Darby Kane delivers another gripping thriller with Such a Clever Girl. The story kicks off with Aubrey Tanner—the only survivor of a family that mysteriously vanished 15 years ago—returning to her hometown. Her silence and secrets stir up old suspicions, and three women with ties to the past find themselves tangled in the mystery.

It’s dark, twisty, and full of morally messy characters. Kane’s writing is sharp, and the tension never lets up. My favorite part? The way Aubrey weaponizes her trauma—quietly, cleverly, and with just enough menace to keep everyone guessing. If you love thrillers with clever women, buried secrets, and a final twist that hits hard, this one’s for you.

Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing was great and the characters were well developed. I hope to read more from this author in the future.

Another great thriller by Darby Kane. Every book by her is a fast paced who did it up until the very end.

read if you like:
🙎‍♀️ strong female protagonists
🔪 psychological thrillers
📖 for fans of Lisa Jewell and Megan Miranda

summary:
This book follows Aubrey Tanner, whose family disappeared fifteen years ago without a trace. She went missing, with her father, mother and brother, gone. The novel centers around the three women in the middle of it today — Marnie, Victoria’s best friend who was seen at the house that night; Hannah, Patrick’s assistant who was seen with a knife; and Stella, Aubrey’s psychologist. With the family patriarch, Xavier, dying, the group comes together for the reading of the will, when Aubrey appears. The question is — was she a survivor, or does she know more than she was letting on?

This story is a layered, complex psychological thriller that reads like a modern-day haunted house mystery—with a twist of small-town mystique and a touch of Sleepy Hollow-esque eeriness. Centered around this cursed family, it blends intergenerational secrets with tangled community ties, making it a great book for readers who love stories about close-knit towns where everyone is connected.

Told from multiple POV’s, the story can be a bit dizzying at times, but the payoff comes in a final act packed with exposition and shocking reveals. It’s a classic whodunnit with a psychological edge—keeping you on your toes as loyalties shift, memories twist, and long-buried truths claw their way to the surface.

At its heart, this book is about women reclaiming their voices in the face of gaslighting, secrets, and the quiet manipulation of powerful men.

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced copy, and check this book out when it releases on January 19, 2026!

I really struggled with this book, being dropped right in the middle of some drama I didn't know anything about was very confusing. I couldn't figure out who the characters were, there was no explanation as to how exactly they were all connected till you were 50% in. I just didn't care who dies, who lived and who murdered the family. I really wanted to like it, but I had a very very hard time getting into the story. Also, how unrealistic, wouldn't there be lots of questions for the missing girl who suddenly turned up?

Darby Kane has become a must-read author for me, so I was elated to get an ARC/galley of her latest. This was a twisty, multi-narrative book, full of so many fun little surprises along the way.
I started off with so many questions. Why do powerful men work so hard to silence women? Where is the world was Aubrey Tanner the last 15 years? Why has she returned now, immediately after the death of her grandmother, Xavier? Where are the other three missing Tanner family members? And most important, perhaps- what role, if any, did Hanna, Marni and Stella have in the family's disappearance? Fortunately, by the end, all my questions are answered. In some ways, this is a book that shouldn't work, but it does- brilliantly, in my humble opinion. I could absolutely see this made into a limited-run television show. I, for one, would watch it. But in the meantime, I'll remain happy to recommend Darby Kane's novels to all that will listen, and will forever look for future titles. Can't wait until this one is released, t share with a few people I already have in mind!

The Tanner family vanished 15 years ago from Sleepy Hollow and became another chapter in the already infamous town’s history of the mysterious and macabre. When the enigmatic patriarch dies, the whole scandal is reignited as his will is read. An odd cast is invited, including three women with secrets they are dying to keep. Stella, the great niece, Hannah, the café owner, and Marni, the school teacher, were all there the day the Tanners went missing and have spent the last 15 years hoping their involvement will never come to light. The reading is disrupted and a figure from the past emerges ready to rock the town of Sleepy Hollow. Who returns and who stays missing? This is a whirlwind thriller that keeps you guessing right up to the end. I stayed up late racing to the unraveling of the mystery of the missing Tanners.

This book is all family secrets and if you think your family is wild wait until you meet Xavier's- 1 really am not a huge fan of having too many POVs normally in a book however— once you get into the book it's a nice writing style. They switch off POV between the three main characters and a special surprise person. The way the characters POV build off each other is really great and good storytelling. I really enjoyed the twist and how the secrets get revealed.
Even though i figured a key part of the book I feel like they wanted you to figure that out because the real shock is the WHY . Check this book out it's something that will keep you guessing a little bit of a long read for me but the pages started flowing and I am still thinking about that ending fa. Also that cover though absolutely would pick this off the shelf! Thanks @netgalley #SuchaCleverGirl #NetGalley

Perfect for a rainy dreary day!

Took me a few days to finish but it held my interest none the less. My first book by Darby Kane but very interested in reading more.
Although I did get confused with the different POVs once I got about 20% into the book things started falling into place. Don’t get discouraged, please finish it!
The characters were messy but I love messy people, so that was a plus.
The mystery was fast paced and kept me guessing and wanting more.
I feel like this book would be a perfect read for the fall time! Gets you in the spooky mood for sure. The setting was perfect, descriptive as one could want.
Thanks NetGalley for the arc exchange of an honest review.

4.5/5 stars

I picked up this fall set thriller because the weather here in SC has been so rainy and chilly this week! This was a spooky, atmospheric thriller. There were lots of characters introduced quickly. There are also 4 female POVs throughout which became somewhat confusing to me. It was hard to keep them all straight. I also had a hard time following the dialogue of the characters at times. It was confusing figuring out who was speaking or narrating sometimes. Overall there were SO MANY details and I just had a hard time following this one and really getting into it. I did appreciate the last chapter which did a good job explaining and answering a lot of my questions.

I really had a hard time getting into this story, all its players, and the plot. It just didn't grab me, I did not care about any of the characters. The story was too dragged out and just missed the sparkle, at least for me. Thank you @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Darby Kane leans into her sweet spot—secrets, power, and women who know more than they’re saying—to build a very creepy cold case. Fifteen years ago, the Tanner family vanished mid-meal; there’s a bloodstain by the door and their business burning across town. Now the surviving daughter, Aubrey, who vanished along with the fam, comes back to Sleepy Hollow, NY (yes that one, definitely visit during October! Spooky Halloween vibes galore!), a community that’s been pickling in rumor ever since. Multiple POVs and a tight, isolated setting give it that “town-sized locked room” vibe, with decade-old rot bubbling up fast.
Let me start this review by saying that I *LOVE* multiple POV books. I really enjoy seeing what a skilled author does with different voices, opinions, mannerisms, life experiences, etc. These four women (Aubrey, Marni, Stella, Hannah) each has a unique piece of the puzzle to share. Whether it’s an unreliable narrator, a questionable-yet-earnest witness, a guilt-ridden observer, and / or a character with potential memory issues, Kane weaves their unique perspectives skillfully into a cohesive narrative which spins down to the big reveal with satisfying propulsive prose and a twist I did NOT see coming.
The atmosphere is almost another character – wind, water, walls that remember, dark corners with menace.
Overall, another great entry into the repertoire of one of my fave authors!
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Fifteen years ago the Tanner family disappeared from their house in a small town where not a lot of crime happens yet no body, no corpse, no death applies. Right? Then how do they explain all the blood that was left behind.

Now as the Patriarch of the family dies, one of the missing family members, Aubrey Tanner returns to the town for the will reading of her grandfather shocking everyone leading to many questions of what really happened that night long ago? Three women who have different types of connections to the family each have their own secrets to keep of that night not to mention each thinking the other has more to do with it than they are really saying. They've avoided each other for fifteen years but with the appearance of Aubrey back in town, Stella, Marni and Hannah realize they need to stop avoiding the truth and start working together to figure out what really happened. However, is it too late before one of them may be the next victim or accused killer in this fifteen year mystery?

Each chapter is written by a point of view of each of the four women involved where even the reader is questioning who is telling the truth, half truth, lies? Seriously, which one is it! There is obviously more to be told but only when the author, Darby Kane wants you to know it because she has so many plot twists within this story, the reader will never know until the final reveal.

I highly recommend Such a Clever Girl as I'm laughing thinking no, I didn't feel clever at all because I kept guessing wrong! Just wow! Darby Kane has a way of writing that always has me second guess myself and even if I think I know what I "think" the outcome is, she will have me realizing I don't know what happened until the very last page!

Thank you to NetGalley, William Morrow Books and Darby Kane for ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Looking forward to the next one!

This book took me several days to read, but it captivated me.

The Tanner family went missing years ago under very mysterious circumstances, so imagine everyone's surprise when the eldest Tanner daughter Aubrey walks in during the reading of the will of the family patriarch, Xavier. Why is she back, and what does she know? And what did she do?

Three friends, present at the time of the family's disappearance, are linked to the Tanner family. There is Stella, Xavier's niece, and Marni, who is connected to the family through her friendship with Victoria Tanner. Then there is Hanna, linked to the family in a way that unfolds throughout the story.

The chapters are told from the points of view of Stella, Marni, Hanna, and Aubrey. Everyone has secrets, and no one can be trusted.

The author wove everything together so well, I followed the twists and turns of the story and remained guessing until the last chapters.

I loved this suspenseful story!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this one, I thought the pacing for the most part was well done. Once you get into the swing of it the multiple POV's were easy to follow. I loved how you could feel the suspense in some scenes. Some really good twists that take you by surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I was so intrigued by this book based on the cover and the description. When I started reading it, it was actually really different from what I expected, but in a good way.

The characters were very messy, it was definitely hard to connect with them, but it was interesting to read about them.

I loved the mystery, it really kept me guessing.

This gripping and intricate domestic thriller by Darby Kane offered a thoroughly captivating and suspenseful reading experience. I was immediately pulled into its central premise, which revolves around a family's unsolved disappearance from fifteen years ago and the chilling return of the sole survivor.

The narrative centers on Aubrey Tanner, who returns to her hometown, forcing the community to confront the haunting mystery of her family's vanishing. As I read, I felt the tension mount as old secrets begin to resurface, particularly for three women—a teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist—who share a dangerous connection to the past. The author masterfully weaves a complex web of lies, blackmail, and frayed alliances, making me question everyone's role in the original crime.

The book maintains a relentless and compelling pace, with the threat of a new disappearance escalating the stakes and pushing the characters to their breaking points. The suspense is expertly managed, keeping me consistently invested in Aubrey's true motives and the dark secrets these women are desperate to keep hidden. While the plot is complex, the unfolding of the events felt both smart and satisfying.

I appreciated the author's ability to craft a story that is both a thrilling cold-case mystery and a deep dive into the lasting impact of a shared, dark secret. It's a solid choice for those who enjoy psychological suspense with a focus on small-town secrets and a race against time.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the ARC.

Darby Kane does it again. This twisty thriller kicks off with the eerie disappearance of the Tanner family and keeps the tension high as three women, each with secrets, are pulled back together 15 years later. There’s blood, betrayal, and a whole lot of money in play. And then Aubrey, the supposedly dead daughter, walks back in like a ghost, ready to stir the pot.

I loved the drama between Marni, Hannah, and Stella, frenemies at their finest. Aubrey’s reappearance is bold, chilling, and exactly the chaos the story needed. Everyone here is shady in the best way. You’ll keep flipping pages trying to figure out who’s lying, who’s guilty, and what really happened that night. The pacing sags in places, and the multiple POVs can be a lot to track, but the payoff is satisfying. I wasn’t sure why it was set in Sleepy Hollow since it didn’t add much, but the atmosphere still worked.

Darby Kane strikes again with Such a Clever Girl—a haunting, atmospheric thriller that blends a decades-old disappearance with a new wave of suspicion, secrets, and suspense. If you love stories where the past refuses to stay buried, this one will consume you.

Fifteen years ago, the Tanner family vanished under truly eerie circumstances—meals still on the table, blood near the door, and their business in flames. That mystery has lived rent-free in the town’s collective memory ever since. But when Aubrey Tanner returns as an emotionally armored adult, she cracks the case wide open with her silence alone.

Kane masterfully weaves together the perspectives of three women—each entangled in the Tanner mystery in deeply personal ways. A teacher, a café owner, and a psychologist all carry secrets that bind them, and as the pressure mounts, their individual truths become just as compelling as the central mystery.

What I loved most was the pacing—relentless but not rushed—and the way Kane balances tension with emotional complexity. The town itself becomes a character: haunted, claustrophobic, and full of buried grudges. And just when you think you’ve figured out what happened that night? Another layer peels back.

This is one of those thrillers where the characters feel as dangerous as the mystery. Twists hit hard, and the ending doesn’t just surprise—it lingers.

This book was really more than I expected! I haven't like previous Darby Kane books, but this one was a pleasant surprise! It was fast paced and hard to put down. I will give her next books a try for sure!