The Quarry Girls.

 

 

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 CONTAINS SPOILERS

 

Minnesota, 1977. For the teens of one close-knit community, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city. But for two best friends, it’s not all fun and games. 

Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears—the second girl to vanish in a week. And yet the authorities are reluctant to investigate. 

Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents. But she can’t stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.
She also knows she’s next. 

 

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Haunting. I find thrillers based on true crime fascinating. I anticipated that The Quarry Girls would be an intense story to read, but I didn't realize how much. Some parts became difficult for me to read. I ‘ve read a few thrillers through the years, but none of them as intense as this one. I had a bad feeling since Beth went missing, and after a few chapters, I began to wonder if they'd find her before it was too late. I had the impression that the police were unconcerned about her situation. It wasn't until the others went missing that they began to suspect that there was someone out there stalking the girls. However, I had the impression that they were not taking it seriously enough, and that there was something they were hiding. 

The Quarry Girls is not a light read. I felt every single description and emotion that Heather and Beth were thinking about. I thought it was unique that they included Heather and Beth's points of view in the story. Beth's point of view was the most difficult to read; at times, I felt as if I had transformed into the story, experiencing all her fear. I was beginning to wonder if she'd make it out alive. I was intrigued to see how Heather and her friends might find Beth and rescue her, and I couldn't help but wonder how their stories might intersect. 

That ending. I can't begin to express how I felt about it. The Quarry Girls was one of those books that just when you think you've figured it out, another twist makes you reconsider everything. This is the book that I wish I had read sooner than I did. I found it interesting that the author mentioned and discussed actual serial killers from that time period, making the story more realistic. I would strongly recommend this book to any thriller fan.