Welcome back book-clubbers! This month, exchange your festive seasonal gear for a deerstalker and trench coat as we trace the many mysterious threads in the thrilling Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz.

​

A hotly anticipated follow up to her brilliant debut Before You Knew My Name, Bublitz doesn't disappoint in a suspenseful and moving exploration of the many disappearances of girls and young women that rapidly end up as cold cases.

Ruth-Ann Baker, a former criminology student and woman living alone in New York, knows the many ways in which a killer can manipulate their target. Armed with a stun gun and mace disguised as lipstick and deodorant, as well as a trusty bloodhound by her side, Ruth is nothing short of vigilant. I wish I could describe this behaviour as extreme, but statistics would prove me wrong.

​

When Ruth receives an Amber Alert about a missing child, it reignites her obsession with a case she was forced to give up on years ago: the abduction and horrific murder of her 7-year-old childhood friend Beth Lovely. While the man who murdered Beth, Ethan Oswald, is dead, Ruth always maintained the belief that he had multiple victims and did not act alone.

​

As Ruth painstakingly traces the history of Ethan from beloved music teacher to his childhood, she uncovers a string of disturbing connections to women who have all been associated with notorious killers.

​

Tracking each woman down from New York to New Zealand to Norway, Ruth's quest to expose them as accomplices leads her into dangerous territory. Is she walking into a trap set by sociopaths or is her own investigation simply further manipulation of these women who are victims in their own right? ​For Ruth, each new piece of information is too easy to write off as a coincidence but, without proof, will her suspects always be one step ahead of her? Or is her own fragile mental state finally coming undone after years of suppressed trauma?

​

Jacqueline Bublitz is a true master of keeping you guessing as she blurs the line between reality and Ruth's own version of events. Each woman in question is written with such complexity and empathy that it is difficult, for me at least, to come to a solid conclusion. The shocking twist at the end of Leave the Girls Behind was like releasing a breath you weren't aware you were holding and will satisfy mystery lovers, true crime fans and new readers to the genre alike.

​

Similar to Before You Knew My Name, Bublitz also doesn't stray away from examining the constant threat facing women and children, the overwhelming numbers of those still missing and whether any change for the better is truly possible. This month's pick, and our final review for 2024, will no doubt be much cause for discussion in book clubs and a recommended addition to your TBR list.

​

 

SIMILAR TITLES

 

Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz 

An extraordinary, unputdownable debut novel exploring trauma, connection, and our cultural obsession with dead girls.

 

Highway 13 by Fiona MacFarlane

In overlapping stories, Highway 13 explores the reverberations of a serial killer's crimes in the lives of everyday people.

​

Pheasants Nest by Louise Milligan

A gripping, propulsive and brilliantly original debut by award-winning investigative journalist and writer Louise Milligan.

 

Six Minutes by Petronella McGovern

An unputdownable thriller for fans of Liane Moriarty and Caroline Overington. If you were gripped watching The Cry, you'll be hooked on Six Minutes.

 

The Family Doctor by Debra Oswald

A riveting, provocative novel about women's fury, traumatic grief, new love, deep friendship, and the preciousness of life.

 

The Unbelieved by Vikki Petraitis

Chilling, timely and gripping, The Unbelieved takes us behind the headlines to a small-town world that is all too real.

 

The Late Show by Michael Connelly

Young LAPD detective Renée Ballard has been relegated to the 'Late Show'. One night she's called out to a brutal assault and then to a multiple murder, and she's determined not to relinquish these cases at dawn.