Girl 4
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Review
“Carver is only just warming up. Worth a read”--News of The World
“A tense and often gory read, this will have you guessing who this killer is from page one.”--Darlington and Stockton Times
“Here is a cracking debut by a new British thriller writer to watch...Chilling stuff and a real page turner.”--Peterborough Evening Telegraph
“The book, while gruesome, is not gratuitous and has a clever plotline and theme running through the text.”--Wokingham Times
“A tense and often gory read, this will have you guessing who this killer is from page one.”--Darlington and Stockton Times
“Here is a cracking debut by a new British thriller writer to watch...Chilling stuff and a real page turner.”--Peterborough Evening Telegraph
“The book, while gruesome, is not gratuitous and has a clever plotline and theme running through the text.”--Wokingham Times
Book Description
A major new thriller launch from a chilling new voice in the genre
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
I found this story an original and absorbing thriller and it's refreshing to read a book that offers something slightly different from your run-of-the-mill `cop chasing serial killer as time is running out' scenario. Our hero is DI January David, or `Jan' as he prefers to be known and the story is told alternately from his perspective, that of the killer (Eames) and of the six girls who are his victims. The significance of Girl 4 becomes clear as the story unfolds.
There is a vaguely supernatural element to proceedings which I found a novel twist, involving `The Smiling Man', who is very sinister and sections of the narrative are told as if with the benefit of hindsight, which works particularly well when it relates to the victims. Events unfold pretty fast, jumping back and forward, so you have to make an effort to keep up in places and I for one didn't see the twist at the end until it was upon me.
Bizarrely, I found myself thinking of classic Vincent Price films such as `Theatre of Blood' and `The Abominable Dr Phibes' when nearing the end of this book, maybe it was the nature of the victims deaths following a pre-meditated theme, the slight black humour employed and the luring of the detective only when it was time for him to become involved in the proceedings. This is meant as a compliment, of course!
It's not a long book and I found myself flying through it, soon becoming absorbed in the story. Paulson and Murphy's characters are believable and well drawn, as is Jan's wife Audrey and we get enough of his personal history to make us relate to his character and root for him as things get tricky and he starts to question his own sanity. My only criticism is that the writing can be a little confused in places, sentences and paragraphs needed to be re-read to be fully understood. Other than that, this is a great story and I'll certainly look out for further books by this author.
There is a vaguely supernatural element to proceedings which I found a novel twist, involving `The Smiling Man', who is very sinister and sections of the narrative are told as if with the benefit of hindsight, which works particularly well when it relates to the victims. Events unfold pretty fast, jumping back and forward, so you have to make an effort to keep up in places and I for one didn't see the twist at the end until it was upon me.
Bizarrely, I found myself thinking of classic Vincent Price films such as `Theatre of Blood' and `The Abominable Dr Phibes' when nearing the end of this book, maybe it was the nature of the victims deaths following a pre-meditated theme, the slight black humour employed and the luring of the detective only when it was time for him to become involved in the proceedings. This is meant as a compliment, of course!
It's not a long book and I found myself flying through it, soon becoming absorbed in the story. Paulson and Murphy's characters are believable and well drawn, as is Jan's wife Audrey and we get enough of his personal history to make us relate to his character and root for him as things get tricky and he starts to question his own sanity. My only criticism is that the writing can be a little confused in places, sentences and paragraphs needed to be re-read to be fully understood. Other than that, this is a great story and I'll certainly look out for further books by this author.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I found that this book was unexpectanly enjoyable, it was grusome in all the right ways, making it an intriguing and clever book.
I'm not a huge fan of supernatural reads however, so the 'visions' that the protagonist January was having made the book very different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed the book, however the authenticity of the book was lost due to 'the smiling man'. Despite this, I feel Girl 4 has actually encouraged me to start reading more crime novels, and even supernatural ones.
The twists within this book make it worth reading for sure, it was well written and faced paced, definatly a author I would read again.
I'm not a huge fan of supernatural reads however, so the 'visions' that the protagonist January was having made the book very different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed the book, however the authenticity of the book was lost due to 'the smiling man'. Despite this, I feel Girl 4 has actually encouraged me to start reading more crime novels, and even supernatural ones.
The twists within this book make it worth reading for sure, it was well written and faced paced, definatly a author I would read again.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This exciting first thriller by Will Carver is a promising start to his career and on the evidence of this it should be a good one. It involves Detective Inspector January David who has been investigating a series of murders of women, Girls one, two and three but not getting anywhere, then these murders appear to stop until several months later Girl number four is found, with a vital difference, this time the girl is still alive and January knows her, he should do he married her just after the other murders started. Will Carver has written a chilling portrayal of a serial killer here, with the story being told from the point of view of the detective, the killer and eerily the victim's. It does seem a little bit strange hearing from the girl's after they have been killed, almost as if they could speak from the grave, but it all adds something to the narrative. The whole novel is fast flowing with quite short chapter's and with suitably gruesome murder's there is much to enjoy, if that is your thing and I couldn't have guessed the outcome, though I did often think throughout the novel that I knew "whodunnit". The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger which I think is going to be explored further in the next book, which puts me in mind of the Gretchen Lowell series by Chelsea Cain. I have really enjoyed this book and look forward to his follow up when it is released. Recommended.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The dark world of Mr David
This is a really good read if you're into your crime thrillers. Our hero is Jan, or January David. He's a stubbly, scotch swilling city detective with a cynical world view but a... Read more
Published 9 days ago by Terence Corness
Different thriller
The reason that I have decided to write a review is because as well as really enjoying this book it is such a different way of writing a thriller that I felt it was worth a... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Louiseog
Excellent choice of reading
This was a great first novel for an up- and-coming new great author, its full of suspense, has that shock factor, and leaves you reeling for more. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Book lover
Brilliant debut - a must read!
If you think you've read too many crime novels and are bored with all the same stories then you have to read Will Carver's Girl 4! Read more
Published 2 months ago by N. Helfrich
A darn good read
It took a little while to get used to going backward and forward in time but once that was achieved it was a good read. Read more
Published 2 months ago by the-borrower
Couldn't put it down
It's been a while since I last sat down and read a book, in its entirety, in one day and I have to admit when I began reading Will Carver's Girl 4 yesterday I had no idea the hold... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Warnie Wombat
a gripping read
This book is the story of DI January David and his investigation into a serial killer. Each chapter is narrated by different people either David, the killer or one of the... Read more
Published 4 months ago by S. J. Mackenzie
Original take on a serial killer
I started this book expecting another gory serial killer story, which would have been fine if a bit ho-hum. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Penny Waugh
Original and exciting
I love the way the author gives "endings" and then explanatory "middle" information. It makes it very exciting. Read more
Published 6 months ago by AliM
An attempt at something less run-of-the-mill
This book presents itself as the usual type of police procedural / serial killer effort, which you'd be forgiven for taking it for if you read the summary blurb (as I did). Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. O'Brien
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