GIRL, 11

4 stars out of 5

Podcasting is all the rage now, and while I'm very much not a fan, this book description hooked me when I read it at NetGalley. Now that I've finished, I can't say I've developed an interest in podcasts, but I sure did enjoy the book. Ironically, the interspersed chapters that put into text the entries in Elle Castillo's popular true crime podcast, "Justice Delayed," was perhaps the most interesting feature.

Roughly two decades ago - after grotesquely murdering three girls over a period of a week - a person dubbed The Countdown Killer abruptly stopped his killing spree. His victims dropped a year in age each time, with the final girl being 11. The killer apparently dropped off the face of the earth, and the case no longer is an active police investigation. Elle, though, wants to change that; her newest podcast, in fact, takes a look at what happened, with an eye to unearthing more clues that she hopes will rekindle the investigation (and ideally, bring the case to closure).

On the home front, she lives with her husband, a medical examiner (often tapped as an expert source on her podcasts). They've become fast friends with Sash and her young daughter Natalie, whom they love as their own. Not long after the new podcast starts picking up steam, Elle gets a message from a man who claims to know the identity of TCK. When she follows up with a personal visit, though, her hopes are dashed - and so is her caller. In fact, he's quite dead.

A coincidence? Elle thinks not - and she sets out to prove it. With a little help from contacts in the small-town Minnesota police department (who, it should be noted, do not share her strong suspicion that TCK is still alive), she jacks up her podcast; but in general, she makes more enemies than friends, even landing in the crosshairs of her generally supportive cop friends. To be honest, several times I wanted to smack her upside the head as well for crashing headlong into potentially dangerous situations despite warnings from the police and everyone she loves. On the other hand, had she just sat back and let the cops do their thing, there wouldn't be a story.

The plot also ranks rather high in the predictability department; of course, there are more (new) victims, at least one of whom most readers will see coming a mile away, leading to more speculation on whether Elle's suspicion is on target. There is one big reveal that changes the character dynamics, and that in turn leads to a bang-up finish. All in all, it's a solid, entertaining story that held my attention throughout. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for approving my request for an advance copy to read and review.

Girl, 11 by Amy Suiter Clarke (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2021); 353 pp.