The story is set on the small island of Kastellana somewhere in the med. The island is headed up by a Duke and traditions rule, even if they are brutal.
It alternates between thirty years ago and 2016.
Mercedes Delia's family run a local restaurant and her and her beautiful sister Donatella help out.
When a large yacht arrives with their young daughter in tow, Mercedes befriends her and at first all is good. But when Mercedes says she is too busy to play, Tatiana sulks and runs to her ultra rich father who negotiates with Mercedes father for M to be Tatiana's playmate for the summer. A contract is drawn up and she is at the mercy of the family.
In the now, Mercedes is indebted to the family and is their housekeeper to pay off the debt. We find out later what the debt is.
Meanwhile, back in London, several young girls who have been recruited as models are on their way to the Island for a party. One of them has run away from home and unknown to her, her mother has finally got wind of where she is going and has headed to the island.
The first part of the book is setting out who the characters are and who is good and who isn't. The action starts to ramp up towards the end of the book. Personally I would have preferred to know a bit more of what happened to whom as I felt it wrapped up a bit too quickly. Even so I enjoyed this book.

La Kastellana is a Mediterranean island, steeped in tradition and playground of the super rich. Islanders are indebted to the wealthy and turn a blind eye to what goes on. Over the space of a few days a mother from England turns up looking for her missing daughter and some of the residents of the island decide that they've had enough of being treated as servants.

When I first started The Island Of Lost Girls I wasn't really enamoured of the story. I think this was because of the number of different threads over a variety of timelines. I'm so glad I stuck with the book though because once I'd sorted everything out in my head I was absolutely gripped.

The story is primarily about a clash of cultures. The small island is home to a thousand residents who live a simple life, as they have done for hundreds of years. Deference is shown to the ruling class of the island, traditions are still followed. When the island becomes a playground for the super rich the residents are then treated as servants. The rich have no respect for traditions and act as if they own everything.

The majority of the story focuses on Mercedes, a young girl growing up on the island, and Tatiana, the daughter of a rich and powerful man. Initially the girls strike up an unlikely friendship, but over time Tatiana begins to treat Mercedes as a plaything and eventually a slave. The reader follows Mercedes as she is initially awestruck by everything the rich have access to but then grows to realise that beautiful on the outside doesn't necessarily mean beautiful on the inside.

Through Mercedes we see the contrast in the way women are treated by society. Among the residents women are held to a higher standard than men and punished if they bring shame to their families. Women have few rights. The rich, however, bring beautiful young women to the island. Women who should have everything going for them but are treated as commodities.

The young women who are shipped to the island to "party" provide the thriller element of the novel. Thankfully the author chooses not to go into graphic detail but the descriptions will still have your pulse racing and fill you with shock and anger. I almost cheered out loud at the conclusion but I really wanted a little more detail about what happened to Tatiana at the end.

From the synopsis this book really intrigued me. For the main part I did enjoy it but I felt like it took a while to really get going and the pace did drop off in places. Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group and the author for the chance to review.

This is a well-written, captivating and fascinating novel, which at times is also dark and difficult. The story deals in part with the exploitation by the wealthy of the vulnerable poor. The characters are well developed and believable, some are likeable and others detestable. It is a very atmospheric read with great locations.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

La Kastellana is an island where time has stood still. The year is 1985 when we meet a teenaged Mercedes and her family. A yacht arrives and Tatiana meets Mercedes and changes her life forever. Those early days where Mercedes is a companion for the lonely rich girl held promise that quickly turned much darker.

The time period turns to 2015 and changes have been made on the idyllic island and Mercedes life is still intertwined to that of Mercedes, and her father.

This is one dark story and has many scenes which are very disturbing, not least because there are echoes from news stories of the rich and famous using their power and money to live as they please. However, Alex Marwood is a fantastic writer so despite my discomfort, I wanted to know what would happen next.

This is quite a dark book but worth a read and was threatening and atmospheric. I think some books you know are well written but you can’t read huge amounts at once as you have to absorb it think about it then go back and read some more.

A tiny sun drenched island in the South Mediterranean, isolated and virtually feudal to a long line of Dukes who have ruled it since the Middle Ages - La Kastellana should be idyllic, but it harbours an unspoken secret - every so often a beautiful young woman goes missing and the village mothers live in mortal fear that their wayward daughters will be the next to disappear under the sea and into the shadowy Sirens’ Cave. What is happening, are the lost girls sacrifices to some dark ancient cult or is the explanation more sordid and prosaic? And will the lives of the islanders change when it comes to the attention of the ‘jet-set’ in the 1980’s when it transforms into a luxury holiday destination for the super rich?

Superbly written, darkly atmospheric and incredibly creepy (but always page-turningly readable), Alex Marwood has played an absolute blinder with the Island of Lost Girls. As always, she effortlessly gets under the skin of all the characters and of the island itself. This is a stunning book I will remember for a long, long time.

Many thanks to all concerned for allowing me to read and review this terrific novel.

La Kastellana. Just picture it. A beautiful island location, largely unspoiled and untouched by 'foreigners', where traditional values reign over all, and everything is governed by the whims of one man, the Duke, and the island's very religious beliefs. Where man is king and women have a very particular place in society, one from which they must not deviate. Their job is to grow up and to marry, to support their family and, ultimately, their husband. Sounds like a misogynists dream right, and every living woman's nightmare. But it works for the women of La Kastellana. Sort of. It's not perfect but it is their way of life. At least until a new Duke takes up residence and brings with him a whole new set of friends and a very different way of life. Things are about to change for the Islanders, and not necessarily in a good way. From humble living to a vision of excess, with the men comes money, with money, power and all the darkness that such a toxic combination an conjur ...

I've only read a couple of books by Alex Marwood now, but it is safe to say that each one has left its mark on me. If there is one thing you can be certain of it is that the author will not shy away from the dark and often painful truth or modern life, and if you can read The Island of Lost Girls and not be left with a combined sense of anger, disgust, abhorrence and, at least towards the end a kind of feeling of justice being served, then I really do think you either weren't paying attention or perhaps even read a different book to me. The author specialises in 'ripped from the headlines' thrillers, but has surpassed herself this time. If I say this is more like a 'ripped from Jeffery Epstein's playbook' kind of a thriller then you will start to build a bit more of a picture of what the book is about and where the darkness is likely to lead.

Despite this being a story in which men dominate and rule, throughout the story we largely follow the lives of a few different women, and male characters are really secondary to their story. We have Mercedes, native islander who we meet as a child and then as a grown woman. Her life has been indelibly changed and shaped by the arrival of Matthew Meade, and his daughter Tatiana, on the island, and not in a good way. I liked Mercedes very quickly, felt anger and sorrow for her situation, but also a kind of satisfaction in knowing that there was a edge to her character, a tenacity and unbreakable spirit that could triumph, in spite of all of her tragedy. There there is Robin, a woman who is searching for her daughter, Gemma, a runaway whose last known location was La Kastellana. We know little of Robin from the start, other than her desperation to find her daughter, but as we learn more I could find myself becoming more sympathetic to her situation, it being one that I am sure many parents would recognise, although not to this extreme.

Mercedes family plays a very key role in the story, with her mother, Larissa and sister Donatella central to one of the key element of this story. I could see the spirit in both women, Donatella only really a child but already recognising that there must be more to life than living on the island. It is a knowledge which can only bring trouble and her spirited nature creates on of the books most pivotal moments from when the visitors first start to appear on the island, one that informs the present in the darkest and most troubling of ways. It changes Larissa and also changes Mercedes future, casting a dark cloud over proceedings. Alex Marwood really has created a formidable set of women here, but in a very patriarchal society, there is no place for their kind of attitude, and the consequences can be devastating.

Then there is Tatiana. Spoiled daughter, socialite and all round abhorrent character who is crafted in such a way that, from the moment we meet her I could feel my hackles rising. The more we see of her, the more hated her sense of entitlement and everything about her felt so wrong and yet so very believable. It is far too easy to draw parallels between her and another very high profile socialite of the modern era, the author illustrating once again how this story is based equally in the world of fact as much as fiction. I would hope that elements of the story are fictitious, that nothing ever took the dark turn that is explored in this book, but certainly if you look into a little of the history of recent high profile criminal cases, you will recognise a lot from the scenes that pay out in such a disturbing fashion in this book.

This is a dark story. Certain scenes will, and should, leave you angry. The author protects us from the worst of what happens, but gives enough detail for me to be able to understand what has happened. This is a story about exploitation, grooming, even indentured slavery. It is the epitome of the patriarchal society, where women's rights are an inconvenience and where men with money and power can buy and sell whatever they so choose. But perhaps the fact that their actions and behaviour are tolerated or facilitated by other women is where the true darkness lies. But beyond this darkness, if you can look past the shocking nature of what unfurls, the story does also show the strength of women in adversity. There is a kind of raw beauty to the relationship between Mercedes and Donatella, even between Mercedes and her mother, Larissa. And this is not all about the evil nature of men. There are some male characters to be found here for whom turning a blind eye is not an option, and whose conscience lends itself to a kind of just resolution to this sorry tale.

This is not necessarily an easy story to read, but it is a very powerful one. There are some very easy to draw parallels between fact and fiction here, and with the darkness, whilst stark, kept a few shades shy of gratuitousness, the impact of this book will stay with me for some time. There are moments of tranquility, a gentle pace at times that defies the intensity of some of the scenes, but one which allowed me to take a breath when the truth of the depravity threatened to overwhelm. Definitely recommended.

Alex Marwood is one of my new favourite authors. I loved this book, it’s story pulled me in and I couldn’t put it down.
Thank you to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The book is set on an island where Mercedes and her family live. It jumps from 1985 to 2015/16and starts when Mercedes meets a new friend Tatiana. They are total opposites, Tatiana lives in a boat, has loads of money and can do what she wants. Mercedes works at her family’s restaurant and ends up working for Tatiana. The island is strange and ends up lavish after the recent duke dies and it’s bought over by Matthew Meade.

The book is a bit disturbing, I’m not sure whether I liked it or disliked it, but wanted to finish it. I did like the recent years to be more interesting and kept me turning the pages. The latter years are focused on the rules of the island and were a tad far fetched for 1985. I’d give it 3.5 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy for an honest review.

Not an easy read, Very similar to parts of the Epstein case. The island is a beautifully described tropical paradise with incredibly dark crimes taking place.

A slow burn and less of a thriller than I expected.

I have to say that I did not enjoy this book. I found the constant change between characters and timescales to be totally confusing. At some point I had no idea what was happening and when I did I found it very distasteful. I know that these things happen, but as the mother of 2 daughters I could not bear to think of it.
Not for me.

I have mixed feelings about this read and although on the whole I enjoyed it I did feel at times the story seemed to drag a bit. It’s a story that really does bring out a lot of emotions and deals with some pretty painful situations but I have to say it was dealt with very well and all credit to Alex Marwood her writing was done with a lot of empathy. The characters in the book were believable, the time changes I really liked also I felt that was what kept my interest in wanting to know what was going on. So a book that as I say I did enjoy I don’t think it is for everyone due to some of the subject matter but it certainly was done well and to be honest I admire the author for taking it on and doing it so well.
My thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Alex Marwood has written books before about or at least inspired by real life cases. She was even on the TV show with Simon Toyne about it. This then I suspect is a novel inspired by the dark side of the wealthy - the likes of Jeffery Epstein and crew. Whatever it is inspired by, its' dark and brilliant for a novel!

Alex M writes gritty dark thrillers that are quite disturbing and this is no different.

An emotional, razor sharp thriller that could have been ripped from the headlines. Alex Marwood paints a terrifying picture of a world where young girls are commodities and money can be used to buy anything or anyone. But there is justice too, and retribution.

Too slow for me - although it does pick up.

I can only give it 3/5 as I just couldn't get into it.

Absolutely stunning book. Gobbled it down in one sitting. Marwood ties two timelines and two women's stories together. She touches on social issues like female shame, the patriarchal Madonna/whore concept, the effect rich, Western countries have on traditional communities, corruption, motherhood and, of course, the Lost Girls. Beautifully written and researched. I was a tiny bit disappointed with the ending, but only because I wanted more explaining, perhaps another part of the epilogue, but overall a great, great read. Thank you, Alex.

Another well-written book by this bestselling author. Perfect for fans of slow burns that play with real-life headline stories.

Mercedes lives on a Mediterranean island which for centuries has been the fiefdom of a Count. All the residents are accountable to him for their livelihoods and accommodation.
Then the old count dies and the new count decides to make the island the new Cannes, by inviting rich boat-owning people to invest and live on the island.
One prime investor is Matthew Meade and his spoilt daughter Tatiana.
(Any resemblance between a disgraced boat-owning billionaire and his daughter who became embroiled in his schemes, and later with other unsavoury characters is, I’m sure, purely coincidental.)

The time frame shifts between the 1980’s, when the Meades first appear on the island, and twelve-year-old Mercedes’ life changes forever, and 2016, when Robin arrives on the island searching for her missing daughter.

I hope the picture painted of the millionaires who live their dissolute lives in their own bubbles, insulated from the real world by “staff” and their money isn’t typical, but I fear it is.

This isn’t a book for the faint-hearted, it addresses issues of exploitation and grooming of young girls, the destruction of traditional ways of life (some of which need destroying), and the corrupting effect of vast amounts of money.
But it’s a brilliant involving read, with some hope at the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for the opportunity to read this book.

Make sure that you stick with this story. Yes it starts off being a little slow. But if you stick with it you will be rewarded with a skin crawling physiological thriller which is loosely inspired by true events.

Lily the powerful mother that is holding everything together and desperately hiding all the secrets of her family and desperately making sure that noone finds out the truth about them.

But then Rachel - lily's middle daughters partying lands her in trouble and they need to hire some professional help. Enter Amber. Amber is very skilled and very intuitive, but as Rachel falls deeper under Amber's spell she pulls Futher away from her family, that is until she grows suspicious that Amber is far more dangerous to them then was first lead to believe.