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The Roanoke Girls

An absolutely gripping dark and twisty thriller and the number one ebook bestseller and Richard & Judy bookclub pick

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The Roanoke Girls

By: Amy Engel
Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
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About this listen

 A gripping, provocative thriller about the twisted secrets families keep, perfect for fans of The Girls.

'Deeply, darkly twisted. I loved it.' Sarah Hilary, SOMEONE ELSE'S SKIN
'Utterly addictive.' Lisa Hall, BETWEEN YOU AND ME
'Dark and intense, [with] a compelling twist.' L.S. Hilton, MAESTRA

Beautiful.
Rich.
Mysterious.

The Roanoke girls seem to have it all. But there's a dark truth about them which is never spoken. Every girl either runs away, or dies.

Lane is one of the lucky ones. When she was fifteen, over one long, hot summer at her grandparents' estate in rural Kansas, she found out what it really means to be a Roanoke girl. Lane ran, far and fast. Until eleven years later, when her cousin Allegra goes missing - and Lane has no choice but to go back.

She is a Roanoke girl.

Is she strong enough to escape a second time?

(P)2017 Penguin Random House LLP©2017 Amy Engel Domestic Thrillers Genre Fiction Mystery Small Town & Rural Suspense Technothrillers Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Scary

Critic reviews

A provocative thriller
A debt to Daphne du Maurier is evident throughout this remarkably assured adult debut
Fans of The Girls will love this sweat-soaked, sultry, small town tale full of shadows and lurking dread.
'Deeply, darkly twisted. I loved it. A (vastly superior) Flowers in the Attic for a new generation' (Sarah Hilary (author of Someone Else's Skin ))
Twisted, controversial...SO compelling and beautifully written (Claire Douglas, Sunday Times bestselling author of Local Girl, Missing )
Beautifully written and utterly captivating...and so so dark. I loved it! (Katerina Diamond, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Teacher)
'One of the best books I've read in a long time...Gripping, twisty, dark - what a page turner. One not to miss!' (Rebecca Done (author of This Secret We're Keeping ))
'I was immediately drawn into The Roanoke Girls, a haunting and riveting look at one family's tangled legacy. You won't stop reading until you've unraveled the darkest of Roanoke's shocking secrets' (Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood)
'Dark and intense... with a compelling twist which will remain with you long after the book's last sentence' (L.S. Hilton, author of Maestra)
'An emotionally compelling page turner, The Roanoke Girls takes you inside the dark world of a twisted family' (Wendy Walker, author of All Is Not Forgotten)
'Utterly utterly gripping; at the end I was destroyed' (Liz Loves Books)
'Atmospheric. Claustrophobic. Creepy...elicit[s] a slow sense of dread' (Book by Book)
'Creepy, twisted, compelling, The Roanoke Girls crawls under your skin and stays there' (Harriet Reuter Hapgood, author of The Square Root of Summer)
Seriously twisted and utterly addictive. (Lisa Hall (author of Between You and Me ))
One of the most disturbingly gripping books I have ever read (Ruth Dugall, author of The Woman Before Me )
[This] creepy thriller of doomed women is perfect for our times (Jenny Boylan, New York Times bestselling author)
A smoking hot barn burner of a book, diving into some of society's deepest taboos and yanking them from the shadows (Bloglovin')
'An emotionally captivating read'
'This gothic page-turner speeds inexorably toward the kind of devastating revelations readers won't soon forget'
Dark, disturbing, and deliciously written, The Roanoke Girls pulls you relentlessly into its twisted heart (Ava Marsh, author of Untouchable)
This book is stunning. Stunning but dark, so so dark. Wow. (Cressida McLaughlin, author of The Canal Boat Cafe)
All stars
Most relevant
Struggled with this.
no pace to the story at all. Bimbles along at a glacial pace and I was utterly bored by probably chapter 10 but forced myself ro listen until 18 at which point I returned the book.
I bought this due to the reviews being 4.5 stars and being a fan of a thriller / mystery...this was neither really... I can hazard a very good guess as to how this tale plays out.
Well narrated. Weak plotline.

Up to chapter 18 and I gave up.....

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This book is beautifully written and narrated. The storyline is interesting however contains subjects that may be uncomfortable for some listeners.

Uncomfortable excellence

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I really enjoyed this audiobook, it has a stylishly midwestern flair and covers a dark and unusual subject matter. If you enjoy American writers such as Gillian Flynn and Donna Tartt you should enjoy this. The narration is excellent too! I wouldn't really call it a thriller - it's more of a whodunnit; although I did guess who the culprit was part way through, however, it still kept me gripped. The characters are layered and damaged and the writing successfully evokes the heat and dust of Kansas in summer. Great attention to detail! The Roanoke Girls is probably my favourite read/listen of 2018 and it stayed with me for days after I had finished it.

Dark Story, Captivating Writing & Great Narration

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Any additional comments?

First and foremost, I want to commend Brittany Pressley on her excellent and outstanding narration. I thought her tone and voices were spot on. This is my first book by Amy Engel, and it's a remarkable piece of work. The subject matter is very hard, but Ms Engel tackles it head on. There are so many layers to this book. The abuse and the problem being with the town's wealthiest, philanthropic family. There is no shying away from the devastation such abuse brings. My heart broke for The Roanoke girls, each and every one. Ms Engel's writing is wonderful, every word and sentence carefully honed for maximum impact. Despite it pouring with rain in real life, I could feel the unbearable heat of a summer in Kansas, so forceful was the description. The subject may be difficult, but this is an enjoyable book. How can you fail to get pleasure from such sensitive and genius writing? 5 stars from me.

Exquisite writing

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Definitely a GREAT read, a little predictable in parts for me. But has a gripping ending!

Great story.....

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