This Girl's a Killer is a quirky, fast-paced mystery with a unique protagonist and a bold narrative voice. Emma C. Wells delivers a fun, if somewhat uneven, debut that blends dark humor with crime fiction in a way that’s clearly meant to stand out.

The main character is refreshingly offbeat and brings a sarcastic, unconventional perspective to the story. There are clever moments and unexpected turns that kept me reading, and the tone sets it apart from more traditional mysteries.

That said, I gave it 3 stars because while the premise had promise, the execution didn’t always land. The plot felt a bit scattered at times, and some character motivations weren’t as fleshed out as they could’ve been. It occasionally seemed like style was prioritized over substance.

Still, readers looking for something different in the mystery genre—especially with a sharp, edgy tone—may find this an entertaining ride. A solid debut with room to grow.

Absolutely WILD!! Lots of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, which is what I really love and enjoy when reading a suspenseful thriller! I thought the pacing was well done, the writing was perfect, and the plot was solid!

Thanks Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the ARC! This was such a good read - I was entertained the whole that I was reading the book. The twists and turns kept me flipping through the pages and it resulted in quite a quick read!

Really well done! Dexter x Promising Young Woman vibes. The main girl and her bestie give very gay vibes. I love how the narrative subtly starts shifting and manipulating to justify her actions.

Really interesting voice throughout.
I was stressed during the book, trying to figure out how on earth main character was going to untangle the mess she put herself in.

Hope this becomes a show or movie sometime. This and My Sister the Serial Killer are some of the best woman serial killer formats

This book had some intriguing moments and a compelling concept, but I found myself wanting a bit more depth. The plot kept me hooked occasionally, though parts of it felt a tad predictable. The characters, especially the protagonist, are interesting but could’ve been more fleshed out. Overall, it's an OK read. Entertaining enough if you're into thrillers, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Cordelia is a pharmaceutical rep by day and a killer by night, hunting down men who have evaded justice until she comes to kill them. This was such a good plot. Very unique story that's different to anything else I've read. I look forward to more of Wells' work.

This was such and entertaining book! I didn't see the twists coming, a real killer thriller! I would recommend this book to those who lie aquick popcorn read.

Are we sure this is a debut novel, and not something from an established author? I was hooked from the start.

This book is dark, but it definitely has it's comedic moments.

I have never watched Dexter, so I cannot speak to the comparison of the characters. But it was an enjoyable, if a bit gory, read.

If How to Kill Men and Get Away with It and Dexter had a sharply dressed, charming cousin who worked in pharma sales — her name would be Cordelia Black.

By day, Cordelia is a top-tier pharmaceutical rep; by night, she doles out her own form of justice to the corrupt and cruel. She’s not your typical serial killer. She’s social, successful, has great taste in fashion, and happens to be a godmother. But when her best friend falls for a man Cordelia suspects is hiding something sinister, and her career starts to unravel, things get messy fast.

This book was pure fun. Fast-paced, darkly witty, and highly entertaining, it leans more into the "can she get away with it?" angle than the actual vigilante kills, which was fun. It's always enjoyable reading about a perfectly put together women slowly unraveling but them taking control back. If you’re hoping for detailed Dexter-style stalking and dispatching, you won’t get as much of that here. But you will get a flawed anti-heroine navigating a double life with increasing tension and complications.

While the suspense wasn’t as intense as I’d hoped, the twist at the end was good. It's not a gritty thriller, but it is a clever, stylish cat-and-mouse story that doesn't take itself too seriously. Perfect for readers who enjoy morally gray women, sly humor, and justice with a splash of glam. For my Finlay Donovan fans, this one is perfect.

This Girl's a Killer is out now. Huge thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my Instagram @speakingof.books.
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An intense and freaky true crime story with some pretty detailed gore! I was definitely hooked throughout the book and was invested in each one of the surprise moments and twists! The ending felt a bit rushed and too "perfect" and the pacing felt a bit off at times. Overall I think this is a good option for thriller lovers who want to try out horror!

LOVED this book! This book really highlights making your own family when yours isn't so great and women really standing up for each other.

Cordelia reminded me of a female Dextor. This story was creative and interesting. I was entertained the whole time.
I didn’t understand the whole “smoke in the monster’s eyes” thing, and the ending felt wrapped up quickly to me. But for the most part this was a dark comedy version of You with a female lead.

2 stars

Thanks to the publisher for a #ARC in return for an honest review.

Well, I am disappointed by this! It was described as a mix of female Dexter with some comedic aspects. While yes, the FMC was dark and twisted, I found this book to be annoying, repetitive, and a chore to get through. Is Cordelia the only one in this book with any common sense? Why does she have to babysit a grown woman and her child. I also felt like she was in love with her friend...? The actions of these characters were just irritating, naive, and not funny. The ending too was just all over the place.

Although I would describe this as a thriller, it does have a light hearted side to it, so even if you don't like 'Serial Killer' novels, I think you would enjoy this. It is very clever how the Author has managed to create a Serial Killer that one can't help but like. I loved the relationship between Cordelia and Diane. Although somewhat possessive over her friend, you can see Cordelias actions are all done out of genuine love. Although not close to a Gresham,this is definitely an easy read, page turner .

When I began this book it didn’t go in the direction I thought it would. Which is great, I love a bit more of an original story line. Although at times I found the main character creepily obsessive over her best friend it was an over all good read

DNFed at about 55%.

I went into this thinking it would be a fun take on a female serial killer who takes out evil men. And there are definitely hints of this in it, but it really seemed to be focused on two things instead. 1) Cordelia's imminent downfall as a serial killer (this could have changed by the end, but it was a huge focus up until the point I DNFed.) 2) Her 'friendship' with her bestie. And I say friendship in this way because it definitely seemed like more of a romantic obsession.

After rereading the blurb, the first one seems like it's supposed to be part of the plot. It had just been so long between reading the plot and picking up the audiobook, that I completely forgot about that from the blurb. For point 2, I don't know. I just didn't love it. I was expecting an obsession, because I mean she's a serial killer, but I think I was expecting it more to come across in a best friend soul mate way. If it was meant to be a romantic obsession, then I think that needed to be fleshed out more.

Cordelia was also just a complete bitch to anybody her best friend dated, to the point that both the best friend and goddaughter knew she'd be a bitch. Not a fan. And I hated her calling her goddaughter Sugar. I don't know why. It just grated on my nerves.

Even though I wasn't loving this book up until this point, I was going to finish it. Then my audiobook on Hoopla expired, and I just didn't care enough to redownload it. Because I didn't like this book, mostly based on my own expectations going into it, I won't be giving a star rating.

From page one I was saying what am I reading!

Great you you will not be able to put down! Great read!

You will not be disappointed put this on your TBR!

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review

featuring Cordelia Black—a woman with secrets and a fierce love for her found family.
Her perfect life starts to crumble, and she’ll stop at nothing to keep the people she loves safe.
I was on the edge of my seat until the very last page—and there’s one detail left unresolved that has me dying for a sequel.

After finishing this book, I went hunting to find out if it had been listed as a dark comedy. I saw nothing to confirm that, but I swear there are some serious comedic timings happening in here. If they aren't on purpose...well....

Cordelia Black is a bad ass bitch. She has her entire life figured out, managed from her ice blonde roots to the tips of her Louboutins. She's the perfect pharmaceutical sales rep, beloved and devoted best friend and godmother. She has great style, great elocution, and she takes shit from no one.

She's also the perfect serial killer of monsters.

Well. She thinks she is, anyway.

Trigger warnings abound here, though there is nothing graphic, because the kinds of monsters Cordelia kills - well, they definitely deserve it, and the women and children of the world are better off because of her work.

One small glitch in her matrix leads to the absolute definition of chaos, and she's left scrambling to get everything neatly back on track and keep her perfect world moving on.

Around the halfway mark, I buckawked out loud with laughter at the absolute ridiculousness that was her carefully laid plans utterly falling apart. My coworker asked, so I gave him a rapid fire explanation of all of her unfortunate events, and his jaw dropped with laughter.

I saw a review complaining that Cordelia swears she's on top of everything but makes a lot of stupid mistakes. But I don't think that's all that true. She's very rigid in her system, and the second one part of it had issues, her brain stopped autocorrecting and things....slipped.

Have we not all been there? This is why I would be a terrible serial killer. Officer.

I really enjoyed this. But I do think it needs a "dark humor" tag added to it.

I absolutely loved this one! It was addicting and I could not put it down and I did not want to put it down.