Customer Reviews

The Lonely Girls Club

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3 star:		(1)
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In 1980 at the exclusive Rowe Academy for Girls in Tiburon, California, the four unpopular scholarship coeds forged friendships as the Lonely Girls Club. The schools headmistress Millicent Rowe pimps the foursome as prostitutes. However, someone murders Rowe while one member of the quartet Ivy commits suicide. The three survivors (Mattie, Breeze, and Jane) agree to a vow of secrecy. William Broud was convicted of the homicide.

In 2005 at San Quentin, true crime writer Jameson Cross picks up just released William who spent over two decades as the convicted finishing school murderer; DNA proved he did not commit the crime. Jameson offers to pay William if he helps him follow clues as to what happened a quarter of a century ago. The three female survivors are all successful in their chosen endeavors with Mattie as a federal judge, Breeze a business woman entrepreneur and Jane as the First Lady. They do not want exposure that could devastate their respective careers, but Jameson is digging while William feels someone owes him a life.

THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB is an electrifying romantic suspense thriller that grips the audience from the moment that Broud is released from prison and never lets up until the final meeting between Jameson and the Judge. The story line is action-packed, but it is the reaction of the characters to Jameson's inquiries that makes the tale as each of the three prime suspects has reasons to hide even "edit" the Rowe incidents. Thus the audience keeps on reading while wondering which of the former coeds killed the headmistress.

Harriet Klausner

When a stay of execution frees a convicted killer, the "lonely girls" get nervous. As teens, many young women were forced to "pay their way" at an exclusive girls' school, being pimped out by their insane headmistress. Beyond the sexual torture they endured, the woman was abusive on other levels as well. Yet, before they could carry out a planned execution, the woman is murdered, freeing them in one sense, in another imprisoning them in a cage of secrets. The truth is about to be revealed; that could destroy their carefully crafted lives of prestige and power with one word.

*** Although the story shifts between the past and present quite often, the flashbacks have a necessity that lends a logic to them. Holding true to Christie's belief that the victim should deserve to die, the one here truly does. At times, the book is a bit graphic, so gently minded readers, be wary. However, it is a first rate suspense drama. ***

Reviewed by Amanda Killgore, freelance reviewer.

I must preface this review by saying that it's possible that the genre of romantic suspense isn't for me, but it's also possible that far fetched and improbable plots and characters aren't for me either. And as much as was intrigued by the blurb on the back of The Lonely Girls Club, I just can't recommend this book to other readers.

Three scholarship women who were students at the same boarding school 20 years ago are plunged into a whirlwind of emotions and actions when the man accused of killing their headmistress is released from prison. When new information is revealed which exonerates this man of the crime, these women are thrown back into a part of their lives they would rather forget. Now, though, all of their old history and the killing are once again front and center. And when the man these women and the courts thought was guilty is found dead, the victim of an apparent suicide, the women mount a campaign to find out what really happened to Ms.Rowe, this man and their friend Ivy. Along the way there are other attempted murders, deceit, contradictions and a would be love story between two of the characters.

While the first 100 pages had me glued the book became painful to read at the end and I skimmed the last 200 pages and couldn't wait for this to be over so I could read something else. I have no doubt that someday I may read a good book filled with romance and suspense, but for me it wasn't The Lonely Girls Club. I can suspsensd disbelief with the best of them but the storyline was just so improbable and poorly written that in the end I was sorry I wasted my time.

At the Rowe Academy for Girls in Tiburon, California, nothing is as it appears to be. The outside might look like a Victorian castle you would find in England, but on the inside, under the control of headmistress Millicent Rowe, the Academy is nothing more than hell for four young girls forced to do things that are truly abhorrent. For Ms. Rowe, the Academy is her life, and she'll do anything to make sure the school stays intact. That includes providing young girls for the wealthy men who have sexual tastes that differ from the norm.

Matilda "Mattie" Smith, Jane Mantle, Breeze Wheeler, and Ivy White were four troubled girls who were at the Academy for different reasons. Thrown together by the sick desires of Millicent Rowe, however, forced to "pay" their way through school by doing the bidding of Ms. Rowe and the men who paid her handsomely, the four girls formed the Lonely Girls Club. Brought together by their sad fates, not allowed to be normal teenagers, these girls had a bond stronger than that of sisters. Although totally different in their personalities, Mattie, Jane, Breeze, and Ivy were joined by their hatred and fear of Millicent Rowe, by their own guilty consciences, and by the terrible men who forced them to become women before they were ready.

The Lonely Girls Club ended, however, when Millicent Rowe was murdered by William "Billy" Broud-or so the girls thought. Twenty years have gone by, and Broud has been exonerated through DNA evidence, proving he wasn't the one who killed the Academy's headmistress. At the time of his arrest so long ago, he'd been trying to tell authorities about Ms. Rowe, about her sex-ring involving students, about conspiracies and cover-ups involving men of power. No one was inclined to listen then, when Billy had a prior record, drugs in his possession, and had the same blood type as that found at the scene of the crime. Now that he's released, the only one who is inclined to look back on that past, to follow a string of clues reaching back to the Rowe Academy for Girls and its headmistress, is Jameson Cross, a true crime writer, who just so happens to also have a heavy interest in proving Billy's innocence. The wrongly-convicted man wants no part of Cross and his book, however, and after a short stint outside prison walls, ends his life to avoid a past that just won't leave him alone.

Jameson Cross is obsessed with finding out who really murdered the headmistress of the Academy, and discovering who the Lonely Girls are. He knows that Ivy White is no longer alive, having committed suicide years ago, but what about the other mysterious members of the Club? As clues come to light, as he finds the three remaining women in positions of authority and prestige-one a judge, one a businesswoman, one the First Lady of the United States-Jameson realizes that finding out what happened so long ago is about more than just solving a crime. Because one of these girls-or even all of them-may very well have murdered someone. And even now, the Lonely Girls Club is gathering steam, trying to keep their secrets hidden and lock away the part of themselves that was abused so long ago.

Suzanne Forster has once again managed to write a suspenseful story of danger, intrigue, sex, lies, and murder that takes you into the world of the rich and powerful. The men and women associated with the Rowe Academy for Girls will do anything and everything to keep themselves from being exposed, up to and including murder. With an intense plot, strong characters, and the twists and turns of a true mystery, THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB is a book not to be missed.

I just love the private school for girls setup of this book. I thought the characters were unique and unusual. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down.

I really enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing and while a little far-fetched, it was a great escape. If I am looking for reality I would choose a non-fiction, but this book lived up to my expectations and made for good before bed reading.

This book will keep you guessing! Suzanne is an awesome writer and this one was no disappointment. I am a huge fan of all her books! Suspense, murder, powerful smart women, strong friendship ties, and a touch of romance make this book a really great read. Once you start it, you won't be able to put it down.

This book will keep you guessing! Suzanne is an awesome writer and this one was no disappointment. I am a huge fan of all her books!

Suspense, murder, powerful smart women, strong friendship ties, and a touch of romance make this book a really great read. Once you start it, you won't be able to put it down.

From page one this was an interesting read with excellent character development and many twists and turns... but heavy on the romance angles and rather light on the mystery/suspense. It was very enjoyable and not one you could easily put aside but still all in all - a light and entertaing romance with a hint of suspense.

Suzanne Forster has a great gift for writing sizzling hot male leads and can't-wait-for-the-bedroom-so-they-hit-the-floor sex scenes. Unfortunately, when it comes to plot and a basic storyline, she falls apart. And even more unfortunately for the reader of Lonely Girls Club, she is dealing with a device not employed since the 80s heyday of Jackie Collins and Danielle Steel: the book about 4 best-friends who have survived through great hardship to become Rich and Powerful but are still Vulnerable and Have Secrets. This forces Ms. Forster to deal with too many disparate storylines for her to write with any kind of structure or pacing.
The plot jumps around to seemingly every state in the mainland AND to Europe and has WAY too many scenes where people are hit on the head and dragged places. Every hackneyed device is here: the Slutty One is named Breeze, the Prickly Defensive one gets a makeover, there is cliche misdirection leading to a killer whose identity makes no sense except to Suprise and Shock readers (not that great of a suprise or shock cause if they weren't the killer they were for sure gonna get a spin-off book), and of course cheesy italicized first person writing from said killer!
Honestly I don't think I would've finished it if it hadn't have meant that in good conscience I could not have written this review to warn away potential readers. I lay the blame on Ms. Forster's editor - next time get out your red pen and do your job cause with a little simplification she's a decent writer.