Nobody messes with Cordelia Black!
What a ride! Everything about this chaotic serial killer was perfect, things kept going from bad to worse and it made me devoured this book because I could just not stop reading, impossible.
Loved the characters and the story, it did felt repetitive at times specially in the beginning and it took some time for things to really get good but once it picked up, it was fantastic.

🩸🩸🩸🩸/5

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this free ARC in exchange for an honest review. Pub date: October 29, 2024

A female serial killer who targets men who are “evil and violent” and then paints portraits of her victims with their own blood as part of her ritual. Gory, pathological, and full of female rage and vigilante justice.

There are obnoxiously frequent references to brand names and luxury clothing. Who cares if you wore Louboutins? You told me once, you didn’t have to remind me endlessly. Annoying because of how poorly planned this is—for someone who has done this a number of times and talks about how meticulous she is, Cordelia is wildly unknowledgeable. This came across poorly researched, as many YA thrillers have had smarter characters. It’s a bit all over the place, with a number of subplots that abruptly dead end (her work drama, the cop she pseudo-dated). While this was an easy/quick read, there are just better options with similar plots out there.

If you are a Dexter fan, then this is the book for you!

Meet Cordelia, a female serial killer who only kills monsters. She has a strict system and her own set of rules. Then we have her best friend in the world, Diane, who has absolutely no clue what Cordelia does in her spare time. These two characters, along with Diane's daughter and the crazy neighbors dog, make for an entertaining storyline and a whole lot of dark humor. At times, Cordelia drove me crazy, but I was truly invested and rooted for her every step of the way.

3.5 / 5 stars

Cordelia Black is a well-heeled pharmaceutical rep with a full roster of happy clients. She's a talented artist. She's a loving godmother and devoted best friend.

Cordelia Black is a monster hunter. She has a meticulous system for who she will kill, why, how, and when. She has been ridding Baton Rogue of horrible predators by carefully sticking to her plans.

But when a kill does not go to plan and other loose ends start to fray from Cordelia's life, she finds herself scrambling to protect the identity she has carefully crafted for herself -- and, more importantly, she must prevent her best friend and goddaughter from discovering her double life as a serial killer.

This darkly humorous thriller reminded me of the fun I had while I was reading Listen for the Lie. Cordelia is a force to be reckoned with, and I enjoyed watching her wrestle with her inner struggles as well as the comedy of errors piling up around her. There are some magical realism elements that feel slightly out of place (the smoke Cordelia senses in her victims' eyes), and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the novel's resolution. Overall, a fun read, but please check the author's content warnings!

📚 #BOOKREVIEW 📚
This Girl’s a Killer by Emma C. Wells
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ / Pages: 400 / Genre: Serial Killer Thriller
Audiobook Narrator: Stephanie Kay
Duration: 10 hours 51 minutes
Release Date: October 29, 2024
🥳#HappyPubDay!🎉

Cordelia Black is a serial killer. She’s also a hero. She only kills bad men who hurt and abuse others and she’s really good at it. Everything is going great until the day it all starts falling apart and once it does, it snowballs in a major way.

I loved this book. The amount of things that go wrong is a bit out of control but that’s what made it so incredibly addicting. Every time something happens, you have to read one more chapter and then another and another. If you want a bingeable, entertaining read, this is it for sure.

I absolutely loved Cordelia. When things got tough, she just got tougher. She didn’t break down, she figured out what she needed to do and did it. I love characters like this. I also appreciated her dedication to her bestie Diane. Five stars from this Diane. 💁🏻‍♀️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I got advanced copies of the ebook and audiobook so I alternated between reading and listening on this one. Stephanie Kay did a great job narrating. I think her voice was a perfect fit for Cordelia.

Thank you, @Emma.C.Wells.books, @PoisonedPenPress, @Dreamscape_Media, and @NetGalley for my gifted copies. I loved it!

This Girl’s a Killer was so much fun to read. Our main character is a busy woman. She’s got this work situation going that doesn’t seem to be letting up and a little hobby of killing deplorable individuals and both kept me on the edge of my seat, waiting to see how she gets out of these messes. I liked the end and thought it was tied up all nice and neat into a perfect little bow. If you’re a fan of Dexter, or enjoyed Butcher and Blackbird (but no spice in this one) I think you’d enjoy this. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC. This Girl’s a Killer published today.

I really enjoyed this book a lot. The first couple of chapters, I was skeptical. It starts out about slow but give it time. It quickly picks up and sucks you in! I loved the whole vibe of this book, Cordelia is a good person offs bad men. I love her loyalty to her best friend and her daughter and i love that even though she was a serial killer, i was rooting for her the whole time!!!!

Rating: 4.5 stars rounded up

Review: I loved every single thing about this and I so desperately hope that this is the beginning of a series. It was funny, snarky, and as always I support women's rights and their wrongs. This is the kind of mystery/thriller I'm looking for. Always. You won't regret checking it out.

Synopsis: 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.

This Girl's a Killer by Emma C. Wells is a sharp, refreshing twist on the thriller genre. The story follows Cordelia, a quick-witted serial killer with a need to kill men who aren’t brought to justice. Her dark humor and razor-sharp instincts make her a compelling protagonist, and the plot is both unpredictable and exhilarating. Wells masterfully balances high-stakes action with poignant moments, allowing readers to root for a character who's far from morally perfect yet deeply relatable. A thrilling, fast-paced read with wit and heart.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Dreamscape Media for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the debut book by Emma C. Wells, with the audio perfectly narrated by Stefanie Kay. All opinions expressed in this review are my own – 5 stars!

Meet Cordelia Black. By day she's a successful pharmaceutical rep with a pristine reputation and a designer wardrobe. But there are the nights where she rids the world of monsters – those men who have escaped justice. She has rules – she must see the smoke in their eyes to know they are truly evil. She has everything meticulously planned out and has evaded capture herself. However, the news has caught on that there are missing men in the area and some have thrown around the words “serial killer.” Things become worse when her best friend, Diane, starts dating a man that Cordelia is convinced is bad. And he might just be the end of her too.

This book was amazing! And a debut? Sign me up for anything that this author writes in the future, please. It was that perfect blend of dark, snarky humor that I just love with a suspenseful story line. Cordelia was an amazing character – always trying to stay one step ahead in both her professional life and her personal passion. She’s the best friend and godmother yet has a secret life no one would ever guess. When everything starts falling apart, you just can’t look away. There were twists and turns and lots of crazy, over-the-top adventures which made this one of the most fun books I’ve read in a while. And the narration was top notch as well!

Solid start for a debut novel. I would love to see this series continued so we get more answers and building on the characters. Very bingeable, even if slightly lagged in a few places. Would read more by this author.

Tysm for the ARC!

Woman serial killer that gives Dexter vibes? Sign me up. This book had me excited from the synopsis. In this book we meet Cordelia Black. By day she’s a pharmaceutical rep but by night she’s taking bad me off the street. From the beginning, this story had me hooked. I loved that we were able to see into all aspects of Cordelia’s process. As the story progresses she has more and more unfortunate events happen, some were believable and some just made the story a bit cheesy. Even with the unbelievable factor this story had me in suspense of finding out how the story was going to end. Overall, it was entertaining and thrilling. I give this one 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

For fans of female rage comes a book about a vengeful serial killer who will do anything for her friends.

Cordelia Black has worked hard to create the perfect life, a high paying job, expensive clothes, found family and a secret habit, of killing predators. Everything is working as it should, until it all starts to unravel. From her job becoming a mine-field to losing her black-market connections, to the police closing in, things are getting tense!

This book is an absolute page-turner, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. The action comes faster and faster until the end. My only complaint being that such a large portion of the book was taken up by a series of very bad decisions made by our supposedly meticulous MC.

Happy Pub day! And thanks to NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for the early read.

3.5/5

Love me some good ole fashioned feminine rage and revenge!

This was a very unique thriller, where our main character goes around at night and kills men. (They're bad men, so she's technically doing a good thing here. Just sayin.' I support women's rights and wrongs.) Unlike male serial killers, this killer has very close bonds with the people in her life. She cares deeply for her friends and feels like a very normal and real person because of that. Her found family is very important to her, so she gets very suspicious of her friend's boyfriend...and things happen from there...

Since this is a thriller, I feel like I shouldn't say more so that don't spoil anything. I really think thrillers are most enjoyable when you go into them knowing as little as possible.

This was very fun but also a little slow at times. I just wish it had a little more oomph to it. But overall, I had a good time reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My Goodreads review is up and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book is Dexter, except with a designer clothes loving pharmaceutical rep who kills men who do bad things. This Girl’s a Killer was right up my alley. I think this one is going to be super popular and rightfully so. I took stars off because it took a bit for things to get going at the beginning. And I felt the ending was maybe rushed. But this book got me to exclaim out loud and not a lot of books accomplish that!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press & NetGalley for the ARC!

I'm not sure what to think. I loved the writing style, pace of the book, and humor, but do I agree with a serial killer getting away with murder even if the victims were criminals? I guess if you were a huge fan of the TV show Dexter, this book is right up your alley. I alternated between listening to and reading this one, and the narrator does a fantastic job. She drew me into the book immediately and had me glued. When I couldn't listen, I'd read because I was hooked on the story. I'm also not sure how I feel about the codependency between Cordelia and Diana. It's not healthy and leads to crime, of course. This novel gave me such mixed feelings and was thoroughly thought provoking, you should read it and make your own opinion!

Rating: 4 ⭐️
Pub Date: October 1, 2024
How I Read It: 📱

Synopsis
Cordelia Black is a pharma rep who loves her best friend and daughter, her hairdresser, and killing bad men. At night she searches for monsters in South Louisiana. She’s been on TV more than once, but nobody knows who they’re talking about because nobody knows she kills men. The news calls her a serial killer, but she doesn’t see herself that way. She thinks she’s saving women, that these men had it coming. She’s very controlled with her kills, until a possible monster hits close to home. That’s when things start falling apart, Cordelia gets sloppy, and starts losing control.

My Thoughts
This book was so good! Cordelia is a person you should hate, but you end up rooting for her to get away with murder. It’s so twisted, but makes you crack up too. Once I really started getting into this book, I couldn’t put it down. Seeing Cordelia in so many different lights emotionally was interesting, considering she’s a killer. The suspense was up there because of this; I really didn’t want her to get caught and not just caught by the police, caught by a lot of people, because at one point, it seemed like anybody could have found out who she really was! I loved Emma C. Wells’s style of writing and cannot wait to read more from her!

❗️Of Note
Death

Themes
🫣 Suspense
🔪 Murder

Ratings
Characters: 4 ⭐️
Pace: 4 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 5 ⭐️
Narrator: 5 ⭐️

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC.

Just read this. Read it now. Female rage. Revenge. Women doing bad things to men who do bad things. Ugh. So good.

I had a lot of fun with this book. What could've been a dark and deeply disturbing read turned into a comedy of errors of sorts as Cordelia's carefully constructed world slowly starts to unravel. Scenes of unspeakable horror become hysterical and over the top comedic, as one misstep after another causes Cordelia to juggle to keep all the balls in the air. It takes a deft hand to keep all this on the keen edge of believability and it's almost hard to fathom that this is a debut novel. I can't wait to see what shenanigans the author gets up to next, with or without Cordelia, in subsequent books.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for allowing me to receive an Advanced Copy to read and review. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is an amazing revenge story!
#ThisGirlsAKiller #NetGalley #PoisonedPenPress