Devoted Jess Lourey fans know that she has a darkly-immersive style all-her-own. Some might argue that she's mastered the 70s/80s midwest serial killer thriller, delivering plots designed to knock the wind out of you by the end.
In some ways, "The Quarry Girls" delivers on what Lourey's readers will have come to expect. The year is 1977, and small-town secrets simmer deep below the surface in Pantown, Minnesota. Heather, Brenda, and Maureen are best friends and bandmates, soaking up everything teenage summers have to offer: county fairs, swimming in the deep quarries, and staying out late in the tunnels that lurk below Pantown. After all, everyone knows everyone in a small town...or do they?
Overall, I'm disappointed to say that "The Quarry Girls" felt a bit been-there-done-that for Lourey. While the plot had its own unique spins, the general setting, characters, and even family dynamics written into the story felt strangely familiar and not novel enough to really have their intended impact. For the amount of characters in the story, it almost felt as though they'd been oversimplified into generalizations: men are hunters, women are prey. What resulted was a cast of characters that felt cliche and underdeveloped, a big difference from "Unspeakable Things."
Not Lourey's best but also not an outright-bad book, I'd recommend this to readers who like her easy-to-read style and the dark descent it takes you into Midwest small towns. A pro tip: read "Unspeakable Things" and "Litani" first.
Rating: 3 Stars
Publication Details: 11/1/2022, Thomas & Mercer
Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!
