The Lonely Girls Club

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 some

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.

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.

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