REVIEW: The Broken Girls

The Broken Girls
Author: Simone St. James

Idlewild Hall. A school for girls. Some rebellious. Others illegitimate. All unwanted by their families. In the 1950s, four girls bonded over ghost stories about Mary Hand, a girl who supposedly froze to death on the grounds decades before. When one of them disappears, it starts a chain of events that will remain a mystery for more than 60 years. Flash forward to 2014....Fiona Sheridan wants to know the truth about her sister's murder in the 90's. Her body was found on the grounds of Idlewild Hall, a run down abandoned former school. Fiona's search for the truth becomes intertwined with memories and actions of three women, now elderly, and their search for justice.

I loved this book! It has a slightly supernatural edge to it and plenty of suspense. I don't normally like books that switch back and forth in time, but for this story it worked perfectly. Fiona's search for information about her sister's death opens up old mysteries surrounding the old school, even an old ghost story. I loved how came together with surprises and lots of suspense in the end!

I waited months in the online queue to listen to the audio book version of this story from my local library. Totally worth the wait!! I liked the characters, the setting and the plot. The story kept my attention from beginning to end. Nice steady suspense.

The audio book (Penguin Random House Audio) is just over 11 hours long and is narrated by Rebecca Lowman. Lowman has a nice voice and reads at an even pace. All in all, an enjoyable listening experience. I have partial hearing loss but was easily able to hear and understand the entire story.

This is the first book by Simone St. James that I have read. She has written several other suspense novels....I'm definitely going to be reading more!