The eponymous ‘Girl in Cell A’, otherwise known as Orianna Negi, was convicted of the murder of Gideon Wyclerc at the age of just 17. Gideon’s daughter Grace disappeared the same day and has never been found.

However, Orianna can’t remember what actually happened the day of the murder, but nevertheless maintains her innocence. And so it falls to Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet to unlock the truth, because if Orianna is telling the truth, then there’s a murderer walking free.

Orianna grew up in Eden Falls, ruled by the insular Wyclerc dynasty and its ruthless patriarch, Amos. This is a town of secrets, a town with its fair share of scandals, sex, power, alleged incest and murder - and it’s not the first murder either! 18 years later Orianna is released and returns to Eden Falls determined to find out just who killed Gideon, and discover what happened to Grace.

This was a clever, well written psychological thriller which explores memory, truth, and lies in a small American mining town. The finger of suspicion had a real workout here, pointing out several suspects, but it turns out my finger was way off, pointing totally in the wrong direction!

Really enjoyed this book which get me on the edge on my seat

First time reading anything by this author

Would recommend

I absolutely loved this book . The writing was extremely good and the story unravels slowly , enough to keep you guessing . I certainly didn’t expect that ending at all . I’ve looked at the previous books this author has done and this is something completely different . I definitely would love to read more in this genre from this author . I think this book will be very successful and I’d definitely recommend this book to my friends. 5 stars from me , can’t wait to see if this author does another in this genre

Thanks to the publishers and net galley for my advanced ecopy in exchange for a review. I really got into this book, it is on the lengthy side but I feel it adds to the story and character building. Loved the short sharp chapters and the writing flow. Orianna has been convicted of murder and has spent the last 18 years locked up and we follow her as she is released and travels back to Eden Falls a small town where she has grown up. The book flicks between her POV and also her prison therapists Annie as we gradually learn about her past and her investigation to find out what happened and also missing girl Grace. This book also had one of the biggest twists I didn’t see coming and was done really well. I will be recommending to others and looking out for more from this author . 4.5 stars

Great writing! It kept me interested until the end, and the twists just kept coming! It's the type of book that you keep returning to because you need to know who killed whom!

I thought I knew who killed Gideon... then realized I was totally wrong... then the last few chapters just... what??? Mind-blowing twist!!!

Highly recommended, out on the 1st of May 2025! Thank you, @Netgalley, for the ARC ebook copy of this book. What a treat!

I really enjoyed this book. I felt the forensic side of the book had been very well researched and was an accurate account of the forensic mental health system.

The world building was great, I really felt that I was in the southern state.

The only downside for me was the length of the book. I felt this was a real slow burn up to say 350 pages. Then it picks up.

I absolutely loved this book! I couldn't put it down and read it in a day. If you're a fan of twisty thrillers this is for you. I love a good thriller that's unpredictable and keeps me guessing and this did the job for me. The twists totally took me off guard. Loved it and would love to read more from this author!

The writing just felt boring and drawn out and I ultimately DNF'd cause I really didnt care what happened or why it happened.

WHAT A READ!

The Girl in Cell A is an incredibly clever written psychological thriller, featuring multiple twists and turns that left me unable to from putting this book down.

As a convicted murder, 17 year old Orianna is 'the girl in cell A' and obtains some sort of 'celebrity status' of being a killer. Though, Orianna continues to argue that she is innocent, not having killed Gideon Wyclerc.

Working with Annie Ledet, a forensic psychologist, it is her task to find out what truly happened. Did Orianna kill Gideon? Or who is behind killing someone from the Wyclerc dynasty, who rules the small town Eden Falls? Going back and forth between what happened back then and revisiting the fact that Orianna is unable to remember what happened exactly when Gideon was killed, Annie continues to try and unlock Orianna's memory.

This book was absolutely gripping form the start until he very final page. With its twists and turns and psychological elements (something I particularly enjoy), I found myself coming up with multiple scenarios as to what happened. Being able to jump into the world of 'Eden Falls', this book was a brilliant yet rather chilling escape and would definitely recommend to anyone.

With the book being published in May 2025, I anticipate this to be THE summer psychological thriller you shouldn't be missing out on.

A decidedly different and intriguing crime novel from Vaseem Khan, with bucketloads of atmosphere. I liked the dual narrative and the challenge of working out whose voice I could trust. I had to read the ending a second time and I'm keen to discuss it with other readers once it's published!

I'm a short book person. I rarely read books over 400 pages so when I saw this was almost 600 pages I was a bit worried. However I enjoyed it so much I'm considering reading longer books more often!

Orianna was accused of murder when she was 17 and sent to prison. Orianna cannot remember anything from that afternoon but claims she didn't do it. This book follows her journey to try and recover her memory and prove her innocence. There is a dual timeline with a different POV from Annie a forensic psychotherapist as she tries to uncover Orianna’s memory.

I became so obsessed with this book! I loved Orianna and joining her in trying to figure out whether she killed Gideon Wyclerc or not. And the Wyclerc family, what a bunch! So many dark secrets, I am here for the drama!

More of a crime drama than a thriller, this story was engaging, interesting and the ending blew me away! Genuinely surprised me in such a good way!

I hope this book gets the love and attention it deserves when it comes out next year and I'll certainly be looking out for what Khan writes next

I was really excited to read The Girl in Cell A, While the book did hold my interest and had moments of intrigue, I ultimately found it a bit of a letdown.

The pacing felt overly drawn out, with many sections that could have been tightened to maintain momentum. At times, the narrative veered into excessive detail and waffling, which slowed the story and diluted the tension. The ending, while a twist, wasn’t overly surprising and left me feeling disappointed—it made much of the earlier plot feel somewhat pointless, which dampened my overall enjoyment.

That said, Khan’s ability to weave a story is undeniable, and despite its flaws, the book kept me reading. For those who enjoy a slow-burn mystery, this might be a better fit, but for me, it lacked the punch I was hoping for.

Thank you for giving me the chance to read this ARC.

Outstanding writing from Vaseem Khan, I was hooked right from the beginning. The characters were all really engaging and I found myself getting lost in their story. This is the first book I have read from this author but certainly wont be the last

Vaseem Khan, author of the Malabar House series, has turned his hand to the psychological thriller, and has produced a most enjoyable read. He gets into the mind of the main character beautifully, and keeps us in suspense all the way through. A very competent piece of writing.

4.5⭐️

(Spoilers)

I loved this book until the very end. The descriptions of people and places are exceptionally well written and drew me into the story.

I should have known something was afoot because throughout I couldn’t understand how she had got parole when she was convinced she was innocent and was not prepared to admit her guilt.

At the end, when she ‘finds’ Grace I was so disappointed to find that the whole story had been a false memory narrative.

The only saving grace (sorry!) is the very last chapter which links back to the beginning with its suggestion…

So for me, it was a 95% totally absorbing but ultimately disappointing read but, if this is a genre you like I think you will love it.

This is a challenge: there are two (eventually three) narrators and I’m not sure why that was necessary. It seemed to make the story incredibly long. Imagine describing your day in great detail and then also having your partner or friend or parents describe the exact same day from their perspective, except only know what happened because of what you told them. So I just felt like I was reading the same thing over and over again.

There were twists and drama, which were well-executed but ultimately, I slogged through this because I owed Netgalley a review for allowing me the ARC.

Firstly, thank you so much to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

If I'm honest, I struggled to get through this book. It felt very long winded - the story could have been around 350 pages with a lot of questions and information removed and it would have been perfect.

There were a lot of characters to keep up with & the 'Then' & 'Now' for Annie & Orianna became a little bit confusing at the end.

What I will say, is the ending was good & different to other thrillers I've read! It still left it a wee bit uncertain though, which I'm not a fan of.

I love thrillers but, I'm really sorry, this just wasn't for me.

With many thanks to Netgalley for this free arc and I am leaving this unbiased review voluntarily.

WOW! That was some read! This is an outstanding piece of story telling. Beautifully written with an engaging cast of characters that almost pop into life from the pages. Tense, gripping and very clever Vaseem Khan has written a truly riveting read that will take you on journey which twists and turns as the plot unravels. Set in the then with Annie and the now with Orianna it will at times seem confusing but stick with it because the end is nigh on brilliant. Loved loved lived it!

The Girl in Cell A was an incredibly dark read, but a read with depth and significance. The narrative is mostly based around one extremely powerful and dark family: The Wyclercs. I loved that every character was not angelic: there was darkness and grey areas within each character and their lives - some more than others. This made this book both incredibly hard to read; but also incredibly necessary. Humans are not perfect; we are all capable of the inexplicable.

I LOVE the psychological aspect of this book. For instance, Orianna was an extremely complex character, whose past trauma and experiences had led a woman to not know who she was, and what she was capable of.

Annie, too, was complex. Her life changed trajectories. She was trying to piece together Orianna’s life, while trying to understand her own.

Vaseem Khan would go into some depth of psychological terminology and theories, explaining the complexities of the mind really well; yet wouldn’t go too far that it would get tiresome. The mind is both a wonderful and monstrous thing; one that is so complex and multi-faceted. The fact that society likes certainty means the construction of a ‘this’ or ‘that’ ideology: you’re either a ‘goodie’ or a ‘baddie’. This means that individuals can easily become judgemental not only to others but to themselves.

I really enjoyed the writing style: it was easy to follow, intriguing and descriptive. I was constantly second guessing my own thoughts and assumptions the whole time. This book was most definitely thrilling and suspenseful, leaving me shook to my core at the end. But it was so much more than that: it was about society, community, hierarchy, power, gender, ethnicity, class, and the extent of the human mind and physical being.

Overall, this book was thought-provoking, challenging, psychological, sociological and so much more! However, this read highlighted many dark topics including sexual assault, rape, incest and paedophilia etc. Please check trigger warnings.

'Guilt is never binary. That is the fallacy at the heart of our justice system. There are shades to every story, to every truth.’

This was a different plot for your typical suspense/whodunnit and it did keep you guessing until the end. I guess for me it felt a bit long winded and quite a lot of characters to keep up with.
Sometimes elements of the book didn’t add up for me, for example she climbed a wooden structure in the middle of the forest to escape being beaten up by two mysterious people, that was then set on fire. Nothing was really mentioned of this again and it was miraculous how she jumped down but then carried on with her day. Sometimes it was a bit far fetched.