This English thriller tap into our horror of and fascination with children who kill. At six years old, Rosie was young enough to escape criminal responsibility after she and her sister killed a toddler nineteen years ago. Laurel, her sister, was ten years old at the time and received a murder conviction. Abandoned by her family, Laurel has spent the last nineteen years in prison while Rosie and her parents were granted new identities.
Now Rosie/Hazel is on holidays at a seaside hotel with her fiancé, and a small child has gone missing. Rosie/Hazel is freaking out. She knows it will be necessary to reveal her past before the police or the media discover it, and she has no illusions about the suspicion and rage that will rain down on her when her true identity is revealed.
Interesting premise, but for me this was a disappointing read. The writing is decent enough but it fails to fully flesh out the characters. They just don’t feel real enough for the novel to be deeply unsettling. And despite a dark reveal, it’s never clear exactly what happened to the missing child in the hotel and the story therefore feels unfinished and dissatisfying. Unfortunately the entire novel feels only skin deep. It’s slick and schlocky but not in any way throught provoking or profound like a brilliant thriller should be. If you’re after an excellent and disturbing read, try Do Not Become Alarmed by Maile Meloy or All Is Not Forgetten by Wendy Walker. Because despite what is says on the cover, The Flower Girls is unfortunately fairly forgettable.
