Found lying near the body, forensics pointed to her alone: fingerprints on the shotgun, gunshot residue. Plenty of motive given events of that day, and her whole life. No surprise Orianna Negi was convicted of killing Gideon Wyclerc, scion of the family that founded Eden Falls. Yet Orianna has always maintained her innocence, despite being unable to recall events.

A teen killer with dissociative amnesia, a controversial diagnosis fuelling her true crime celebrity.

The Girl in Cell A is a brilliant swerve for Khan, a British-Indian author who’s built a strong following thanks to terrific Malabar House historical mysteries, set in the post-Raj years of his ancestral homeland. Here, he alternates between doctor and patient perspectives of prison forensic psychologist Annie Ledet, who is charged with helping Orianna unlock her own psyche, and Orianna herself.

The Girl in Cell A is a masterful mix of psychological thriller and rural noir that soaks readers in a town full of secrets and scandals and a crumbling dynasty with its own mythology. An impressive novel about the stories we believe and the lies we tell ourselves, that lingers long after its final page.

[This review was first written for publication in the New Zealand Listener magazine, May 2025]

This book is a massive departure for Vaseem Khan. His first novel set outside India and his first psychological thriller. He's done a fine job. Hoping we see more of this side of his storytelling talent in the future.

The Girl in Cell A is Orianna, a young woman being assessed for probation by psychologist, Annie Ledet. Orianna has been in prison for 18 years, found guilty of the murder of Gideon Wyclerc, a man who had been revealed as her father on the day of his murder. Orianna has consistently maintained her innocence but has no memory of the murder. Is the memory loss selective or genuine and is Orianna really a victim of wrongful imprisonment? And can Annie unlock Orianna's memories.

The story is split into Orianna's story as she returns to her home town, Eden Falls as she tries to prove her innocence; Annie's interviews with Orianna in prison which give us the history of the powerful Wyclerc family and Orianna's part in it; and finally the conclusion of both the story and Annie's findings.

I confess to getting a bit confused with all the characters but they do eventually sort themselves into the main players. As we got to the end I was somewhat irritated by the conclusion but then there's a wonderful twist in the final pages.

It is impossible to compare this book to anything Vaseem Khan has written previously (and I've read everything) because it is so very different. Read it with an open mind. The twists and turns of the story will keep you guessing. Try not to get too hung up on all the names because they will resolve themselves. I'd just advise you to sit back and enjoy the trip into small town America where noone is quite as they seem on the surface.

Definitely recommended.

Thankyou to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for the advance review copy.

Wow, what an adrenaline rush with this book. I was so wrapped up in finding out what happened, I couldn't sleep.
Excellent story.

Thank you to the author, publisher and netgalley for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

For the last 18 years Orianna has been in prison for a murder she does not remember committing, now she is free and needs to know the truth so she can move on with her life. Returning to Eden Falls she faces the wrath of the locals, the judgement of a family she never got to know and just maybe she'll also get the truth of what happened to Gideon and Grace Wyclerc. The trouble is will she like the truth? 
My heart is still pounding, i was almost as desperate to find out what happened as Ori herself was. I travelled each step with her, jumping to conclusions,  looking for the answers and trying to predict the twists and turns. I had an hour left in the book come Monday morning, when it was time to clock on but my mind was firmly in Eden Falls.

Eighteen years ago Orianna was convicted of shooting dead her father, scion of a wealthy family who run the town she lived in. Orianna was illegitimate and had only just found out who her father was and in addition she was accused of the disappearance of her cousin. Whilst incarcerated Orianna tried to remember what happened that day with the help of a psychologist but she can't. Finally after gaining her freedom she goes back to the town to try to solve the crime.
Khan is a writer of entertaining crime novels set in India but has branched out to something different and what a change! It's hard to believe this wasn't written by an American as the visualisation of small town life is so good. For the vast majority of the book this is a great thriller but what sets it apart is the phenomenal twist, and then, just to keep the reader guessing, there's an ambiguous ending. I loved it!

There is a very different feel to this book which is set in the USA rather than India. It is still a crime novel and totally gripping.
At the age of 17 Orianna was sentenced to 18 years in prison for killing her father but she has always claimed she is innocent but has no memory of the incident.
Orianna grew up in Eden Falls, ruled over by the Wyclerc family who are rich, powerful and selfish. She was isolated because of her mixed race and because she did not know who her father was.
Orianna works with Dr Annie Ledet to try to recover her list memories of the fateful day but will it price her innocent as she hopes?
Lots of fascinating characters, twists and turns make this a must read. Bravo Vaseem Khan for this change from your other series.

This was a very interesting read, a fascinating thriller that I engaged with immediately.

The length of the book was a little long, it could have been cut down a little without losing too much in important content.

Overall, I would definitely recommend.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Well this was certainly a departure from Vaseem's usual books, but boy was it suspenseful and compelling.
With strong first person contradictory narratives, a setting drenched in old America small towns and family greed, secrets, lies and prejudice thrown into the mix, this is a deliciously intriguing 'all is not what it seems' psychological thriller that really messes with you're preconceptions.
Loved it from start to finish

This was an interesting enough read, but for me, the writing was too descriptive and overwrought, and would have benefited from tighter editing.

Really enjoyed this, although a few times it was confusing between Orianna and Anna.

Lots of twists and turns and keeps leading you up different paths and back again, leaving you guessing as to whether she did it, or not.

TW: Incest, sexual assault, kidnapping, mental illness

We enter a split timeline with Orianna outside in the “Now” and Annie, her forensic psychologist, interviewing her in prison in the “Then”. Orianna is desperately trying to clear her name after being convicted for the murder of her father, a member of the town’s founding family, and implicated in the disappearance of her sister. We learn about the trial in Annie’s “Then” and today’s efforts to reopen the investigation in the “Now” and the outcomes are staggering.

I started to flag about halfway through this one and though the twist at the end was completely unexpected for me, it managed to both tie things together and leave lots of loose ends. All in all though, would recommend as I also appreciated the insight into small town life.

Gripping and Thought-Provoking: The novel masterfully blends suspense with deep psychological insight, keeping readers hooked while also prompting reflection on memory, identity, and justice.The story delivers genuinely surprising twists that are both shocking and well-earned, enhancing the thriller aspect without feeling forced.

Another feather in Khan’s cap. Kept me at the edge of my seat. Loved the protagonist and her resilience and persistence. Memorable plot and great writing as usual!

I enjoyed this book although it was long!
I thought it was cleverly written and a good thrilled. Definitely a recommended read .
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

The story begins with Orianna in prison and starting to talk to a therapist in an effort to regain her missing memories about the murder she has been found guilty of and make parole. When she was 17, she was found unconscious next to the body of Gideon Wyclerc, one of the most prominent members of the small American town she grew up in. The town elders (all part of the Wyclerc family) all worked to ensure that she was convicted, but she cannot remember killing him. Grace, the 17 year old daughter of Gideon, also went missing the same night and no one has seen her since.

The plot moves between the POV of Orianna and her therapist, Annie, in both the past and now. In the past Orianna is remembering the events that led up to the murder in her therapy sessions and in the present we are seeing her revisit the town to find answers. There's a lot of hatred towards her which is not all to do with the murder. Some is deep-rooted in the fact that she is half black and therefore doesn't fit in, and some down to class bias because her mother was a servant at The Big House where the Wyclercs live.

It's a decent mystery that kept me wanting to read on, with a big plot twist near the end that I didn't see coming at all. I'm just not sure that I felt completely satisfied with the ending, and wanted it to be tied up a little neater. All in all though, it's an engaging thriller that keeps you on your toes until the very end.

Aadly I have to bow out of this one 23% of the way in. There just isn't any interest in this story because it seems very basic and I don't have the patience to wait 400+ pages with an author that is new to me.

A fabulous return to form for Khan. This book is full of surprises and is in a contemporary setting compared to his other historical novels. The book is a compulsive read and being set across different timespans keeps you wanting to know more. This will make Vaseem Khan even more popular and I hope he keeps writing in this vein.

Well I would not like to live in Eden Falls. The Wyclerc family “own” the town and have done for many years past and seem to be able to do what they like and get away with it. Gideon, a Wyclerc is found murdered and then Grace, his dauhter, disappears presumed dead. The story follows Orianna who is the supposed murderer of Gideon. She is known as The Girl in Cell A. She is the daughter of the housekeeper of the Wyclerc’s estate. The book moves between Orianna as a girl, in Cell A, talking to a psychotherapist in order to be able to come out on parole. She always has said that she is innocent. It is written at a fast pace and moves between the family dynamics with interest. After long conversations with the psychotherapist Orianna is released from prison but is not allowed to return to Eden Falls for 4 years. Once those years are up off she goes to prove her innocence. She is eventually believed by the head of the Wyclerc family and he decides to help her much to the disgust of other family members who try to make her life a misery but she sticks to the premise of her innocence. As the story progresses it becomes more and more fraught and the final twist really comes out of nowhere and is so surprising I did not even have that thought in my mind when reading the book. A really good story

Wow! What a book. My first time reading @vaseemkhanwriter and I wasn’t disappointed. I loved it.
I was completely engrossed from the first chapter and couldn’t put it down. I loved the short chapters. The story is told in dual timelines - the Now by Orianna the girl in cell A and the Then by Annie forensic psychotherapist. The timelines flowed so well together making it easy to follow.
It’s tense, gripping, full of mystery and suspense. It keeps you guessing with brilliant unexpected twists right up till the end.
It’s beautifully written, very clever and descriptive. Atmospheric. I really liked the engaging and intriguing characters.
Betrayal, race, sex, scandal, power, justice, privilege, murder and so much more all in a secluded location with the powerful Wyclerc family running the town of Eden Falls, with patriarch Amos at the top.
A brilliant psychological thriller. Definitely recommend. It’s well worth the read. I look forward to reading more of this author.
With thanks to #NetGallery #hodderstoughton @hodderbooks for an arc of #TheGirlInCellA in exchange for a honest review.
Book publishes 1 May 2025.

This was a DNF for me @ 40%. The story didn’t grasp me enough and I kept finding myself picking it up and putting it back down. I just couldn’t really connect with the characters in this story. For 500 pages, I think I lost interest and it’s probably not for me.