Set in Galveston, partly during a hurricane, it conveys a very strong sense of the island community and their way of life. Laura, a local detective becomes embroiled in a murder investigation close to her family. Unusual plot and distinct characters. ( )

Pretty good but sometimes too much unnecessary stuff ( )

Hurricane Murder Spree
Review of the Amazon First Reads Kindle edition (February 1, 2023) released in advance of the Thomas & Mercer hardcover/eBook/audiobook (March 1, 2023)

The Running Girls is setup as a return back home to Galveston, Texas by ex-convict Frank Randall. Frank has served a 19-year sentence after a plea conviction for the murder of his wife Annie. Forensic evidence due to a physical altercation had him as the only suspect and his family and in-laws turned against him. But we know from the start that Frank is likely innocent and the real killer is already planning a new murder to again implicate Frank upon his return.

Daughter-in-law Laurie is in the Galveston P.D. and is the only person who believes Frank to be innocent, unlike his son (her husband) David who believes him guilty. Can she solve the old and new crimes before Frank is again condemned? Various possible suspects make their appearance, and Ebert's Law of the Economy of Characters holds true, but the reason for the crimes is a pretty wild and obscure one which is unsolvable by the reader until the reveal.

Although the ending was a bit implausible, I still enjoyed reading The Running Girls, especially for the geographic atmosphere that the author builds around his Galveston setting which incorporates an oncoming hurricane. In fact, I was surprised to find that Matt Brolly is actually British and otherwise has UK centred detective series in his bibliography.

See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Sunset_Route%2C_Sea_Wall%2C_...
Sea Wall in Galveston, Texas, USA. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

Soundtrack
I couldn't help but listen to Jimmy Webb's song Galveston (1968), first popularized by Glen Campbell in his 1969 recording and then recorded by Webb himself in a 1972 recording.

Trivia and Links
Amazon Prime First Reads advance reading copies (ARCs) are available to Amazon Prime subscribers. They offer advance reads of books in Kindle eBook format one month before the date of official release. The current month's selection is available here (Link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region). ( )