The shining girls kindle fire

1. The Shining Girls kindle fire
To download now please click the link below.
http://amzn.to/19GpfxD
Overview
THE GIRL WHO WOULDN'T DIE HUNTS THE KILLER WHO SHOULDN'T EXIST.
The future is not as loud as war, but it is relentless. It has a terrible fury all its
own."

2. Harper Curtis is a killer who stepped out of the past. Kirby Mazrachi is the girl who
was never meant to have a future.
Kirby is the last shining girl, one of the bright young women, burning with
potential, whose lives Harper is destined to snuff out after he stumbles on a House
in Depression-era Chicago that opens on to other times.
At the urging of the House, Harper inserts himself into the lives of the shining
girls, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He's the ultimate hunter, vanishing
into another time after each murder, untraceable-until one of his victims survives.
Determined to bring her would-be killer to justice, Kirby joins the Chicago Sun-
Times to work with the ex-homicide reporter, Dan Velasquez, who covered her
case. Soon Kirby finds herself closing in on the impossible truth . . .
THE SHINING GIRLS is a masterful twist on the serial killer tale: a violent quantum
leap featuring a memorable and appealing heroine in pursuit of a deadly criminal.
Reviews
With a plethora of reviews having appeared already and a good amount of pre-
publication publicity hype, I was both keen and intensely curious about this foray
into crime from Lauren Beukes, author of the excellent Zoo City and Moxyland.
With a clever and quite unique premise The Shining Girls is something really quite
different in crime fiction fare, but I almost fell at the first hurdle I must admit.
Stupidly I read the first 50 pages or so in small chunks, racing to finish another
book at the same time, so initially I was quite discombobulated by the changing
timelines and was quickly losing track of what I had read. So…I started again,
reading a larger block which worked so much better and causing me to engage
much more with flow of the story and making the different timelines infinitely
clearer. Beukes assuredly avoids the inherent pitfalls of changing timelines by
ensuring that both the historical and more contemporary storylines are equally

3. engaging, as we follow the dark deeds of Harper Curtis- a time travelling serial
killer- and the story of Kirby Mazrachi- a young woman who has survived one of
Curtis’ brutal attacks. Beukes transports us through the culturally and socially
different periods of American history with ease, demonstrating her breadth of
research to make each period perfect in detail and atmosphere. From the shanty
towns born out of the Depression era and through the ensuing decades, the reader
is instantly fixed in a time and place familiar through the smallest details, as Curtis
travels back and forth through time attacking his female victims. It’s a very clever
conceit for a story and one that I think Beukes pulls off with aplomb throughout.
I actually really liked the character of Curtis- serial killing psychopath that he is-
and the exploration of the contrasting demons within his character. There were
moments that you felt he was on the verge of desisting in his crimes, but the
strength of his compulsion for killing is ultimately too strong to resist. As the book
progresses, a showdown with Kirby, the heroine of the story, is unavoidable and I
enjoyed the build-up to Curtis’ realisation that one of his ‘shining girls’ had evaded
death at his hands. Kirby is again a compelling character with a wonderful balance
of sassiness and a quiet vulnerability at play in her character. Her relationship with
Dan, her mentor as an intern at a Chicago newspaper, is deftly handled, with their
differences in character and age defining their stumbling but heart warming
relationship.
I would say that I do tend to shy away from crime fiction that dips its toe in the
realm of the fantastical, but I genuinely enjoyed this intriguing meld of crime and
time travel, with the historical detail a major component of my ultimate enjoyment
of the book. A different read for me, but one that I would definitely recommend.
This story gripped me like no other psychological thriller! This 3rd book by the
author is very different to Zoo City but no less powerful in its writing.
It follows the demented journey of a serial killer who gets drawn to a House which
serves as a portal into other times. He has a seemingly uncontrollable compulsion
to follow where the House leads him and you almost feel as if he doesn’t have a
choice in what he is doing…. However don’t let this fool you; he was mentally
cracked in the head long before the temptation of the House came on the scene.
Harper would compulsively seek out “shining girls” those that are bright with
potential, and make first contact when they are still young girls. He then catches

4. up with them when they are grown up…..Some of the scenes are exceptionally
graphic so be warned.
Kirby is the only Shining Girl that eludes Harper and the dynamics between her
and Dan reminded me of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Kirby starts working as
an intern and is assigned to work for Dan the Sports writer at a Chicago
newspaper but she is more interested in investigating murders similar to the
profile of the man that attacked her.
I really loved that the author has the ability to make you feel fully invested in a
character within the span of a page or two – I was rooting for each and every
Shining Girl! I cannot I cannot praise this author enough and recommend this to
all my GR friends even if, like me, you are not into psychological thrillers – this felt
like something completely different.
Oh and the bonus short story at the end was just as brilliant (and this one had a
Zoo City feel)!
Vulnerable/damaged/feisty female protagonist with a sharp tongue and bravado to
match? Check.
Ex-homicide cop of an ethnic persuasion haunted by an unsolved case, a shadow
of his former self, on the wagon? Check.
Thoroughly detestable antagonist with no back-story? Check.
And that's where the clichés stop.
While the above may be true, each character has a unique voice which helps drive
the story along like a careening freight truck. Even the incidental characters are
well-crafted and one feels play an essential part in the narrative. A strong story
like this can sometimes threaten to lose its main characters and so perhaps a little
bit of familiarity in the roles can be a useful thing, a bit like a road-marker
indicating 15km to the next rest-stop.

5. The story is tightly woven, although it doesn't feel like that at first. With time-
travelling being a central device, one struggles at first in trying to keep up with
the various strands, however, the author manages to bring them all together quite
consummately, without it ever seeming botched or manufactured.
Time-travelling stories are tricky by nature but the book deals with it in such a
neat manner without there being any glaring errors, and without sanitising the
dirtiness that it causes.
The last few chapters were a real treat. At some point you realise that the pace
has accelerated and you are hurtling through one critical event after another
without any notion of what's going to happen next. And the surprises keep
coming. I thought the book had ended twice before it actually did.
Lauren Beukes once again delivers a thought provoking, edgy narrative in The
Shining Girls. In a stunning trip through the history of the great city of Chicago,
we follow the serial killer Harper Curtis and his obsession with the Shining Girls.
Girls that have some ephemeral quality that only he can sense; women who are
somehow connected to the killer even when they are generations removed from
his time in history. One such woman is the iconoclastic Kirby, the one who got
away -- the only one of Harper's victims to escape his gruesome hunt. Not able to
simply let it go, Kirby has turned the hunt on the killer and stalks Harper through
the streets -- and history -- of Chicago.
I was particularly taken by the character of Kirby herself, who seems to somehow
distill the essence of the 90s counter-culture into the seed of a unique and defining
perspective that is both new and familiar, all at once. She is a believable
protagonist and an apt guide for the reader through this mind-bending thriller
across time. Perhaps the novel lacks the immediate impact of her previous works
like Zoo City, but instead it leaves you pondering the implications of what you
have witnessed for days and weeks.
Darn I didnt want this book to end. I would happily have read on into eternity and
an eternal tale is exactly what you will get if you have the good sense to pick up a
copy of this book. A huge thanks to the lovely lasses at Harper Collins for the early
copy - it means I have had the honour of being amongst the first to read it, and
when the rest of the world gets in on the act very shortly, trust me its going to be
huge. The back of the book tells me "A Killer who shouldnt exist, A girl who

6. shouldnt have lived, A Thriller that breaks all the boundaries". Well, yes. But don't
let the "Thriller" tag give you preconceptions - it is thrilling, but trying to put this
novel in a genre box is like trying to explain to people why you love your children.
The words will come out of your mouth but you are never going to get the
sentiment across. ANY reader worth his or her salt will love this book - it
transcends genre and just sits happily where it is. A classic in the making.
Harper Curtis is a very bad man. And through a twist of fate he is able to carry out
his nefarious acts across history - he is compelled to seek them out, his "Shining
Girls", the ones who must die, the ones he feels in his soul. And die they do. Until
Kirby. She lives. And so begins a chase across the decades, a search for the truth
that may undo both of them.
The timeslips are brilliantly done. Each chapter in its own space, each period of
History cleverly described and researched, you follow Kirby and Harper, The
Shining Girls and interconnected characters, over many years and many
encounters...until the final resolution, which does not disappoint. Despite the
decade hopping you are never lost - often the author will let you know whats
coming, sometimes what has come before. You will always know where you are
but be aware peripherally that everything can change in an instant. The characters
you find within the pages will touch your heart - and if you don't start looking over
your shoulder in case Harper should appear, suddenly made flesh by your reading
of him, I'd be very surprised. Or perhaps thats just me! Still, I loved this book. If
your passion for reading matches mine, you will too.
It is 1931 and Harper Curtis is on the run from a mob. By chance he steals a coat,
which contains a key. Then, he finds the house. In this excellent novel - which
contains threads from several genres, but is actually something quite unique -
Harper Curtis finds the house moves through time. Although it stays firmly rooted
in Chicago, it transports him from 1929 to 1993, as Harper looks for his Shining
Girls. Harper thinks that the house has been waiting for him and he knows that his
shining girls are there in time - waiting to die. As the novel progresses, we go
backwards and forwards as Harper visits and revisits his chosen girls, always on
the periphery of their life and waiting for when the time is right to kill them.
However, one girl, Kirby, is attacked and survives.
During this novel we meet many characters and it can be slightly confusing, until
you get into the rhythm of the novel. However, you will soon become used to the
style as you follow Harper Curtis on his travels. Kirby is a damaged, but strong,
young woman. She becomes an intern for a journalist, Dan, who used to work the
homicide beat until he became burnt out and moved to sport. With his help, Kirby

7. begins to look for her attacker. However, what chance is there of her discovering a
criminal who moves, at will, through time? This really is a roller coaster ride of a
novel - intelligent, well written, fast moving and with characters that you will care
about intensely by the end of the book. I think this will be the thriller, and one of
the books, of the year.
The Shining Girls is one of those rare adult books that catches my attention. It
doesn't happen often as I'm not a big adult fiction reader, but something about
this one caught my eye and I decided to give it a go. I've never read anything
related to crime or thriller fiction - it's never appealed to me - but I'm so glad I
gave this one a chance as I loved it. I was so engrossed in it that I took my Kindle
to work to continue reading, and I never do that. I just couldn't wait to find out
what happened!
I should point out again that this book is definitely for adult readers. It's gruesome
in its murder descriptions and is very dark in both tone and content. It centres
around a brutal serial killer who kills young women, and because of that I wouldn't
recommend it to younger readers or anyone who wouldn't be comfortable reading
about things like this. That being said, if you do enjoy fiction like that, then this is
one you absolutely have to read. It's a page-turner!
I'm not sure exactly which category to put The Shining Girls into. It's like a crime-
thriller-historical-horror story with many different layers and traits, and I can't fit
it neatly into one box. I think that's why I liked it so much, it's not easy to define
and draws from lots of different genres. There might even be a bit of sci-fi thrown
in there thanks to the time travel element.
The Shining Girls is about Harper Curtis, a war veteran living in Chicago in 1931.
He's lost, violent, stumbling through life when he happens across a key and a
house. The house allows him to visit other decades where he then stalks and kills
young women usually in their twenties. One of his victims, Kirby Mazrachi,
survives his attack in 1992 and begins to unravel the mystery surrounding the
Shining Girls. There's a lot more to it than that, but that's the general gist and the
best I can explain it. See what I mean about overlapping genres?
I liked getting to know Harper and Kirby in their separate sections, and I found
Kirby's research particularly interesting. Even the Shining Girls were more than

8. just murder victims; Beukes made sure she delved into their lives and showed us
a glimpse of who they are. That made their fates even more disturbing to me,
because I knew them, however briefly. I wasn't expecting that, but it certainly
added to the emotional punch of the story.
As much as I enjoyed this book, there are a couple of aspects I think could have
been explained better. For instance, why did these particular girls shine and what
was their potential? Did it mean they were destined for great things, or that they
just shone because they were Harper's type? Also, I would have liked to know
more history of the house and just how people can travel to other decades by
stepping through it. Both these points could have been elaborated, leaving less
questions and a greater understanding of how the house and the shining worked.
As a sporadic reader of adult fiction, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not well-
versed in this particular range of books. I will say though that as a reader who
likes good, gripping, exciting stories, of which The Shining Girls is one, I would -
and have - been recommending this to everyone. I work in a bookshop and can't
wait to tell more customers about it, as I think it will appeal to such a huge
spectrum of readers, whether they like crime or horror or a giant amalgamation of
the two. So, my advice to anyone curious about this book is to get hold of a copy
and give it a try. Hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised like me, and you'll also be
introduced to a fantastic new author. Sometimes the best thing about reading is
discovering new books and reading outside your comfort zone (in my case,
teenage and children's books), and discovering a brilliant read along the way.
That's exactly what I did with The Shining Girls - I had a hunch and it paid off!
To download now please click the link below.
http://amzn.to/19GpfxD