Always With a Book

They Say a Girl Died Here by Sarah Pinborough #bookreview #audiobook

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC and Flatiron Books/Pine and Cedar Books, #partner for the advanced copy of They Say a Girl Died Here in exchange for my honest review.

Publisher: Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar Books / Macmillan Audio

Published: August 25, 2026

 

Summary:

From the New York Times bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and We Live Here Now comes a thrilling, genre-bending mystery about two murdered girls, the ones who might be next, and a town with dark secrets.

It’s happening again…

Anna Maybourne feels trapped in Harper’s Creek, a nowhere town of dusty farmland plagued by drought, known for the murders of two young women who died exactly three years apart. The presumed murderer, killed as he tried to escape the police, was known as the Farmhand. But Anna, new in town and caring for her grandmother with dementia, wonders if the closed case is actually unsolved.

As the three-year anniversary of the last Farmhand murders nears, Anna’s younger sister worries it could happen again and she and her friend might be next. Anna’s grandmother’s experiences odd paranoid episodes, and she claims to know things about the girls who died.

Anna begins to think her grandmother may be the key to discovering the truth about the murders. Something strange is happening in their old house, Grandma knows more than she should, and instead of being over, the mystery seems like it’s starting again.

They Say a Girl Died Here is a novel of thrilling and terrifying secrets, with a mind-bending twist that could come only from Sarah Pinborough.

 

My thoughts:

Sarah Pinborough is one of my favorite authors and this was one of my most anticipated reads…and boy did it deliver! This is another brilliantly plotted books that keeps you on your toes and that combined with the atmospheric, haunting, ghost-like feel that it had really kept me on edge. ⁣
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This is a slow-burn that works. The tension builds slowly and between the anniversary of the deaths, Anna having to deal with her grandmother’s odd episodes and the secrets the town seems to be keeping…I was captivated. How does it all fit?? ⁣
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I couldn’t have loved this more. The relationships added an emotional component I wasn’t expecting…but also contributed to the overall tension. I loved that I never quite knew what was real and what wasn’t. ⁣

 

Audio thoughts:

I did an immersive read of this one, alternating between the print and the audio and eventually just doing the audio. Saskia Maarleveld is amazing with the voices, really focusing on the tension and emotions. ⁣

 

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