The Dead Girls Club
A supernatural thriller in the vein of A Head Full of Ghosts about two young girls, a scary story that becomes far too real, and the tragic--and terrifying--consequences that follow one of them into adulthood.
Red Lady, Red Lady, show us your face...
In 1991, Heather Cole and her friends were members of the Dead Girls Club. Obsessed with the macabre, the girls exchanged stories about serial killers and imaginary monsters, like the Red Lady, the spirit of a vengeful witch killed centuries before. Heather knew the stories were just that, until her best friend Becca began insisting the Red Lady was real--and she could prove it.
That belief got Becca killed.
It's been nearly thirty years, but Heather has never told anyone what really happened that night--that Becca was right and the Red Lady was real. She's done her best to put that fateful summer, Becca, and the Red Lady, behind her. Until a familiar necklace arrives in the mail, a necklace Heather hasn't seen since the night Becca died.
The night Heather killed her.
Now, someone else knows what she did...and they're determined to make Heather pay.
Title: The Dead Girls Club
Author: Damien Angelica Walters
Publishing Date: December 10, 2019
Pages: Hardcover, 583 pages
Publishing House: Crooked Lane Books
ISBN: 1643851632 (ISBN13: 9781643851631)
Edition Language: English
My Review
A high wire novel. This story kept its creepy tension vibe throughout the entirety of the book. An eery mystery that will have you turn the pages engrossingly, setting the path for a twisty end.
Heather is a child therapist, married and leads a relatively normal life. No one knows, she carries a secret deeply buried within her from her youth that seems like another lifetime ago.
The novel is set in the 'Now' and 'Then' format, telling about Heather today and what lead up to a dramatic event in her childhood that will begin to haunt her today.
THEN:
Becca is Heather's best friend but doesn't enjoy the same family upbringing with an intact family dynamic as Heather. The two of them have always been close, but one summer, Heather can't spend as much time with her and Becca turns to two other girls for friendship. Though Heather feels partially ousted, the four of them hang out and start these witchy rituals lead by Becca. They call themselves the 'Dead Girls Club' and slowly, Heather feels she is losing her friend to these made-up stories of the ‘Red Lady'. They seem to consume Becca. To not lose her friend, Heather continues to support her and holds up to a promise that Becca requests of her.... a deadly one, that will haunt her later on.
NOW:
A parcel in the mail has Heather all shook up. In it is one of the friendship necklaces she used to have with Becca. A time long forgotten is creeping into her present as she is trying to not think about it too much, but is wondering who sent it and what it means of someone possibly knowing her 'secret'? Logically, she is collecting some facts on the whereabouts of everyone from the 'Dead Girls Club' and begins a little investigation for her peace of mind. But the peace she won't find. Someone is beginning to taunt her leaving hints and reminders and going as far as chasing her off the road. It begins to affect her personal as well as her professional life and she becomes undone.
The novel culminates in an intensely twisted end full of action. How far will someone go to expose or protect this secret? A thriller worth reading to find out.
***
Oh, I really dug this novel. The entirety of Heather's NOW kept an eery tension and the author added some nice little distractions and sidelines to the plot. The flashbacks into the THEN often stopped in a little cliffhanger leaving me reeling for more.
I thought the built-up and the conclusion to the mystery were well done. The ending definitely kept me at the edge of my seat. My enjoyment was high and my crept-out-o-meter even higher :)
I highly recommend this fast-paced horror mystery/thriller.
Enjoy!
I received an Arc of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own.
Thank you!
