In “The Girl Who Lived” by Christopher Greyson we meet Faith – the sole survivor in a mass murder where her father, sister, best friend and her best friends mother were all killed. After years of being in institutions Faith is released back into the world. What she thought would be a fresh start turns out to be worse then she could ever had imagined.

Things keep happening to her to the point she thinks is finally going crazy. She does not know who she can trust so turns who she thinks is the one person who she could count on – but that might be her biggest mistake yet.

I received this book through Net Galley and this is my honest review.

FANTASTICALLY thrilling! Greyson grabs you from page one and doesn't let go until the absolute end! This is a definite beach read for 2018!

Wow... Another great read from Christopher Greyson! I absolutely love his writing style... Greyson is definitely a master at storytelling! I was hooked right from the start and couldn't put this book down. You won't be disappointed when you pick this one up, no doubt, you will be on the edge of your seat like I was!

If you are into dark, twisted psychological thrillers like I am, then this is the book for you! Highly recommend

Many thanks to NetGalley and Greyson Media Associates for providing me with this ARC.

Through my association with NetGalley, I have opportunities to read a wide variety of book by quite a variety of authors. I had never read any of Christopher Greyson's previous books, but based upon this thriller, I'm sure I'll be going back to catch some of his other work. This book was definitely an exciting psychological thriller - the proof? I picked up the book and couldn't put it down until I read the last page.

The Girl Who Lived is just that -- it's about a young girl who continues to live when her loved ones are murdered.  Faith Winters' 13th birthday became a nightmare when she watched her family get killed. Police closed the case believing that Faith's father killed everyone and then killed himself, but Faith knows it wasn't her father that she saw commit these crimes.

Faith is released from a psychiatric hospital just in time for the ten year anniversary of the murders.  Faith wants one thing: she wants to get to the truth and make sure the murderer pays for the crimes. Other people in her life want her to stay sober and focus on rebuilding her life. Her mother has everything ready for her to start her life too - AA meetings and a sponsor, therapy, an apartment, a car, and even some possible job opportunities. 

I don’t want to give away anymore information than this though - I don't write spoilers! This was a fast read and I kept turning the pages to see who was the killer.  Greyson’s writing is great – it pulls in the reader right away.  The characters in this story are very well developed and the plot has some pretty awesome twists and turns to keep readers guessing.

I received an advanced readers digital copy of this book from NetGalley and in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to provide a positive review but I chose to because it was a great book!! Thank you NetGalley!

Reading The Girl Who Lived is like watching a great psychological thriller movie because of how brilliantly Greyson's storytelling is. This is one of those books that readers will try to finish reading in one sitting because that is how interesting and exciting the story is. I wonder now on when will come the time for movie or tv producers to make this a movie or TV series of this excellent novel.

This is the first Christopher Greyson book I've read, so I really had no expectations going in. I was in the mood for something creepy, and this book delivered just that. It was a quick read that kept me guessing until the very end. I will absolutely recommend this to fans of Final Girls, or anyone looking for a good thriller.

My first encounter with this author came via Jack of Hearts, a recent entry in his series featuring detective Jack Stratton. That one made a favorable impression - I look forward to the next one, hint, hint - and when I ran across this new standalone, I considered giving it a try. When I read the description, I was convinced that reading it would be a good idea - so even though it was just days before the release date, I requested, and was approved for, an advance copy (thank you).

In fact, it turned out to be a great idea; my concern that I might not get it finished on time vanished after a handful of chapters. NFL and college football games came and went unwatched, Lawrence Welk got recorded, and I even skipped at least one lunch because I couldn't bring myself to put it down. A 5-star rating? A no-brainer.

The book's title reflects the title of another book - one written by the mother of Faith Winters. Ten years earlier, Faith's beloved sister Kim and two others died violent deaths, reportedly at the hand of her father, who then committed suicide. Faith, who was present at the time, managed to hide out in the dark woods. She escaped certain death, yes, but she was left with deep psychological wounds. Faith's mother, a therapist, worked through her own grief by way of writing a tell-all book about the daughter - Faith - who survived.

Faith continued to bury her anguish by way of alcohol, temper tantrums and other behavioral no-nos, which in turn landed her in a psychiatric hospital. But now, close to the anniversary of the murders, she gets the okay for release - on the condition that she return to the hometown in which all the blood was shed and participate in group therapy programs. No matter what she tries, though, she's not able to shake off the trauma of her past - nor her belief that the father she loved did not commit the awful crimes. That's because she'd seen another person at the scene back then - an unknown man she calls "Rat Face."

But alas, no one - not even the police - believed her then, nor do they believe her now. Even when she spots him once again, everyone thinks it's all in her twisted mind. Everyone, that is, except Rat Face, who learns that Faith has spotted him again. Now, he - and possibly his partners in crime - must do whatever it takes to keep from being identified, including making sure that this time, they leave no witnesses. Several twists and turns lead to an exciting conclusion (I won't say it's totally satisfying, but the loose ends get pretty well tied up). In short? Very well done and highly recommended.

The Girl Who Lived – Christopher Greyson

I was fortunate to receive this novel as an Advance Reader Copy, in exchange for an objective review.

Faith is a survivor – if you can call her that. On the weekend of her tenth birthday, she watched helplessly as her father, sister, best friend, and best friend’s mother were murdered at their lake cabin, before running away to avoid death herself. Despite her claims of an unknown man as the killer, (whom she has nicknamed Rat Face), her father is presumed to have committed the crimes before killing himself and the case is closed. As the girl who lived, Faith has since been in and out of psychiatric care, developed a substance abuse problem, and has displayed violent tendencies. As the book opens, Faith is hospitalized, but is about to be released back into the community w/ outpatient psychiatric care and parole visits.

Despite warnings to the contrary by her therapist mother, one of Faiths first visits is to a bar, where she downs several shots of whiskey. As she’s leaving the establishment, she sees Rat Face drive by – and he sees Faith as well. But her reports are met with skepticism by the local police. Only Henryka, an FBI agent, appears to take her seriously.

And so begins a novel with so many serpentine twists and turns, you will be racing through the pages just to see what happens nex!. Every character carries out actions leading you to wonder if they are friend or foe – all racing up to a dramatic conclusion that you can’t even conceive of… Un-put-downable!! I’m still reeling… This is the second novel I’ve read by Christopher Greyson, and it will not be my last! An absolute MUST READ! Fabulous!!

The Girl Who Lived by Christopher Greyson is the first book I’ve read by this author and most definitely won’t be my last! This stor story kept me on the edge of my seat! It's a real page turner with a great twist that you won't see coming. One of the best thrillers that I've read in a long, long time. Will definitely be looking up more titles by Christopher Greyson.

Fast, easy read. It kept me guessing until the end & had many twists and turns. This was a very busy book maybe a little too busy as I was getting the characters mixed up.

Wow - just wow! I loved this one so much. I stayed up until 4 am finishing this in one sitting. I liked that Faith wasn't a Girl Scout. She had real issues with anger and didn't hold back what she thought. I can't wait to read more from this author.

Thank you Greyson Media Associates and NetGalley for the ARC. Coming up on the 10th anniversary of the murder of 4 of the most important people in her life Faith Winters is released from the psychiatric hospital and released back. Into her home town. Everyone has heard of her, and the murders thanks to her mother’s famous tell-all. As much as Faith tries to forget the events of a decade ago she fumbles back to her old ways of drinking and being violent. She makes a vandetta of finding her sister’s killer and it almost kills her in turn,

Faith’s homecoming is not a smooth one, nor is it a happy occasion. The day before her thirteenth birthday, Faith witnessed and survived a terrible crime, the murder of four people close to her. Just before the tenth anniversary of that horrible night, she’s being paroled to her home town. Through the intervening ten years, Faith has had numerous run-ins with the law, has attempted suicide, and has endured several admissions to mental health facilities. Her mother, a psychiatrist, has even written a book about Faith’s struggle.
Faith is not the only one preparing for this dark anniversary. Strange incidents lead Faith to believe that the killer is following her. No one believes her, and she doesn’t know who she can trust.
This story is like dynamite. The fuse smolders, a slow burn twisting and turning through the pages until the final unexpected but explosive ending.

This book was very interesting and thrilling at first. I liked that we had a stubborn character who defied all oddsto find the person who ruined her life. However,it turns out our main character is just destroying herself and blaming others for her poor decisions. I was all up for this murder mystery until we got two perspectives from the murderer and our main character kept making bad decisions.

At 66% I was definitely annoyed and bothered. Granted people do make poor decisions but I found it hard to believe that our character was that irrational. I felt that the author kept giving the character poor situations to make sure certain plot points happened. Rather than fun or thrilling it was very tiring.

As much as I wanted to like this book I didn't. It made no sense to me how the main character could continuously lie when past history has shown that it only went poorly because of it. It was poor character writing and it was very messy.

This book would have been better if it was character driven and not plot driven.

This book was so engaging that I read it in a single day/night while on vacation. I could barely put it down. This poor woman treated as though she is completely crazy only to find out in the end that she is not crazy just a several case of PTSD and alcoholism.

She witnesses the murders of her loved ones and basically completely has a mental breakdown which I, for one, can completely understand. Then when she is finally released from the hospital she makes an honest try to get on with her life, but the murderer has other plans and starts to make Faith lose control again. She knows what she saw, but no one but a very few people believe her.

I didn't even see who the actual murder was until the author tells you. It shocked the daylights out of me. The murder showed so much concern for Faith that you just could hardly believe it was that person. Then you think back and realize that yeah, it could be that person.

The characters are completely well written. You can tell the author took his time and did a lot of research into this subject and the issues of someone that has experienced these issues. The story line was very well written and the author was wonderful at leading you to think that certain people were behind the murders and after Faith when they were the ones actually trying to help her.

Read the book. That is all I can say. It is definitely worth the time and money to get it.

Really like Greyson as an author. This is one of his stand alone books; however, I would not mind reading more about Faith. This is for those who enjoy the psychological thrillers the way I do. Tortured, flawed but standing tall Faith keeps you in her corner and you will never guess the ending.

This is remarkably fast-paced and a really easy read. The case is undoubtedly intriguing, but for me the book suffered from some hard to believe situations and some really stilted dialogue. I'm certainly an outlier in those opinions, as it's gotten very high reviews on Good Reads. Three stars from me still means I enjoyed it, but not quite enough to give it a four. It does keep you guessing!

Ten years ago, Faith Winters ran and hid from an attacker. That's the only thing that saved her from suffering the same fate of four others: her older sister, her father, her best friend, and her best friend's mother. In only one night, her life is destroyed and her family is cut in half, with only her mother and her remaining. The killer has never been caught, and Faith has spent the years back and forth from mental hospitals. As the ten year anniversary approaches, she's released back into the town where it all began. Still determined to find the killer but waylaid by her own fractured mind and addiction to alcohol, she finds herself in plenty of perilous situations. In her world, no one can be trusted and everyone is a suspect. But can she find the killer before she's found first... or locked back up?

Recommended to fans of thrillers who don't mind some suspension of disbelief and lots of action. The ending is explosive.

I received a copy of this book from Net Galley and Greyson Media Associates, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Wow this book was great!! Had me at edge of my seat! Note to self read only in day time. This book is a must read!

Faith Winters is the sole survivor of a multi-murder scene. For the last decade she has been in and out of mental institutions. The case was closed as the police came to the conclusion it was murder-suicide. She thinks that she saw the murderer earlier the day everyone died. She also thinks that he is still alive. Faith is positive that the police won’t help her find the murderer that she has named “Rat Face.” The murderer starts following Faith singing/humming happy birthday as he follows her.

This is a dark mystery. The author has written the characters in the story well. She has made Faith a woman who is determined to find Rat Face. At the end of the novel, the mystery comes fast and furious with a few surprises. It is a mystery well-worth reading. I loved following Faith’s path to finding Rat Face or did she? I won’t tell!

This book was a whirlwind that kept me on my toes and kept me guessing until the very end. Just when I thought I had figured it out, I kept discovering that I was wrong! I honestly could not put this down - it was so dark and twisted yet I couldn't wait to see what journey the next page would take me on. So thrilling!