Title: Girl, Alone (Ella Dark series, #1)
Author(s) Name(s): Blake Pierce
Published in: 2020
Why You Might Like This Book: Read this book if you enjoy
- the thrill of tracking down criminals,
- female protagonist stories,
- detctive stories and action, and
- criminal profiling.
Who Should Avoid This Book: Avoid this book if you are triggered by or dislike
- easy-to-crack suspense, or
- psychopathic villains and serial killings,
- abuse and torture, or
- childhood trauma.
29-year-old Ella Dark is a data analyst with the FBI at Washington, D.C. She is hardworking, ambitious, loves to solve crime, has all the required skills, both mental, combat (twenty years of self-defense classes) and shooting skills, and earns a decent pay, but she is still not satisfied. What she wants is an opportunity to leave her desk and be on the field, to solve crime like a field agent. This has been her dream for a few years now, and finally, an opportunity presents itself, as William Edis, the director of the Behavioral department, surprises her one day, saying that they are looking for a skilled agent to go to the scene of crime immediately to solve a serial killer case, asking her if she is up for it. She has been chosen to work alongside agent Mia Ripley, a highly respected, sharp veteran. Thus begins the story of Girl, Alone written by Blake Pierce.
The first time they meet, on the flight to Louisiana, Mia Ripley breaks all the fantasies that Ella had had in her mind about this job, making it clear that this is not one for someone faint at heart or someone who wants a normal life because the job involves working around and witnessing a lot of gory violence. They meet Sheriff Bill Harris in Louisiana, Ella is overwhelmed by this sudden chance she’s got, and for the first time, she’s at a crime scene, ingesting what it really would be like, with feelings she is not fully prepared for.
Three murders in one week. And Ella was standing at the location, a hardware shop owned by the third victim Christine Hartwell, who was shot in the stomach with a rifle followed by something much worse. Mia Ripley is certain that the three murders, where the victims are a teenaged woman, an old woman, and this middle-aged woman who owned the hardware store, were not committed by the same person. And Ella maintains that no serial killer she knows of so far (and she knows almost every serial killer case) would commit crimes in this fashion, in this order, in such a strange manner. But Ella notes a few familiar points that hint at something or someone she is familiar with, a case from the past: Norman Bates. The questions she asks and the answers Bill gives confirm the suspicion. Someone has recreated this crime following a notorious serial killer Ed Gein, a man believed to be dead for thirty years. Ella is able to accurately guess all the details of how the murder was committed, step-by-step, including where to find the missing head. All three of them are shaken: this is not an average serial killer.
Both Mia and Ella are highly intelligent, and they have different theories about what might have happened. How are they going to solve the case? The story is narrated in third-person and from the perspectives of both these agents. Mia speaks to the last victim’s brother and her investigation begins. She learns about Christine’s ex-husband Rick Cornette and that their divorce was not amicable. Ella gains access to the first two cases and learns more. The other two victims were Julia Reynolds and Winnie Barker; Julia was murdered about a hundred miles away from home, where she was hitchhiking, dismembered and the body was discarded and Winnie was murdered while asleep in her bed, throat slashed, stabbed repeatedly, and robbed. Both of these seem pretty much like copycat murders inspired by two different serial killers. But Mia still maintains that those are not patterns of past serial killers and that Ella might be trying hard to connect these three crimes in Louisiana in one week with three different serial killers from decades back.
Spoilers: There are not just two perspectives or two sides; past the initial half, the serial killer’s actions and motives are also revealed, showing how each new crime is very well planned and thought out, each murder motivated by a different serial killer. There are also a few silly oversights, like how could you search the database of criminals entering the minimum age as 25 and end up with a 19-year-old in the results?
A book that is engaging mostly owing to its fast pace and the lack of drama or philosophy or even humour. Most of it is written in a detached style, with the writer describing human characters the way you would describe lifeless objects, with little emotion, and the same style is seen even when emotional events come up, in the same rushed style. As a result, a reader wouldn’t be able to develop any attachment to any of the characters. Some readers like the book for this reason. Some even say that guessing who the criminal is was quite easy, and I would agree. Even with the smooth storytelling and the srial killer intrigue, the lack of suspense could be disappointing for some readers. This is the first one in a series of special agent Ella Dark stories, so maybe there is a character arc to look for in the sequels and hopefully, the suspense might be more captivating? We don’t know yet, but this one by itself can be a good read when you want a thriller story that is not too deep or scary.
