would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this thought provoking book

was a bit worried about reading this one with the references to the jamie bulger killers and myra hindley and other names associated with kidnapping children with the aim of torturing them

but this story goes beyond that...we have two sisters who take a baby and torture her,they are both arrested and one is charged the other is deemed to young to know what she has done

so this young girl gets a new identity and lives her life until years later another young girl is abducted and from there this story flows...and what a story this author weaves

the last chapter is to die for...what an ending, what you suspect and what actually happens wow....

gonna keep an eye out for more of this authors works

The year is 1997 and sisters Laurel aged 10 and Primrose aged 6, dubbed The Flower Girls,  abduct and murder 2 year old Kirstie Swann, one of them is tried and convicted of her murder and the other is given a new identity.  Fast forward nineteen years and another child has gone missing, in the same place where one of the Flower Girls is on holiday, is she involved or is it just coincidence?

The story alternates between past and present throughout the book, following the lives of the two girls, what happened on that fateful day back in 1997 and what has happened to them since, the police still don't know the motive for Kirstie's death and are unsure they ever will, so when the second little girl goes missing and they uncover the true identity of Hazel Archer they wonder if history is repeating itself.

I thought this story was very similar to the James Bulger case that occurred in 1993 and is quite harrowing to read but the author told it extremely well and I read it in a couple of days due to the chapters being short and sharp.  I couldn't take to any of the characters in this book but that didn't put me off reading it at all and I was intrigued throughout waiting to see how it would pan out.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the approval and I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

This book pulls you in from the beginning and doesn’t let go. I was desperate to know what happened to the little girl that was murdered nearly nineteen years ago, and had to wait until the last few chapters to find out. 
Rosie and Laurel we’re both involved in the death of another child but only Laurel got put inside as Rosie was only six. 
Laurel has tried to get parole several times but each time is refused due to the public opinion that she is still a danger to society. 
We learn about Rosie and her new life as Hazel and begin with her on a break in Devon with her boyfriend and his daughter. 
Whilst they’re there a small child goes missing and Hazel panics that  the police will think she is involved. She confides in a man she meets and he persuades her to tell the Police about her past, before they find out. 
It’s soon leaked to the journalists and her new identity crumbles around her. 
I can’t say much more as I don’t want to spoil it but will say, this is a great mystery thriller which will keep you guessing. 
Thanks to Raven books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

This is a fabulously chilling read. 

Two children Laurel and Primrose, abduct and kill and small child. In a reminder of the James Bulger murder this is an emotive tale.  One is convicted and the other is set 'free' with a new identity. 19 years later a child goes missing and Hazel's life changes once again.

This is a god read and is superbly told. It is absolutely gripping. 

The author has written it quite sensitively but I do wonder why such threads have to be written, when the readers can identify it with a true life case. 

Emotive and twisty

Probably more like a 2.5 stars but ultimately, I didn’t enjoy this novel. It had a whole lot of promise, it just seemed to fail in execution. The synopsis was fascinating and does bring a lot of questions - why was Laurel criminally responsible at 10, but Rosie, at 6, wasnt? What happens if a six year old kills someone without anyone else there? What happens then?

The central mystery that brings Laurel and Rosie back into the public eye was ridiculous, it could have been amazing, but it petered out to just being a reason to bring back the “flower girls” to the present audience. 

I didn’t like the characters, none of them were redeemable or likeable with the exception of Hillier, the police officer, who was criminally underused and utterly wasted in this novel. 

This one just wasn’t for me.

My thanks to Bloomsbury  Publishing/Raven Books for an eARC via NetGalley of this intense psychological thriller. 

In 1997 the country is shocked by the abduction and murder of toddler Kirstie Swann. Ten-year old Laurel is charged and convicted of her murder. Her six-year old sister Primrose was also implicated but was considered too young to be held responsible. Rose also has no memory of the events of that fateful afternoon. 

The sisters are dubbed by the media as The Flower Girls. During and following Laurel’s trial Rose and her parents are harassed and threatened. They are subsequently given new identities.

Nineteen years later and Hazel Archer (formerly  Rose) and her boyfriend are at a hotel in Devon to celebrate New Year. However, when a child goes missing from the hotel it is not long before The Flower Girls are in the headlines again.

The premise of this thriller naturally brings to mind the 1993 abduction and murder of James Bulger. This and other real-life cases are referenced; though in a non-sensationalist fashion. The narrative is mainly set in the present day with flashbacks to the events of 1997/98.

The novel deals with a deeply disturbing topic and I thought that Alice Clark-Platts handled this with insight and sensitivity. Her portrayal of the media feeding frenzy following the Devon case felt particularly accurate.  

The characterisation is strong throughout and once started it was almost impossible to put down. I came to feel that in a sense both sisters were incarcerated. While Laurel is in a physical prison, Rosie/Hazel lives in isolation ever wary of being recognised and outed as one of the Flower Girls.

I expect this novel will remain on my mind for some time. I would advise avoiding spoilers as it takes some interesting directions. 

I plan to read more of her work.

YOU'LL NEVER FORGET THE FLOWER GIRLS
The Flower Girls. Laurel and Primrose. 
One convicted of murder, the other given a new identity.
Now, nineteen years later, another child has gone missing.
And The Flower Girls are about to hit the headlines all over again...
Hazel and her partner have gone away for the weekend to a hotel, when the alarm is raisd as a little girl has gone missing, she immediately begins to panic, as she was Primrose, one of the Flower Girls. What will happen when the police find out? Hazel is terrified that everyone will find out about her secret. 
Following Hazel's story had me gripped the whole way through, the story was interwoven with flashbacks to the summer it all happened, just teasers whilst giving you just enough to keep you going. There were some great twists in the story, which I absolutely did not see coming, I love it when a thriller takes me by surprise.

I hate to say this but the book has really disappointed me. It took me a while to get into it as I felt the beginning a bit messy but once I got into it I liked it.
What was the ending all about? I feel let down with such an abrupt ending. It feels unfinished somehow.

I wanted to love this book - as a lot of people have - but truthfully, it just didn't work for me. I think if you really like completely plot based novels, you will love this novel. I can already imagine how great the adaptation could be. But, for me, there wasn't enough of the psychological aspect of the 'thriller' for it to be a real mystery - both of the big reveals I thought were the case at the beginning. When you are unlucky enough to guess the ending of a thriller, it really hampers your enjoyment of it. I also felt like the characterisation hinged too much on references to other famous British murderers - this seemed like a way of not building up characterisation within the novel itself and asking readers to fill in the gaps. Perhaps this will work for some, it will lend an atmosphere of terror to it, but for me it just fell a bit flat. This was a quick read and I read it mainly in one sitting, I just wish I'd been surprised by the ending.

__________
Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Laurel and Primrose rise to fame when they abducted and killed a toddler in the 1990s. The story follows Laurel as she attempts parole and Primrose as

I'll start by saying this was an uncomfortable kind of read, with echoes of the Bulger murder.  The story itself raises lots of interesting moral questions about the nature of evil and how crime and punishment should work. 

This book was fast paced, interesting and you won't want to put it down. 

My only criticism is that i wasn't keen on the ending which left me feeling chilled and uneasy.

Good and Evil – two sides of a single coin

When little Georgie Greenstreet goes missing from a hotel in Devon on New Year’s Eve, Hazel Archer is plunged back to a time when she was only six herself, and the world as she knew it disappeared.

Now spending New Year with her fiancé Jonny, she is dressing to celebrate her twenty-fifth birthday when the hotel is thrown into an uproar by Georgie's disappearance.  The last time she was seen was around three o’clock when she visited the hotel kitchen to play with some abandoned kittens which had been dumped on the beach.  It is now dark, and a storm is beginning to rage making it impossible for the police and coastguard to continue searching.  Hopes of the child being found alive begin to fade.

Next morning the storm has done its worst, and the hotel is virtually snowed in.  Even though Hazel is determined to leave as she fears her past will be exposed and that she will be blamed for hurting Georgie. She is too late; a fellow guest has identified her, and he persuades her to speak to the police. 

So, opens Pandora’s box and Hazel is caught like a rabbit in the headlights.  Once the guests can leave Hazel returns to her flat in London, but the media are now involved, and her life spirals out of control.

This is a fast-paced crime thriller with just enough psychological tension to make it interesting.  As Hazel is forced to confront her past and to re-establish contact with her older sister, Laurel, the suspense builds.  This and the determination of Detective Constable Lorna Hillier to discover the truth makes for a gripping read.

I wish I had found the ending more of a surprise, but overall an intriguing and unusual read.
 

Pashtpaws


Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

A great thriller following two sisters who committed a horrific murder when they were small children. 
Told from multiple POV and focusing equally on the past murder, the current mystery and the relationship between the two sisters. 
This book was full of surprises. The storyline took me to unexpected places, with constant twists and turns. 
The writing flowed brilliantly and it was easy to fly through.

A chilling and disturbing read about 2 young sisters who abduct and murder a toddler in 1997, dubbed the flower girls, the older sister Lauren is charged with the murder but the younger one Primrose is too young to be charged and is given a new life with a new identity. 

19 yrs later a young girl goes missing at a hotel where the younger sister is staying, when the police discover that Primrose is at the hotel she becomes the main suspect and the sisters hit the headlines again.

This psychological thriller will stay with you long after you’ve finished it, some parts are uncomfortable reading but overall it’s a compelling and thought provoking story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Just wow! I loved this book - at first I didn't know what to expect.

This book flicks between present time and past (1997 when the tragedy occurred) with different view points.
You'll be rooting for certain people but as events progress you'll be questioning yourself. 

I would recommend this book if you love a good psychological thriller! 

4 stars from me

Great stuff - a dark and intriguing premise, well drawn, credible characters, a gripping plot, atmospheric scenery, twist and turns along the way and a very poignant theme - what do you want more from a thriller? Above all it was an easy, fast-paced read that sucked me in from the start and kept me entertained all the way through. Shame it is riddled with typos, I hope this can be rectified in the next version.
This was my first by this author, but it surely won’t be my last!

An interesting story line, very relevant to past crimes an insight into the minds of children that become murderers. The story takes you over a period of many years, at the end of which has a surprising outcome, which I felt left some questions unanswered, room for a follow up story maybe?

Alice Clark-Platt's chilling psychological thriller instantly brings back memories of the notoriously unforgettable 1993 murder of toddler, Jamie Bulger, by two boys. We being in 1997 when two little girls aged 10 and 6 abduct and kill a two-year old toddler. The Flower Girls was the term that the media instantly adopted as Laurel was sentenced to prison and Rosie was given a new identity as she was under the criminal age of responsibility. Fast forward to the present day and we meet Rosie again - but now she's Hazel - living a new life with her partner and his daughter, and trying very hard to put the past behind her.

However Hazel is unable to hide who she was for long because another child goes missing from the hotel that she is staying in and quite quickly her identity is revealed as she is catapulted to position of prime suspect.

The book follows Hazel's life in the present day alongside Laurel's life in prison and brings the Flower Girls together when Laurel is applying for parole. It's an extremely well written book, and despite the echoes of previous similar crimes it's unique in its own right. A human rights lawyer herself, Clark-Platts is able to maintain a non-sensationalist approach throughout the book as she cleverly debates nature and nurture in a sensitive manner.

Oh man... this book!  I haven't been able to put it down since the moment I started reading it.  It is fantastic. 

In this chilling, character driven psychological thriller, 2 young sisters, Primrose (Rosie) age 6 and Laurel age 10 lure a toddler away from the playground, torture and kill her.  Reminiscent of the case of young Jamie Bulger in the UK in the early 90's, the public are horrified, beyond angry and collectively grief stricken over the murder and want retribution for the evil and deplorable crime that has taken place in their society.  Laurel is tried and convicted for the murder of little Kirstie Swann, and imprisoned.  Rosie, at age 6, denies all responsibility and is deemed too young to be culpable for her actions and not tried in the law courts with her sister.  However, the court of public opinion is a different story.  Rosie and her family are given new identities and moved to a new town to start new lives.  Laurel's family cut all ties with her, never visiting her in prison, with the exception of her solicitor and uncle, Toby who does all he can over the years for her, through numerous parole applications which have so far all been denied.  

Fast forward to present day, and Hazel (Rosie), her boyfriend Jonny and Jonny's daughter, Evie are staying in a hotel for New Year's Eve.  5 year old Georgie Greenstreet goes missing and Rosie's new identity as Hazel is discovered during the course of the search for Georgie.  People are convinced she had something to do with the disappearance of yet another child.  A journalist, Max is also staying at the hotel.  He senses and grabs an opportunity to get an exclusive with Hazel on her life before, during and after the trial of the century and to put her side of the story forward.  

The topic of this book is very relevant in today's society as it explores the ripples caused by the murder of a child by another child.  Public opinion is very much against the Flower Girls - they are deemed to be evil beyond redemption and many people, especially the family of the murdered child, campaign against Laurel every time she applies for parole.  This book is quite raw in parts and raises many topical issues, such as the argument of rehabilitation of prisoners, culpability in very young offenders, nature versus nurture, morals in society, the sensationalism of the "story" by press involvement, forgiveness, justice and adequate punishment levels.  Alice Clark-Platts has written a book that is not only an engrossing, spine-tingling psychological thriller in its own right, but is also empathetic, heart-rending and thoroughly thought provoking.  The writing itself is mesmerizing and absorbing.  The storyline maintains gripping tension and suspense throughout and the characters are all really well developed, each one evoking a sensory reaction in the reader, be it empathy, sympathy, loathing, contempt, scorn, or disbelief.  A brilliant read.  I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone.

wow, this was HAUNTING! (in a good way) gripped me from the start and I couldn't put it down, This is one that lingers in your mind long after you've finished it. Loved it!

I read this book in two sitting with mixed feeling at the end. The plot did kept me gripped however I just couldn't warm to the characters. Hazel/rosie came across as very needy and non believable from the very start which put a damper on my enjoyment of the book. Two sisters one 10 one 6 murder a child, one went to prison one didn't, years later rosie is away with her partner and his teen daughter and a child goes missing, Rosie instantly starts to worry people will think she has kidnapped the child. she has a new identity however this does not help her  from being recognised.
I believe this could of been a really good book as the plot had potential to be emotional and brilliant however it feel short for me and felt a little rush, the characters needed a little more development to be a little more realistic.  I would read again from this author because you can see her being a great story teller, this one just wasn't for me   .