They Say a Girl Died Here ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough


From the author's IG page

NetGalley About Summary

...a thrilling, genre-bending mystery about two murdered girls, a town with dark secrets, and a race to break a deadly cycle

Anna Maybourne never imagined herself living in a place like Harper’s Creek, a nowhere town full of dusty farmland plagued by drought. It’s supposed to be a new start for her and her family, but after dropping out of college, Anna feels stuck in place—working a part-time job, watching her little sister grow up, and taking care of her grandmother with dementia, whose paranoid episodes have started to unnerve her. The only interesting thing about her new town, it seems, is the string of grisly murders attributed to a killer called the Farmhandman—and the clue she discovers that reveals the case is yet unsolved.

Along with outspoken loner Melissa Laverne and handsome deputy Todd Greenbough, Anna fills her hours with the town’s darkest curiosity—but even though the prime suspect is long dead, the Farmhandman murders begin to feel too close for comfort as the anniversary nears. Tension is building in Harper’s Creek, and everyone can feel it. The house is becoming more claustrophobic by the day, and her grandmother is growing stranger. Anna begins to wonder if her delusional moments are somehow the key to discovering the truth about the murders, and if the old house, and her new start, is haunted by its own bloody baggage.

With a devastating mystery at its core, They Say a Girl Died Here is a novel of thrilling and terrifying secrets, with a mind-bending twist that could only come from Sarah Pinborough.

Genre: Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
Goodreads added: Horror*, Psychological Suspense
I'm adding Paranormal 
*See Extra Tidbits re: Horror

The How/Why: NetGalley

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ No deductions because I don't have anything to deduct for. It checked all the Mystery/Thriller boxes. 

🎉 Overall Storytelling? 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ Not necessary

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Sɇxuɐl Assɐult, MŪrdɇr & Vi0lɇncɇ, Dɇmɇntia & Mɇm0ry L0ss

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? YES

👟 Pace? Never a lull

💻 Tidbits ~ There's nothing like moving to a small town and jumping headfirst into investigating an old closed case MŪrdɇr. 

The M.u.r.d.e.r: Two young girls were Kiℒℒ*d exactly three years apart and the three-year anniversary is just around the corner. 

The Family: After a traumatic event, Anna drops out of school and the family moves to what seems like the middle of nowhere. Family consists of a Grandma who has dementia, single hard working mom Claire, and little sister Caroline who is craving to be popular with the cool girls. 

The Thing: Anna has blocked all memories of The Thing. "We don't talk about The Thing."

The Story: Grandma slips into an empty space and keeps saying "They say a girl died here. They say a girl died here". She is agitated and frightened. Things start to happen, and Anna believes the voices are trying to communicate a warning.
Caroline is worried it will happen again because the kids at school are all about the town's lore. 
Anna starts investigating and is told by more than one local to butt out - the doctor, the sheriff, her new friend's dad, even her mom. The Case is Closed. Anna's mom is pushing her to go to therapy because "The Thing" is making her paranoid, but Anna can't push aside the feelings that the Kiℒℒ*r is still out there.

The Fear: Is the house haunted? Is grandma slipping away faster than they thought she would? Is the Kiℒℒ*d still out there? Are Anna or her sister at risk of being third victims on the quickly approaching anniversary date? 

Favorite Character: Grandma. Grumpy is her love language. 

🎧 Narrator: Saskia Maarleveld - Fantastic!  One of my favs for Historical Fiction and she absolutely brought the Thrill to this Thriller. Never a lull. 

EXTRA TIDBITS: Goodreads has listed Horror as a genre. Before diving in I consulted "Librarian Google" to see how graphic the horror is, because you know I don't like horror. The verdict? "Much heavier on creeping psychological dread and atmospheric tension then relentless, stomach-churning gore." I can do that!
It also indicated "Visceral Crime Scenes, Dementia Episodes, Creepy Local Lore". I can handle that too. We are good to go! 
Thank you Sarah Pinborough for not going for shock value with graphic horror. 

🎧9.20 hours (NetGalley) 🕮 320 pages

Not yet published. Expected 8-25-2026

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

32 and counting
Grandma's Hot Chocolate
I created with Gemini AI
Five Star Highlights, Created with Gemini AI
I provided the highlights,
AI provided the background


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

When Women Ran Fifth Avenue *DNF*

Image
  When Women Ran Fifth Avenue by Julie Satow *DNF* The cover is the best part G👀dreads A glittering, glamorous portrait of the golden age of American department stores and of three visionary women who led them, from the award-winning author of The Plaza . The American department a palace of consumption that epitomized modern consumerism. Every wish could be met under one roof – afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding (or funeral) planned. It was a place where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago or on Main Street, USA, men owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. Genre: NonFiction, History, Fashion, Biography. Circa early 1900's. I listened a little while I was puttering around in the casita in the morning. There is a part where she says the sales ladies would say "Oh Harriett" to warn another employee that a customer could not be pleased. Like a take off of modern day ...
Read more

Killers of a Certain Age ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Image
Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn From Goodreads: Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that's their secret weapon. They've spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they're sixty years old, four women friends can't just retire - it's kill or be killed in this action-packed thriller. Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills. When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they've been marked for death. Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I really liked it a lot. It ho...
Read more

Home of the American Circus ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

Image
Home of the American Circus by Allison Larken  G👀dreads After an emergency leaves her short on rent, thirty-year-old Freya Arnalds bails on her lackluster life as bartender in Maine and returns to her suburban hometown of Somers, New York, to live in the house she inherited from her estranged parents. Despite attempts to lay low, Freya encounters childhood friends, familial enemies, and old flames—as well as her fifteen-year-old niece, Aubrey, who is secretly living in the derelict home. As they reconnect, Freya and Aubrey lean on each other, working to restore the house and come to terms with the devastating events that pulled them apart years ago. Set in the birthplace of the American circus, this deeply moving novel is an exploration of broken families, the weight of the past, and the complicated journey of finding home. Genre: Literary Fiction, Contemporary, Family Drama Dual Timeline: ETA: This is listed as dual timeline but I thought it was more like memory flashbacks. It's ...
Read more