Cordelia Black is the female 'Dexter', ridding the world of the murderers, rapists, and child predators with a swish of her knife and help from her handy body collector, Clarence. She thinks she's invincible until her best friends' new boyfriend shows up and gives her cause to rethink her plans.

You see Cordelia can tell when a man is bad. There's a tell in their eyes she sees, which started as a child; being raised by her drug addicted mom, who had her share of sketchy boyfriends. Once Cordelia suspects someone is bad, she waits until she sees the 'smoke in their eyes', then dispatches them accordingly.

You must suspend disbelief throughout the book, as she easily murders men 2-3x her size without being overpowered. She does drug them, so that helps, but still. She never gets caught because who would suspect a beautiful Prada wearing, Louis Vuitton carrying woman?
There are many subplots here. She works for a pharmaceutical company whose latest best selling drug is being investigated for falsifying clinical trial data. Unfortunately, their biggest selling drug is also the one she uses to drug her prey, using doctors prescriptions in exchange for cash.

So she's constantly trying to cover up her tracks saying 'this would not happen to Cordelia', as she tries to erase the version of her younger, insecure self.

When her best friend finds evidence of her latest victim and questions her motives and morality, things come to a head and Cordelia has to decide if telling the truth outweighs the risk of losing her best friend forever.

This reminded me of another book about a female serial killer called 'How to Kill Men and Get Away with it'. They always seem to get away with it and no one suspects a thing.

What I would have liked from this book is more backstory on Cordelia. Why is she driven to kill so much? Why does she think it's up to her? What she does in the way of body disposal is pretty graphic and gory and most people could not go through with that but she seems to relish in it. When they briefly talk about her childhood, they don't go into much detail except that her mom was an addict and she was probably neglected. They didn't discuss any abuse at all. So some more detail there would have been interesting.

All in all, the writing style kept me engaged as I wanted to know how she'd get out of each situation as it got more and more ridiculous. An entertaining beach read for sure.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and Emma C. Wells for this ARC! This is a solid 4.5 star book for me, as I really enjoyed reading this one. The main character Cordelia reminded me of a female version of Dexter which is bad a**
Can’t wait to read future books by this author!

"This Girl’s a Killer" by Emma C Wells falls short of delivering a well-crafted suspense novel. The premise behind this novel is solid and I really wanted to root for Cordelia, however, the character development is insufficient. Her childhood and the impact of the adults involved in her upbringing are presented in broad and incomplete strokes, leaving readers with only a superficial understanding of her motivations.

The plot relies too heavily on convenient coincidences, diminishing any real sense of mystery or suspense. Instead of portraying a strong female protagonist, Cordelia often finds herself in implausible situations due to a lack of organization and preparedness, which contradicts the author's intention to depict her as highly skilled and capable.

The numerous disjointed storylines are untidy, resulting in a narrative that struggles to stay coherent. Overall, the book glosses over tough subjects with unrealistic behaviors and weak humor, failing to deliver a satisfying experience.

Thank you Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wanted to love this but I didn't! I made it about 30% through before I was just... bored. I love both thrillers and cozy mysteries, but this is something in between. The main character didn't quite click for me (beautiful high-heels wearing lady serial killer who believes she's doing good? I'd've liked it better if she leaned into her own badness a little more). It seemed pretty clear where some of the storylines were going but I didn't have a good idea of the overall plot (the drug recall? the best friend's new boyfriend? the cop? I can see how they tie together but not why it's a good plot). I'm sure this is a great read for some folks, but it never hit for me!

I think I finished this in 3 days! Enjoyable read, I didn't really find any areas slow like some other reviews stated. I did figure the "twist" out about halfway through but that didn't change anything for me. I was invested in seeing how she'd get out of all this, and I really kind of fell for Diane along the way, she seems like a wholesome cinnamon roll of a best friend and I love her. I'd read another if this became a series!

Wow! This book was an easy, awesome read! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I was surprised at every turn and laughed at SKB! (IYKYK). I can’t praise this author enough and will be anxiously waiting for more books. Again, WOW!! This book was definitely worth 5 ⭐️’s.

Wowww!!! This was incredible! I could not put this down. And the fact that this is Emma Wells debut novel?! I look forward to more books from her in the future, especially if she creates a second book to continue Cor’s story! This was by no means absolutely perfect, but I enjoyed it and honestly to me that’s all that matters.

Our main character Cor, has literally had her life blown up and everything that could go wrong has, and man did this story give me anxiety in a good way! Her life was unraveling bit by bit and I honestly didn’t know what was going to happen next. Some parts I figured would happen but I didn’t know how it would all play out and I couldn’t be happier with the way this whole story played out. Man, I want to read this over again for the first time because it was so good!

I will definitely be recommending this to everyone, this was a fun ride!

I Loved this so much!!
Cordelia is a really bad assed woman! She’s not very likable, but I was routing for her all the same. It took me a few chapters to get the vibe the author was going for, but once I did I couldn’t stop reading and wondering what Cordelia would do next. This is definitely a fun, dark read. I recommend for anyone who loves a murderer with a cause.

My first ever Net Galley read! I’m thrilled to say I thoroughly enjoyed This Girl’s a Killer. Wells has a way of writing that makes the MC Cordelia Black feel like a real person and even if she’s not all that likable sometimes, dammit I was routing for her from start to end.

All you need to know going into this is Cordelia Black loves her friend Diane and her goddaughter Samatha (AKA Sugar) and she kills monsters. I loved the writing style, the quick pace of the book, the genuine suspense Wells builds throughout the chapters that left me wondering what the hell Cordelia was going to do next.

There are a few little loose ends I would’ve liked to see tidied up at the end and some more details to the MC’s backstory would’ve been appreciated. I normally love a thriller with some big twists, but this book kept me sucked in even though nothing came as a big surprise to me.

The only thing I disliked is the number of times the MC refers to herself in the third person - it is…so very frequent.

Such a fun read. Pick it up, don’t think too hard, and enjoy the ride.

Scroll for TW.








No spicy scenes.

Some hinting at animal abuse. Mild pedophilia. Murder in moderate detail.

Have you ever known a bad man and wished you could do something about them? Not the kind of guy who is a jerk, but the kind who you know to be a predator, abuser, murderer, etc. of some sorts? Cordelia Black has. Once she sees that look in their eyes and stalks them enough to know they are indeed, a bad man, she feels no other choice than to kill them. Some might even call her a serial killer. The local news is certainly calling someone a “possible serial killer”.

During the day, she is a pharmaceutical rep and during her free time, she is spending time with her chosen family. Her best friend, Diane and her goddaughter Sugar are what’s most important to her in life. So when a new man comes into their lives, Cordelia is cautious to become best friends with him. Is that the look in his eyes to signal he is bad?

—- I didn’t need to get very far into this early copy of This Girl’s a Killer to know it would keep me hooked through the very end. This is a definite five stars for me. I stopped reading my other book so I wouldn’t have to put this down. My first read from Emma C. Wells, but hopefully not my last!

Ohhh I loved this book! It was so much fun! If Dexter was a bad ass female with a killer wardrobe he would be Cordelia Black. I loved the dynamic between Cordelia, Diane, and her daughter. There is nothing like a soul sister and making your own family. The way the book ended makes me think there will be another in the series. If so I cannot wait to read it!

Wow! I loved this book. Murdery, gory, funny, riveting, unreliable characters, true friendships, feminist, debut, and it's WILD! I read this #PsychologicalThriller in 2 sittings, and it's a true page turner. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a heroine or, as Layne Fargo says, "antiheroine". A fabulous book for #bookclub discussion.
Fantastic Debut!!!! This is a 2024 book and author I'll be raving about.

It's sloppy to start a review with "I really want to like..." and I did, I really wanted to like this based on the cover, title, and blurb. The first 3 chapters almost convinced me I had the wrong book. At that point I got it, Cordelia is a narcissistic rep for a big Pharma company that she skims narcotics from to subsidize her lucrative sideline of murdering men she recognizes as predators because they have smoke in their eyes. There is the obligatory best friend who stumbles into a murder gone haywire but this is where the book does seem to evolve into a true buddy caper. My advice is to wait a few years for the daughter to age out of the story and write the caper novels they are meant to be.
Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. This is an independent review.

I have recently been really into thrillers so was excited to get the chance to read this book. However I’d say the story kind of fell short. I felt the FMC was built up to be this strong, confident, in control character who served justice, to only then spiral into constant little mistakes. It didn’t make sense for her character development to be honest. The best part of this book for me was the friendship and found family aspect between Cordelia, her best friend Diane, and Diane’s daughter.

3.25 stars

Cordelia Black: pharmaceutical rep by day, vigilante serial killer by night. Her calling is ridding the world of bad men, and she'll do anything to keep her best friend, Diane, and Diane's daughter, Samantha, safe. Cordelia Black has a handle on everything... Until she doesn't. Her life starts spiraling out of control, and she has to figure out how to keep it all together.

This Girl's a Killer had me absolutely HOOKED for the first 2/3 of the book. Cordelia is quite neurotic underneath a well-put-together facade, and watching her unravel was such a fascinating journey. But once we hit the 2/3 mark, certain pieces of the story began to wrap up too nicely and others didn't wrap up at all, which was disappointing.

As a debut novel, it was well-written, and I enjoyed my time reading it overall, but I think a stronger ending would have given This Girl's a Killer the boost it needed. That said, I'm really looking forward to reading future books by Emma C. Wells.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for this ARC.

This book should be on the top of everybody's lists to pick up when it releases in September! I haven't been this obsessed with a book in a long time. Really hoping there is a 2nd book but also really like how cleanly this one was wrapped up.

If you enjoy vigilante killing, fashion and a fun story pick this one up! It reminded me of Dexter but sexier.

It is hard for me to believe this book is a debut by the author, I can not wait to read more from her.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

I LOVE a book about a serial killer with good intentions. This book is just that! It follows Cordelia who is living a double life. During the day she is a pharmaceutical rep badass, and by night she takes care of bad men. I loved the relationships between her best friend and with her goddaughter. It was fast paced, great writing, and lovable characters. I would definitely recommend!

Reading this main character was like sustaining the moments before a panic attack for four hours. She seemed to always have a plan, but...it was always a seriously bad plan. I found myself continuously thinking things like "everyone knows you can't xyz when you need to deal with a corpse, like, common sense much?" Then I had uncomfortable questions for myself, if you see what I mean.

The writing was decent, but it does need a heavy pass or two with a good copy editor before going out into the world. The story wasn't bad, but it felt very much like the author was trying to tell the female version of Dexter, or saw the Carey Mulligan movie Promising Young Woman and borrowed heavily from those works. I also had a hard time liking or feeling any compassion for Cordelia's character, and when a protagonist doesn't pull feelings from a reader, it generally makes the book far less enjoyable. I'd give it 2.5 stars as it stands, but with some rewriting it could bump up a bit.

A different read! Cordelia has come from a bad childhood and seeks revenge on all monsters. She is skilled and a master at her craft.
I felt her character was too masculine and overconfident. Not a story I would normally care to read. Half way through I almost gave up reading because it was getting annoying to read.’