Jennifer Wolfe | WATCH THE GIRLS

Plot (via Goodreads):

Fame and obsession collide in this darkly twisted novel from an incredible new voice in suspense.

SOMEONE IS WATCHING
Washed up teen star Liv Hendricks quit acting after her beloved younger sister inexplicably disappeared following a Hollywood party gone wrong. Liv barely escaped with her life, and her sister was never heard from again. But all this time, someone's been waiting patiently to finish what was started...

FOUR MISSING GIRLS
Now fifteen years later, broke and desperate, Liv is forced to return to the spotlight. She crowdfunds a webseries in which she'll pose as a real-life private detective--a nod to the show she starred on as a teen. When a mysterious donor challenges her to investigate a series of disappearances outside a town made famous by the horror movies filmed there, Liv has no choice but to accept.

FOLLOW THE WHITE WOLF
Liv is given a cryptic first clue: Follow the white wolf. And now a darker game is about to begin. Through social media, someone is leaving breadcrumbs to follow. As Liv makes increasingly disturbing discoveries, her show explodes in popularity. A rapt internet audience is eager to watch it all--perhaps even at the cost of Liv's own life...

Review:

What the hell did I just read? This novel is INTENSE. Right from the start, Jennifer Wolfe really dragged me into this seedy world where hell is very prominent in the City of Angels. Even with thrillers, authors tend to describe the beautiful people of Los Angeles. The sun, the lights, everything heavenly. Not Jennifer Wolfe. Wolfe brought out the devil to play with this novel, exposing Los Angeles for what it really is. For every bright light, there is a bulb radiating heat...and that heat is dangerous. 

I loved how this story transitioned from L.A. to this small town full of dark and twisted secrets. Wolfe has a talent for turning a thriller into a journey. I love how she weaved together this current mystery with a cold case that is exceptionally personal to her. Going back and forth between present time and the past was not only effective for this storyline, but featured one hell of a series of fireworks by the time I got to the ending. But, lets not get ahead of ourselves. There's plenty to discuss before I talk about the ending. 

This novel is like reading a really good horror movie. Not just a good horror movie, but like a REALLY good horror movie. It is violent, atmospheric, cinematic, and eerie. Even during the moments where there aren't violent actions being discussed or psychological threads being broken, this novel has a knack for being terrifying in its prose alone. I will say, the meat of this novel is not only immersive, but anxiety-ridden and dark. If you have trigger warnings against violence and rape, there are a few scenes in this novel that may make you uncomfortable. 

What I did enjoy about Liv was that Wolfe made her kind of unlikeable. She is rude, kind of selfish, and fearless. I didn't like her, but I rooted for her the entire time. Job well done, Ms. Wolfe. As the story progressed, I found myself completely lost in a sense. There were so many directions that this novel could have went, I was lose with what I thought would happen and what I wanted to happen. Eventually, I just gave up wondering and let Wolfe take the reigns. 

With a dark and devilish plot, a terrifying atmosphere, brilliantly written and three-dimensional characters, and a story-line that was literally to die for (inside joke; read the book), I was shocked at how quickly this novel came to its violent and shocking conclusion. The ending to this one was genius. Not to give anything away, but it was not the kind of conclusion I was expecting, nor was it an easy way out or cliched. Brave to you, Jennifer Wolfe. I am not one to be easily tricked, and you got me. I thank you for that. I thank you for this reading experience. This is not the kind of story you forget.

Special thanks to my friends at Gotham Group for sending me a copy of this one! 

Rating: 4/5