Orianna always said that she didn't murder her father but she has no recollection of night in question. Forensic psychologist Annie is trying to work through the muddled thoughts to find the truth. With a family with as many secrets as the Wyclerc’s is it even possible to untangle the truth?

I found this book to be really well written, the tension with the two time lines building up really made this a great psychological thriller. The mind really is a powerful thing.
This story made me think of Anna O and The Silent Patient.
I really enjoyed this read and would recommend to anyone who loves a good, tense, psychological thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for offering this ARC in exchange for my personal thoughts.

Dark, twisty and surprising.

Orianna is now known as ‘The Girl in Cell A’, before that she was the house keeper’s daughter in Eden Falls, a town ruled by the powerful dynastic Wyclercs. Orianna was imprisoned 18 years ago for a crime she knows in her bones she didn’t commit, the problem is she doesn’t remember. When the world is against you and you don’t know your own mind, how do you save yourself?

This book wasn’t what I expected - in a good way! Orianna is a wronged, unreliable narrator but investigating an ancient crime in what feels like uncanny valley. The way the book explores racial and class prejudice is nuanced and also creepy. There are layers and layers of disturbing revelations. There were points where I couldn’t put this down.

It’s a solid thriller and the end was kind of jaw dropping but my lips are sealed.

Would definitely recommend packing in your suitcase this summer.
Thank you to #netgalley and #hodder&stroughton for my #arc

Well I will confess to being a little intimidated by the fact that this was 574 pages long! But, described as Mare of Easttown meets Succession, it is a book I have been eagerly anticipating - and it certainly didn’t disappoint, having me hooked from the off.

Orianna Negri is The Girl in Cell A, convicted at the age of 17 of the murder of Gideon Wyclerc, a member of the pre-eminent founding family in the small American town of Eden Falls. She has always pleaded her innocence and claims to have no memory of the night of the murder - psychotherapist Annie Ledet is tasked with trying to unlock her memory and decide if she is suitable for parole.

Moving between the then with Annie and the now with Orianna as she returns to Eden Falls and seeks to prove her innocence, this can only be described as an intense read!

It is deeply atmospheric - from the eerie town of Eden Falls, which often feels like a character in its own right, to the complicated and frankly pretty screwed up Wyclerc family and the power they wield over the town. With short chapters keeping the pace moving, this is a story that gradually reveals itself as the numerous secrets and underlying tensions are brought to the surface - and as a reader you never know quite who to believe in this tangled mess of relationships and unsavoury characters.

It is complex at times as you try to keep a handle on all the characters as well as the timelines - and just when you think you might know what’s going on, or who can be trusted, the author throws in another twist and doesn’t let up right to the end.

It’s atmospheric, it’s intriguing and it’s very clever - I for one love this new direction for Vaseem Khan.

This is the first book I have read by this author and, as I understand it their first in a new genre. As a debut in the thriller genre, I have to say it is incredibly well done.

I'm not usually a fan of 'chunky' books but at nearly 600 pages I didn't feel intimidated. This was mainly due to the pacing and short chapters, which made the book easy to read. I also enjoyed the shift in narrative between 'then' and 'now'. Each of which is told via our lead protagonist Orianna and her therapist Annie.

I enjoyed the setting of small town America and could vividly imagine the Wyclerc house. The grandeur described made way for a house of secrets, lies and deceit by its inhabitants. I liked that the author created a world that felt familiar to the reader. It was easy to imagine how a successful family would be able to turn a town to their way of thinking. In this instance that Orianna was a murderer.

I did really enjoy this book but, in all honesty, didn't love the ending. It felt disjointed to the rest of the book and mainly confused me!

Orianna has always said that she didn't murder her father. She has no recollection of his murder. She has been in prison for 18 years and forensic psychologist Annie is trying to prise the truth from the recesses of her mind. In a tale of family intrigue and incest, `of privilege and non privilege. Is everything Orianna tells her correct or something else.
An interesting book and a great story.

This is a clever psychological thriller.
There are a lot of characters and a lot of relationships to follow.
Orianna was convicted of murdering her biological father, she served 18 years in prison before being released. She has returned to Eden Falls, her home town and she is not welcome. She claims she cannot remember what happened and that she is innocent. Her grandfather who until now never acknowledged her, is dying, he has given her permission to try and uncover the truth. Who shot Gideon, her father and what happened to Grace who disappeared the day of the shooting?
This is a town where there are secrets, lies, racism, incest, murder, numerous affairs and scandal.
A great read which I recommend although I was a confused by the ending.
Many thanks to net Galley and Hodder &Stoughton for an Arc of this book in exchange for a review.

Mesmerising. A brilliant book that explores memory and small towns and how we look at events and address them. It appears to be a straight forward whydunnit but it’s not!
It’s told from two views and I live the writing, the story and better……? This writer has tons of books for me to read!

I devoured 'The Girl In Cell A'. Utterly devoured it in one day. Couldn't put it down.

I'm a huge fan of Vaseem Khan's historical crime fiction series, set in 1950s India, starring the brilliant Persis, so I was a little wary of reading a stroy set in the US, in a contemporary timeframe.

Could 'The Girl In Cell A' live upto my hopes?

Well, this multilayered tale, of psychology and murder is just brilliant, BRILLIANT.
'The Girl In Cell A' has two interweaving timelines: First we hear from Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet. Ledet has been assigned the task of assessing Orianna (past) to determine her comprehension and culpability for a horrific crime. Then we meet Orianna in the present day, when she is trying to uncover the truth.
Orianna Negi is from a small town, where the Wyclerc family rule supreme. And at the age of 17, Orianna was found guilty of the murder of Gideon Wyclerc and the disappearance of his daughter Grace.
She has always claimed her innocence and that she has no memory of the events of that terrible afternoon.
The plot moves along at a swift pace, keeping the reader intrigued but always careful never too move to quickly, and give away any of the (totally shocking) twists.
Everything that I thought I had successfully guessed an element of the plot, there was a new and exciting twist. Even at the final paragraph, I was going, "OMG".
Go and get a copy now!

Orianna, is the ‘girl in cell A’ who has been imprisoned for a murder she says she didn’t commit.

The book switches narrative between Annie, a psychologist tasked with assessing Orianna before she can be released and Orianna, after she is released, determined to find out the truth of what happened.

I was totally convinced I had the plot figured out but was completely surprised by the ending which I loved.

The whole story was weaved brilliantly between both timelines and I loved the descriptions of the small American town and the people living there as it really added to the atmosphere.

Brilliant read which blends lots of different themes including racism and classism with the crime fiction element.

DNF 32%
I liked the idea behind this story but I just found too much detail, and too many characters. I also did not like the structure of the book with the constant flipping between then and now. It was the first book that I have read by this author but sadly it was not the book for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an eARC of this book, I was not paid to read and review this and all thoughts and opinions are my own.


3.5 ⭐️

The Girl in Cell A immediately pulled me into the compelling story of Orianna Negi, a teenager convicted of murder at just seventeen. Now a prison inmate and unexpected true crime sensation, Orianna insists she’s innocent—even though she has no memory of what happened on the day of the killing.

Enter forensic psychologist Annie Ledet, whose role is to uncover the truth hidden in Orianna’s fractured memory. Through their intense sessions, a tangled narrative unfolds—one filled with scandal, power, privilege, and dark secrets, all tied to the influential Wyclerc family and their ruthless patriarch, Amos.

Set in the tightly controlled town of Eden Falls, the novel builds a simmering atmosphere of suspense. As Annie digs deeper into Orianna’s story, long-buried truths begin to surface, challenging everything I thought I understood about guilt, innocence, and justice.

While I enjoyed the story and was intrigued by the psychological depth and themes, the pacing was very much a slow burn. At times, it felt overly drawn out—I could easily see about 200 pages trimmed without losing the heart of the plot. That said, the twist at the end genuinely surprised me, which is no easy feat, and made the journey worthwhile. Overall, it was a compelling read, though one I felt could have been more tightly edited.

When an author as established as Vaseem Khan decides to pivot genres—from evocative historical crime fiction set in colonial India to a taut, psychological thriller—you sit up and pay attention. The Girl in Cell A isn’t just a successful reinvention. It’s a masterstroke of suspense, delivered with the nuance and emotional intelligence I always expect from Khan.

Told through a dual timeline, The Girl in Cell A sinks its claws into you from the first page and never lets go. We meet Orianna Negi, convicted at seventeen for the brutal murder of Gideon Wyclerc, scion of the powerful Wyclerc family of the town of Eden Falls (a nod here to Linwood Barclay?). Now in her thirties and imprisoned for nearly two decades, Orianna has become a true-crime enigma—a celebrity of infamy who’s never stopped proclaiming her innocence. But the real twist? She has absolutely no memory of the murder.

Enter Annie Ledet, a forensic psychologist called in to untangle Orianna’s fragmented mind and unearth what really happened on that blood-soaked day. Annie is sharp, determined, and refreshingly real—a protagonist who doesn’t just play detective but becomes emotionally entangled in the web of lies, secrets, and trauma that bind Orianna to the past.

Khan’s writing is razor-sharp. Writing both Annie and Orianna in the first person, he captures the simmering tensions in Eden Falls with chilling precision. The town itself is a small backwater place but in Khan’s hands it is insular, menacing, and haunted by the legacy of the Wyclerc dynasty, headed by the cruel and manipulative Amos Wyclerc. Less of a small town, then and more of a fiefdom where the Wyclerc family has church, state and industry all in its grasp. As Annie peels back layers of Orianna’s past, the story becomes not just a whodunit, but a whydunit—a haunting excavation of memory, race, power, and the way justice is twisted by privilege.

The psychological elements are finely tuned. Khan doesn’t rely on cheap twists but builds genuine suspense through complex characterisation and by ramping up the emotional stakes. As Annie’s sessions with Orianna intensified, so too did my unease. Who is Orianna, really? Is she a victim, a liar, or something far more dangerous?

The final reveal is shocking yet earned—a payoff that re-contextualises everything that came before it. It left me reeling in the best way.

Verdict: In a sea of psychological thrillers, The Girl in Cell A stands out as a literary gut-punch: smart, socially conscious, and impossible to put down. The voices in this narrative ring as true as in his Malabar House series. Vaseem Khan shows he’s not just a master of historical intrigue—he’s now a formidable force in psychological suspense. This book is a terrific read and keeps you guessing all the way.

Convicted of a murder at seventeen, infamous killer and true crime celebrity Orianna Negi has always maintained her innocence. But if she didn't kill Gideon Wuclerc.... Orianna has a blind spot over that fateful she can't remember what happened. Forensic psychologist Annie Ledet is tasked with unlocking the truth.

Annie Ledet is the forensic psychologist assigned to convicted murderer Orianna Negi to decide whether she is fit enough to be paroled. The story had a dual timeline that's told in the past and present day format. The story contains murder, racism, rape ans incest. It can be a bit repetitive, the characters were well-fleshed out in this twisted read.

Published 1st May 2025

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderBooks and the author #VasemKhan for my ARC of #TheGirlInCellA in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you for allowing me to read this book before the pub date!

This is my first experience reading any of Khan’s work. Whilst I enjoyed the storyline and the plot, this book was double c thicc in reality I think we could’ve reached the plot twist earlier on.

I also felt the Annie’s chapters sometimes were irrelevant but I get it, story building. I never quite understood why we got snippets of her life outside of interviewing Ori.

Orianna’s persistence to find out the truth and in tandem uncovering all these lies and truths was well written. At some points I was wondering if I killed Gideon lol! But the concept of small town secrets was written so so well. And those who are perceived to have power being in control of all things - scary but happens in real life.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would definitely read more of Khan’s work.

The Girl In Cell A by Vaseem Khan is an excellent story!
The main character Orianna, is locked up for the murder of her biological father, after finding out from her mother that this was the case. They have lived on the Wyclerc Estate, her mother the.head housekeeper for many years. It’s all Orianna has ever known.
She is assessed by a forensic psychologist, Annie. They deep dive into Orianna’s life and that fateful day.
It is so well written, I dread to think how long it must have taken to write, and there are going to be some “mind blown” moments for you, but boy is it so worth a read!!! The characters are complex and take some working out!
If you like psychological thrillers, this book is most definitely for you!!!! I can’t believe that this is a debut novel for this author, on this subject!!!
Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #Hodder&Stoughton, #VaseemKhanWriter.

The Girl In Cell A by Vaseem Khan is a rich, suspenseful, but slow-paced thriller about the unfairness of life, power and the justice system.
This is a deep and rich story, but a bit too long for me. You could easily cut 150-200 pages and not lose the main storyline and emotions. I believe it would be more intense and suspenseful. Talking about twist - yes, I didn't expect it, there were so many characters, so many potential suspects that when you find out who did it, it kind of not a wow moment - anyone could easily be the guilty one.
One more thing with many characters is - I always struggle to remember who is who, so they become just names for me.
I loved the overall emotion in this book! That sad and heartbreaking part. It always makes me think about real-life situations that are dictated by money and power.

Eighteen years ago, seventeen-year-old Orianna Negi was convicted of the murder of Gideon Wyclerc because she was found there. Her partial fingerprints were on the gun, but most importantly, she didn't have any memory of what happened.
Now she is back in Eden Falls, and she is on her mission to find what happened 18 years ago.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Hodder & Stoughton for this copy.

Hmm mixed feelings about this one. Clever. Yes. But I got to the end and I felt cheated. Like the big reveal was an easy answer to a complex solution. I expected more to be honest. I was invested in the plot but the whole ending ruined it for me.

Orianna Negi is The Girl in Cell A. A true crime celebrity, who has no memory of the event that she was convicted of. She has reached the point of her sentence where parole is to be considered. This is where Annie Ledet appears, it is her job to perform the psych evaluation, to see whether Ori is safe to be released. What follows, is Ori’s story, and that of the Wyclercs, the powerful old money family who founded Eden Falls.

Within the first few pages, I was hooked. The story slowly unfurled itself, revealing the residents of Eden Falls, a small southern town, and their long buried secrets.
I really enjoyed the style of writing, and the build up to learning of the case. Told in dual timeline, but not the timeline you would expect; It is not the time of the crime.
Rather that of her psych evaluation, in preparation for her release, and a second timeline, which I can’t mention for spoiler reasons.

In the author’s note, Vaseem mentions that he was eager to write a book set in the south, with all the small town secrets and simmering tensions, and to do it justice. Vaseem absolutely nails that charged undercurrent. It has that smouldering feeling, where all that is bubbling away beneath, might just ignite at a moment’s notice. The book has the scale and feel, of an on screen epic. I can visualise the sweeping shots of the Big House and the woods, the high sun beating down.

The saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree” came to mind repeatedly while reading. There is so much murky behaviour, and bigoted opinions, that I’m sure most people would be grateful that the Wyclercs and Eden Falls are fictitious.

The Girl in Cell A is the author’s first foray in the psych thriller genre, and I thought it was fabulous. 5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me.

An intriguing puzzle but it jumped about in time and points of view far too much to feel the arc of the plot. Far too many characters and totally unnecessary details which added to the difficulty of following the plot. There is a good plot underneath.

Orianna is infamous due to her conviction of murder, however maintains her innocence. Suffering from amnesia it is down to psychologist Annie to try and unlock the truth about what really happened.

This is my first book by this author but I have heard good things about his other books so was interested to read. This was a clever, intriguing story with an entertaining mystery running throughout. The story remains well plotted and is told in duel timeframes that works well. Even though this was a decent story, I did find that it was overly long and repetitive. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it was slightly cut down. Saying that, this was a well written story overall and I would be interested to see what else the author comes up with. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in return for an honest review.