02/07/2022
The four longtime friends at the center of this enjoyable psychological thriller from British author Morgan (The Babysitter) used to call themselves “the wild girls” until an incident drove a wedge among them two years earlier. Now, teacher Alice Warner, new mother Hannah Jones, and introvert Grace Carter, all Londoners, each receive an invitation from Felicity Denbigh, with whom they lost contact after Felicity moved to Manhattan with her boyfriend, to attend her 30th birthday party in Botswana, all expenses paid. When Alice, Hannah, and Grace, who each view the trip as a way to settle past grievances, arrive in Botswana, they’re driven from the airport to Deception Valley Lodges, a luxury resort—except there are no other guests and no birthday celebration, and with no phone signal or internet connection, they can’t reach the outside world. Terror lurks in every crevice of the resort while dangerous animals roam in the bush, and past deeds that pulled apart the friends become life threatening. The suspense ramps up as the plot evolves into a locked-room mystery. This perceptive look at female friendship and betrayal will resonate with many. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson Literary. (Apr.)
"When three estranged friends set off for an all-expenses-paid trip to Botswana, you just know it won’t be long before they discover the catch—and what a terrifying one it is! Tense, well-paced and with a cast of relatable flesh-and-blood women, The Wild Girls is an exhilarating, read-in-one sitting ride." — Louise Candlish, #1 internationally bestselling author
"A wonderfully atmospheric thriller of secrets, lies and betrayals, The Wild Girls is a heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read with a dark sense of menace and hugely relatable characters." — B. A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors
"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting." — Deborah O’Connor, author of The Captive
"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns." — K.L. Slater
“Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.” — Booklist
"A tense, torturous thriller . . . keenly realized and entirely relatable." — The Sunday Post (UK)
"This is great. Kept me gripped!" — Jane Fallon, author of Faking Friends
Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.
"A tense, torturous thriller . . . keenly realized and entirely relatable."
"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting."
"When three estranged friends set off for an all-expenses-paid trip to Botswana, you just know it won’t be long before they discover the catch—and what a terrifying one it is! Tense, well-paced and with a cast of relatable flesh-and-blood women, The Wild Girls is an exhilarating, read-in-one sitting ride."
"A wonderfully atmospheric thriller of secrets, lies and betrayals, The Wild Girls is a heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read with a dark sense of menace and hugely relatable characters."
"This is great. Kept me gripped!"
"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns."
Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.
"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns."
"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting."
Narrators Stephanie Racine, Polly Baron, Silvia Presente, and Olivia Dowd portray friends in a formerly tight-knit group in this ensemble thriller. Once known as the “Wild Girls,” the women are excited to escape their boring lives for Felicity’s safari birthday bash. Alice is now a teacher, Grace is a homebody, and Hannah is a mother. Each woman has secrets, and this breeds distrust when they arrive at the African locale to find that, strangely, they are the sole visitors. The strangeness becomes unsettling when threatening notes appear. Racine is excellent as emotional Grace, her voice catching on the word “victim.” Baron’s soft, self-assured voice matches Hannah’s caretaking role, Presente uses an airy tone for Alice, belying the character’s suspicions, and Dowd uses subtle inflections as Felicity. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrators Stephanie Racine, Polly Baron, Silvia Presente, and Olivia Dowd portray friends in a formerly tight-knit group in this ensemble thriller. Once known as the “Wild Girls,” the women are excited to escape their boring lives for Felicity’s safari birthday bash. Alice is now a teacher, Grace is a homebody, and Hannah is a mother. Each woman has secrets, and this breeds distrust when they arrive at the African locale to find that, strangely, they are the sole visitors. The strangeness becomes unsettling when threatening notes appear. Racine is excellent as emotional Grace, her voice catching on the word “victim.” Baron’s soft, self-assured voice matches Hannah’s caretaking role, Presente uses an airy tone for Alice, belying the character’s suspicions, and Dowd uses subtle inflections as Felicity. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
