They Say a Girl Died Here Once - by Sarah Pinborough - One of the best books I've read...ever

5 of 5 Stars   Review copy

I promise not to give anything away in this review.  They Say a Girl Died Here Once is so special, I'd hate for any reader not to have the same thrill of discovery I enjoyed reading this volume.

Seventeen-year-old Anna works as a waitress and lives at home with her mother, Clair, and her sister, Caroline, who is ten.  Anna's grandmother, Evelyn also lives in the house.

About her situation...

It was a dead end job in a dead end town and they were all dead end people.

Also...

Four stages of womanhood stuck together by life, but with nothing in common.

This is one of those stories which reveals its secrets slowly.  There's the secret about Anna's past, the one about the dead girls, Lila and Marcie, and Anna new friend, Melissa, certainly has her secrets.

The rest you'll need to discover for yourself.  I will say, I found They Say a Girl Died Here Once to be quietly disturbing, yet beautifully written, spellbinding, powerful stuff  It's not a "fun" read, but it is a powerful story which builds to a pulse-pounding climax.

In my modest opinion They Say a Girl Died Here Once is as close to a perfect horror story as you'll find.  One of my favorite reads...ever.

Published by Earthling Publications, They Say a Girl Died Here Once is this year's book in their highly regarded Halloween series.  Limited to 500 signed hardcovers and 15 lettered editions.  I would like to thank Paul Miller and Earthling Publications for the chance to read an electronic ARC of this book.  I like it so much I immediately ordered my own copy.  I have to have this in my permanent collection.  You can order your copy direct from the publisher here.

Sarah Pinborough's bio - Sarah is a critically acclaimed adult and YA author based in London.  She was the 2009 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Short Story and the 2010 and 2014 winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Novella, and has been short listed for Best Novel four times.  Sarah is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and has several original television projects in the works.