Amelia knows her marriage isn’t normal.
It’s always been more than just her and Ken. Her detective husband is married to his cases, and more often than not, Amelia ends up sleeping alone.
When an exclusive book club extends her an invitation, Amelia finally finds the connection she’s been craving.
But this isn’t a normal book club. As her husband’s investigation escalates, Amelia is beginning to see unsettling parallels between the women she’s growing close to and the murders he can’t seem to solve.
But these murders aren’t random.
And neither was her invitation to the Dead Girls Book Club.
This is the first book in The Dead Girls Book Club series, a collection of interconnected standalone thrillers with recurring characters. I loved how this story incorporates a serial killer mystery, domestic suspense, amateur sleuthing and kept me questioning everyone the entire time. There’s also a really compelling unreliable narrator FMC (Amelia) that you’ll immediately root for, as she’s a neglected wife who really desires connection—and her invitation to the “Dead Girls Book Club” turns out to be more than she could have asked for. It’s actually a secret society group of women who support each other at all costs. If you haven’t read Zia Rayyan before, this is one of her strongest books and a great intro to her straightforward, popcorn-thriller style—perfect for fans of Freida McFadden and Shari Lapena. And there’s a great mix of tropes: serial killer investigation, unreliable narrator, troubled marriage, found family, game of cat-and-mouse, vigilante killings, and more!
Told in first-person POVs of both Amelia and the killer, you get to delve into the minds of an unreliable narrator and disturbed individual. The killer only targets abusive individuals in a vigilante manner, making them more morally gray than totally unlikable. It’s clear the killer is female, and you’ll find every woman in the story—especially those in the book club—a suspect. Jessica, the club’s charismatic leader, is very suspicious with her lavish home and a husband who answers to her every command, but all of the women have secrets and motives. Amelia’s unhappiness with her marriage, along with her husband Ken’s obsession with the serial killer murders, pushes her to investigate on her own—and discover lies and more suspects!
At just 282 pages, and with short chapters that often end in cliffhangers, this can be binge-read in a single sitting. The second half ramps up with twist after twist—a few of which are predictable if you’re paying close attention to the clues in the dialogue. The final reveal you’ll either see coming from a mile away or it will come completely out of left field—and requires you to suspend your disbelief. That said, the ending has a lot of dark humor and is perfect for this wild ride of a tale. I definitely want to read more in the series—book 2 has already been released in print form and will be coming to audio later this month!
The author’s note at the end is worth a read, as she explains that the Dead Girls Book Club is a real Facebook group whose members reached out to her and inspired the idea for this book—and you can join too if you’re willing to adhere to its rules! 😉
Narrator Performance
The Dead Girls Book Club is read by experienced audiobook narrator Hannah Church. She portrays protagonist Amelia with a vulnerable yet determined voice that perfectly captures her loneliness and growing curiosity about the book club she’s joined and her husband’s whereabouts. Church adds increased tension and frustration to Amelia’s tone as her marriage becomes increasingly strained. The dialogue between Amelia and her husband, Ken, is narrated with a lot of expression and emotional intensity. Ken’s given a short-sounding, emotionally distant voice that makes him seem suspicious and unlikable even when there’s no proof that he’s done anything wrong. As the story unfolds and Amelia begins questioning everyone around her, Church adds extra unease and uncertainty into Amelia’s tone that will make you question everyone too!
Church does a great job giving each member of the book club—Jessica, Amanda, Casey, and Sam—a distinct voice and personality. Jessica, in particular, stands out with her charismatic, commanding, borderline-intimidating voice and presence, perfectly conveying her as the leader of the club, but also suggesting she’s hiding secrets beneath the surface.
Church also does a great job pacing this fast-paced story and maintains tension throughout to keep you fully engaged. Even though some of the twists may be predictable for experienced thriller readers, Church delivers them with a lot of drama and emotional intensity to keep you invested, and they have a greater impact than they would reading the physical book.
Since The Dead Girls Book Club is only the first book in the series, Hannah Church has set the bar high, especially in entertainment value—and let’s hope she returns to narrate future installments!
Narrator Performance
The Dead Girls Book Club is read by experienced audiobook narrator Hannah Church. She portrays protagonist Amelia with a vulnerable yet determined voice that perfectly captures her loneliness and growing curiosity about the book club she’s joined and her husband’s whereabouts. Church adds increased tension and frustration to Amelia’s tone as her marriage becomes increasingly strained. The dialogue between Amelia and her husband, Ken, is narrated with a lot of expression and emotional intensity. Ken’s given a short-sounding, emotionally distant voice that makes him seem suspicious and unlikable even when there’s no proof that he’s done anything wrong. As the story unfolds and Amelia begins questioning everyone around her, Church adds extra unease and uncertainty into Amelia’s tone that will make you question everyone too!
Church does a great job giving each member of the book club—Jessica, Amanda, Casey, and Sam—a distinct voice and personality. Jessica, in particular, stands out with her charismatic, commanding, borderline-intimidating voice and presence, perfectly conveying her as the leader of the club, but also suggesting she’s hiding secrets beneath the surface.
Church also does a great job pacing this fast-paced story and maintains tension throughout to keep you fully engaged. Even though some of the twists may be predictable for experienced thriller readers, Church delivers them with a lot of drama and emotional intensity to keep you invested, and they have a greater impact than they would reading the physical book.
Since The Dead Girls Book Club is only the first book in the series, Hannah Church has set the bar high, especially in entertainment value—and let’s hope she returns to narrate future installments!
The Dead Girls Book Club is read by experienced audiobook narrator Hannah Church. She portrays protagonist Amelia with a vulnerable yet determined voice that perfectly captures her loneliness and growing curiosity about the book club she’s joined and her husband’s whereabouts. Church adds increased tension and frustration to Amelia’s tone as her marriage becomes increasingly strained. The dialogue between Amelia and her husband, Ken, is narrated with a lot of expression and emotional intensity. Ken’s given a short-sounding, emotionally distant voice that makes him seem suspicious and unlikable even when there’s no proof that he’s done anything wrong. As the story unfolds and Amelia begins questioning everyone around her, Church adds extra unease and uncertainty into Amelia’s tone that will make you question everyone too!
Church does a great job giving each member of the book club—Jessica, Amanda, Casey, and Sam—a distinct voice and personality. Jessica, in particular, stands out with her charismatic, commanding, borderline-intimidating voice and presence, perfectly conveying her as the leader of the club, but also suggesting she’s hiding secrets beneath the surface.
Church also does a great job pacing this fast-paced story and maintains tension throughout to keep you fully engaged. Even though some of the twists may be predictable for experienced thriller readers, Church delivers them with a lot of drama and emotional intensity to keep you invested, and they have a greater impact than they would reading the physical book.
Since The Dead Girls Book Club is only the first book in the series, Hannah Church has set the bar high, especially in entertainment value—and let’s hope she returns to narrate future installments!
