We never remember the dead girls. We never forget the killers.
Twelve years ago, 18-year-old University of Iowa freshman Abby Hartmann disappeared. Now, Jon Allan Blue, the serial killer suspected of her murder, is about to be executed. Abby's best friends, Bree and Chelsea, watch as Abby's memory is unearthed and overshadowed by Blue and his flashier crimes. The friends, estranged in the wake of Abby's disappearance, and suffering from years of unvoiced resentments, must reunite when a high-profile podcast dedicates its next season to Blue's murders.
Tense and introspective, for readers of Megan Goldin and Heather Gudenkauf, Don't Forget the Girl is an astonishing debut thriller that mines the complexities of friendship and the secrets between us that we may take to the grave.
Praise for Don’t Forget the Girl
“A talented new voice in crime fiction.”
“DON’T FORGET THE GIRL is a moving and suspenseful exploration of friendship, identity, and the reverberations of violence. An unforgettable debut.”
“Fans of Gillian Flynn and Laura Lippman will love this haunting and heartbreaking literary thriller.”
“Rebecca McKanna has written a vivid, propulsive, sensational debut that’s both an indictment of our violent and toxic culture and a celebration of women and survivors and the essential role of collective memory in bringing about change.”
“Rebecca McKanna has written a nearly perfect subversion of the true crime genre. ”
“Absorbing and unforgettable, DON’T FORGET THE GIRL is an extraordinary debut fueled by complex rifts and haunting regrets.”
“[...] a page-turner that’s also a fresh story of forgiveness, memory, and hope. McKanna shows past the sensationalization of the brutal and untimely death of a pretty girl to something deeper: a love story between three friends.”