Girls Like Us (Putman, $26.00) by Cristina Alger is a fast three evening read. FBI agent Nell Flynn has returned home for the funeral of her father who was a detective in the Suffolk county police force on Long Island. While there, a partially decomposed body of a young woman is found, and Nell is recruited to assist the investigation since it appears to the work of a serial killer.
Soon Nell suspects either her father or other cops are involved in killing escorts working for a billionaire whose house is near the site of the grave. There’s little surprise to the plot since at least some of her initial suspicion is accurate, although there is a nice little twist at the end.
Nell seems emotionally vacant; a machine designed to absorb gunshots and solve crimes. We know nothing of anybody who has loved her or ever been attracted to her. Her mother was killed when she was seven and she was raised by a distracted father. Nell was recently wounded in the line of duty and if not for that we would know little about her. I’m sure Alger wanted a page-turner, but a little more in-depth characterization on someone as sympathetic as Nell would have made it more interesting.
There’s a huge hole in the plot. According to Nell the second girl had to have been killed by a tall person since the angle of the bullet came from above the victim. Thus, the search is narrowed to tall people. However, it occurred to me about ten pages in, that the victim could have been kneeling, or sitting in a chair, shot by someone standing on the stairs. Even a short person. I would think an FBI agent would realize that and expand her search horizon. For this reason, I have to give this book a C+.
Steve E Clark as seen in the New York Times is Author of Justice Is for the Lonely and Justice Is for the Deserving, Kristen Kerry Novels Of Suspense. Steve is a 2017 NY Big Book Award winner and a 2018 Independent Book Awards recipient. You can purchase his books via https://steveclarkauthor.com/buy-the-book/ or request it at your local book store. Want to know more about Steve Clark, read more reviews or speak directly with Steve? Learn more about Steve at SteveClarkAuthor.com
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