The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

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🚨 The Quarry Girls by Jess Lourey

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 out of 5 stars | Gritty small-town thriller | Based on real 1970s serial killings | Set in Minnesota

Have you ever read a book that starts off strong and atmospheric, makes you lean in closer... and then sort of overstays its welcome? That’s how I felt with The Quarry Girls. It’s dark, twisty, and based on real Minnesota serial killers active in the 1970s—a great setup—but somewhere around the halfway point, I started wishing it would just land the plane already.

🧱 What It’s About

Set in Pantown, a working-class neighborhood in St. Cloud, the story follows a group of teen girls in a garage band called The Girls. Their friendship is literally and figuratively linked by a creepy, abandoned underground tunnel system, left over from an old auto plant.

The book opens with the chilling real-life context: three active serial killers in the region during the 1970s. Two were caught. One wasn’t. 😳 That unknown element sets the tone.

The central character is Heather Cash, daughter of the local DA (Gary Cash) and big sister to Junie. Her best friends Brenda and Maureen are bandmates, and the three spend most of their time hanging out, sneaking through the tunnels, and trying to enjoy their teenage summer.

But then people start disappearing.

💀 The Disappearances Begin…

It starts with Beth McCain, a local waitress planning to escape small-town life for UC Berkeley, who vanishes without a trace. The story switches to her POV as we learn she’s been abducted and locked in a basement by a man named Ed. Creepy doesn’t begin to cover it.

Shortly after, Heather, Brenda, Junie, and their friend Claude are playing in the tunnels and come across a horrifying scene: Maureen performing sex acts on three adult men, one of whom is clearly Sheriff Jerome Nillson. Another is wearing a copper ID bracelet. The girls don’t say anything, fearing for Maureen’s safety and reputation.

Maureen then goes missing, and Heather starts connecting the dots, especially after Brenda also disappears. The local police are... let’s say not helpful. Nillson insists Maureen died by suicide (😒 sure, Jan), but Heather doesn’t buy it.

Then things hit maximum squick when Heather realizes that the copper bracelet belonged to her own father, Gary. That means she saw her dad in the tunnels with her underage friend. Ew. Ew. Ew.

🔪 Everything Comes to Light (Eventually)

Meanwhile, Beth is still trapped, digging at the dirt floor of Ed’s basement. She eventually finds a metal spike and uses it to take the door off its hinges, just in time for the final confrontation.

Heather pieces together that the town’s “trusted” adults—including her father and the sheriff—have been abusing their power in some horrific ways. But the actual murders were committed by two local teen boys: Ricky and Ant. They’re connected to Ed (yes, basement Ed), who has been grooming and manipulating them. Ant is clearly torn up about what they’ve done, while Ricky leans fully into the chaos.

When Junie is suddenly targeted, Heather realizes it’s all happening again. She races through the tunnels and eventually finds Junie held at the quarry cabin with Ricky, Ant, and Beth—who finally busts through the trapdoor covered in Ed’s blood like a final girl on a mission.

There’s a wild chase. Heather kicks Ricky into the quarry water. And while the story could’ve ended there, it doesn’t. Instead, we get several more chapters wrapping up every plot thread, which honestly could’ve been trimmed.

⚖️ In the End…

  • Ricky and Ed are confirmed dead.

  • Ant confesses to Heather and later to the authorities.

  • Gary (Heather’s dad) and Sheriff Nillson are arrested.

  • Heather’s mom finally files for divorce (about time).

  • The tunnels are nailed shut for good.

  • Heather starts dating Claude and tries to move on.

🎭 What Worked vs. What Didn’t

What worked:

  • Strong atmosphere and suspense

  • Real-life crime inspiration

  • Heather’s evolving perspective and quiet resilience

  • The tunnel scenes (SO creepy and vivid)

What didn’t:

  • Too many side plots after the climax

  • The second act feels bloated

  • Some twists are predictable

  • The tone occasionally straddles gritty and soap-opera

📚 If You Liked This, Try:

  • The Girls Are All So Nice Here by Laurie Elizabeth Flynn – Mean girls with deadly secrets.

  • Sadie by Courtney Summers – A dual-timeline, missing-girl mystery with grit.

  • The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson – A smart teen investigating small-town corruption.

🛒 Buy the Book:

Final Thought: This one had so much potential. The real-crime angle? Creepy and brilliant. But the pacing and over-explaining near the end pulled it down a notch. Still, it’s an atmospheric ride through small-town horror — if you don’t mind a detour or two (or five).

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