Publication Date: June 13, 2023
Sun-drenched glamour and obscene wealth hide evil secrets in this ripped-from-the-headlines thriller about money, corruption, power and lost innocence from “one of crime fiction’s brightest stars” (Megan Abbott), the Edgar and Macavity Award-winning author of The Wicked Girls and The Killer Next Door.
It’s paradise for the super-rich, but hell for the girls whose lives they’ve stolen
1985
To twelve-year-old Mercedes, La Kastellana is home, an island with deep-rooted traditions untouched by the modern world. But this secluded paradise is upended with the arrival of multimillionaire Matthew Meade and his pampered young daughter, Tatiana. While the Meades lavishly spread unimaginable wealth around La Kastellana, the price Mercedes and the rest of the islanders will pay is more than they could ever have imagined.
2016
Robin has been desperately searching for her seventeen-year-old daughter Gemma, who’s been missing for more than a year. Finding herself on La Kastellana, an island playground for the international jet set, Robin quickly realizes she’s out of her depth. No one is willing to help and Robin fears she’s running out of time to find her child.
But someone has been watching, silently waiting for the moment to expose the dark truth of what really happens on the island of lost girls.
Nestled in the Mediterranean lies an island paradise where the rich and famous make their own rules while the islanders mark the loss of young women.
Author Alex Marwood delivers a suspenseful tale in The Island of Lost Girls. For over three decades, the Meade family has used the island as a playground with little regard for the inhabitants. Now, a mother is looking for her missing daughter, who might have gotten caught up in the dark side of the island escape.
Alternating between past and present, the story focuses on the perspectives of Mercedes, an islander, and Robin, a mother searching for answers. Ultimately, there are answers to be uncovered.
There are some interesting parallels between the story and reality, ripped from today’s headlines. The author does an excellent job building the foundation against the picturesque tropical paradise.
The Island of Lost Girls is packed with suspense as the fate of the women is revealed. Caught up in the glitz and glamour, they never stood a chance against those seeking to exploit their innocence.
Alex Marwood is the pseudonym of a former journalist who has worked extensively in the British press. She is the author of the word-of-mouth sensation The Wicked Girls, which won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original; The Killer Next Door, which won a Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel; The Darkest Secret; and The Poison Garden. Her novels have been short-listed for numerous crime writing awards and been optioned for the screen. She lives in south London.
