Girl, 11 focuses on a podcast that is run by Elle. Previously to starting her podcast, she had been a social worker. Her current podcast season focuses on a notorious, uncaught serial killer, TCK--the Countdown Killer. Elle gets a lead from a listener and when she goes to meet him, he has been murdered. The case consumes Elle and another kidnapping that may fit the profile pull her in more. Without giving away any spoilers, this book was fast paced and interesting with multiple perspectives and timely themes.

A catchy name is all it takes to turn a local case into a national sensation. Within hours, all the channels were calling him the same thing: The Countdown Killer.’

Elle Castillo was once a social worker who helped children who were the victims of violent crime. These days, she is the host of a popular true crime podcast, Justice Delayed, tackling cold cases involving missing children in Minnesota. After four seasons of successfully solving cold cases, Elle decides to return to the past, to a case that haunts her: The Countdown Killer.

The Countdown Killer has never been caught. After establishing a pattern of taking and ritualistically murdering three girls over a seven-day period, the murderer stopped. Each victim was a year younger: the eleventh and youngest victim was eleven years old.

A listener phones Elle with a tip. She heads out to interview him and discovers his dead body. Who murdered him, and why? And what information did he have? Days later, another girl is abducted. Is the Countdown Killer at work again? The police do not think so, but Elle is does. And an abduction close to home has Elle feeling responsible.

There is plenty of tension in this debut novel by Amy Suiter Clarke, a Melbourne-based author. While a couple of procedural aspects seemed unlikely to me (because of the potential for conflicts of interest) this never worried me enough to take me out of the story. Elle takes risks as she tries to find answers: her feelings of responsibility, of guilt, seem to overwhelm her judgement at times.

There’s a lot of information to process, plenty of characters to remember and a couple of improbabilities to digest, and a satisfying ending.

Recommended.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

True Crime fans will love this thriller! Amy Suiter Clarke’s Girl, 11 is masterfully crafted, compelling, and contemporary. Clarke has the confident, careful hand of a seasoned author. Remarkable debut!

What an amazing debut! This was one dark and twisty road. I read this in less than 24 hrs. So hard to put down. The story flowed perfectly and I loved the book set up.
Thank you NetGalley!

Girl, 11 is an intriguing story by Amy Suiter Clarke. Elle (the heroine) has a podcast, Justice Delayed, where she discusses cold cases and investigates them with the help of tips from her listeners. Elle's latest episodes are about a serial killer who hasn't killed (at least in the same pattern) for 20 years. I want to thank NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an early copy to review.

Elle Castillo is a former social worker and talented amateur investigator. She has created a true crime podcast series focusing on unsolved mysteries in her state of Minnesota and has enjoyed a successful solve rate. Currently Elle has begun to focus her energies on “The Countdown Killer” or “TKC”. TKC or a copycat however, have other plans and begin to stalk her and her closest friends

It’s a thrilling novel with complex and likable characters. Although Elle backs herself into corners, she’s not the usual anti-heroine who is disregarded and then alienated by the police and her family and friends. It was somewhat unbelievable but enjoyable to experience her positive relationships with the police and her coroner husband.

Real suspense and mystery and a satisfying ending. Complex characters and Greta prose and detail. Recommended for podcast and true crime lovers and all lovers of thrillers.

This book is Serial -fiction version. It follows Elle a podcaster who wants to find who a serial killer is. I enjoyed the story as it unfolded and tried to figure out the culprit along with Elle. The story did get a bit out there and I didn't think it was based in reality of what would happen- I guess because of the way Im used to Serial podcast making sense and being grounded in reality. I did find the book entertaining.

I would like to thank Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the chance to read Girl, 11. I had a very hard time putting this book down once I started it! I devoured it in just a day. There was plenty of suspense and tension to keep the reader guessing. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt for a early copy of this excellent mystery. The comments and review are my honest opinion.
Elle is a podcaster of Justice Denied and has chosen
The Countdown Killer cold case to be the premise of her newest podcast. He was never caught and Elle wants him found. But it seems that this case is not as cold as Elle thought.
The ritual serial killer that was obsessed with numbers has seemed to come back after being silent for 20 years. Or is it a copy cat killer as the killing of young girls begin again.
A good mystery that is nerve racking and suspenseful with a surprising twist that explains Elle’s obsession with The Countdown Killer.

Wow. What a great read! In Girl, 11, Amy Suiter Clarke introduces Elle, the host of a true crime podcast currently focusing on a dormant serial killer, known as The Countdown Killer. Twenty years ago, his last victim escaped, and the theory is that the killer died in a fire. But Elle doesn't think that's the case, and she'd like to bring some justice to his victims. I don't want to give any spoilers, so I'll stop there, but the structure of the book--interweaving podcast transcripts with the narrative--brought the whole story to life. And Suiter Clarke does a great job with creating complex and compelling characters that pulled me along for a thrilling ride. I'll be tuning in to future books from this author!

Elle and her husband live a quiet existence. He’s a coroner, she’s a true crime podcaster and they don’t have any children of their own. They do have neighbors that are the kind of friends that are more chosen family than anything and help the single mom out with her daughter quite often. It takes a village, right?

It seems like every true crime podcaster (and probably obsessed fan as well) has that one murder case that first sparked their interest. For Elle, it’s The Countdown Killer. She was a child when he was active, it was never solved, and she’s never stopped wondering about who the killer was. She’s a little obsessed. And honestly, I think that’s pretty believable for how involved a lot of these podcasters really do get to truly pay respect to the victims and tell their story.

And then of course, similar murders start happening again, 20 years later. Is it Elle’s fault for talking about the murders on her podcast? Has she poked the beast or even just sparked a copycat?

Girl 11 is everything that a fictional thriller can aspire to be. It’s got a healthy dose of real life, a pinch of obsession and a whole lot of suspense. It’s chicken soup for the true crime lover’s soul and you must check it out. Special thanks to Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for an e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out April 20. My review will be published on my blog, Women in Trouble Book Blog on April 14.

This is a really powerful book about a hunt for a serial killer, alternating between a podcast (Justice Delayed) hosted by Elle, her life, and how the killer "grew" to seek out his victims. It's creepy and chilling, visceral and disturbing, with lots of secrets uncovered along the way about the past. It took my breath away several times as I tried to figure it out, but Clarke throws in enough red herrings that your head may spin! I couldn't put it down!

I loved this book. The story is told through podcasts as well as the day to day events and routines. True crime is a passion for many in the real world, which makes this book so interesting.
Elle was a great character - a little obsessive at times though. AS the story unfolds, you realize what Elle has to gain by solving this crime.
I highly recommend this book - the pacing is great!

I very much enjoyed this thriller! This is a first I’ve read of this author and I glad I did. Great suspenseful thriller. Thank you to publisher and NetGalley!

Pub Date: 4/20/21- definitely worth a read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke revolves around podcaster Elle who is trying to find & solve a 20-year-old serial murderer’s identity by re-introducing this cold case to the public through her podcast. Of course, by reopening old wounds, the killer returns from dormancy and starts a new crime spree. I like podcast stories, and they seem to be a new expanding genre in thriller fiction. What I didn’t like was that the lead protagonist Elle was not compelling even after she disclosed some big secrets of her own. In addition, I think there were entirely too many characters in this novel, and I know it’s an effort to distract the reader from the killer’s reveal by giving us options, but I’m not too fond of it. Finally, I had a hard time believing that the local police detectives and the police department would allow her such freedom to go onto crime scenes and, in one case, search the house before the police arrived. Also, Elle’s husband is the chief medical examiner who determines the cause of death for the police department. It simply seems like conflict of interest abounds. Finally, Elle takes many liberties with her investigations which constantly puts her in harm's way. Girl, 11 is a three-star read and was entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC, but my review and opinions are my own and without malice. Beautiful book cover, though. @netgalley #Girl, 11 @asuiterclarke #amysuiterclark #serialkiller #podcaster #murder #younggirls #aprilreleasedate @houghton_mifflin
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Books involving podcasts seem to be very popular nowadays. I for one definitely enjoy them and I really enjoyed this one!
Girl, 11 follows Elle, a true crime podcast host who is examining the cold case of a serial killer in the hopes of finally uncovering his identity.
Dark, disturbing and unputdownable! I didn't care much for the characters, but to be honest I like my stories that way! Great writing and some great twists!

Debut crime thriller, well written and I liked the premise a lot. I did not find the main character, Elle, all that compelling until about two thirds of the way through. I wanted more of Martin, Sash, and Natalie in terms of character development.

Spoiler: the main reason I did not give a higher rating is what I would consider a major flaw. The premise of a crime podcast investigating a cold case serial killer is good. However, the guy is The Countdown Killer: he had prescribed numbered patterns. The most significant is that his victims countdown in age from 21 years old. There is never a mention of how TCK knows his victim’s precise age nor of the police investigating how he knows.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Amy Suiter Clarke for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

This book has everything I love in a book. From the true crime element to the podcast (would make for a phenomenal audiobook), it was excellent. There were a few instances where I thought the main character made some foolish choices but when it comes down to finding out who the elusive Countdown Killer is, one is bound to go the extra mile. The anxiety was amped up when reading this book and think it would be great for those who were a fan of Sadie.

Look forward to reading more from this author.

Elle has a secret past thst she wants buried. She is a hunter. A hunter of truth about cases long cold via her podcast. Her newest cold case may sit be her undoing, TCK. I was firmly entrenched from the synopsis. These kinds of stories, fiction or true, draw me in every single time. I thought the writing was good. The action was fast paced. At times I thought Elle was too arrogant and reckless. But after her story unfolds more, yiu will understand why. I predicted one of the plot occurrences early on. The ending was good. It would be a good series to launch for avid readers.

When I first started this book I really liked but as I got to about 30% I would it a bit far fetched. I'm not saying this was a bad book it was just not for me.