Details
Author: Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen
Publisher: St. Martins Griffin
Genres: Thriller, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Pages: 411
Format: eBook
Could you tell a lie without feeling guilt? Should a punishment always fit the crime?
These are the kinds of questions we all face at one point or another, and how we answer them says more about us than we might like to admit.
An Anonymous Girl was my second read by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, the psychological‑thriller duo I’ve grown to love over the years. I first discovered them through The Wife Between Us, which immediately made me a fan, so it felt only natural to pick up this one as I work my way through their published works.
Split into three parts, the story centers around Jessica, a young woman trying to support herself and her family – a responsibility she carries heavily and quietly. When she sneaks into a paid ethics and morality study run by Dr. Shields, a psychiatrist with a cool, unreadable presence, she sees it as a simple way to earn extra money. But once she becomes involved in the study and develops a deeper relationship with Dr. Shields, Jessica finds herself in situations where her conscience is constantly being tested. Each new task pushes her a little further, forcing her to question how far she’s willing to go and at what cost – to her family, her friendships, her relationships, and even Dr. Shields’ husband, Thomas.
The alternating perspectives between Jessica and Dr. Shields are where this book really shines. Their voices feel distinct and intentional: Jessica’s internal tug‑of‑war is raw and human, while Dr. Shields’ narration is chillingly calm and controlled. As their relationship deepens, the tension tightens. I found myself genuinely worried for Jessica, imagining every possible direction the story could twist next.
Parts 1 and 2 build a slow, unsettling pressure as Jessica navigates Dr. Shields’ increasingly invasive “tests.” But Part 3 is where everything flips. Motives shift, masks slip and the plot twists – the kind that make you gasp – come fast and sharp. Just when you think you know where the story is headed, it pivots in the opposite direction with a reveal that leaves you thinking “Wait… what? How!?“
Ethics and morality play such a central role in all of our lives, often shaping the belief systems we build ourselves around. The authors build on that tension so naturally that it becomes the heartbeat of the story and leaves you wondering what you would do if you were in Jessica’s shoes. Would you bend your own boundaries for something that benefits you? Or would you choose the path that protects the people around you, even if it leaves you in the shadows?
My Final Pour:
5/5 lattes
Perfect for: readers who love psychological cat‑and‑mouse dynamics, shifting motives,
and stories that make you question every choice
Overall vibe: unsettling, morally gray, slow‑burn tension with sharp, breath‑catching twists
The Hendricks/Pekkanen voice contrast you flagged — Jessica raw, Dr. Shields chilling-calm — lands so much harder in their books than in solo-authored dual-POV thrillers, and I’m convinced it’s not coincidence. When two authors split chapters by character, each one OWNS their narrator’s internal logic, so the POVs can’t bleed into each other the way they sometimes do when one writer is voicing both. The ‘Wait… what? How!?’ Part 3 reveal you hit is the payoff of that separation — it only works because Shields’ chapters never once let you in. Did The Wife Between Us land the same way for you, or do you think the trick worked even better here with the ethics-study premise giving Shields a built-in mask?
Hi! Thanks for stopping by, You make such a great point about each author fully owning their narrator’s voice, I definitely felt that as I moved through the chapters. Jessica’s chapters feel lived‑in and emotional, and then you hit a Dr. Shields section and it’s like the temperature drops ten degrees because she’s so cold and calculating. That separation makes the Part 3 twist land so much harder because, like you said, she never actually lets you in. You’re going based off entirely on what she chooses to reveal, which makes the mask‑slip moment so satisfying…and totally a moment to gasp, as I did.
For me, it worked even better here than it did in The Wife Between Us, mainly because the study setup gives Dr. Shields a built‑in reason to stay so distant and clinical. Her entire role revolves around observing, withholding, and shaping the narrative, and the dual‑author structure really leans into that. The premise and the writing style just click.