The Stillwater Girls

Minka Kent is the author of a dozen domestic and psychological thrillers. Her work often centers on strong female protagonists—like Wren and Nicolette in The Stillwater Girls. Citing authors like Gillian Flynn, Caroline Kepnes, and Chevy Stevens as influences, she explores the darker side of family dynamics and shows the complex truths hidden underneath the surface of ordinary lives. The Stillwater Girls examines both the highly controlled and isolated environment Wren’s mother has created for her children and the troubling undercurrents of Nicolette’s seemingly ordinary life. In her official bio, Kent notes that she has “always been curious about good people who do bad things and loves to explore what happens when larger-than-life characters are placed in fascinating situations.” Her novels Gone Again, Imaginary Strangers, The Memory Watcher, People Like Them, and The Thinnest Air all feature female protagonists struggling with secrets hidden under the facades of family lives that seem perfect to outsiders. The female protagonists of When I Was You, After Dark, The Perfect Roommate, and The Silent Woman find themselves in more unusual situations, but, like the protagonists of Kent’s other novels, these women must find the courage to confront their circumstances and the determination to triumph over antagonists who have given in to the darker side of their natures.