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Girls Who Play Dead
- Author
- Joelle Wellington
- Narrator
- Keylor Leigh
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Publish Date
- 6 November 2025
- Run Time
- 10 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
Two siblings investigate the murder of a friend only to unearth even more deadly mysteries in their small town in this page-turning young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games.
"A gripping, punchy YA thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson." – The Guardian
When Mikky Graves left his small, stifling hometown of Prophets Lake to live with his estranged mother, he thought nothing could ever make him return for good.
Until his sister Kyla’s best friend, Erin, is murdered.
Mikky never worried about leaving Kyla behind at their family-owned funeral home so long as she had Erin. But when Mikky heads home, determined to help Kyla grieve, the sister he encounters barely resembles the one he remembers. Mikky decides, then and there, to do the one thing that seems even more impossible than returning: stay.
As Kyla spirals further into her rage and secrets, Mikky realizes the only thing that can help his sister is finding the truth about who killed Erin. But the more he investigates, the further he’s pulled into other ugly mysteries of Prophets Lake and the beauty brand that is its lifeblood. The town’s rot runs deep, and everyone has something to hide. Perhaps no one more than Kyla herself.
Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and David Lynch, Girls Who Play Dead is an unputdownable suburban gothic mystery-thriller.
Critics Review
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"A gripping, punchy YA thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson." – The Guardian
"A tremendously satisfying novel" – The Irish Times
"Hell is a teenage girl, and now she's dead. GIRLS WHO PLAY DEAD picks at the masks worn by residents in a town run by beauty, unraveling an intricate scheme of unapologetically complicated girls, ride-or-die siblings, suffocating social webs, and the dangerous pressure of keeping up an image." – Wen-yi Lee, author of THE DARK WE KNOW
“Wellington is a remarkable voice in YA horror, and she pulls no punches with GIRLS WHO PLAY DEAD. Addictively unnerving, Wellington’s writing deftly burrows right into the cracks of this small town’s foundation, revealing the gruesome truth at its core.” – Ryan La Sala, best-selling author of THE DEAD OF SUMMER
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Details
- Author
- Joelle Wellington
- Narrator
- Keylor Leigh
- Duration
- 10 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 November 2025
- ISBN
- 9780008791704
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- HarperCollins Publishers
- Genre
- Children’s / Teenage fiction: Thrillers / suspense, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Crime and mystery fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Friendship stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Horror and ghost stories, chillers, or other scary supernatural stories, Psychological thriller
Synopsis
Two siblings investigate the murder of a friend only to unearth even more deadly mysteries in their small town in this page-turning young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games. "A gripping, punchy YA thriller, ideal for fans of Holly Jackson." – The Guardian When Mikky Graves left his small, stifling hometown of Prophets Lake to live with his estranged mother, he thought nothing could ever make him return for good. Until his sister Kyla’s best friend, Erin, is murdered. Mikky never worried about leaving Kyla behind at their family-owned funeral home so long as she had Erin. But when Mikky heads home, determined to help Kyla grieve, the sister he encounters barely resembles the one he remembers. Mikky decides, then and there, to do the one thing that seems even more impossible than returning: stay. As Kyla spirals further into her rage and secrets, Mikky realizes the only thing that can help his sister is finding the truth about who killed Erin. But the more he investigates, the further he’s pulled into other ugly mysteries of Prophets Lake and the beauty brand that is its lifeblood. The town’s rot runs deep, and everyone has something to hide. Perhaps no one more than Kyla herself. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson and David Lynch, Girls Who Play Dead is an unputdownable suburban gothic mystery-thriller.
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