“12 girls gone. Can she save The 13th Girl?

After decades in a mental health hospital, Dee knows that people find her creepy – because they tell her so. Once the reluctant star of an infamous documentary, she is trying to blend back into the outside world. But when a string of local girls disappear, only to be found dead days later, she becomes fixated on the case and decides to film her own True Crime documentary.

There is a serial killer on the loose – The Righteous Wraith. Girls are being found one by one, their bodies gruesomely staged in the most innocent public spaces. With the killer taunting the police and public fear mounting, the armchair detectives begin pointing fingers at one suspect. But for Dee, something isn’t adding up.

She knows what it’s like to be accused of something that you didn’t do.

She resolves to prove his innocence, unmask the real killer, and save The 13th Girl.

But who will believe her?”

Hello and welcome to damppebbles. Today I am delighted to share my review of The 13th Girl by N.V. Peacock. The 13th Girl was published by Hera Books on 1st February 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats. I chose to read a free ARC of The 13th Girl but that has in no way influenced my review. My grateful thanks to Kate at Hera Books for sending me a finished copy.

Following a terrible accident as a child, which led to her suffering bursts of furious rage as a young teen, adult Dee is seen by many as different and weird. Particularly after she was made the unwilling star of a viral documentary by someone she thought was a friend. Many still believe Dee to be possessed, having watched her exorcism on film, something that keeps many people at bay and that suits Dee just fine. When a notorious serial killer starts snatching women from the streets of Northamptonshire, Dee sees this as the perfect opportunity to start her own career as a documentary film maker. All she needs is an angle. And that angle is Andy Fryer. Andy is believed by many to be the serial killer who calls themselves ‘The Righteous Wraith’ but Dee isn’t so sure. After all, she knows how it feels when people get it wrong. When they judge your character and accuse you of things that just aren’t true. Dee feels it’s her duty to prove Andy innocent, unmask the true killer and to make her name as the next big thing in documentary film making. That’s providing the killer doesn’t get to her first…

The 13th Girl is a very compelling, thoroughly enjoyable serial killer thriller. It felt quite different to others in the same genre and truth be told, I was sold! I really enjoyed every moment I spent with this book. Reluctant to put it down when life demanded, but ALWAYS keen to return to Dee’s story and find out where our unlikely protagonist would end up next. I’m not sure Dee will be a hit with all readers but the more of her story I read, the more I warmed to her. As a child she was involved in a devastating accident. The reader gets the bare bones of the incident, thanks to her fear of getting in a car. The accident resulted in Dee suffering from uncontrollable flashes of rage, moments she describes as ‘red’. Her church-going parents, unable to deal with the change in their daughter, agree to have her exorcised – all arranged by Louisa Black, a novice documentary maker who convinces them Dee is possessed by a demon. The exorcism goes ahead, every moment filmed by a fame hungry Louisa. Flash forward several decades and after spending most of her life in a mental health hospital, Dee is finally starting over. She’s living back with her parents, she takes the bus everywhere, she isn’t allowed a key to her parent’s house, she’s only allowed to use plastic cutlery, she has a sweet tooth that made my own teeth hum and she’s determined to find a vicious murderer who sadistically kills and maims his poor victims, leaving them in the most macabre set-ups. Dee is an unlikely hero but I thought she was magnificent.

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with The 13th Girl and will, without a doubt, be downloading the author’s first two books. My main focus was on discovering who the murderer was, I was keen to find out if my suspicions were correct. And I was right, in a way. But a lot of the appeal of this book was also the grisly murders, the taunting letters the killer sent, the macabre tableaus set for the unfortunate soul who discovered the bodies. And as the title of the book implies, there are many bodies. I do love a serial killer thriller! The relationship Dee has with her parents is written so well that I felt really quite awkward at times, it’s strained at best! Dee’s father tries his best but Dee’s mother, I couldn’t help but feel she was living on the edge. Waiting for Dee to relapse again. This once religious family has all but turned its back on its faith, Dee being the only believer left. She turns to God for signs she should follow a certain path or just for someone to talk to when she’s unsure or lonely. There are many references to God and the church which I didn’t mind as religion is a big part of Dee’s life. It’s all part of her story. All in all, I very much enjoyed The 13th Girl. I enjoyed spending time with Dee, I thought she was quite different to many other lead protagonists in crime fiction. There’s a vulnerability there. I thought the plot was paced extremely well with lots of tense, gripping moments and lots of intrigue to keep me turning the pages. I couldn’t help but feel that if Strange Sally Diamond (Liz Nugent) and Death of a Bookseller (Alice Slater) had a baby, The 13th Girl would be the result. Highly compelling, great characterisation and a perfectly pitched, twisty plot. Recommended.

I chose to read and review a free ARC of The 13th Girl. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

The 13th Girl by N.V. Peacock was published in the UK by Hera Books on 1st February 2024 and is available in paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | bookshop.org | Goodreads | damppebbles bookshop.org shop | damppebbles amazon.co.uk shop | damppebbles amazon.com shop |

Ten years ago, Nicky discovered the anthology market and it wasn’t long before her first short story was published. With over 30 stories in horror, thriller and paranormal anthologies for publishers all over the world, including stories in the Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper and a Women in Horror Anthology, she’s no stranger to the dark side. After writing 5 YA supernatural novellas, she turned her hand to an adult thriller – and her debut novel, Little Bones, was born.

Represented by literary agents David Higham Associates, she has been published by Harper Collins and just signed a two book deal with Hera Books.

About her writing, Nicky says, ‘Entertaining readers is the best feeling in the world. Times are tough at the moment, so to be able to transport readers into someone else’s life and take them on a twisty journey makes all the time and effort I put into my books worthwhile.’

Nicky appreciates every review she receives and thanks all her readers in advance for taking the time to put fingers to keyboard and share their thoughts with other readers.

N V Peacock also writes as Nicky Peacock.