The Quiet Girls is my fourth book from Dorothy Koomson. Like previous of hers I’ve read, this is a psychological thriller with strong, character-led drive to the narrative. The Quiet Girls brings us to the dark academia thriller sub-genre specifically, with the action taking place at prestigious girls’ boarding school, Axton.
Opening sentence: She stood with her hands folded like an X across her chest, facing away from the open first-storey window of the clocktower.
The Quiet Girls is the third book to feature our lead character, Dr Kez Lanyon, a profiler and therapist for a secret government organisation and married to Jeb, with whom she has two teenage children. I haven’t read the previous two books featuring Kez, but from the way past events are heavily referred to throughout, you get a good sense of what she’s been through and what happened in those books. This does add depth and steer Kez’s decisions in this story.
So yes, the story sees Kez’s old colleague, MJ, coming to her for help. MJ’s daughter goes to Axton boarding school and has been caught up in a death and missing girl drama. MJ wants to get to the truth of what really happened, and clear her daughter’s name.
‘You owe me so you have to help me. You have to find this girl and find out who killed Dr. Pemberton before they launch this investigation.’
The thing is, MJ went to the school too and knows all about its more sinister, old-traditions, that don’t exactly adhere to the law. There are secret societies that mean secret pacts are at play, and Kez has to use her position as therapist to the girls to try and find out what really happened.
To throw another twist into the mix, Kez has help at the school from another former colleague, Dr Guy Mackenzie, the man she almost left her husband for (in the previous book)…
A life of privilege
Alongside Kez’s POV chapters, we get transcribed voice note chapters from Fredi, the missing girl, to give more insight into what really happened to her and the now-deceased Dr Pemberton.
The Quiet Girls, alongside a fast-paced thriller plot, covers themes of race, class and privilege and looks at just how far people will go to manipulate their surroundings to keep that privilege.
The last quarter definitely didn’t go where I thought it was going to, it had twists, thrills and what felt to me like a more satirical take on generational and white privilege in institutions like elite boarding schools. This blend of swiping societal commentary with its high-climax thriller ending was a highly enjoyable and interesting note to finish the The Quiet Girls on.
- Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC;
- Get your copy of The Quiet Girls here;
- Published by Headline Review 12th March 2026;
- 432 pages;
- My rating:
Books on the 7:47 