Girl, Forgotten is the August 2022 sequel to Pieces of Her by Karin Slaughter, which was made into a Netflix series. Pieces of Her was a departure from Slaughter’s previous books, it is more of an examination of a mother daughter relationship when it’s discovered that the mother has been keeping many large secrets. This newest sequel has a bit more of a mystery and crime element as the main character Andrea (the daughter from Pieces of Her) has become a US Marshal and is on her first assignment.
This post contains spoilers to the twists and the ending of Girl, Forgotten. Do not read if you do not want to see spoilers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links, see disclosures for more detail.
About the Book:
A small town hides a big secret…
Who killed Emily Vaughn?
A girl with a secret…
Longbill Beach, 1982. Emily Vaughn gets ready for the prom. For an athlete, who is smart, pretty and well-liked, this night should be the highlight of her high school career. But Emily has a secret. And by the end of the evening, that secret will be silenced forever.
An unsolved murder…
Forty years later, Emily’s murder remains a mystery. Her tight-knit group of friends closed ranks; her respected, wealthy family retreated inwards; the small town moved on from her grisly attack. But all that’s about to change.
One final chance to uncover a killer…
US Marshal Andrea Oliver arrives in Longbill Beach on her first assignment: to protect a judge receiving death threats. But, in reality, Andrea is there to find justice for Emily. The killer is still out there—and Andrea must discover the truth before she gets silenced, too…
Spoilers to the Twists and Ending:
Nardo and Dean were blackmailing the judge and her husband, that is how they got the land for the fava bean farm. They had many women there as part of their “cult” that they were controlling through starvation. Dean claimed to be the father of Emily’s baby to have leverage. The judge sent the threatening letters to herself to get protection from him.
Nardo was actually the father of the baby, stating he had sex with Emily many times.
Stilton shot and killed Nardo at the diner.
Ricky killed Emily because she was jealous that Nardo was the one who got her pregnant. She had her twin brother help her hide the body. He later committed suicide, supposedly because he felt guilty for the cover up.
