The Wild Girls: A Novel

by Phoebe Morgan

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Lions! Elephants! Hyenas! These safari attractions are the least of worries for friends who gather for a birthday party. This is a fast read with some twists at the end that will leave you RSVPing “No” to any party invites for the rest of your life.

In the vein of Lucy Foley and Ruth Ware, a deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller about a group of old friends who plan to reconnect on an African safari vacation, but soon learn that their wild pasts have finally caught up with them.

“A wonderfully atmospheric thriller of secrets, lies and betrayals . . . a heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read.” —B.A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors

FOUR FRIENDS. A LUXURY RETREAT. IT’S GOING TO BE MURDER.

It’s been years since Grace, Felicity, Alice, and Hannah were together. The “Wild Girls,” as they were once called, are no longer so wild. Alice is a teacher. Hannah has a new baby. Grace is a homebody. Only Felicity seems to have retained her former spark.

Then Felicity invites them all on the weekend of a lifetime—a birthday bash in Botswana. It will be a chance to have fun and rekindle their once bomb-proof friendship… and finally put that one horrible night, all those years ago, behind them for good.

But soon after arriving at the luxury safari lodge, a feeling of unease settles over them. There’s no sign of the party that was promised. There’s no phone signal. They are on their own… and things start to go very, very wrong. 

A fresh approach to the classic locked-room mystery, The Wild Girls is sure to appeal to fans of Ruth Ware and Lucy Foley. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063144804
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	04/26/2022
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	17,677
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Phoebe Morgan is an author and Editorial Director at HarperCollins UK. She studied English at Leeds University after growing up in the Suffolk countryside. She lives in London, England.

Editorial Reviews

02/07/2022

The four longtime friends at the center of this enjoyable psychological thriller from British author Morgan (The Babysitter) used to call themselves “the wild girls” until an incident drove a wedge among them two years earlier. Now, teacher Alice Warner, new mother Hannah Jones, and introvert Grace Carter, all Londoners, each receive an invitation from Felicity Denbigh, with whom they lost contact after Felicity moved to Manhattan with her boyfriend, to attend her 30th birthday party in Botswana, all expenses paid. When Alice, Hannah, and Grace, who each view the trip as a way to settle past grievances, arrive in Botswana, they’re driven from the airport to Deception Valley Lodges, a luxury resort—except there are no other guests and no birthday celebration, and with no phone signal or internet connection, they can’t reach the outside world. Terror lurks in every crevice of the resort while dangerous animals roam in the bush, and past deeds that pulled apart the friends become life threatening. The suspense ramps up as the plot evolves into a locked-room mystery. This perceptive look at female friendship and betrayal will resonate with many. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson Literary. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

"When three estranged friends set off for an all-expenses-paid trip to Botswana, you just know it won’t be long before they discover the catch—and what a terrifying one it is! Tense, well-paced and with a cast of relatable flesh-and-blood women, The Wild Girls is an exhilarating, read-in-one sitting ride." — Louise Candlish, #1 internationally bestselling author

"A wonderfully atmospheric thriller of secrets, lies and betrayals, The Wild Girls is a heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read with a dark sense of menace and hugely relatable characters." — B. A. Paris, author of Behind Closed Doors

"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting." — Deborah O’Connor, author of The Captive

"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns." —  K.L. Slater

“Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.” — Booklist

"A tense, torturous thriller . . . keenly realized and entirely relatable." — The Sunday Post (UK)

"This is great. Kept me gripped!" — Jane Fallon, author of Faking Friends

From the Publisher

Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.

Booklist

"A tense, torturous thriller . . . keenly realized and entirely relatable."

The Sunday Post (UK)

"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting."

Deborah O’Connor

"When three estranged friends set off for an all-expenses-paid trip to Botswana, you just know it won’t be long before they discover the catch—and what a terrifying one it is! Tense, well-paced and with a cast of relatable flesh-and-blood women, The Wild Girls is an exhilarating, read-in-one sitting ride."

Louise Candlish

"A wonderfully atmospheric thriller of secrets, lies and betrayals, The Wild Girls is a heart-stopping rollercoaster of a read with a dark sense of menace and hugely relatable characters."

B. A. Paris

"This is great. Kept me gripped!"

Jane Fallon

"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns."

K.L. Slater

Masterfully constructed twists and tangible paranoia push the bush setting to the background as treacheries are unveiled, and the outcome is shrouded by competing obsessions and next-level manipulation. An excellent recommendation for readers craving the twist-driven plot construction favored by Gillian Flynn and Ruth Ware.

Booklist

"Absolutely loved The Wild Girls. A dark and delicious thriller with an atmospheric Botswana setting that’s chock-a-block full of twists and turns."

 K.L. Slater

"Agatha Christie meets Liane Moriarty in this escapist thriller about toxic friendships. Compelling and clever, you’ll binge it in one sitting."

Deborah O’Connor