A terrifying psychological thriller with a romance wrapped up at the heart of it, Good Little Girls isn’t a read for the faint-hearted. It tells the story of Tinsley, the only surviving victim of the Skull, a serial killer who liked to keep his victims as sex slaves, in some cases for months, before finally killing them. Tinsley got away thanks to Wyatt, an FBI agent on her case, but the Skull remains at large.
Unable to leave her home due to crippling agoraphobia, when strange things start happening and skulls are left on her porch, Tinsley is driven to near panic. Wyatt is one of very few people she trusts, but he can’t be with her at all times, especially since the female vigilantes known as the Keepers have struck again, killing a notorious rapist who walked free on a technicality.
Rita Herron pulls no punches with her descriptions; the rapes and abuse Tinsley suffered are detailed pretty graphically and could be extremely triggering. There’s also animal cruelty, child abuse and murder, all described in what I’d call clinical detail. Not in the least titillating, it’s more a delve into the minds of victims of violent sex crimes which, for me at least, goes a little too deep to call it a romantic suspense, one of the categories it’s listed in. It’s a crime thriller with a side of romance, and if you’re considering this because it’s a highly rated romantic suspense you might want to have a rethink in light of the graphic violence and abuse. I LIKE crime thrillers, even true crime, and it was a bit much for me despite being very well written and realistic. Too much so, I think. Even true crime doesn’t delve that deeply into the psyches of the victims. I’m giving it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review through NetGalley.