Girl 4 by Will Carver

It’s been a while since I last sat down and read a book, in its entirety, in one day and I have to admit when I began reading Will Carver’s Girl 4 yesterday I had no idea the hold it would have over me – a remarkable book that is different in so many ways – I simply couldn’t put the book down!

I remember reviewing Craig Robertson’s Random back in February and Girl 4 reminded me a little of that book and another I found hard to leave alone for more than ten minutes! They are both written in the first person and the main theme running throughout is that of a serial killer. Although similar, they are very different. Slightly worrying for me is that I’m thoroughly enjoying reading about serial killers – maybe I need therapy before it’s too late!

Update:- Check out my chat with Will Carver here.

Detective Inspector January David has always put his professional before his private life, but the two worlds are about to clash horrifically as he visits his latest crime scene. He is confronted by a lifeless figure suspended ten feet above a theatre stage, blood pouring from her face into a coffin below. This gruesome execution is the work of an elusive serial killer.

Three women from three different London suburbs, each murdered with elaborate and chilling precision. And as January stares at the most beautiful corpse he’s ever seen, he detects the killer’s hallmark.

But Girl 4 is different: she is alive – barely. And January recognises her…

In Robertson’s Random he tells the story from the serial killer’s point of view from start to finish but in Girl 4, Carver takes the first person narrative to a whole new level. I can’t recall reading a book where individual characters have their own voice and this in itself leads to a fascinating and mesmeric read. You follow the case through the eyes of Detective Inspector January David, the serial killer informs us why and how he has chosen his victims and perhaps most intriguing of all we get to hear a first-hand account from them all!

Taking all this into account the narrative is extremely moreish and begins and ends at an incredible pace. It took me a couple of chapters to understand where Carver was taking the book and how things were set out but once I’d settled into a rhythm I couldn’t stop! The flow is incredible and considering there are numerous voices to follow it never once had the stop/start feel I had initially anticipated.

The murders themselves are ingenious, brutal and leave very little to the imagination – fortunately I’ve never had a cigarette in my life and after one scene in the book I never want to start! The various scenes reminded me of a US cop drama (I can’t for the life of me remember what it was called) from a few years ago where a murder would occur and we, the viewers, would follow the crime through the eyes of the cop, lawyer and victim. But the thing that intrigued me most of all about Girl 4 was that we hear the individual thoughts, dead or alive, of the victims.

It’s quite unusual to sit back and read how one victim after another gives what appears to be a running commentary of their last moments on earth, how they felt and how they were taken in by the killer. All incredibly voyeuristic but somehow captivating at the same time!

Considering Girl 4 is Will Carver’s debut it’s hard to imagine how he’ll top this book. The book reads like a runaway train – no matter how hard you try to stop it – you just can’t! Just when you think the driver has control of the train, Carver adds more coal to the fire, stokes the narrative up a notch and we set off on another journey! Enough train talk?! You get the point!

Brilliant debut, highly imaginative and so compelling.

Published by Random House “Girl 4″ is available from Amazon & Kindle Ebook Version