"The French Girl"

“The French Girl”

Written by Lexie Elliot

Review written by Diana Iozzia

Wow, to have found a book that I enjoyed so much more than I thought I would. I had heard about this book for months, but I did not know much about it. After receiving it as a Christmas gift, I found myself very excited to begin it.

“The French Girl” is narrated by the character, Kate. We read a bit about her current friendships and job concerns. She is contacted by an old friend that she had not seen for a few years. Tom tells her that this fateful summer ten years ago resulted in a girl’s death, a girl that they and their other friends had spent time with. Severine was found in a well, with broken bones and signs of a terrible death.

Kate hallucinated seeing Severine, around her apartment, following her around, and accompanying her wherever she goes. We see Kate navigate the investigation, as we slowly suspect her and her friends of killing Severine. There is no clear suspect as we read, but we learn that everyone has a secret motivation and dislike towards the Severine they knew that summer.

This is an incredibly written mystery. We have the cinematic scenes of friends interacting, social parties, meetings, investigations, and intrigue of a great thriller, but we do not feel in danger for the characters. We are absolutely thrown as we slowly figure out, with Kate, who the killer is. When we finally know for sure, we are affirmed, but also confused. There is a bit of an ambiguous ending, because of the burden of proof and evidence.

To say much more in detail of this book would give it away. I highly suggest that if you are looking for a great thriller that sticks in your mind, has a great plot, and is incredibly written, pick up this book. It’s worth every word of hype spoken.