Thank you Dutton Books, #partner for the advanced copy of The Prized Girl in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Dutton Books
Published: January 14, 2020
Summary:
From debut author Amy K. Green comes a devastating tale of psychological suspense: a teen pageant queen is found murdered in a small New England town, and her sister’s search for answers unearths more than she bargained for.
Days after a young teenager named Jenny is found murdered, her small town grieves the loss alongside her picture-perfect parents. At first glance, Jenny’s tragic death appears clear-cut for investigators. In the murder of a former pageant queen from a safe and loving family, the most obvious suspect is a fan who got too close for comfort. But Jenny’s sarcastic, older half-sister Virginia isn’t so sure of his guilt and takes matters into her own hands to find the killer.
But for Jenny’s case and Virginia’s investigation, there’s more to the story. Virginia, still living in town and haunted by her own troubled teenage years, suspects that a similar darkness lay beneath the sparkling veneer of Jenny’s life. Alternating between Jenny’s final days and Virginia’s determined search for the truth, the sisters’ dual narratives follow a harrowing trail of suspects, with surprising turns that race toward a shocking finale.
My thoughts:
This was a book I picked up at Bouchercon back in 2019 but for some reason never got around to reading. Not sure why, but it was the perfect book to pick up and fly through! And I really enjoyed it…plus it’s a debut novel from author Amy K. Green and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for what comes next from her.
I love small-town mysteries and boy is that one a doozy! It’s dark and twisted and what at first appears to be a cut and dry murder turns out to be anything but. I loved that it took the half-sister of the victim, Virginia, who most times is considered the black sheep of the family, to get the detectives to look further into the case because they were so convinced it was just your run-of-the-mill tragic death. As Virginia, and the cops, take a deeper look into the case, they realize that there is more going on in this little town than anyone ever thought!
I love that whole premise of “nothing is what is seems” and it sure is a running theme here! Almost everyone we meet is a suspect and I cannot tell you how many times I changed my mind as to who I thought did it…never once landing on the actual suspect until just before the reveal. The secrets that end up being revealed are twisted and shocking and each one kept me flipping the pages faster and faster, trying to see where everything was headed.
This is definitely not an easy read. It’s dark and disturbing, so just know that going in if that type of read bothers you. The story does alternate from Virginia point of view in the present, though we do get her backstory as it ties into the case, to Jenny’s point of view in the past leading up to her murder. It’s heartbreaking all that happened to her and you will feel a range of emotions reading her sections. There is a lot of trauma packed into this one.
I’m glad I finally picked this one up. It kept me engaged throughout and the suspense built steadily, keeping me guessing all the way through. It was definitely a winner for me and I recommend it if you can handle the heaviness of the book.
