Release date: May 21, 2024
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads Waterstones
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review
Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Synopsis

Fans of Courtney Summers and Tess Sharpe will devour this standalone YA thriller following a nonbinary teen investigating a series of copycat murders targeting girls in their small town—murders based on their serial killer dad’s MO.

Another girl has gone missing in Cardinal Creek.

Sid knows their dad didn’t do it—this time. He’s currently serving a life sentence for the five girls he murdered ten years ago. Girls whose bodies he dumped into the lake. The same lake where June Hargrove was just found. And while Sid’s dad couldn’t have done it, suspicion is now directed at Sid. The only person who doesn’t suspect Sid is the new girl, Mavis—as long as Sid doesn’t let her find out about their past.

But Sid has another secret: They’re being haunted by the ghosts of the five girls their father killed. Except now there are six. And unlike the others, June isn’t content to just whisper in Sid’s ear. She wants them to find out who’s killing again, especially as another girl goes missing. If Sid wants any chance of solving the current disappearances, they’re going to have to face what their father did—or risk being haunted forever.

Review

Have You Seen This Girl is a really thought provoking YA mystery story that follows teenager Sid who spends their days alone because she is known throughout the town as the child of serial killer Dennis Crane. When girls start being murdered in exactly the same way ten years on, Sid must do everything they can to uncover who is behind it, before someone they love gets hurt.

This is quite a short book and I absolutely raced through it. It hooked me really early on with that fascinating premise and I really enjoyed the mystery of who was behind the murders. It kept me guessing right up until that very last reveal and the story came to a pretty satisfying conclusion. The story is complex and well written and while this is my first book from Nita Tyndall, it definitely won’t be my last.

While this is quite a fast paced story, it’s very much a character driven tale. Sid is going through so much in this story – they are dealing with being ostracized from the town and the friends she knew, they’re attempting to understand their own identity as well as trying to uncover the copycat killer. Sid also sees the ghosts of those who were murdered, something that added a slightly sinister, creepy atmosphere to the tale.

This is a really well executed YA mystery, one that I ended up reading in practically one sitting. If you’re looking for an engaging mystery that will keep you guessing to the end, this is one you don’t want to miss. If you’re a fan of YA murder mystery authors like Karen M. McManus and Courtney Summers, this one will be right up your street.