Gave up after a few pages. Didn’t like the writing style. Had to re-read the first part a couple of times to make sense of what was happening

I was quite disappointed with this one, if I am being honest.

The story itself did not seem to flow very naturally, a lot of characters were added that did not really add much to the story.
The main whodunnit I figured out pretty early on, but there was no real motive given. I would have loved if the author would have gone a little more in depth into this, since it might have explained more about the story.

The final little twist was again an anti climax and very predictable. It is a shame since I had quite high expectations of this novel, but ultimately I feel really let down.

A good psychological thriller that started with the hunt for a missing child and became a story about a historical child murder, about family, and the secrets that they keep.

I enjoy plots with shifting times and this was done well and was easy to follow as the dates were at the top of the chapters. The writing was concise and there was enough pace to keep you interested in what was going to happen next.

I guessed from the start how this story was going to end though which was disappointing and the very last reveal did not sit well with me. I feel that to have made that believable the flashbacks should have contained a little more detail and included all of the main characters in that final scene.

Wow! This book is incredible and will stay with you for a long time.

What a story that is so very true of our times sadly. Two sisters take very different paths in life after a 2 year old child is mutilated and murdered. The storyline had me gripped and it was really good having the flashbacks over their lives and the effect it had on everyone involved which is a side that you don't see too often because stories normally focus on the criminal.

It took me a very short time to read this book because I could not put it down and there are so many twists and turns and the ending is very powerful and also frightening really. A great book which I thoroughly recommend. It is simply an incredible read.

Alice Clark-Platts approaches a complex and tragic subject with sophistication and subtlety. Her characters are hauntingly believable, and she conveys the wintry scenes with horrible conviction.

A dark and disturbing thriller with a shocking conclusion.
The plot revolves around a highly divisive issue that is described well through the various characters and their opinions and beliefs. The characters are easily believable, although most were not particularly likeable. The lack of endearing characters does fit well with the gritty feel of the plot.
The book had me sucked in from the beginning and kept me gripped until the end. I managed to figure out part of the plot in advance, however there were plenty of unanticipated moments throughout and an ending which I would never have seen coming.
I did find a few parts a bit of a stretch, however this didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book. All in all a great read.

I usually shy away from thrillers as they tend to be quite "samey", however The Flower Girls sucked me right in and I really enjoyed it.

This is the 3rd Clark-Platts book I've read and she's consistently turned in books with more substance and intelligence than we sometimes find in this genre. That said, the obligatory twist here is one we've surely all seen before in a myriad other psychological thrillers, and the over-egged final scene is so campily OTT that I found myself giggling...

Nevertheless, important issues of punishment, reparation and justice are treated sensitively especially via the character of Joanna, a legal lobbyist drowning in her own obsessive work fuelled by an understandable but ultimately counter-productive hate.

It's a shame that the pressures of the psycho-thriller genre force important issues to be constrained and held back for shock value (that constant authorial need for the ubiquitous twist) rather than being explored in more psychological detail. This is certainly at the more emotionally weighty end of the crime spectrum but I'd love to see Clark-Platts break with the somewhat hokey genre tricks and free herself from the constraints to which she subjects herself.

A truly dark psychological thriller that will mess with your head. A really unpleasant subject to read about but grippingly well written. The stories of Rosie and Laurel, dubbed the Flower Girls, infamous for a horrific event. Told between the present day and the terrible past. Laurel is being punished for the awful event all those years ago and Rosie is living an entirely different life as she was deemed to young to be prosecuted. The story tells of the trauma the families of both the victim and the accused go through. Both girls make the headlines again for completely unrelated reasons. This book will have you thinking about justice, length of punishment, forgiveness and loyalty. A very clever ending which was completely unexpected.

In the summer of 1997, two sisters - 10 year old Laurel and 6 year old Primrose (nicknamed Rosie) were arrested for the torture and murder of 2 year old Kirstie Swann. The British media labelled them "The Flower Girls", but only Laurel was convicted and sent to prison. Due to Rosie's young age, she couldn't be charged with any crime. Instead, she and her parents were given new identities and they moved away to a new home. Rosie's new name is Hazel.

New Year's Eve almost 20 years later and Hazel is with her boyfriend Jonny - who is aware of Hazel's real identity - and his teenage daughter, Evie, at a Devon hotel, when Georgie, a five year old girl, goes missing. A search is mounted and, as a winter storm rages, a fellow guest, Max - a writer - discovers Hazel's background and gets her to admit to Detective Constable Lorna Hillier, then heading the police investigation, who she really is. As journalists begin gathering outside the hotel, eager for details about the missing child, Hazel is terrified that her new life will be destroyed once the media discover her secret. And now Max finds himself thinking that perhaps he can author a book, bringing the story of "The Flower Girls" up to date, giving both women the chance to put their side of the story and perhaps arrive at the truth of what happened to Kirstie.

Meanwhile, Laurel's legal representatives are petitioning for her to be paroled from prison. However, ranged against her is Kirstie's family, including Joanna Denton (Kirstie's aunt) who works for "Bang To Rights", a small campaigning group which fights for victims' rights. Joanna is determined that her niece's killer will never be freed and argues that Laurel's actions on the day of the murder show she is truly evil.
The story switches back and forth between the childhood of Laurel & Rosie. Following Kirstie's death, we learn of the police interviews with Lauren, her trial and its' aftermath returning to the present day search for missing Georgie and the effect her disappearance has on all those involved. Although she was never charged with a crime, Hazel is viewed by many to be as guilty as her sister, even though Laurel has always protested that Kirstie's death was an accident and Rosie claimed that she couldn't remember anything about the incident. Despite their different circumstances after the murder trial, both Laurel and Rosie were regarded almost as public property, hence the latter's fears that if her real identity is revealed, her relationship with Jonny will be over.
The author is a former human rights lawyer and the legal aspects of this story are carefully explained, making it far more realistic than most crime novels.
In the end, the reader has to decide if someone regarded as "evil" should ever be freed from prison? Does legal procedure ever result in justice? What should be the role of the media in their coverage of such criminal cases? Others will question legal decisions which allow new identities for murder suspects and convicted murderers. (The latter brings to mind what happened to the real life killers of Jamie Bulger when they were released from prison). The torture and murder of a young child by 2 other children is a shocking crime but nothing quite prepares us for the unexpected twists and turns in the story of "The Flower Girls".

This is a gripping psychological thriller which questions our attitudes to the devastating effect that crimes such as child murder have - not only on the victims' families, but also on those who may be innocent of any involvment in such a crime, other than being the parents or siblings of a convicted killer.

My thanks to Bloomsbury Publishing and Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The Flower Girls is a story dealing with child murder and, more so, children committing these horrific crimes.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this story as much as I thought I would; I really liked the flashbacks to the past of Laurel and Primrose, but I couldn't really connect to the present story with the multiple points of view and I didn't have the emotional connection with the characters that you want to have, especially in this kind of story - you need to have some connection whether it be good or bad.

It was a quick and enjoyable thriller, and child killer stories always have that little bit of fascination about them, but with it not been a new story in this genre, I felt it personally needed that little bit more oomph to stand out. I'm sure others will love it though.

My thanks go to Bloomsbury publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

Well I certainly agree, You will Never Forget the Flower Girls!

Why would a child would murder a toddler? What does rehabilitation mean for a young child who commits a crime?

20 years ago two young girls, Laurel and Primrose hit the headlines. Laurel is convicted of murder and Rosie, who denies involvement, is not charged. At 6 years old she is deemed to be too young to be held responsible for such a crime.

Now going by her new name, Hazel’s life has moved on. She is in a stable relationship managing to keep her past in the past. When a young girl goes missing from the hotel Hazel is staying, events spiral out of her control and it soon leads to her identity being uncovered, and press interest begins once again.

Laurel has been in prison for 18 years, after being denied parole on two separate occasions she is appealing the latest decision.

With flashbacks to the childhood of Laurel and Primrose before,during and after the murder and brief coverage of Laurel`s trial you begin to see event through their eyes.

It is a fairly taboo subject to write and read about but this is sensitively written and is a great unforgettable read with an ending I honestly didn’t see coming!

What a way to end a book, I really really hope there will be a continuation of The Flower Girls story, I would love to know what happens next! It’s almost impossible to read this book without giving some thought to things such as morality, forgiveness, justice and punishment in today’s society but it is in no way pushed down the readers necks.

It really is a brilliantly crafted novel you will never forget. This book should be at the top of everyone’s To Be Read pile! 📚

The Flower Girls will be published in the UK on 21 Jan 2019 in e-book format and 24th Jan 2019 in hardback.

Thank’s go to Alice Clark-Platts, Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for the arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and comments are my own.

20 years ago Laurel and Primrose hit the headlines. One convicted of murder and one given a new identity.

Now another child has gone missing but what's it got to do with either of them.

I was intrigued by the premise of this novel and very much enjoyed the flashbacks to the childhood events of Laurel and Primrose but I found the present day events retelling quite disjointed due to the multiple points of view. As a result I didn't really feel an emotional connection to any of the characters.

The writing was very good - lovely lyrical descriptions and style with clear differences in voice for each of the points of view but the pacing and reveals weren't quite right in my opinion.

It was overall a good read though and I'd be interested in more work by this author. However as child killers seems to be a trend in this genre at the minute, I read others with this idea that I personally enjoyed more.

This is a dark thriller dealing with child murder, and as such can be a difficult read even though it doesn't go into as much detail as other thrillers/crime novels do.

Questions of responsibility (can a six-year-old really be responsible for her violent actions? how does this carry through into adulthood?) and justice (when can we say a sentence has really been served? can righteous anger at injustice become something self-destructive?) run through this novel, via the various point of view characters. This elevates the novel and sort of makes up for some of its lower points.

The dialogue is quite stilted. I know it's tough to write natural dialogue, but it was occasionally noticeably tortured.

I found the final reveal a bit rushed, happening as it does in the last scene, in the final few pages. Luckily, it's more of a final-puzzle-piece reveal than a major twist.

It's a pacey quick-read thriller, perfect for a holiday read.

Addictive read, couldn't put it down. I thought I'd got the story figured out until the very last few pages! Definitely worth a read.

Oh,Wow,just Wow. There isn't enough superlatives in the English language to describe how much I loved this book.It's the mesmerising,thought-provoking,chilling story of two sisters Laurel (10) and Primrose (Rosie) (6) who tortured and murdered two year old Kirstie Swann on a warm summer's day in 1997. Dubbed The Flower Girls by the press,Laurel was convicted whilst Rosie who couldn't be held accountable due to her young age was given a new identity and a new life.

On New Years Eve,nineteen years later at a motel on the Devon Cliffs,a five year old girl goes missing. When it is discovered that Hazel (Rosie) is staying at the hotel,The Flower Girls are about to hit the headlines all over again

This riveting,page turner features a number of vivid characters including Hazel,laurel,Max (the ex journalist) DC Lorna Hillier and Joanna Denton (Kirstie`s aunt). Throughout the book the reader is taken back in time to 1997 where we learn about Laural and Rosie`s childhood before,during and after the murder and there is also brief coverage of Laurel`s trial.The murder of poor little Kirstie is frighteningly similar to the torture and murder of poor little Jamie Bulger in 1993 and the question of accountability and wether criminals can be rehabilitated is raised throughout the story. Should someone who has committed and been convicted of a serious crime be released back into society? Should suspected and convicted criminals be given new identities and new lives? Why would a child even consider killing another child? are children born evil or can their actions be linked to unfavourable environmental factors? The author covers these highly moral issues with sensitivity and without being overly moralistic.

I love a book that plays with my emotions,I want to feel something about the characters and that is definitely what happened whilst I was reading this character driven thriller. There was characters I liked,disliked,annoyed me,frustrated me,sympathised with,changed my mind about and just plain gave me the creeps. Once I started reading this book,I didn't want to put it down,I was 100% hooked in from the first page right through to the spine chilling,shocking conclusion. The ending gives me chills everytime I think about it and is going to play on my mind for a very long time. I would love to watch a tv adaptation of this book and think it is worth far more than five stars.Very very highly recommended by little old me.

Oh my! I was gripped by this book. It’s incredible
Laurel and Rosie are just kids themselves when toddler Kirstie is sadistacally murdered. Shockingly one of the girls is convicted and at ten years old is sent to prison. 18 years later, Rosie has a new identity and is in a hotel at New Year when a five year old goes missing. Did she do it? Could she have done it? She’s says, emphatically, no. But her life unravels as her real identity is exposed

Interspersed with flashbacks and different perspectives this book grips you from start to finish. It’s not a horror story, rather, the writer has captured humanity in all its guises and describes wonderfully what’s going on in their lives, their heads, their families. You will not want to put it down. And the twist in the tale? Well read it and find out
A truly incredible book.

Wow, what can I say! This is such an exciting book which grabbed me from the very beginning and had me hooked all the way until the last page. Such an original idea as well. I would highly recommend to fans of Mary Higgins Clark.

This book made me positively shiver ! Not an easy job in a summer as hot as we have been having it lately but it genuinely was a chillingly good book.
Not having read any of Alice Clark-Platt's books before I didn't know what to expect but after reading 'The Flower Girls' I will definitely be reading more by her.

The story is about a coastal hotel, a snowstorm, and a missing child. 5 year old Georgie has gone missing, the parents are not being as helpful as they could be, there is a suspiciously acting chef, a race against time as the elements reduce the risk of finding her alive oh and the possibility of a child killer amongst the guests...

With a strong sense of justice without being overly moralistic, this echoes back to the Mary Bell and Jamie Bulger cases-the 'Flower Girls' of the titles are Primrose and Laurel, two girls accused of abducting and killing a little girl. One was locked away for life, the other was too young to be held accountable for her part at the time.
The one who 'got away' was reassigned a new identity, a new life and has tried to put it behind her(as far as that is even possible) but being stuck in a hotel whilst a frantic search for Georgie continues risks everything she has built up to distance herself from being a Flower Girl. And someone at the hotel may have worked out who she is....

This is just the beginning of a story that twists and turns like nothing else I have read lately. It demands you read it till the end and then you have that wonderful shivers down the backbone feeling and a need to re-read it from the start to work out what you may have missed the first time.
I absolutely loved it and the nuanced debate about the nature of evil , many thanks to the publishers, Raven Books and Netgalley for letting me read this in return for an honest review.

I read The Flower Girls in one sitting- utterly compelling and a real page turner.

It’s not a new story – children committing horrific crime then years later the consequences of their actions still resonate- but Alice Clark-Platts tells it so well, with an underlying and unsettling sense of emotion that gets under your skin.

This is a purely character driven drama, two sisters, one in prison, one who was too young to be brought to account and assumed to have been lead by her evil sibling. Now another  child has gone missing and the truth will out – or will it?

This is a twisted tale indeed with sinister undertones and a genuinely realistic feel. Child killers are both horrific and fascinating if we are honest with ourselves and the author plays on that as the drama unfolds, cleverly messing with perception and ultimately leaving the reader with a distinctly uneasy feeling.

Overall this was a terrific, addictive read, beautifully atmospheric and intelligently woven.

Recommended.