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The Shining Girls

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The Shining Girls

By: Lauren Beukes
Narrated by: Christopher Ragland
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About this listen

The jaw-dropping, page-turning, critically-acclaimed book of the year: a serial-killer thriller unlike any other from the award-winning Lauren Beukes. ‘GONE GIRL has not exactly gone. But THE SHINING GIRLS have arrived’ (The Times).

THE SHINING GIRLS is now streaming on Apple TV+, starring Elisabeth Moss and Jamie Bell

“It’s not my fault. It’s yours. You shouldn’t shine. You shouldn’t make me do this.”

Chicago 1931. Harper Curtis, a violent drifter, stumbles on a house with a secret as shocking as his own twisted nature – it opens onto other times. He uses it to stalk his carefully chosen 'shining girls' through the decades – and cut the spark out of them.

He’s the perfect killer. Unstoppable. Untraceable. He thinks…

Chicago, 1992. They say what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Tell that to Kirby Mazrachi, whose life was shattered after a brutal attempt to murder her. Still struggling to find her attacker, her only ally is Dan, an ex-homicide reporter who covered her case and now might be falling in love with her.

As Kirby investigates, she finds the other girls – the ones who didn’t make it. The evidence is … impossible. But for a girl who should be dead, impossible doesn’t mean it didn’t happen…

©2013 Lauren Buekes (P)2013 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Action & Adventure Crime Thrillers Mystery Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Exciting Scary Murder

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Critic reviews

‘A powerful thriller – imaginative, disturbing, tense, compelling reading’ The Times

‘I’m all over it’ Gillian Flynn, author of Gone Girl

‘Brilliant. A book about the duel of two fabulously realized characters. A triumph’ Independent

‘Clever story, smart prose’ Stephen King

‘Extremely creepy’ Mail on Sunday (‘Must Reads’)

‘Very smart, wholly original, completely kick-ass’ William Gibson

‘Engrossing as it is original, as rewarding as it is challenging. Superb – a beautifully layered work of fiction. Take the time to read this, it’s mesmerizing’ Sun

‘Utterly original, beautifully written. This is something special’ Tana French, author of In The Woods

‘Brilliant. Forget GONE GIRL, now it’s all about THE SHINING GIRLS’ Observer

‘Disturbing, smart and beautifully written’ Erin Morgenstern, author of The Night Circus

‘This year’s must-read’ Stylist

‘A new kind of thriller. A dark, relentless, time-twisting, page-turning murder story. It shines’ Matt Haig, author of The Humans
All stars
Most relevant
Novel somewhat in the style of Stephen King (I mean that in a good way): supernatural, slow-burn but well-paced and interesting. Not outstanding: neither powerfully gripping, nor beautifully descriptive, nor intellectually intriguing. But a rewarding listen nonetheless. Oh dear, feels like I'm damning it with faint praise: not my intention, it's just that this book is neither "meh" nor "wow", it's simply a good read. And boy, there are plenty of very BAD reads out there, right Harlan?

Interesting read

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After reading reviews and hearing the author interviewed on Woman's Hour I was so excited to download 'The Shining Girls' and in many ways it did not disappoint. It is beautifully written and narrated and what a fantastic concept - a time travelling serial killer. I was a little concerned that this would take it into the sci- fi genre but crime fiction lovers can relax- it reads very much like a crime novel and I just accepted the time travelling element without question. I loved the chapters focusing on Kirby- a surviving victim- and her hunt for Harper the serial killer and these chapters were definitely the strongest part of the novel. The chapters focusing on Harper's victims were a little less successful as I did get a little confused around time and characters. This may however be to do with listening to rather than reading the novel. I was disappointed with the ending but it's hard to know how it could have been concluded. Overall though, a highly recommended listen by a brilliant author.

An intriguing concept

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I don’t know how this author has escaped me until now, but she’s my new favourite!

Absolutely amazing writing, and a really unique story:)

A great listen/read!

So well written!

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Wasn't sure at first as it varied a bit from the TV series. But loved the whole thing by end of the first chapter. Well read, loved the different tones and depth of voice for the different characters.

Absolutely Loved it!

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I loved this book. I was gripped the whole time. A rare find, that sparked my love of audio books again.

A must listen!

Gripping, kept me wanting more

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