldn't overlook when it came to my rating.
I'm going to land at 3.5 stars and do an itemized list of my likes/dislikes.

Likes:
~~The killers meticulous pathology was bone-chilling. TCK kidnaps three girls three days apart and holds them for seven days before killing. And, as they are dying, he whips them exactly twenty-one times. That's the thing of nightmares, and it leaves the reader incredibly unsettled.
~~I'm a huge fan of unique, nonlinear storytelling, and this book delivers on that. Much of the story is told via a Podcast, which makes me want to listen to the Audiobook for a more immersive experience. The format might be a hit or miss for some, but I enjoyed it.
~~The characters are fantastic! They were all so well written (even the side characters), and it made me more emotionally invested in the story.

Dislikes:
~~Elle often made remarks and observations on racism and sexism. Those are incredibly important issues, however, they didn't play into the plot of the story in any meaningful way. Because of this, it made her overuse of these comments come off as microaggressive and preachy rather than insightful. There was enough of it littered throughout the book that it hurt the narration and slowed down the pacing IMO.
~~Every "twist" was self-evident by the 20% mark. Sometimes I don't mind that (and maybe the author intended it that way), but for me it took the steam out of the third act.
~~Speaking on that, the third act lost steam pretty hardcore unfortunately, and that's really why I had to lower my rating. There was so much suspense, action and buildup in the beginning and middle of the book, and it just petered out. and left the reader with a lackluster finale.

Overall, I did enjoy this book a lot and would certainly recommend it for fans of true crime podcasts.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
The storyline is compelling and is written in an engaging and original style, with the format being different than most run of the mill thrillers.
The lead character (elle) is both believable and likeable.
The author takes you through different timelines and different perspectives of the characters.
Thought provoking and a jolly good read!

This was a 3.5 star read for me. I enjoyed the story and the podcast format. So many authors are doing it now - and I like it! Unfortunately, the story dragged on a bit too long for me and Elle, the main character, was too impulsive and missing huge pieces of information! It was fairly obvious to me what was going on the moment a particular character was introduced. Overall, I did like that Elle was a strong character and though she was impulsive and a bit narcissistic, she wasn't portrayed as "unreliable" or a "drunk" like most other books like this do!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I liked the idea of this crime story being told around a podcast (the main character is the host.) Unfortunately the idea lost traction after a while and I did not enjoy reading about the MC nor did I care about the identity of the murderer. I'm afraid I also found the diversity of the characters very forced and unnatural. To be clear about this I do not mean that the diversity in itself is "unnatural," but the way it is mentioned all the time really becomes quite painful after a while.

Meet Elle, a former social worker, current true-crime investigative podcaster, with a mysterious past. Elle is currently delving into her biggest case yet - that of the Countdown Killer. TCK started killing young girls almost 20 years ago, and just as suddenly as he started... he stopped. Evidence pointed to his death in a murder-suicide, but Elle isn't so sure. And when kidnappings of young girls start again while Elle is working on her podcast, she's pretty sure TCK is back in action. But for some reason, no one believes her. Can she prove it before he kills again?

After reading Sadie by Courtney Summers about a year and a half ago, I was so excited about reading another book with a podcast element. This book did not disappoint. While I had some issues with Elle as a character and her methods of "investigating," I feel that this added to the readability of this book. I could barely put it down, as I felt myself in the race against time along with Elle.If you are a fan of podcasts and/or true crime, this is a book for you! I loved reading this, and feel that this book would make a fantastic audiobook with the podcast elements.

A nail-biting modern take on the serial killer novel. Podcasts in novels are becoming increasingly popular, and this was a great rendition. Easy to read, the podcast entries didn't detract but instead added to the overall feel of Girl, 11. Amy Suiter Clarke's novel also features a range of diverse and interesting characters, and was a refreshing take on the classic "lonely jaded detective" we often see. Great novel all around.

As a fan of true crime and true crime podcasts, I was excited to read this book. I thought it was well written and I loved the podcast aspects of it as well. I think this would be pretty good to listen to as an audiobook as well.. The author did a good job for her debut novels and I can hope this becomes a series in the future. If so, i would be sure to continue to read it!

This was okay. I really liked the true crime podcast element since I am a huge fan of Crime Junkie and similar podcasts, but the story overall fell short for me. I had to really push myself to finish this one and skimmed the ending since it seemed to drag on. Not bad for this being the author’s debut novel though!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy. ☺️

<b>The magnificent cover of this thriller really pops! It’s one of those that you can’t pass, without at least scanning the synopsis.</b>

<b><i>“Genetics load the gun, personality and psychology aim it, and experiences pull the trigger.”</i></b>

Elle hosts a podcast—Justice Deferred—and her current season focuses on a serial killer she feels a special connection with—The Countdown Killer. Most people are happy to believe that TCK is dead or no longer a threat, since he’s been dormant for 20 years. But Elle is sure that he’s still out there, waiting for the right moment to pick up where he left off. We get glimpses of Elle’s past and a traumatic event in her childhood along with podcast episodes that are mingled in with the rest of the narrative.

I’ve never listened to a Podcast, even though they seem to be super popular. But reading several books with Podcast episodes has piqued by curiosity...maybe one of these days!

The book is broken down into four parts, which reminded me of a bell curve. Slow build-up, the middle was unputdownable, then it slid back down into a slow ending. This is the author’s debut novel and her writing style is terrific. I’m excited to see what she comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley, Amy Suiter Clarke and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this free digital ARC, in exchange for my honest opinion!

<b>My Rating: </b> 3.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
<b>Published:</b> April 20th 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
<b>Pages:</b> 352
<b>Recommend:</b> Yes, if you like slow burns

#AmySuiterClarke #HoughtonMifflinHarcourt @NetGalley
#psychologicalthriller #NoRulesJustThrills #InExchangeForReview #JustFinished #BookReview #NetGalley
#SerialKiller #Girl11 #WomensHistoryMonth

I have decided I'm not a huge fan of these podcast mysteries, but I understand it as a device to get someone other than a detective/police officer/private detective involved in solving crimes. It was easy to figure out who TCK was from the beginning for me and I like it when it's more of a surprise. But, the writing was tense, gripping, and the MO of the serial killer was definitely interesting. I would recommend reading!

Some spoilers ahead:

One thing that irked me though was if Elle was so convinced that the recent kidnappings were related to TCK, why didn't she warn Natalie, since she very well could have been next? I also find it annoying that she took a nap and overslept and didn't pick up Natalie in time. I knew what was going to happen the minute she decided to take a nap. It might have been better if she did try to pick her up on time, but TCK was clever enough to get rid of the piano teacher to make Natalie walk home earlier than expected. It also wasn't explained how TCK gave the teacher a heart attack.

Also, the rationale of why he waited so long to start again - because he was waiting for her offspring - was totally creepy and worked.

Ellie runs a true crime podcast and is currently airing news of a killer known as TCK - the countdown killer, because he systematically takes victims in age order and then kills them an exact day apart .
For Elle this is a personal agenda as she had first hand experience 20 years ago. But now the killings have started again and Elle wonders if her podcast is to blame.
This book was interesting and kept me reading to the end.
Thanks to the author, publishers and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this book more than I did.
Books with a podcast woven through the story can be pure book perfection when done right (I'm talking about you, Sadie!), but this one just didn't quite pull it off to the same level as others I have read.
This book was a satisfactory passing of time, but is not one I will remember well in a few months time.
For these reasons, I'm settling on a 3.5 star review.

I loved this book! It’s been a long time since a thriller has left me guessing every twist but this one for sure did! This book was captivating but also completely terrifying! But so worth the read! Just maybe not at night when home alone!

I can officially confirm that true-crime podcast is a trope I enjoy a lot. That being said, I think I would like the story more if I were to listen to the audiobook. This is worth rereading in the future.