Police Detective Alisha "Ali" Green was brutally attacked two months ago. The killer left her almost dead and her partner dead. Since then has she had a memory problem, even simple things are hard to remember. She can't even be sure that her memory is always right. And, the killer is still out there.

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Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron is a fast-paced and suspense-laden police procedural. This latest release is a follow-up to Normal and I highly recommend reading the two mysteries in order.

Detective Sergeant Alisha "Ali" Green is continuing to recover from the brutal attack she experienced when confronting a still at large serial killer (who is using the alias Thomas Reed) and one of his captives, Erica Shaw. Ali is suffering from memory losses and muscle weakness from the attack but she tries to hide these issues from her fellow detectives and acting Detective Chief Inspector Jenny Ryan. A week before she is scheduled to return to work, Detective Constable Kevin McManus calls her to the scene of a burned out vehicle which might contain the remains of two of their missing colleagues. With a lot of confusion still surrounding the scene of Ali's attack, DCI Ryan is concentrating on capturing Erica whom she and many of the officers assigned to the case believe is responsible for the attack on Ali, McManus and the other detectives who lost their lives. Ali clashes with everyone on the case since she remains convinced that Erica is nothing but a victim and that serial killer Thomas Reed is person responsible for mayhem from weeks earlier. Will Ali change their minds before it is too late?

Ali is really struggling as she partners with McManus to try to find Erica and That Man (which is how she refers to serial killer Thomas Reed). With bits and pieces of information coming out of the blue and often without context, Ali is definitely at a disadvantage during the investigation but she is certain that Erica is not a killer and that, in fact, her life is most likely in danger. With so many elusive details skittering in and out of her mind, Ali relies on her notes to help her keep track of her thoughts and the steps she needs to follow while she works the case.


Joining the investigation is analyst DC Fisher but something about her seems a bit off to Ali. She does not raise these suspicions with anyone else but she keeps Annie close to her as Ali tracks down leads and follows her hunches. Ali continues trying to get Erica’s mother to reveal where her daughter is when another murder ratchets up the sense of urgency surrounding the current investigation.

Dead Girls is an intricately-plotted murder mystery that is filled with tension as Ali tries to piece together the truth surrounding the events that occurred during her confrontation with "That Man". Graeme Cameron brings the novel to an incredibly twist-filled and adrenaline-laced conclusion. An excellent follow-up to Normal that will absolutely delight fans of the genre. ( )

Thank you to Harlequin-Park Row Books and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron in exchange for an honest review. Detective Sergeant Ali Green has been attacked by a serial killer and left with severe memory problems. Upon her return to work, she tries to overcome and mask her memory issues while investigating the abduction and murder of several young women. This psychological thriller has great potential and has all the markings of a fascinating read but it seems to confuse the reader with too many characters with too few reasons for being in the story. However, the author brings the novel to a satisfactory end. I would like to read more books by this author because he shows capabilities for writing good suspense fiction. ( )

The prologue of Graeme Cameron's Dead Girls is excellent; the race to save a missing girl and police officers' lives being in danger yanked me right into the heart of the story. This is a fast-paced tale that can, at times, be bloody, although there is some tiny consolation for female readers in the fact that it's a man's blood being shed instead of a woman's.

This may be a thriller, but the characters and their behavior are what fuel the action. Erica Shaw is the missing girl everyone is frantic to save, but as the story progresses and more facts come to light, readers begin to question her innocence. Is it possible that she's a victim of Stockholm Syndrome-- or something else?

And of course, Ali Green is front and center. The victims and their families are all-important to her, and she will do anything it takes to bring them justice. However, she has suffered major head trauma and is back at work against doctors' orders. The further into the investigation she gets, the readers (and some of her co-workers) realize that she is occasionally hallucinating and speaking aloud without realizing she's doing so. Her shifting focus can have readers distrusting all the other police officers until they begin to wonder-- how much is Ali affected by her injuries? Can she be relied upon?

After seeing how skilled Cameron is with his story, characters, and pacing, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of his work. ( )