Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Detective Laurie Campbell is on the case when a teenage girl disappears and later is found dead. The circumstances of her death are similar to Annie’s many years before. Annie just happens to be Laurie’s mother in law, and her murderer Frank, Laurie’s father in law, had just been released from prison.

This one has sat in my to read pile for a while. I initially wanted to read it but then I wasn’t sure. Glad I have now.

The descriptions of the hurricane were vivid. It really let me imagine clearly what the characters were thinking experiencing.
I feel the relationships in the story could have even explored more. This was a good story but it was really slow. I prefer more of a fast paced book. It was a good read just not my preferred style.

The Running Girls has a good premise. The book seemed to be an interesting read when I picked it up. But I just could not enjoy it. This crime mystery falls short of expectations.

A truly excellent novel by Matt Brolly that kept me enthralled to the last pages. This book features Detective Louise Blackwell investigating the death of a woman found on the beach brutally killed and a woman called Annie who was killed twenty years previously with identical injuries, whose husband Frank was jailed for her murder.. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a good murder mystery.

Really interesting plot and story. I felt as though it was quite repetitive at times and I struggled to connect with any of the characters.

"The Running Girls" by Matt Brolly is an engaging thriller with a unique plot that kept me hooked. Brolly's writing style is smooth, and he expertly weaves together the suspenseful elements of the story. The characters are well-developed, and the pacing is just right, making it a satisfying read. While it didn't completely blow me away, I appreciated the effort put into this novel. It's a solid choice for those who enjoy mysteries and crime thrillers, even if it didn't quite reach the level of a 4 or 5-star read for me.

I really enjoy Matt Brolly's books normally but this book did not deliver for me. Detective Laurie Campbell's character is totally off for me particularly as she experienced a miscarriage which sadly I have in common with the character and I really could not agree with the way Brolly portrayed her as a woman. Maybe I am too close and sensitive to the issue. The plot was also too slow. The hurricane aspect did add some interest to the story but not enough to keep me satisfied with the book as a whole, sorry...

#TheRunningGirls #NetGalley This was a really tense thriller featuring a cold case murder, a modern day murder and an impending hurricane! It kept me on the edge of my seat with plenty of action and twists and turns. I liked the character of Laurie and even more strangely at first , the character of her father in law. A very good read.

This was the first book I've read from this author and I really enjoyed it. The story was different from anything I've read recently and really captured my attention. It was so well written.

Two murders, twenty years apart. The two victims look similar and are positioned with their bones broken to be in a running position. One man went to jail for the first killing but what if he’s innocent? I enjoyed the characters of this book, the suspense and the twist. I even purchased it when my ARC copy expired because I wanted to see it through!

A fairly decent plot for a mystery thriller, I just struggled with the repetition as it interrupted the overall flow. Overall a quick read, but in need of another edit.

I got into "The Running Girls" by Matt Brolly with high hopes having loved his earlier book "The Pier". Let's see if my hopes were dashed or upheld.

The story begins with Frank Randall being let out of prison, after 20 years of imprisonment, for the murder of his wife Annie Randall. Since his return to his hometown, only Laurie, his son David's wife and the town's lead detective, has been to visit him and even she can't talk to him about the past. When a girl, Grace, goes missing and is found dead a couple ofx later, all suspicions turn towards Frank again, particularly when Grace's injuries and method of death are closely similar to Annie's. In spite of all the overwhelming evidence against him, Laurie is quite not convinced that he is the killer

Who is the murderer? Why does he do the things he has done; do we get to understand that? We get the answers to these questions in a thrilling story of human relations, failings and their darkest fears.

The best part about this story for me was the way author Brolly has explored the various negative shades of human beings. Certain circumstances of the people of the story have been very sensitively explored and depicted The story has been told in Laurie's POV and Frank's POV primarily with the killer's thoughts thrown in occasionally.

The author has tried to make the story thrilling by keeping the reader ignorant of the killer's identity almost till the end; there at not many people who could be the killer anyway. The book starts with a bang and the author has maintained that thrill till about 70 percent of the story. However, the last part of the story is so very lengthy that it brings down the momentum of the whole story. It got boring to some extent and only got better towards the conclusion. That is once of the main reasons this book gets 4 stars instead of 5.

If you are looking to pass time with a book which explores the various dark facets of human beings with very little investment from you, then this is the best book for you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

wo murders, thirty years apart, that are by the same hand.
Randall, a man released after thirty years in prison for murdering his wife. Taking a plea bargain, so that he can have some sort of life after being released.
The only friend he seems to have, is local police officer, and daughter-in law. She visits, they talk, and she starts to see a side that most others don’t.
She starts to look into the case, and inconsistencies start to build up.
Then there is the weather. There’s a storm brewing, and is holding no prisoners, its going to be a big one. Essential service people are the only ones supposed to stay in place.
The storm does more than just destroy buildings and land. It uncovers all sorts of secrets, and truths.
This book really is gripping, and I know its a cliché but it’s a real page turner. And, it draws you in with each little turn in events.
The plot line and the characters are strong, and could easily be developed into a series.
It is the debut novel for the author and I doth my cap to him.
Status:Completed
Rating: 4.8/5.0

This was an okay story for me. It kind of feels very similar to a lot of crime junky stories I have read recently. The writing was good, the characters and storyline just fell a little flat for me.

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

The Running Girls is one of the best books I read this year. It's a dark story covering two murders that happen 16 years apart, and the goes on describing the broken family through the years, and how other events, like the death of a child, keep on putting a couple near to breaking point. Fast-paced, well-written, with a startling ending! Highly recommended!

This was my first time reading a book by Matt Brolly but I found The Running Girls to be a very captivating read! I first seen it as an Amazon First Reads but I obtained the arc from NetGalley. It’s the story of 2 murders that take place more than 16 years apart. Both times the victims are killed in the same way and staged like they are runners. The first murder was blamed on the husband, he was sent to prison, served his time and was released. Then when the 2nd murder takes place, who do you think everyone suspects? It’s up to Detective Laurie Campbell, daughter-in-law of the accused Frank Randall to solve the case. But not only is there a murder to investigate, there’s a hurricane taking place in Galveston that makes things harder and all the more dangerous. This was a really great story that had me feeling tense and nervous at times with anticipation. Id like to thank NetGalley for the arc. I enjoyed reading this and would love to read more by this author. I’d recommend this to all mystery and suspense lovers out there. I’m giving it a 5 star rating and am happy to have found a new author to read.

Twenty years ago, in the seaside town of Galveston, Texas, Annie Randall took her dog for a walk. The dog returned. Annie did not. When her body was found, cruelly broken and posed like a runner, there was only ever one suspect: Annie’s husband, Frank. Now he’s served his time and come home – but the locals won’t let him forget. Especially when there’s a new ‘running girl’ murder…

Detective Laurie Campbell remembers Annie’s case. She’s also married to the Randalls’ son. Painfully conscious of the deep wounds within her family, and still suffering from a personal tragedy of her own, Laurie takes the lead on the new investigation. As much as the finger of suspicion points to her father-in-law, something doesn’t add up. If he didn’t commit the most recent murder, is it possible he never killed Annie either? And if he didn’t, who did?

As a terrifying hurricane hits Galveston, Laurie finds herself in a dangerous race against time. Can she find the answers that could heal her broken family before the wind and the waves hide them forever?

Loved this wonderfully written mystery/thriller. Will recommend this story to others.

This book was interesting and was so fast-paced that I didn’t put it down after the first page. Unfortunately, the pacing was the only thing pushing the story forward. The plot itself was a little too twisted, in a way that fully took me out of the story. The character development was minimal, and disappointing. The main character, Laurie, is written as a depressing woman, not a depressed woman. It was clear through the writing that Brolly is not a woman who has experienced a miscarriage and that Brolly has not spent significant time in Texas. The first few twists had me excited, but the ending was bleak.

Frank Randall went to prison for murdering his wife. Sixteen years later he is released and returns back to his Galveston hometown where his estranged family still resides. Soon after his return another woman is killed is similar fashion to his wife. Detective Laurie Campbell is married to Frank's estranged son. She doesn't think he killed the latest victim, leading her to question his guilt in the original crime. Soon the body count ratchets up and Laurie must solve the case as a hurricane is barreling toward the area. This was a tense read and I enjoyed that the author gave us the backstories of the characters, particularly Laurie, so they were more than cardboard cut out characters.