This Girl's a Killer is a stellar female serial killer thriller that packs snark, female rage, found family and endless suspense into one brilliant page-turner of a novel.

I think it's best to go into this one as blindly as possible, so here are the main things you need to know:

Cordelia Black has created a perfectly controlled life with her lucrative job as a pharmaceutical saleswoman, and her found family with her BFF Diane and Diane's daughter Samantha. When she's not kicking ass at work or hanging with her favorite people, she's performing her truest calling, killing evil monsters (men). When the local police start to suspect a serial killer in town, Cordelia's rigidly controlled life starts to fall apart one piece at a time. Can she keep Diane and Samantha safe and continue to evade law enforcement?

When I say this book is like Dexter, it's not just that it's a main character that's a serial killer with somewhat of a moral code, it's also Cordelia's snarky, voicey monologue that moves the plot forward. This book is actually what made me realize Dexter was a snark queen himself. Between the heartwarming relationship between Coredlia and Diane, Cordelia's sardonic tone, and the ever-ratcheting suspense, I never wanted to put this book down! It reminded me how much I love sharp-witted anit-heroines and bloody but upbeat serial killer thrillers.

Fans of Dexter, They Never Learn, Blood Sugar and The Lady Upstairs will devour this book!

I absolutely loved this. Cordelia Black is exactly the type of character I like to read about. If you looking for well thought out characters, a strong plot and a unique story, this is for you! The writing was easy to follow, leaving me fulfilled with information and yet wanting more. Emma Wells has a very promising writing career ahead and I cant wait to watch this journey!

This Girl’s a Killer is a gripping and fast-paced thriller that keeps you hooked from start to finish. Emma C. Wells delivers an intense and clever plot with unexpected twists that will leave you on the edge of your seat. The protagonist is a strong, complex character whose journey is as thrilling as it is emotional, making her easy to root for. With sharp writing and a suspenseful storyline, this book is a must-read for anyone who loves a good mystery with a fierce female lead. Perfect for fans of action-packed thrillers!

Ok, another DNF for me. I read a little over a third of it and wondered why I read that much.

Premise: There are bad men out there and Cordelia finds it satisfying to kill them and create art from the experience.

Enough said about the plot. I didn't like the characters except Samantha. Didn't like the plot so I did not finish.

Thanks NetGalley for an advance copy. Honest opinions expressed here are my own and are freely given.

𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
The fact that this is a debut is in itself very impressive! Cordelia Black is quite the extraordinary lady-her full time day job as pharmaceutical rep by day doesn’t quite satisfy her needs, so by night she lets out her alter ego of being a bad ass female who takes down the bad and corrupt men. Her double life and her personality are what make her character so intriguing, interesting, and fascinating! I adore Cordelia and her sass-her character is so fun, yet complex. Cordelia’s character has many flaws, which makes her so real and relatable. I love when I am reading a great book and can connect with the MC, and that is exactly what happened here. There are also a few other amazing characters throughout this fun and entertaining book, and they all won me over. Aside from the amazing characters, this book is fun with a good amount of humor, drama, action, and suspense and mystery to keep you entertained throughout. If you enjoy a badass female lead who is also a serial killer🔪🩸 then pick this one up!


𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗜𝗳 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗘𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆:
✦A strong, badass female lead who leads a double life💊🔪🩸
✦A mix of humor, drama, suspense, mystery, and action.
✦Fun and relatable, yet flawed characters that you can connect with.
✦An outstanding debut, with a book 2 possibly in the works!

𝐌𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4/5

United States Publication: October 29, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this advanced reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Cordelia Black is a successful pharmaceutical rep who loves what she does, both by day and by night. Oh, at night? At night, she's meting justice to those evading the law. Men who think they have the right to hurt others without any consequences. Scum men meet Cordelia Black, your consequence. Her best friend Diana and goddaughter Sugar have no idea what Cordelia's nightlife consists of. They only know her as the most devoted friend and godmother to grace the planet, and Cordelia means to keep it that way. Until Diana introduces Cordelia to her new boyfriend. Cordelia gets the vibe right away. He is giving off the creeper vibe, and Cordelia isn't sure what to do. She can't just kill him like the others and expect nobody will miss him. Diana would miss him. It's a conundrum. All of a sudden, her carefully controlled nighttime habit is coming apart at the seams, and it's elevated by a blind date with a detective and the news picking up on the missing men in her city and throwing around the words "serial killer." What's a girl with a proclivity for justice to do?

Right away, I think, "Oh, it's a female Dexter." And I'm not wrong, but that doesn't mean this wasn't worth reading. Cordelia is much more engaged in life and its emotions than Dexter, so there's that difference. Cordelia's character is layered with complexities, most of them born of the traumatic childhood she endured. But she recognized it in young adulthood and decided to honor her gut instincts about the ones who escape established justice. She also chose to lock certain parts of herself up so Diana and Sugar wouldn't be accused as accomplices should she ever get caught. This was a fast and enjoyable read. Cordelia's successes and failures made for an engaging read, and her relationship with Diana and Sugar provided her motivation, as misguided and illegal as it may be.

This book checks my petty girl fantasy! Loved the strong female character friendship through out the book. Also the nuggets of background I loved. I thought it left the reader wanting more but knowing enough for the back ground to understand. Also I appreciated that the author didn't go in the dark crimes that the men did but alluding to the darkness that they had and the reasons why Cordelia had her reasons.

BOOK REPORT
Received a complimentary copy of This Girl’s A Killer, by Emma C. Wells, from Poisoned Pen Press/NetGalley, for which I am appreciative, in exchange for a fair and honest review. Scroll past the BOOK REPORT section for a cut-and-paste of the DESCRIPTION of it from them if you want to read my thoughts on the book in the context of that summary.

Oh, y’all. This was SO trashy good and anxious-making. I couldn’t put it down! Took everything I had in me not to skip to the end just to settle my nerves so I could read in peace.

Totally loved that it was set in Baton Rouge, a city of which I have so many fond memories. Also totally loved that it was very realistic in so many ways. (Tell me, who amongst us has not at least felt the very strong need to get up out of the stylist’s chair with our hair still in foils and go handle something all of a sudden?)

Definitely hope this is the start of a series. Would recommend highly as a beach read.

And one other thing….if you’re reading this, Emma C. Wells? I just have one thing to say to you: You geaux, girl!!

DESCRIPTION
Completely riveting. When I wasn't reading about Cordelia Black, I was thinking about her. Utterly obsessed and ready to support all of Cordelia's wrongs!"
—Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.

"In her fierce and feminist debut, Emma C. Wells combines taut thriller plotting with sharp, sassy humor and introduces an indelible antiheroine I’d follow anywhere. Cordelia Black is the ultimate girl’s girl, and as far as I’m concerned, she’s done nothing wrong ever in her life. All hail the new queen of the 'Good for Her' genre!"
—Layne Fargo, author of They Never Learn

For readers of Finlay Donovan is Killing It and The Bandit Queens comes a bright and biting thriller following Cordelia Black, a best friend, a businesswoman, and, in her spare time, a killer of bad men.

Ask Cordelia Black why she did it. The answer will always be: He had it coming.

Cordelia Black loves exactly three things: Her chosen family, her hairdresser (worth every penny plus tip), and killing bad men.

By day she's an ambitious pharma rep with a flawless reputation and designer wardrobe. By night, she culls South Louisiana of unscrupulous men—monsters who think they've evaded justice, until they meet her. Sure, the evening news may have started throwing around phrases like "serial killer," but Cordelia knows that's absurd. She's not a killer, she is simply karma. And being karma requires complete and utter control.

But when Cordelia discovers a flaw in her perfectly designed system for eliminating monsters, pressure heightens. And it only intensifies when her best friend starts dating a man Cordelia isn't sure is a good person. Someone who might just unravel everything she has worked for.

Soon enough Cordelia has to come face to face with the choices she's made. The good, the bad, and the murderous. Both her family, and her freedom, depend on it.

I almost read “This Girl’s a Killer” in one sitting. Talk about a page turner! It reminded me a lot of “Dexter” but I liked that it was told through a feminine perspective.

good 👏🏻 for 👏🏻 her 👏🏻
4⭐ i was always going to love this novel! it's an easy, thrilling read you could do in a day

cordelia black, guilty of multiple counts of slayage and cuntery, cutting up disgusting men in her louboutins and louis v ... oh we love to see it! i just wish we learn more about her backstory, and earlier on in the book.

*Thank you to NetGalley for the advance copy of "This Girl's a Killer" by Emma C. Wells.

I've almost never met a thriller I didn't like...until this one. I was mostly bored while reading and forced myself to finish it because I had gotten too far in already. It truly drones on. As another reviewer states, "I generally love a vigilante lady but very much did not love Cordelia," and I couldn't agree more. We know nothing about Cordelia's past, but it's such a massive, yet vague, focal point of why she is the way she is now. All of that to say, the plot was poorly executed, and I'm shocked so many people actually liked this book, but alas!

“This Girl’s a Killer” by Emma C. Wells is a riveting debut thriller that introduces us to Cordelia Black (a female Dexter), a character who is as complex as she is captivating. By day, Cordelia is a pharmaceutical rep with a flawless reputation and a wardrobe to match. But by night, she becomes a vigilante, doling out justice to the men who have managed to slip through the legal system’s grasp. The novel is a masterful blend of suspense and moral ambiguity, forcing readers to question the lines between right and wrong. It was so interesting to read about her motives and changes in herself due to her past. Also, learning about her intense need to be loved by her best friend was well written. Cordelia’s double life is a thrilling ride, with each chapter peeling back layers to reveal the depth of her character. She’s a woman with a cause, a protector of her chosen family, and a person who demands control in a world that often feels uncontrollable. Wells’ writing is sharp and precise and the book is fast-paced. I was laughing out loud at Cordelia’s dark humor. The plot twists are clever and unexpected, keeping readers on their toes until the very last page. The supporting cast of characters, particularly Cordelia’s best friend Diane and her goddaughter, Sugar, add a rich layer of emotional depth to the story. The relationships between the characters are intricately drawn, and their interactions provide a counterbalance to the darker aspects of Cordelia’s life. The way the book ended, hopefully this is not the last we see of Cordelia Black. Thanks to Netgalley, Emma C. Wells, and Poison Press for an e-arc in exchange for my thoughts. Emma C. Wells is an author to watch and I look forward to her next novel.

I keep seeing people refer to Cordelia, the MC, as a "feminist Dexter," and I am here for it! A dark twisty thriller full of feminine rage, a woman who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty to take down the patriarchy and the way women are victimized. I highly recommend if this sounds like something you'd like!

I was drawn into this book right away. Cordelia is a very endearing character and the author did an excellent job creating a character that is likable, but flawed. The book was well paced and kept me interested until the very end. The only reason that this was not a 5 star read for me was that the ending seemed very rushed. Otherwise, the ending did a good job tying up the multiple storylines.

I was hooked from the start! The humour and the drama were honestly done so well. I can go behind serial killers who have good intentions of killing bad people. This girl ruined her own ritual and started getting so paranoid and anxious about everything and when I’ll tell you my anxiety went through the roof reading that. The way people kept showing up at her house out of nowhere made me so anxious.


: ̗̀➛ Cordelia
She’s such a badass for all the trauma she went through in childhood. She is fiercely loyal to her best friend Diane and her goddaughter. The relationship she has with her goddaughter is honestly so adorable!






Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

If Taylor Swift is feminine rage: the musical, Emma C. Wells is feminine rage: the author and Cordelia Black is feminine rage: the character.

I knew this was going to be a huge hit for me and boy, was I right. Full of rage, a bit of humor, and a whole lot of heart, this book has everything you're looking for.

If you consider yourself a fan of the tv show Dexter than this is the book for you. Cordelia our FMC is a female version of Dexter. I feel like a strong FMC in rare in books. I just love a strong woman who rids the world of bad men. How can you not want to read about that?!?!?

This is Emma C Wells debut novel is just magnificent !! It is so much fun to read and had me feeling a variety of emotion’s so many times. Yes it is a dark story but told so well. Cordelia was a fierce vengeance seeking badddie ! A successful pharmaceutical sales rep with amazing taste in fashion. She loves her best friend and her goddaughter and will do anything to protect them…Anything at all. No matter the cost. And that is when things start to go wrong, and keep going wrong.

This book will keep you turning those pages well into the night, who needs sleep when there are bad men to be disposed of!

Cordelia Black is the picture of success. She is a pharmaceutical rep with an enviable designer wardrobe, perfect hair and manicure. She has her “family” - her best friend Diane and her goddaughter Samantha (Diane’s daughter). She has a secret life also, one that involves trying to rid Baton Rouge of men who do horrible things. She reminds me of the series Dexter. Things start unraveling for Cordelia - the main drug she sells to health professionals is suddenly under investigation and Diane is dating a guy named Simon who raises all kinds of warning bells in Cordelia’s mind. How she handles all the difficulties in her life is quite an adventure! The story moves at a quick pace and it’s an interesting blend of suspense and humor. This is a debut novel from this author and I look forward to more of her writing in the future. I give the book 4 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published October 29, 2024.

Instant Dexter vibes.
When it comes to Cordelia Black, she is not all what she seems. Successful businesswoman, who is sociable and well liked while looking darn good doing it by day. Vigilante by night riding the city of bad men. She loves her family, looking good and her extracurricular activities. Things get complicated when her family and her night work mix together, and her friend gets involved with someone she does not trust.

Interesting premise. The storyline kept me interested. Overall, the story was a little slow to start but picked up eventually.

What a fun surprise this book was! The fact that it’s from a debut author makes it even better. The dialogue was so smart and flowed effortlessly. The story was fantastic. It was morbid but in a fun way. I loved Cordelia and Diane’s friendship and how Cordelia would do anything for her best friend. Just an all around great book. Truly enjoyed and would recommend!