Review of The Quarry Girls

I’ve seen some online chatter around this one and decided to give it a try. What did I think of this 1970s serial killer thriller? Check out my Review of The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

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The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

It’s 1977 in a small Minnesota town. For the teenagers, summer means late-night swimming parties at the quarry, the county fair, and venturing into the tunnels beneath the city.

But Heather and Brenda have a secret. Something they saw in the dark. Something they can’t forget. They’ve decided to never tell a soul. But their vow is tested when their friend disappears and the authorities are reluctant to investigate.

Heather is terrified that the missing girls are connected to what she and Brenda stumbled upon that night. Desperately searching for answers on her own, she learns that no one in her community is who they seem to be. Not the police, not the boys she met at the quarry, not even her parents.

But she can’t stop digging because she knows those girls are in danger.

She also knows she’s next.

What else has Jess Lourey Written? Jess Lourey books in order!

Quite a lot, actually. She’s written in many genres, but let’s stick to the mysteries and thrillers and you can find the rest on her website.

Jess Lourey wrote a series of TWELVE cozy rom com mysteries, starting with May Day (Murder by Month Romcom Mystery #1) that feature small town librarian and reporter Mira James. These were published between 2006-2019). In 2020, she published Unspeakable Things, a 1980s serial killer mystery based on true events. She published both Litani (another 1980s thriller inspired by true crime) and Bloodline (yes, another tale inspired by a true story.)

Based on the author’s note in The Quarry Girls, this book is also inspired by real cases in the Midwest in the 1970s.

Review of The Quarry Girls

I like literary fiction but I am also a bit wary of mysteries and thrillers that are TOO literary. For me, that kind of writing can slow down the plot too much.

The prologue of The Quarry Girls, a meditation on the transition from girl to woman, had me a little worried.

But the book quickly shifts to a 1970s story of three close friends in a band: Heather, Brenda and Maureen. Brenda is the lead singer, Maureen plays the bass, and Heather is on drums.

They are happy and carefree. But evil lurks in their small Minnesota town, an evil that preys on young women like them.

When a young waitress disappears, the town is on edge. Then one of the three of them also vanishes.

Overall I really enjoyed The Quarry Girls. It was well-written and suspenseful, dark but not gratuitously violent.

I was just a little kid in the 1970s so I don’t remember much. But I feel like The Quarry Girls could have used a little more 1970s atmosphere.

With its small town setting, it reminded me a little bit of A Flicker in the Dark by Stacey Willingham, which also was a story of small town secrets, a serial killer, and a young woman trying to get to the truth.

Though I got my copy from the library, The Quarry Girls is free on Kindle Unlimited, so you might want to grab it there if you’re part of the program! IN fact, all her books seem to be on Kindle Unlimited, so if serial killers aren’t your speed, try the Rom Com mysteries and let me know what you think!