THE GIRL AT MY DOOR was not exactly what I was expecting but was still completely entertaining! A bit creepy but not too dark with some historical fiction vibes... really enjoyable! This is the first book I've ever read (or listened to in this case) by Rebecca Griffiths and it did not disappoint. I will definitely be looking into this author's other titles. If you're looking for a beautifully written, suspenseful mystery with well crafted characters, I would recommend picking this one up! Thank you Bookouture Audio and NetGalley for an ALC.

The multiple POVs made this story super interesting, especially as we got into the nitty gritty of the story. The characters themselves were such a mix and I really enjoyed their complexity. It’s them that really pushes the story along. Queenie was ✨the worst✨ and she 100% did Joy dirty but her unraveling was a bit sad, even if she brought it on herself. Charles also wasn’t the real winner we’re lead to believe he is but I think he was an injured soul after what happened, and his mother, who at first I didn’t like, ended being just as hurt by the situations that came about. I was really rooting for Joy but man, she got dealt a crappy hand in this book if you ask me but at least she tried to stay positive through the ups and downs but ultimately it all became too much; my heart broke for her. Terry was wonderful and truly just wanted everyone to be happy and in the best place for themselves, even though he was in a tough situation himself; he was the true MVP of this story. And the bad guy? Well you’ll just have to read this to find out what’s going on with him. 😉

Overall I really liked this! The story ultimately drew me in deep, even though at times it did drag on a bit. I was dying to figure out what was going to happen next, which is something I always look for in a thriller. And while this would’ve been equally enjoyable to read myself, the two narrators of the audiobook were amazing and made the experience even better (I mean the accents were PERFECT!)

Read this!

The narrative to this book intrigued me it did not disappoint.

The crimes of real life serial killer John Christie are entwined with a fictional backstory of characters. The end result is an excellent, cleverly written story that kept me wanting to keep listening. The male narrator brought to life the eerie and menacing character of Christie brilliantly. This is one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure of listening to this year.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🔊Song Pairing: Behind Blue Eyes - The Who

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought it would be a thriller about maybe a distant friend/relative seeking refuge

📖What actually happens:

A nod to the true crime case of Reginald Christie. It’s 1949 London and the gorgeous Queenie finds herself “in trouble” with her best friend’s fiancé’s baby.

What is a girl to do? She turns to 10 Rillington Place to solve her woes and wow do events progress.

🗯Thoughts:

I love the incorporation of true crime with a spin. An excellent way to make a thriller thrilling!

I loved the wild ride that this book took me on. I both listened and read along and couldn’t put it down until it was over!

Had everything I love about a thriller. Would recommend!

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the eALC

In a Nutshell: If you are looking for a dark crime thriller, you will be disappointed. If you are looking for a historical crime novel with some romantic drama thrown in, read ahead!

Story:
Queenie Osborne is an up-and-coming singer in a London nightclub. She has an eye for fashion, and knows very clearly what she wants in life.
Joy, who considers Queenie her best friend, is a stark opposite in nature. Shy and under-confident, this French girl moonlights as a waitress in the same nightclub. Her life changes when a customer and one of London’s most eligible bachelors, Charles Gilchrist, falls for her. This doesn’t go well with Queenie, who considers herself a better fit for Charles and plans to break them apart.
John Reginald Christie is an ordinary citizen by day, hiding a disturbing secret. When he spots Joy in the nightclub, he becomes obsessed with her and starts scheming ways to capture her in his nefarious net.
Terence is a closet homosexual who is a banker by day and a pianist at the nightclub in his after-work hours. Without realising how or why, he becomes a key player in the Queenie-Joy-John battle of wits.
How the lives of these four characters intersect forms the essence of the plot.
The story is set in 1949 London and is written in third person omniscient narration focussing mainly on these four characters.

Let me begin by admitting that I had the wrong expectations from the book. I had assumed that serial killer John Reginald Christie will have a more central track in the narrative. However, it focused more on Queenie's devious shenanigans and their repercussions on the lives of those around her.

What I loved about the book:
All the chapters focussing on Christie are fabulous. His dark mind and his twisted thinking are revealed in such a way that you can’t help feeling threatened by him. These chapters will send shudders down your spine. I read up on Christie after completing the book and was pleased to discover how well-researched this book is. If you need one reason to read a book, this ought to be it.
Terence’s struggles in a homophobic city are well written. These chapters will make you realise at how much LGBT people have had to suffer, not just at the hands of commoners but also under the rigid law enforcement officers.

What I didn’t enjoy as much:
I wish the central focus were on the factual Christie than the fictional trio of Queenie, Joy and Terence. Every time Christie came in, the creepy feelings increased. But when the next chapter changed the focus over to Queenie or Joy, the mood of the story changed to a regular drama. This was especially disheartening because the Christie chapters set a high benchmark for hair-raising thrills and chills.
Queenie and Joy are characters who aren’t really sketched well. Not because they are unlikeable or timid respectively, but because some of their actions and decisions seem utterly illogical and contrary to their general personality. I couldn’t connect with either of them, and this affected my experience because they are the two characters around whom the entire plot revolves.
There is a bit of repetitive writing in some of the chapters, especially in the ones focussing on Queenie. Some of the content was also superfluous; it wasn’t necessary for the main plot at all.


The audiobook experience:
I heard the 10 hrs 36 min audiobook narrated by Jonathan Keeble and Daphne Kouma. While both the narrators were fabulous in terms of their character accents, enunciation and narration, Jonathan Keeble steals the show while narrating Christie. His voice sent goose pimples down my spine in the prologue.
Do keep in mind though that the audiobook is very confusing at the start. There are too many characters appearing too soon without enough of a background. So it takes some time to know who is who. If you keep your patience, the audiobook is worth it.

All in all, I think it was my expectations rather than the book that let me down. So I’ll be a bit lenient and rate it 3 stars instead of my initial 2.5 stars. If you are a fan of true crime books in a fictional setting, and are more forgiving than me about romantic dramas being a part of such storylines, do give it a try. If nothing else, it gives you a good look at the warped mind of a serial killer.

Thank you, Bookouture Audio and NetGalley, for the audio ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

I 'read' The Girl at my Door in audiobook format. It is only the second audiobook novel I have listened to, and I think that's why it took me a little while to get into it. This book is set in London in 1949 and is based on the true story of the Rillington Place serial killer. It follows Queenie, a singer, living in the underbelly of London just after the war and her friends, Joy and Terrance.

There were two narrators who read alternate chapters, which I quite liked. The story is told from the point of view of a number of characters including Queenie, Joy and the serial killer himself, John Reginald Christie. This was really interesting as it gave a real insight into what each person was thinking and how their minds worked. The author did a really great job of describing the setting of this novel and I could picture in my mind exactly how it looked and felt to be there.

I had never heard of the Rillington Place murders before this book, but it is definitely something I'm intrigued to find out more about now.

Overall, I thought this book was well written and it kept me gripped right up until the end.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for sending me an ARC in return for an honest review.

I was given an opportunity to listen to an advanced copy of the audiobook through NetGalley. Thank you to Rebecca Griffiths and Bookouture Audio!

The mood-setting in this story and the historical details surrounding John Reginald Christie and the Rillington Place murders was all very well done and interesting. I was not familiar with this true crime story prior to reading this which may have clouded my understanding of the book overall. My real issue with this book is the characters. I did not connect with any of them and it was very hard for me to feel nervous or worried about their fate.

Overall, my rating is based largely on the characters. I found Queenie to be solidly unlikable due to her jealousy over Joy’s engagement. I truly didn’t have any vested interest in her character which really affected my enjoyment of the overall story.

The fact that the villain is based on an actual serial killer makes this book that much more bone-chilling.

Christie, created a fake persona, enabling him to lure unsuspecting girls to his door step. As a medical student, he is poised to be a doctor. But simply stops studying because the aftermath of the war is too much for him to bare.

Desperate young women in need of an abortion had nowhere else to go for the procedure, as it was illegal at the time.
When Christie was not posing as a former medical student he would disguise himself in his former military uniform and pass himself off as a police officer. Posing as a police officer made hunting for his next victims that much easier.

Terrance and Queenie are bandmates but above all they are good friends. Both Terry and Queenie have dark secrets of their own. Terry is gay in a time where the mere implication could get you into some very serious trouble with the law. Queenie is a heartless and selfish woman who sleeps with her friend joy’s boyfriend to prove to her that he is not as good as she he thinks he is🤮.
Queenie now is faced with an unwanted pregnancy and nowhere to turns to Terry for help. Terry being the good friend that he is, offers to help the best way he can. Sadly, Terry’s proposition is not the one Queenie is looking for. Determined to help his friend Terry finds what seems to be a well-intending man in Christie.

Aside from this being an interesting story, it is also so well written. I found myself wanting to know what Christie would do next and if he would finally get to his main obsession—Joy!

I was a bit hesitant to listen to this audiobook, since it is based on a true crime story, however, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I highly recommend it. The true story that it is based on is the Rillington Place murders, where serial killer John Reginald Christie killed a lot of people in the 1940's and 1950's in Britain.

In the book, the characters Queenie and Joy are Christie's main targets and he is obsessed with them, stalking them and fantasising about what he would like to do to them. Queenie and Joy are friends and their friendship is a big part of the story. Charles and Terrence are also main characters in the story. I really enjoyed the story and characters, although some of the story was very creepy, chilling and disturbing. It is certainly a book that will keep you on your toes and on the edge of your seat.

The narrators of the book were fantastic and I especially loved the voice of Christie, which was creepy and gave me goosebumps.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

This was really good but super creepy. I had to stop reading a few times, maybe because I was reading at night. But it is suspenseful and keeps you on the edge of your seat. A good solid 3.5

This book just wasn’t for me. I couldn’t get into it and found myself really not enjoying listening to it. Unfortunate for me but I’m sure other will love it.

Okay, that was a creepy thriller; not a great idea to listen before bed!!
Perhaps knowing that it was based around true life events made it even more so?
But it honestly had some really disturbing bits, that chilled me to the bone. If you're into that, then look no further than grabbing a copy of this one.

It was read perfectly by two terrific narrators (makes all the difference) and I'll definitely be adding more of Rebecca Griffiths books to my audiobook list.

Thanks so much Bookouture Audio, Bookouture, via Netgalley, for gifting me an audiobook copy for review - can't wait for more!

Suspenseful from the first chapter one. There are so many layers to this historical fiction. Oh my goodness is the one character creepy!

The characters are periodically correct and well written. I loved the narrators. They really brought these characters to life.

The Girl At My Door - Rebecca Griffiths
Narrated by Jonathan Keeble, Daphne Kouma

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture and I am leaving this review voluntarily

London, 1949. On the dark streets of Soho, a killer is waiting in the shadows. Inspired by the true crime story of the Rillington Place murders comes a chilling re-telling of one of Britain’s most infamous serial killers.

Queenie Osbourne is the talk of London. Rising to fame as a singer after the Second World War, she is about to head to New York to make her fortune.

This is a thriller with a lot of twists and turns, I found myself always wanting to read just one more chapter. This is inspired by serial killer Jon Reginald Christie, who thankfully I don't know much about going into the book. Going into this book blind, I was immediately impressed with the incredible talent shown by Rebecca in writing this book - blending fact and fiction effortlessly.

Whilst the book gets off to a slow start - the pace rapidly picks up. Multiple view-points are utilised to tell this story but these were easy to follow. If you enjoy true crime novels

As I listened to the audiobook I am not sure if the physical book contains any trigger warnings. Triggers include: self-abortion, sexual assault, LGBT shaming, and rape.

Rating 4/5

There are some very dark shadows in this book. The evil that lurks in the background really chills you to the bone. The happy hour lucky girls and boys are living the dream until their world is stalked by a complete nightmare. A very gripping read, well narrated, two voices keeping the two main viewpoints very clear.

I listened to an audio reading of this book provided through NetGalley.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Griffith did a great job researching the setting and plot, which is based on the true crime events committed by the serial killer John Christie in London in the late 1940s.
I was leery at first because I feel sometimes authors can take historical fiction on a very unrealistic journey, but this story does not disappoint. I was captured in a word of words from the very beginning. It is thrilling, plenty of twists and turns. Characters as well as their persons were descriptive and well developed. This was my first Rebecca Griffiths book. Her sentence and story structures flowed well.
There are triggers in this book, so be fair warned some scenes are gruesome and sensitive in nature to include rape, sexual assault, murder, abortion, LGBTQ shaming, and demeaning feministic views. Beware the time location set forth therein. I think that Griffiths did an amazing job capturing my imagination and bringing very thrilling and psychotic scenes to life. She must have done extremely thorough research into feelings and headspace. I felt as a fly on the wall and even as if I could feel the characters thoughts and feelings at various points.
Again it was a great ride!
Solid 4

This is how you do a thriller based on historical events! Dark and creepy and with enough detail to make you want to keep going even when you know you need to get other things done. Usually when books are based on actual crimes, they tend to be very factual and stiff, but this takes place in several POV, including the serial killers. Although I was not aware of the actual case, the way it was told made me feel like I really knew the people involved.

Joy and Queenie are best friends trying to make the best of life after World War 2 ended. But betrayal ends their friendship and leaves them both left to deal with their lives alone, including a trip to 10 Rilington Place, the home of John Reginald Christie.
The story tackles events that were not readily dealt with in that time period, including homosexuality and abortion, and gives you a glimpse in the lives behind closed doors of the people that lived then.
As well, the narrators were spot on! Their accents felt authentic and with enough clarity to be able to easily differentiate between the characters, even the supporting characters were established by the narration. Very enjoyable.
Well done, with enough details to engross the reader in the facts, but also written in a way that feels like fiction, this is the perfect combination of creep and truth that made me listen to the whole thing in one go.
Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for this audiobook arc in exchange for my review.

I have never read a periodic thriller. I was not expecting to love this. I loved the narration style.

The Girl At My Door - Rebecca Griffiths

⭐️⭐️.5/5

“The Girl At My Door” is a fictional re-telling of the Rillington Place murders that happened in London in the 40s/50s.

When I read the blurb I was immediately hooked since I’m interested in anything true-crime. However, I feel like the book didn’t use all of its potential. I found the amount of historical background lacking - it could have been set in pretty much any era and I wouldn’t have noticed much of a difference.

The book had a long, slow build up that led to disappointing climax. Several other strands sometimes made it feel like the mystery part of the book was just a minor aspect it.
I did enjoy the tragic story of Joy - sadly, it was one of the only things about this book I enjoyed.

Due to all the minor stories, I found it confusing and difficult to follow at times. The dialogues were often too repetitive. The book touched several important topics but didn’t go deeper.

In my opinion, Daphne Kouma was the perfect narrator for her parts of the audiobook and while I did think Jonathan Keeble was a good fit as well, I found his portrayal of John Christie a bit disturbing to listen to. Their narration flowed easily but I do think that for a sometimes confusing read like this one, I would have preferred the physical copy.

I was already somewhat familiar with the historical Rillington Place murders, so I was looking forward to a fictionalised take on the story and The Girl at My Door didn't disappoint. Talk about flipping creepy...oh my goodness! The story centres around three fictional characters - Queenie, Joy and Terry and the drama within their lives that the author cleverly weaves into the very real nightmare that was John Reginald Christie, the infamous serial killer and alleged necrophile during the 40s/50s. This book had me dragging my hands down my face in horror, it was genuinely chilling and the author really did a good job of making me feel repulsed by Christie. I found the historical aspects of the book really well researched, this story felt like stepping back in time and had me intrigued by and googling so many things, like the perfume Queenie wore. I did like and feel for the fictional characters in the story, I wished things had been better for them. This book really highlights how bleak and dangerous things were for LGBTQ people and pregnant women, it wasn't that long ago. The audiobook narration was fantastic, Johnathan Keeble and Daphne Kouma should get an award for this performance, it really was outstanding.