The fact that this was a debut book is mind blowing. Cordelia Black has me obsessed. I couldn't get this book out of my brain. She's very much a female Dexter, hellbent on ridding the world of the smoke in bad men's eyes. This is perfect for fans of the Dexter series but want a female lead. Also perfect for fans of Butcher & Blackbird who want something without spice!

But what does she do when she has a hunch but there's no smoke? She'll have you dying to find out. 😏

This was an interesting book, certainly not what I was expecting, but in a good way. Cordelia is a hugely successful pharma rep, she makes enough money to keep herself in designer duds, until she finds out that one of the drugs she's been pushing is potentially going to be pulled from the market due to serious side effects, something that she had been down playing during her spiel to buyers. Then her bestie, Diane, has a new man, Simon, who Cordelia instantly gets very bad vibes from, Diane's daughter is Cordelia's god daughter so she's on alert to anything that may harm her, including the new boyfriend. Cordelia has a hobby, of sorts, she takes it upon herself to rid the world of 'bad' men, men who she sees with 'smoke' in their eyes (something that happens when she looks closely into their eyes), so when she spots one she drugs him and takes him to her storage room at a separate location that is specially setup to handle them. There is a really funny part when Simon decides to come visit her, which she isn't expecting and he let's it be known that he knows certain things about her, things she doesn't want anyone else to know, one thing after another happens like a non stop action/almost comedy of events that keeps her on her toes for many pages, quite resourceful our Cordelia. I also like the interaction with the neighbor and his dog, very well done. There is quite a bit of graphic violence and other triggers, Simon had a bad habit of collecting and sharing certain photos, that are not meant to be shared (mostly of women/young girls in states of incapacitation or hurt). I would recommend, hard to believe this is a debut book, it is very well written. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC.

This Girl's A Killer is the exact kind of dripping in tension plot, high intensity, about to explode drama that I live for in a thriller. And it's perfect for spooky season.

Emma C. Wells created such a freaking interesting character in Cordelia. She is not a bad person but she does kill very bad men, and she does not feel bad about that at all. She is also hugely passionate about her best friend and goddaughter, and she runs her life with exact precision. I can honestly say I adored reading Cordelia and I really kinda want to be her friend. I spent the entire book frantically reading faster and faster to see if Cordelia's entire world was about to collapse around her, or if she was going to get away with it.

No spoilers, but holy hell is it a rollercoaster of reading fun you don't want to miss.

The stakes are sky high and every chapter ratchets up the tension to a million - which is to say this is an entirely addictive and impossible to look away from book. You will devour this and you will have the best time doing it. It is a must for autumn reading lists, and honestly, I'd love to see Cordelia return in another book. Fingers crossed.

Many thanks to the publisher for my copy!

Dexter meet female Dexter. Exactly what I thought when I read the beginning of the book and the feeling through out. Which is funny, I’m finally watching Dexter the first time too. This was a good book with a great plot but there were some places that fell flat for me, and the pacing. She was harpening down on how perfect she was and her operation, but when 1 thing went down, everything started crumbling down and there was no back up plan. I mean it was fun and kinda funny to see how she picks up the pieces but some of it was way too unrealistic for me to get into the groove. I did love the book for what it was though and if she makes it into a series, I’ll definitely continue, especially if she found a “helper” at the end.

Omg.. Fantastic!!! 1st time I've read a book from Emma Wells and I definitely will be reading more.. At 1st I didn't think I would like it, but I was wrong.. She is a awesome writer... I could not put this down... Absolutely loved this book
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I thought I was going to love this because I do LOVE female rage stories in general. However, before bringing up my issues with this book, I should say that I don`t want to be too harsh on a debut novel and honestly my opinion seems to be the minority - a lot of people have left positive reviews on Goodreads. This could very well be something that you might enjoy, even though I didn`t.

The story follows Cordelia, a pharmaceutical sales rep who dearly loves her best friend and godchild, and enjoys killing bad men.
And that`s the extent of the character development for the protagonist. We are told (repeatedly) how meticulous, intelligent and organized the MC is but we never actually see any evidence of this in the story. For example, surely someone who works in the medical field would know better than to(view spoiler)
And she`s always frazzled and making frustrating mistakes. It`s as though the writer thinks that saying that she is intelligent and poised will make it so. Readers don`t notice actions, right?

Story-wise, there were some potentially interesting side plots and characters that didn`t end up being developed, or just sort of vanished with no exploration. I wondered if I had mistakenly signed up to read YA (nothing wrong with it, just not my thing) because of how shallowly things were explored (her murderously defensive obsession with her best friend, for example), but no. It is supposed to be adult crime/mystery but doesn`t read that way to me.

The thing I struggled with the most though was the writing itself. If you`re someone who cares about prose, this is not the book for you. Some words (like "monster") are repeated SO MANY TIMES. It must have been at least 100 times or more. Also, it`s written in first person but the narrator constantly refers to herself in third person ("Cordelia Black doesn`t get scared, Cordelia Black is scary). And just general phrasing sometimes gave me such second hand embarrassment that I had to stop reading. I`m surprised that "suck-fest of a day" "big brace-faced smile", "the hairs on my arm stood to full salute" made it through the editing process. But then again, this could be a preference thing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I love female serial killer books. Cordelia is a badass. She’s so freaking sassy. I love it. She hunts men who hurt women and children! Go her! It’s a fun but flawed read. To me, it was just too much like Dexter almost like she was copying. The beginning is confusing and there’s a bit of delay? I can’t think of the word… With getting into it. But once I did get into it, it was overall pretty good. Overall I would recommend this.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I really enjoyed the beginning, but the middle had me more feeling more stressed than entertained. For a main character who prides herself on being meticulous, she sure made a lot of careless mistakes.

The ending was mostly satisfying, but did feel a bit rushed. I just wish the book spent a little less time on the stressful middle and more time showing how it all resolved. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun thriller.

Thank you so much for this ark!!!!! WOOOOOW
MC is such a bad ass and I enjoyed the whole book. I do have to say they give adequate trigger warnings but wow it’s quite graphic and at times was a bit much for me but it didn’t stop me!!

I think this is what would have happened if Lila on season 2 of Dexter had a child with Dexter...they would have created Cordelia. While not a bad thing, necessarily, it did follow a set guideline of been there done that. I wanted something a little more original .
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this copy of "This Girl's A Killer."

I'm going to echo other reviewers who have said it's hard to believe this is a debut novel!

So Cordelia kills bad guys, Diane is her best friend, and Samantha is Diane's daughter. They're such great characters and you'll love them.

Cordelia is a meticulous planner and leaves no detail to chance. Until something unforeseen happens.....

I kept giggling and then thinking "Am I supposed to be laughing at a vigilante bad guy killer?" Yes, yes I am!

What a wild, fun read! This was a debut from Emma C. Wells, and she absolutely nailed it!

Cordelia Black is the definition of a badass female protagonist. By day, she's the picture of success as a pharma rep, but by night, she's dishing out her own brand of justice to men who deserve it. The way she balances her two lives—and the tension that builds when things start to go wrong—made it impossible to stop reading. I loved how fiercely she protects her chosen family, even when it means facing some hard truths about herself.

Thank you @poisonedpenpress and @netgalley for the chance to read this advanced reader copy. I seriously can’t wait to see what’s next for Cordelia. If you’re into strong, morally complex female leads, this one's for you!


#thisgirlsakiller

This was a Wild ride! I loved it so much and will be forcing this book on everyone I know this Fall!

Enjoyable Read

Who would have thought a book about a serial killer could be so cute? A pharmacy sales rep uses her best-selling sleeping pill to drug and then murder men that she deems as bad guys (in all honesty, she is right). She then drains their blood, sells the body to a creepy guy who sells the parts, and uses the blood to paint pictures that represent the murdered men. It could be gruesome and probably is, but it is written in a light way. It is still not for the squeamish as there are descriptions of decomposing bodies, and not for those who need everything to make sense, as that certainly doesn't happen. but it is a fun, light read. There are plenty of holes if you want to think about it (what happened to McSmiley?), but this isn't that kind of book. It is a beach read that is best enjoyed without engaging all of your brain. I loved it.

This book is so unserious.. It turns out This Girl's a Killer is a dark comedy, not a thriller. And it's chaos and comedy to a point where Cordelia Black, our MC serial killer comes off as inept and accidentally successful. Dexter Morgan and Scarlet Clark would eat her for lunch.

Cordelia is a pharmaceutical rep whose #1 selling drug (and #1 for drug for taking out bad men) comes under scrutiny just as the news gets wind of a slew of missing dudes. Her bestie starts dating a new guy that Cordelia instantly dislikes and immediately becomes a target for Cor's side hustle. What's a serial killer to do?

I got what This Girl's a Killer was doing and I will not be surprised if it gets optioned for TV, but ultimately it wasn't really for me.

Great book! Read it super fast! I loved it!! I hope to read more by this author and I will be on the search for more thrillers by Emma! I was so happy with how it ended! Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC copy!

I devour female serial killer stories! Cordelia Black is a sassy, independent, and successful pharmaceutical rep by day who has an addiction to designer shoes. But by night, she has a dark “hobby”; ridding the streets of bad men in violent ways. She is fiercely loyal to her best friend, Diane, and her god daughter, Samantha. So when Diane’s new boyfriend hits Cordelia’s “bad man” radar, problems start to brew. And when the Louisiana news reports that there is a serial killer on the loose, Cordelia’s highly controlled world begins to completely unravel.

In spite of the violent nature of this story it does not feel overly dark. If you, too, love a strong female serial killer and enjoy a Finlay Donovan vibe then this book is for you!

Thank you Netgalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and the author for this eARC in exchange for my honest review. This book will be available for purchase on October 29, 2024

Excellently rompy. Cordelia Black is exactly my kind of unlikeable narrator - the kind I like to call “overly reliable.” She’s a misandrist murder harpy with only enough room in her heart for her best friend and her goddaughter. I think readers who enjoyed You by Caroline Kepnes and Jane Doe by Victoria Helen Stone, as well as anyone who’s liked any of the murdery women movies that have become so popular lately - Birds of Prey, Polite Society, I Care A Lot - will really like this. My one complaint is that there’s a slightly magical-realism-esque element that is never explained but very central to the plot and to Cordelia’s character. I didn’t know what to do with that.
Oh, and just so everyone can rest easy: the dog does NOT die.

I don’t know why I waited so long to read this, but I am so happy I did! I absolutely loved this book. A female serial killer killing bad dudes had me sold from the start, but the book’s pacing was great and I absolutely loved the characters! The story was well written and really engaged me from beginning to end! I will definitely be reading more from this author.

While I loved the premise of this book, the pacing felt off. Much of the book was spent on the inner dialogue, with the fmc alluding to her traumatic past and worrying about the future, all while reiterating how she always has a plan. While probably a realistic scenario for how a normal person would deal with accidentally killing a person, it was not conducive for this novel's premise or pacing. I would've appreciated more details about fmc's backstory and less despair despite her taking no action to remedy the situation.

Overall a good book, but could use some more paring down.