Cordelia Black is a cold-blooded killer. But it''s all for good. At least that's what she thinks.

She grew up poor and dysfunctional in the boonies of Louisiana. But she made her way out of the morass and now she's a cultured woman. From her fine job as a pharmaceutical sales rep to her brand name clothes, she's all class. At least by day. At night, she engages in her mission to remove the bad guys. Call her a vigilante. Or call her a serial killer (which she hates). Her job is to remove the vermin.

But then it hits close to home. The new boyfriend of her best friend is a bad one. And she is forced to take him out. Her job is collapsing and she has a man's body in her refrigerator. It can't get any worse. But, then again, it seems to be doing just that.

This was an interesting novel. It took me some time to warm up to Cordelia. At first, it's tough to sympathize with what she does. But, as we become familiar with some of her targets, we begin to get on board. The book is well-written. The characters are well-developed. I highly recommend this novel.

Psychotic, Serial Killer, Best Friend, Generous, Successful, Sassy, Immoral- these are all words to describe Cordelia Black.
Cordelia is a pharmaceutical representative/killer. She finds men who she believes deserve to die- for abuse to women and children, rapists, murderers. Her goal is to protect the innocent and punish the bad men. Cordelia is trying to right the wrong from the trauma she went through in her childhood.
This debut author writes with wit and humor. Many situations that occurred in the story line were definitely hard to fathom. (Who ever heard of someone leaving their hairdressers mid highlights!) You will be cringing, laughing and frightened for Cordelia.
This is a very character driven novel, which includes her best friend Diane and goddaughter Sugar. Diane is always in search of a husband but unfortunately the men she picks to date are less that desirable. There are many plot twists and the situations that Cordelia gets herself involved in that are quite entertaining. You definitely don’t want to get on her wrong side!
Content warnings and author’s note: While Cordelia’s violence happens on the page, the actions of the men she kills does not. Their crimes are mentioned but not discussed in detail, and are absolutely not glorified in any way.

This was WILD. Like Finlay Donovan but MESSIER?!

Like this girl is supposed to be somewhat of a…professional I guess?! But then she slips and it’s a snowball effect of a mess. This book had me SO STRESSED. Some of it was funny, but mostly everything just felt frantic.

Also the story felt incomplete to me. Like things were sort of tied up but there was so much room for error after the novel ends. I don’t think the MC was really in the clear. Also the whole thread of her dating a cop and getting info from him sort of died and he just disappeared at some point in the story and never resurfaced again 😂. Like he was completely written away. Also the god daughter was a bigger character and she disappears from the novel about 50% in. And what ends up happening with her career?!

Just so much felt unfinished.

If you want to be stressed out, you can pick this one up. It’s not bad, but not amazing. Just messy in a lot of ways.

3.5 ⭐️

Thank you @poisonedpenpress for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was incredibly entertaining! Cordelia Black has many secrets. She's a successful pharma rep by day and a vigilante killer by night. I got some serious Dexter vibes from this and that's a great thing. I love Dexter! This book was gory at times and absolutely hysterical during others. Cordelia's character is awesome and I couldn't get enough of this book. I would love to read more from this author. Her humor and candor were top notch.

I thoroughly disdain books that are 80% dialogue and 20% everything else. A story needs a good balance of dialogue, plot, character development, and imagery. This was not the story for me because I felt like I didn't learn anything about these characters; instead, I was told nearly everything through dialogue. I understand that this is the author's debut novel, and while I wish her well, I did not enjoy this particular book.

Cordelia Black is a total vibe! What a fun and darkly comic thriller. I was hooked from the first page. Cordelia is the kind of anti-heroine you can’t help but root for—she’s ruthless, stylish, and hyper focused on her mission to rid the world of bad men. By day, she’s the picture of sophistication; by night, she’s a force of reckoning, and no one better stand in her way if they know what’s good for them.

Cordelia’s not your typical vigilante, and the tension between her perfect life and her shadowy “karma” mission kept me glued to the story. I loved the South Louisiana setting, which added an eerie atmosphere to all the drama.

The twists and Cordelia’s inner struggle were what set this book apart. If you’re into morally gray characters and fast-paced thrillers with a dose of dark humor, this one’s for you. If you love Dexter, Finley Donovan, or Layne Fargo’s They Never Learn, you’ll enjoy this one too!

"Rigor mortis had caught him with his mouth open, and when he’d been spending his days soaking in an ice bath, I’d thought he was stuck in an eternal scream, but now I realized that wasn’t the case. No, he wasn’t screaming at all. He was singing . Singing to wish me an amazing day."

This is a surprisingly fun a humorous read considering our protagonist is a serial killer. Cordelia is a rare female serial killer and something I enjoy reading, since it goes against the traditional idea of feminity.

Cordelia takes care of bad men and she really enjoys doing it. Like Dexter Morgan she has a day job, except hers is in pharmaceuticals. She's starting to make waves due to her bodies piling up. Her only friend is also dating a man she might have to take care of...

Fun read, 3.5 stars. Thank you netgalley for the advanced review copy.

LOVED THIS ONE SO MUCH! A strong female character who doesn't care about what people think of her and KILLS bad men! YES PLEASE! I was hooked from the beginning and am so glad I requested this one. Who doesn't love a good serial killer? You will not regret reading this one!

Breezy Sex in the City meets Dexter mash up. Despite the body count, didn't have huge stakes, but a fun digestible book

Cordelia Black is a killer. But, not just any killer-she has a code. She only kills bad men, men who have hurt others.

This book reminded me a lot of the tv show Dexter. There were even some similar lines and themes to the show.

Overall, I thought it was good and entertaining enough. However, I didn’t like the constant name dropping of all her designer labels, it kind of put me off. I also didn’t really like her friend, Diana, I thought she was really naive.

The ending felt like it was left open for a sequel and I would read the next one to see what happens.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for a review.

Cordelia is a ‘Dexter’ type serial killer with a code, though she somehow takes offense to the title. She Is also a pharmaceutical sales rep who is getting their number 1 sale items removed from market due to some serious side effects that her company attempted to cover up. As if that wasn’t enough to develop the plot of this book, she is also newly dating a cop (solid, reasonable choice) and is introduced to her BEST FRIEND’s (it’s a really important title which is why she says it appx 50 times) new boyfriend. And has to navigate letting her BESTIE continue to make truly terrible choices while also protecting her.


I usually try to front load a review with the parts that I found redeemable about a book. I’m disappointed to let you know that there are literally none.

Cordelia as a character reads as a caricature. She belabors how she’s usually perfect and so organized but literally from page one she is messing things up and making some wild and terrible choices. She is full of contradictions in this way. She is meant to be the grown-up caretaker of her best friend and her daughter and is able to keep a fancy job and read people really well yet from the offset she shows no aptitude for any of these things. She can’t get a read on a new man in her friend’s life but as you read him he is very clearly a terrible person but she is making excuses for him? Make it make sense. She’s the mature one who has it all together but reads like a maybe 18-year-old continuously using infantilizing nick names (take a shot every time she says ‘sugar’ ‘sugar bear’ or ‘bestie’). She just had zero redeemable qualities which made it difficult to follow her hijinks.

The other characters were just as unlikable. Her best friend is an idiot. She has an established terrible choice in partners but wants to go be a travelling nurse with a guy who is introduced like a week before this plot point is revealed. Also why did these two characters read like they were going to fall in love at the end. I thought for sure with how both characters were being developed they were in love. That felt like wasted potential and I honestly would have liked it more.

All in all there were just too many plot holes and terrible characters for me to find this an enjoyable read.

I love a good female serial killer book, and I will always be rooting for them but why are they more often than not, so truly terrible?

Hooked me from the start, memorable and very readable. Highly recommended for fans of the Butcher & Blackbird vibes.

Thank you so much Poisoned Pen Press and @netgalley for the copy of this eARC!

This Girl's a Killer by: Emma C. Wells
Pub Date: OUT NOW
432 pages

QOTD: How far would you go for your best friend?

OMG! This book was amazing. I had so much fun reading it! I lost count of how many times I laughed.

Cordelia Black - I wish I had a friend like her LOL. She is charming as she is vengeful and tough.

This book is about friendship and what lengths Cordelia will go to keep her loved ones safe.
Cordelia is a killer who keeps it all together. Everything goes according to her plans. Until it doesn’t. She kills to protect and avenge.

I really loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. If you are looking for a thriller that is provocative, smart, and wickedly satisfying this book is for you!

Favorite quote:
"No one would care that the men I killed were monsters. I'd be painted as a psychotic.
A psychotic man-hating b*tch”


I know we are into the holiday season, but if you are looking into a fall thriller wicked book look no more this one is for you!

Cordelia Black is a pharmaceutical rep by day and a murderer by night. But don't worry, she only kills monsters. She has the perfect plan devised to rid the world of horrible people, rapists, pedophiles, abusers. She has a code. But what happens when her best friend starts dating a man that gives Cordelia a bad feeling?

If you liked the show Dexter, you will love this book. It is similar in many ways, but has enough differences to keep you interested until the end.

I received a digital ARC of this book thanks to Netgalley and the publisher.

A female version of Dexter in all its glory! I absolutely loved this book with its sharp, witty internal humor of Cordelia. Her thoughts about men are so relatable that many readers might find themselves having the same thoughts about men.
Cordelia’s loyalty to her best friend, Diane, and Diane’s daughter knows no bounds—even if it means breaking her own rules. When she decides to eliminate Diane’s latest fling to protect them, her carefully constructed life begins to unravel, spiraling her into chaos.
Cordelia’s inner dialogue offers fascinating insight into her character, making it surprisingly easy to empathize with her choices. I also enjoyed the mystery of her past and the mental anguish she experiences at the thought of losing her only human connection, Diane.
The big question remains: Is Cordelia a hero, a villain, or simply a killer? You’ll have to decide for yourself.


*Thank you to Emma C. Wells, ​​Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

This book had some great moments and good one-liners.

Cordelia is an unapologetic killer. She even embraces and enjoys it.

Self-tasked with ridding the world of bad people who seem to get away with it, Cordelia is setting things right. But when her best friend, Diane, starts dating one of the kind of guys she would usually kill, things get a little close to home.

Cordelia isn’t sure whether she can get rid of him without risking her freedom and Diane’s safety, or if she should try to break them up and deal with Diane’s broken heart.

What worked for me:
- The idea of a vigilante killer who is killing with a purpose.
- That Cordelia was killing bad people.
- Cordelia’s love for her bestie and her god-daughter.
- Serial killer satire

What didn’t work:
- It felt like the main character contradicted herself, and her criteria for killing people didn’t always seem very fool proof.
- How self-congratulatory Cordelia was.
- Cordelia’s focus. Heels and hair were talked about a lot, but I would have preferred more detail about who Cordelia was and her motivation, especially earlier in the book.

This story uses humor do dig into what really betrayal really looks like. If she kills her best friend’s boyfriend, is she betraying her friend, and if she doesn’t, is she betraying herself?
For readers of Finlay Donovan is Killing It and The Bandit Queens.
⚠ Be sure to check trigger warnings.

This book is Finlay Donovan meets Dexter! The book follows Cordelia Black's perfectly constructed life as it starts to unravel. She would do anything for her found family - her best friend and her goddaughter, so she never gives up protecting them. Such a fun read! Curious if there will be another book. There was one piece that wasn't addressed at the end and it was setup that it could continue! I hope it does!

Emma C. Wells’ “This Girl’s a Killer” was an anxious and a fun read. I thought the character’s drive for justice, was honestly a relief in the maddening world we live in. With so many rapist and pedophiles walking out of court rooms with a slap on the wrist or a presidency, it was nice to read about fictional pedophiles getting murdered. Cordelia is a great anti-hero and Officer McSmiley is the perfect mouse to Cordelia’s cat. (Very Yin and Yang for the Psych fans). The ending was a little anti-climatic but I’m sure we will be reading more about Cordelia’s murder spree in the next book so I’m willing to forgive the ending.

3.5 stars

Sometimes, people get what they deserve but other times, the worst people get to keep on living while they should get what they deserve. Until a woman stabs them. Thus, the basis of this book. Cordelia is killing men - bad men that are rapists, abusers, takers. Not only is she killing them, but she is making sure that their bodies will never be found.

Cordelia is an ambitious pharmaceutical rep with a designer wardrobe, childhood trauma, and a fierce love for her best friend, Diana, and Diana's daughter. She has strict rules and a routine when killing the men but they fall to the wayside when Diana's new boyfriend, Simon, triggers distrust in Cordelia. Something is not right with him and while she tries to dig deeper, news has broken in the media that a serial killer could be on the loose targeting "upstanding" men.

During all of this Diana pressures Cordelia into making a dating profile and finds herself on a date with a local cop, Christopher, who is investigating the serial killer. He also senses something off with Simon. As Cordelia gets closer to Christopher for the sake of the investigation, it all comes to a head with Simon and things start to fall apart.

I was rooting for Cordelia the whole time and I thought the ending was perfect for this fun, satirical thriller. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this eARC. This Girl's a Killer is out now.

Cordelia Black kills bad guys. Efficiently and with humor. This is a fun ride and I highly recommend it.

DP Lyle, Award-winning author of the Joe Longly and Cain/Harper thriller series