I... I loved this. And if I didn't love it by the last chapter... The not so subtle shade at real life scenarios was iconic.

The dark and tense atmosphere of secret killer Cordelia Black created such a stressful reading experience that was everything I needed to help propel me through this book at the speed of light. I was well and truly stressed through this WHOLE book, completely unsure if Cordelia would get caught for her murders.

The narrative has a such depth when you think of what Cordelia was trying to accomplish - despite having some very questionable approaches to problem solving. But her attempts at ridding the world of "monsters" (as she calls them, and is so true) is unfortunately never ending because there will always be more monsters out there - as evidenced in the real life comparison in the last chapter.

This book also had a fiery pace, with the story never really settling down because Cordelia just couldn't catch a break. The side plot of her job falling apart was probably the least exciting thing in the book, and even that had me wondering what could come of it.

The bond between best friends (found family) is so strong and seeing all that Cordelia does to protect Diane and Sugar is so heartwarming, despite its violent side effects. It's a tale of friendship and questioning "how far is too far" as much as it is a tale of vigilante justice.

Did I vibe with all of Cordelia's decisions? No. But did I love to follow her path as she navigated everything? Heck yes.

Gerald isn’t the first man Cordelia Black has killed and he definitely won’t be the last. Pharma drug rep by day, monster killer by night, designer shoe lover Cordelia has her life nicely in order until everything begins to unravel all at once. The author makes it easy to root for the killer while laughing at the crazy predicaments she finds herself in as a possible monster makes things personal, and no one gets away with threatening Cordelia’s found family. Things I loved: Cordelia’s strength warring with her anxiety, the way we slowly learn about her past and how it made her who she is, Cordelia’s love for Diane and Sugar Bug, the twisting plot, the humor, and justice being done, Things I disliked-nothing.
I’ll be recommending this debut novel to everyone, and thank NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an advance copy, it was chilling. funny, dark yet full of love, and suspenseful, I loved it! Oh, and I can’t forget loving the devil dog….

Cordelia Black...if I had to know a repetitive killer, it would be her. I say "repetitive killer", because she's not your typical serial killer. I won't say much about her motivations, in order to keep my review spoiler free, but Cordelia has a big heart, she is deeply loyal to her best friend and goddaughter, and she's a dog lover (although it takes her a while to realize it). Is she a killer? Yes. Did I root for her? Also yes. I love this fun, witty thriller, all the way to the final words..."the end".

While I did like Cordelia and usually love a female Dexter-esque clearing out the trash plot, unfortunately this felt slow at times for me. I found the story largely feel like a bit of a drag, wondering when we were going to get to the thriller aspect of the book. Whilst I enjoyed the family focus of the book and Cornelia immediately sensing something was off, it just didn't feel that interesting for me to think this was a page turner. While I enjoyed some parts, it was quite slow and took me a while to get through.

Thank you for the ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!! I LOVE LOVE LOVED THIS!!

I have been chasing a book that makes me feel the way Dexter did for years. And this? This did not disappoint. I will always support women's rights AND women's wrongs. ESPECIALLY when those wrongs are taking out the trash that no one else will.

I love Cordelia. Sure, I usually do love a morally gray character. But she's the best kind--she feels real, like someone you could know. And her whole schtick of wearing designer clothes because of the perceived safety they provider you, like they're a particular sort of armor? I felt that IN MY BONES and felt so incredibly seen. And she has a motivation a lot of us can relate to--a best friend who has terrible taste in significant others who you're constant trying to get out of bad relationships/discover their own self-worth. Her method was just a little more severe than most people take.

This was so well written. You feel Cordelia's confidence and conviction, and you feel her spiral through to the end. You feel her anxiety while everything unravels. I couldn't put this down--I read the whole thing in one sitting, and I have the bags under my eyes to prove it. If you're looking for a book that reminds you of Dexter, but from a women's perspective (and without that weird relationship he had with Deb), you ABSOLUTELY need to pick this up! I can't believe this was a debut--I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

Cordelia Black is a murderess who only targets bad, bad men. Pharma sales by day and vigilante by night, all while spending time with her best friend Diane and her goddaughter.

I loved Dexter and Promising Young Woman but this book did not resonate in the same way. I empathized with Dexter. I didn’t agree with it but I understood it. In this one, I really struggled to connect with the main character on a deeper level, but if you enjoy a murdery mystery this one may be for you.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this novel by Emma C. Wells about a serial killer who has a code. Cordelia only kills men who violate women and children in some way. She has a legitimate profession as a pharmaceutical rep by day and a method to rid the world of bad men by night. Quietly and carefully, Cordelia knows she's saving women and children from abuse.

She's closely watching a new guy who comes into her best friend's life. He seems to her friend like a great guy. But, Cordelia and her goddaughter Sugar aren't so sure.

The pace of this one is pretty fast and I generally felt as though this novel was relevant and well developed. The writing is really solid. I almost immediately felt as though Cordelia was a female Dexter, ridding the world of terrible people. But the novel stands on its own apart from that show, and I enjoyed it very much. I can say that the ending blew me away as it was surprising and very well done.

This novel has strong content warnings for sexual abuse, child sexual abuse, and some pretty gruesome scenes sprinkled throughout. For myself as a victim of child sexual abuse, I was not affected or triggered. However, that will not be the case for everyone, so Reader, take good care. And let me just say I think Emma Wells created a piece of work that surprised me very much. That was mighty clever and shows the world just how brave this author truly is.

A can't think of a better title for this book. I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. This is going to be a big hit.
Thank you for my gifted copy.

Wow what a debut! I loved Cordelia Black, such a strong female lead. She was funny, sassy and totally a loose cannon. Perfectly paced with engaging characters.
Thank you NetGalley, Emma Wells and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read and review this book

This was a dark, twisty and propulsive thriller that had me staying up late just to finish. I loved the Dexter in Louboutins and lace vibes. I can't believe this is a debut novel. There were a few story lines that felt as though they weren't totally thought out, but it was easy to ignore them because the rest of the book was so good. Cordelia is such a strong character and Samantha's 6th grade angst and attitude was so relatable.

A thriller about a female serial killer?! That was all I needed to know before deciding I had to read This Girl’s a Killer.

The book started off strong for me. The FMC, Cordelia Black, seemed like a total powerhouse and I was totally here for it. She reminded me a bit of Evie Porter from First Lie Wins, whom I loved!

However, my feelings changed as the story progressed, especially when it came to Cordelia. Honestly, I didn’t love her character arc 🫣😓. Without giving too much away, her behaviour/decisions weren’t in alignment with how she was initially presented at the beginning. There were points in the book where I even found myself getting annoyed with her.

Additionally, I felt like the pace was on the slower side. It was a bit on the longer side at 432 pages, so perhaps I would’ve felt differently if it were shorter.

While I didn’t love this one as much as I’d hoped, I’d still recommend checking it out. A few of my book besties loved this one, so mine may be an unpopular opinion 🤷🏻‍♀️. [2.5 rounded up to 3 stars].

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the opportunity to read this e-ARC.

Read if you like:

✨Found family
✨Female rage
✨Morally grey FMC’s

A thoroughly enjoyable serial killer story. Pharma rep by day, killer of despicable men at night, Cordelia Black exceeds in both professions. This book grabs you from the start and keeps you enthralled throughout. Great supporting characters, too.

I absolutely loved the main character Cordelia - she was complex, well-developed and just fun to root for despite being a female Dexter. I flew through this and was super invested in how all of the loose ends would be tied up. Best of all, I really loved the ending of this - it surprised me in the best way! My only minor complaint was I found some of the background information about her past to be hard to follow, and that sometimes took me out of the story a bit. Looking forward to more adventures with Cordelia!

This Girl’s A Killer by Emma C. Wells is a fantastic crime thriller.

Cordelia Black loves designer clothes and always looks her best. She and her best friend, Diane, met in college and are always there for each other. Her relationship with her goddaughter, Samantha, is super sweet. Cordelia is a successful rep for a pharma company but she lives a secret life at night.

Cordelia is very smart and well-disciplined. She has a code when picking her victims and she is very careful to hide her crimes. Cordelia gets a very bad feeling about Diane’s new boyfriend but she harbors a few doubts about whether or not he meets her stringent code.

Cordelia’s life soon becomes quite messy as one thing after another comically goes wrong. With the police looking for a possible serial killer, she knows she needs to be very careful as she goes about her nightly business. But a very unexpected visitor quickly upends her well-ordered life.

This Girl’s A Killer is an outstanding crime thriller with a wonderful protagonist. Cordelia is not your average woman and despite her proclivities, she is a likable character. The storyline is clever and unfolds at a fast pace. With shocking twists and turns, Emma C. Wells brings this darkly humorous thriller to a very unanticipated conclusion.

After pushing through 25% of this book, I've decided romanticized serial killers are just not for me.

This gives me similar vibe to Butcher and Blackbird - of course only Blackbird’s story. Can’t imagine what I would do myself if I was out in that situation.

The first novel is expertly constructed, akin to a gourmet Michelin-starred dish. I anticipated being able to foresee the storyline and conclusion, but this one proved to be too challenging - I was deceived and relished being proven wrong.

I love a good bad guy gets what he deserves book! This was such a good book. The characters were great and interesting, I enjoyed it from beginning to end. For a first time author, I was impressed. Look forward to reading more from her. Thank you to Netgalley for the reading experience.

This book fell a little flat for me. There wasn't enough of the thriller aspect that I was hoping for. I loved the premise of the book being a female serial killer who rids the world of bad men. It didn't have me determined to read it all in one sitting or desperately waiting to get back to it to read more.

One aspect that I really didn't enjoy was how many times the main character referred to herself in the third person.

Overall it was an enjoyable read but didn't meet my expectations.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.