In Village of the Lost Girls, two 11-year-old girls, Ana and Lucia, go missing in the small, mountain town of Monteperdido. Five years later, Ana reappears under mysterious circumstances. Inspectors Sara Campos and Santiago Baín arrive in Monteperdido determined to solve the case and find Lucia. Although Ana appears to be cooperating, her explanation of what happened to her and Lucia is infuriatingly unhelpful to the inspectors. Does she remember more than she is telling them? And which of the town’s citizens is the monster hidden in plain sight?

Martínez truly takes his time to transport the reader to the town of Monteperdido and introduce them to those living there. There are quite a few characters that the author cycles through. While this may seem overwhelming at first, it is one of the novel’s biggest strengths. The reader can immerse themself into Monteperdido and evaluate every character on their own. Additionally, the way that the text quickly switches from character to character helped the long chapters (which I am normally not a fan of) fly by enjoyably. I will recommend grabbing a notebook and writing down the names of the characters as they are introduced. Doing so was extremely beneficial to me and my reading experience.

Another aspect of the book that I liked was that the author did not pull any punches. I was shocked a couple of times by plot developments. Also, characters faced the consequences for their actions, including the inspectors. As someone who is tired of the infallible, hero law enforcement trope, I loved the flaws in the investigators. Sometimes cops make stupid and even unethical decisions, which have negative results. I enjoyed seeing that the inspectors were not magically off the hook because they are searching for Lucia. Actions have reactions whether they’re for “the greater good” or not.

I do not want to say much more for fear of spoilers, but I would recommend this book if you are a fan of this type of mystery. With the way the plot is designed, I think Village of the Lost Girls would make an excellent TV mini-series if anyone decided to make it. If you have watched the show Broadchurch with David Tennant and Olivia Coleman, this has a similar premise and atmosphere, so you will likely enjoy this book too. Just remember, everyone has their secrets in Monteperdido.

A compulsive read that will have you loosing chunks of time. As they race to figure out what happened you will read as fast as you can to keep up with them. Taunt and edgy it's a rollercoaster of a ride. Absolutely pick this up. Happy reading!

500 pages for just an okay book? Can I get paid for my time because meh?

Two girls has disappeared. Five years passes. Car crash in the area and one of the missing girls is involved - but....where is the other girl? Who was driving the car?

I just...didn't care. It was wordy and that made it kind of boring for me.

Still, some people might enjoy this kind of thing.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Like other reviewers, I found the book had a great start, and it went at a fast clip for around 30-ish %. I liked the dynamics between the characters and the atmosphere of this cloistered village in the Pyrenees. But after that it just kept adding pages and got boring. By the time the mystery was resolved, I had the barest minimum interest in who it was. I will say this though, my first guess wasn’t correct. I would have liked the book a whole lot more if some of it was condensed into a shorter book.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Ana, who disappeared five years ago when she was 11, has just turned up alive in a car crash. Sara Campos, who is sent to investigate the circumstances of her disappearance - mostly where she's been and what happened to her friend Lucia- discovers that the tourist town of Monteperdido has a lot of secrets. it's supposed to be a happy tourist center in the Spanish Pyrenees but well, it's not. Campos interviews seemingly everyone and the answers trickle out slowly, with some interesting twists. She's a good character and the setting is interesting but know that this would have benefited from some trimming (keep reading though for an ending I won't spoil). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC>.

Great book kept me on the edge my seat! It was slow at points but gripping at others. If you love psychological thrillers.... this is a must read!

I admit I picked this book due to the setting--a place I've barely heard of--the Spanish Pyrenees. It was a fairly typical missing person mystery with a female detective but the setting and the quality of the writing really set it apart. I did feel like the middle dragged a little but the descriptions were so good, I didn't mind as much as a I normally would.

Five years ago, two 11-year-old girls, Lucia and Ana, disappear on their way home from school. Now, 16-year-old Ana has been discovered as the survivor of a deadly car crash, and Detectives Sara Campos and Santiago Bain have arrived to try to find Lucia. Set in the very small, very insular mountainside town of Monteperdido, while some villagers want to find Lucia, others just want to keep their secret buried.

This is not an American or British-style thriller, so keep that in mind while reading. The Village of Lost Girls was written by a Spanish author and translated, and, like other books from Spain I've read before, the language is much more descriptive, much more flowery, and the plots are slower building. This isn't a bad thing, it's just something to be aware of.

I liked the plot of this story. I think the relationship between the parents of the missing girls was interesting, especially since they were also next door neighbors and Ana's father was a suspect. I liked the imagery of the white deer, although I wish that had carried through more of the book.

One thing that slowed down my reading was the number of characters in this book. So many different characters, with so many different relationships crisscrossing, it was just hard to keep track of and bogged down the reading. In this way, it definitely read more like a piece of literary fiction than a thriller, but since I really like literary fiction, it worked for me.

I found this story to have good potential, but was very boring. It centers around the kidnapping of 2 11-year-old girls, Ana and Lucia. 5 years passes without a word and the families are still holding out hope. Then Ana reappears, the victim of a car accident, but Lucia doesn't. The book focuses on the police detectives work to draw the full story of what happened out of Ana while also searching for Lucia and trying to identify the kidnapper.

This book is very long, and goes into extreme detail about everything from the landscape to the inner monologues of the characters. This level of detail took away from the excitement of the story. There were also so many characters in the book that it was hard to keep them all straight, and when the villain is uncovered, while surprising, it didn't mean a lot because the reader had so many people from which to choose., and didn't get to know any of them that well.

Overall, this just wasn't the book for me- I wouldn't recommend it to those who are looking for a fast-paced mystery. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐

Two went missing.

One returned.

The search continues.

Village of the Lost Girls is a slow-burn, atmospheric small town thriller set in the Spanish village of Monteperdido located in the Pyrenees mountains. The village is shocked at the sudden disappearance of Ana and Lucia, two little girls who vanished seemingly without a trace. Monteperdido mourns their lost children, but five years later Ana suddenly reappears, wounded and worse for wear, but very much alive. Now, questions and secrets threaten to suffocate the people who keep them as they desperately try to find out what happeend Lucia and the person that took the girls from them on that fateful day.

This book was translated from its original Spanish (and English readers should give that grace because some of the translation might feel a bit off to us. Just remember translations aren’t always absolute.) but it didn’t take away from the overall haunting, constricting feel of the atmosphere. We follow Sara and her partner, Santiago, as they are tasked to solve this elusive mystery. The town is very close-knit, very protective of each other, and entirely suspicious of these strangers who have infiltrated their home and threaten to unravel secrets long guarded. This tension makes things difficult for Sara and Santiago as they try to uncover the truth.

When I say slow-burn here, I definitely mean it. A 500 page cop procedural is a task for anyone, even fans of the genre. This one dragged in places, raced forth in others, it had all the elements of a good procedural, especially all the conflict with various towns-people. Red-herrings were executed rather well for the most part. You definitely got the feeling that you knew who the culprit was only to be jerked in another direction. Frustrating stuff, but that’s what we love about it.

But they glossed over of the state of Ana’s mental health. She couldn’t remember much, of course, but I really felt she should have been more…taken care of, in that respect. It seemed odd to me that she wouldn’t have gone through counseling at the very least. And there were times it seemed like I really was dragging myself into the next scene. I love a good, tight mystery, but this could be a little hard to follow in terms of the details.

Overall, I think it had plenty of potential and if you don’t mind the “slow descent” type of read, then you’ll likely enjoy this one!

tw for the topic of pedophilia, kidnapping

*My thanks, as always, to Netgalley and the Publisher for gifting me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

The summary of this book made it sound right up my alley, but unfortunately it just wasn't a fit for me. The writing is beautiful and atmospheric, but I prefer my thrillers to have a faster pace. This was more of a slow burn, and I had trouble staying interested. However, I'm sure that there are other readers who will find it to be more to their liking.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Two little girls go missing. Five years later, one returns. The village has suspects and the lives of the two families are shattered.

Village of the lost Girls
3.5 Stars!

Firstly, I just have to say I’m completely torn on this one.

What I Loved: The writing painted an extraordinary picture and added to the feeling of trepidation for the girls Ana and Lucía and those around them. I was worried about what had happened to the girls while knowing at the same time it was sad whatever it was. There were many people who we see throughout the story and it became a matter of trying to keep track of possible motives for each of them

The setting of the story is remote, cold and mysterious and added another level to the suspense of the whole thing. I pictured a place that never got much sunlight and always appeared somewhat bleak. Of course that could be attributed to the fact that the town had been marred in the tragedy of two 11 year old girl disappearing and five years without anything to go on.

What I Liked: the little twist at the end. While it’s bittersweet overall it also adds some much needed relief and closure.

What I Didn’t Like: The story is written in 3rd Person and with so many characters and emotions it was hard to keep track. This left me feeling like I never was able to form a connection to any of the characters and it makes it difficult to fully invest myself. I especially lament the fact that I couldn’t quite connect with Sara and Victor and I had a hard time deciphering how I even felt towards their characters.

Overall I probably won’t shout from the rooftops about how much I loved this story but for those I know that will be entertained I’d definitely recommend Village of the Lost Girls.


My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

This book was a very interesting book. I actually loved it. The story was great. I love the twists and turns and the characters were likeable. This was my first book by this author and I'll definitely be reading more.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Village of the Lost Girls.

I'm always on the lookout for a mystery series featuring a strong female protagonist so I was pleased when my request was approved.

The premise is interesting though not wholly original; the case of the abduction of two young girls five years ago is reopened when one of the girls returns. Her BFF is nowhere to be seen.

Detective Sara Campos and her superior, Santiago Bain, leads the investigation and working with the local police force hope to uncover the perp, someone Campos believes is hiding among them.

First, the writing is pretty good; the author paints both a beauty and stark portrait of the isolated environment of the village; how the locals interact, how a small community bonds together but also contains just as much drama and violence as any big city.

But, the descriptions become almost overwrought, and the reader is inundated by the copious POVs and exposition from all the people involved in the investigation; the suspects, the locals, the police.

Names and places soon blurred and it was hard for me to remember who was who and who did what.

The premise of the story, the mystery itself was bogged down in minutia, the issues of the supporting and minor characters, none of whom I connected with.

The loss of Bain was a shock, and though I respected Sara as an officer of the law; she was competent and relentless, I couldn't say I liked her.

She was standoffish, hot tempered (possibly due to her troubled childhood) and blunt almost to the point of rudeness.

Overall, the story and writing wasn't bad but bogged down with too many POVs, unnecessary exposition and descriptions of the people and place.

A mediocre tale set in the Spanish Pyreneesset. Five years ago two local girls disappeared without a trace until one reemerges after a harrowing car crash. Claiming to have no memory of the last five years,, Ana is unable or unwilling to give up information about Lucia- the other missing girl. An investigation begins but the investigators are met with resistance from the close-knit community who are unwilling to give up their secrets. The telling of the story was slow in building and in many areas the writing dragged, burdened with too much detail. Overpromises and under delivers. Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to review this book

At first I wasn’t sure how I would like this book but after a chapter or so it really started to pick up!! Definitely keep on reading this one because the storyline is amazing and the characters really come to life. Love it!

First, thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this one. I was really excited to read this book & was completely drawn in by the description. Great plot & characters. However, it felt weighted down due to all the unnecessary detail of the land & town (just my opinion). I found myself skipping over those sections curiously wondering what was happening within the actual story. I feel it took away from from the intensity of the story.

Sara Campos and her boss Santiago have been assigned the case of the two missing girls, Ana, and Lucia. The girls disappeared five years ago. They were eleven years old.
There were a lot of mistakes that the local police made in those first hours. Reevaluation of the case can maybe help understand what was missed.
A car careened off a mountain road. Two people, one survivor. The man was killed on compact. The girl has managed to crawl out the back window just before she loses consciousness. Her fingerprints identify her as Ana one of the missing girls. Hopefully she will be able to shed some light on where they have been these last give years. Than Lucia will be found and brought home too. It seems like everyone has something to hide. The small mountainous town is no different. There are a lot of things the townspeople do not want revealed. Not even to bring one of their own home.
Dark, suspenseful, exciting!

I did enjoy this book. It kept me on my toes and I wasn’t able to figure out who the actual kidnapper was. I enjoyed this story and figuring out all of the secrets in this little beautiful town. I did at times find some information to be a bit confusing, there was almost too many details. The chapters are very long but I appreciated how they were broken up. I did stay up late into the night reading this story. Overall I give this story a 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this advanced read.