The Island of Lost Girls

'Gripping, stomach-churning . . . Marwood is in a class of her own' LISA JEWELL

'Heart stopping' SUNDAY TIMES, CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH

'A ripped-from-the-headlines thriller . . . I couldn't put it down' MARK EDWARDS

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Sun-drenched glamour and obscene wealth hide the darkest of secrets and lost girls in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller.

1985

For twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is the place she calls home. It is an island untouched by the modern world, with deep-rooted traditions - though that is all about to change with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his spoiled young daughter, Tatiana. The Meades bring with them unimaginable wealth, but the price they will all pay is far darker than Mercedes and the islanders could ever have imagined.

2016

Robin is desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who has been missing for over a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, the island playground of the international jet set, Robin is out of her depth. Nobody wants to help and Robin fears she is running out of time to find her child.

But someone has been watching, silently waiting for their moment to expose the dark truth and reveal to the world what really happens on the island of lost girls.

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FIVE STAR NetGalley reviews

'Superbly written, darkly atmospheric and incredibly creepy (but always page-turningly readable), Alex Marwood has played an absolute blinder with The Island of Lost Girls'

'The author specialises in "ripped from the headlines" thrillers, but has surpassed herself this time'

'This is one of the best beach thrillers I have read'

'Superlative suspense'

'This book is so compelling. So sunny and refreshing with this idyllic island that you just wish you were on and then - wow. A sharp, clever, blisteringly dark and gripping thriller'

'An excellent dual timeline thriller set in the glamorous world of the ultra-rich, where emotions and betrayal run high. Loved it!'

A stunning, genre-defying novel, poetic, immersive and as dazzling as the Mediterranean sun even as it pulls the reader through the darkest corridors of human behaviour. I was totally mesmerised, from the beautiful, slow-burn opening chapters right through to the gripping, stomach-churning finale. Alex Marwood is in a class of her own -- Lisa Jewell
Traditional values encourage silence about sex-trafficking and murder in this heart stopping novel . . . Wrenching . . . A richly imagined novel -- Crime Book of the Month Sunday Times
A ripped-from-the-headlines thriller that is both compassionate and chilling . . . I couldn't put it down -- Mark Edwards
Drenched in the Mediterranean sun . . . This thriller travels to some very dark places: missing girls, cruel traditions, abusive fathers. Where it shines brightest, though, is in its insightful, compassionate depiction of the difficult relationship between Robin and Gemma Observer
Gripping, timely and beautifully written. Marwood blends story-telling prowess with characters so real that we inhabit their predicaments quite viscerally. The result is irresistible. -- Sophie Hannah
This meticulously plotted tale tacks dexterously between past and present, and the unfolding revelations feel both shocking and inevitable . . . Staggering emotional force: beautiful and terrifying Irish Times
A stiletto of a novel: heart stopping and devastating -- Jenny Colgan
A blisteringly immersive summer read. Paradise has never been so dark and the world of the super-rich so terrifyingly believable. I'm still thinking about these characters days after reading -- Emma Styles
Money, greed, glamour and exploitation all play out in this gripping thriller Woman's Weekly
Topical, chilling and beautifully written Big Issue
Compellingly immersive Irish Independent

Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a journalist who has worked extensively across the British press. She is the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Wicked Girls, which won a prestigious Edgar Award, The Killer Next Door, which won the coveted Macavity Award, The Darkest Secret and The Poison Garden. She has also been shortlisted for numerous other crime writing awards and her novels have been optioned for the screen. Alex lives in south London.

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