Lex’s wife is missing.

She left for work the morning of a terror attack in London, and no one’s seen her since. Was Olivia among the victims or did she meet a different fate?

Addie has a secret.

That same day, her dad came home covered in blood. Addie thought he’d been hurt in the attacks, but her sister Jessie found the missing woman’s purse in his room.

Jessie says she wants to help.

She takes a job as a nanny at Lex’s house, looking after his baby. But she’s not telling him the truth. And she’s getting a little too comfortable living Olivia’s life…

Praise for The July Girls:

‘A stunningly good crime novel – tender and totally gripping’

The Sunday Mirror

‘Intensely atmospheric and creepy’

Heat

‘I love Phoebe Locke’s last book but this one is even better. Stunningly original with a protagonist you’ll love’

Jane Fallon

‘Thrilling, poignant and unpredictable, Phoebe Locke takes this serial killer chiller to a whole new level. I loved The Tall Man, The July Girls is even better.’

Chris Whitaker

‘This one … is a corker. Twisty and haunting – and even better than The Tall Man in my humble opinion’

C. J. Tudor

‘After all that build up, there’s a sledgehammer of a finale that knocks the air out of readers as much as it does Addie. It’s tense, thrilling and unexpected, the perfect end to a book that has you on tenterhooks throughout’

Culturefly

‘It is brilliant. Unforgettable characters, a great premise and so much you won’t see coming. It’s a stonkingly good thriller, but it’s tender and heartbreaking, too. All the stars.’

Cressida McLaughlin

‘An original take on the serial thriller killer that grips and disturbs, filled with characters who will linger long after ‘The End’. As a reader I’m so excited that I’ve discovered Phoebe Locke’

Catherine Ryan Howard

‘I adored The July Girls. Against a backdrop of heat, poverty and terrorism, Phoebe Locke vividly conveys a city stalked by a serial killer. Her protagonist – a ten-year-old girl called Addie – is brilliantly drawn. As the years pass, and she grows older, the tension ratchets up to an almost unbearable level. Beautifully written, not a word out of place, this deserves to be the summer’s breakout hit’

Fiona Cummins