Girls like us by Cristine Alger

FBI agent Nell Flynn has never had a close relationship with her father Martin. When she was seven, her mother was brutally murdered in their home, while Nell was out camping with her father. The police quickly found a culprit, although there were some doubts voiced by an astute reporter. Now Nell is back to the Suffolk county to scatter her father’s ashes. Her father, who had a recurring problem with alcohol, had a motorbike accident, which could and was easily attributed to his tiredness, slippery road conditions and old tires on the bike. Nell is still recovering, physically and mentally, from a shoot out during her previous case, when, unexpectedly, her father’s partner and Nell’s former schoolmate Lee Davis asks her to come to a murder scene and give a consult as a behavioural profiler. The victim is quickly identified as Adriana Marquez, a young Latina girl who lived with her sister’s family and provided escorting services from time to time. The case bears an uncanny resemblance to another cold case her father was working on. Soon Nell begins to suspect that her father might have known a lot more and could have even been involved in these crimes either as a perpetrator, or an accomplice.

The book is extremely fast-paced and gripping. It kept me up until the small hours- I just needed to know how it was going to end. I loved the protagonist with her tenacious spirit and sense of justice. After all, Ria and Adriana were girls like us, girls who deserved a better life and chance for happiness. At the very least, as victims of these horrendous crimes, they deserve their case being properly investigated, the murderer punished and their death being mourned for what it was- a tragic waste of young life and hope.

Highly recommended for anybody who loves action-packed thrillers with a strong female lead.

Thank you to Edelweiss and G.P.Putnam’s sons for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.