The Next Woman

by Caroline Corcoran

Lily knows every inch of Aurora Island—she came here to disappear.

Hidden away, a mile off the mainland, it’s a paradise of beautiful beaches and picture-postcard villages. The perfect place to reinvent yourself. To keep secrets buried.

But this summer, women are vanishing—in a chilling alphabetical pattern. First Alice. Then Beccy. Then Corinne. Each disappearance more mysterious than the last, leaving no trace behind.

As panic builds on the island, a hit true-crime podcast seizes on the story. Its magnetic host, Ross, arrives with questions, charm, and an agenda no one can quite pin down.

For Lily, each new disappearance brings her letter closer. And on Aurora, where some come to hide and others vanish without a trace, time is running out—one woman at a time…

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication March 16, 2026

Reviews

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Next Woman is told through two alternating first-person narratives, Lily and Zadie, which is one of the book’s strongest choices. Hearing the story directly from both women gives the book a sense of balance. Lily’s voice stood out to me immediately. Every time her cake making was mentioned, I genuinely felt like I wanted to bake one myself.
The idea behind the book is strong, and while it doesn’t try to overcomplicate itself, it delivers what it sets out to do.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing an advanced copy for an honest review.

[Christina C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Next Woman by Caroline Corcoran centers around a chilling premise…a murderer on Aurora Island who targets women based on the first letter of their names, earning the nickname “the Alphabet Killer.” The concept itself is intriguing and had a lot of potential.

Unfortunately, despite the strong idea, I struggled to fully engage with the story. The pacing felt slow, and the plot dragged in places, which made it hard to stay invested. While the mystery was interesting in theory, it didn’t quite hold my attention the way I’d hoped.

Overall, it’s an okay thriller with a creative concept, but it didn’t fully deliver for me.

[Alanis Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you for the ARC. This book has a genuinely cool and intriguing concept: women going missing alphabetically, which was enough to keep me turning pages just to see who would disappear next and where the sequence would stop.

Technically, it’s well-written and very easy to get into. Unfortunately, the execution didn’t fully live up to the premise. The story relied heavily on telling rather than showing, and much of the tension felt underdeveloped. Both narrators, Lily and Zadie, were frustrating to follow. Lily in particular repeatedly referenced Jake’s anxiety (clearly her own) and her own “shady past” without offering meaningful insight or payoff. I really wish the author had explored her past in depth and shown how it shaped her, rather than simply stating that it did.

The characterization overall felt thin, as we didn’t get to learn much about anyone beyond the central mystery. At times, the plot became repetitive and even boring, with chapters largely revolving around waiting for the next woman to go missing. Ross being positioned as a suspect made little sense to me, which made Zadie’s one-track obsession with him especially irritating — something I say as a Gen Z reader myself.

In the end, while the concept was compelling enough to hold my interest, the lack of character development, frustrating narration, and repetitive structure kept this from being as impactful as it could have been.

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want to express my gratitude to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book turned out to be an incredibly enjoyable read that kept me captivated from start to finish.

The premise is both unique and unsettling: women are mysteriously disappearing on a remote island, and the chilling twist is that they vanish in alphabetical order. There is a constant sense of peril throughout the book that kept me turning the pages. The author masterfully crafts an atmosphere where trust is a luxury, and everyone seems to harbor dark secrets. This intrigue had me second-guessing every character's motives, making it difficult to discern who, if anyone, could be relied upon.

What I truly appreciated was how the author skillfully weaves these secrets into the fabric of the story. With each revelation, I found myself piecing together the puzzle of the women's disappearances, yet the connections remained elusive until the very end. I entered the final chapters with a mix of curiosity and apprehension, unsure of how the author would wrap up such a complex plot.

I was pleasantly surprised by the ending—it tied together all the loose threads and provided a satisfying conclusion that rewarded my investment in the story. The twists were clever and unexpected.

In summary, this book is a great choice for fans of psychological thrillers and mystery novels. I highly recommend it!

[Stephanie Toedter · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of mysterious serial kidnappings taking place on a small island in the UK had me intrigued from the start. The Alphabet Women was such a creative way to base the kidnappings order of the disappearing women. Without giving any spoilers, I can easily say the point of view used by the writer was also a creative way to read through the storyline. The mystery of who all was involved and trying to guess what was next made this book a fast read for me! I wanted to continue reading into the night, because I needed to know the who and why. The only reason I did four stars instead of five is there was so much description of what the characters saw, what was being seen through out the small town, and then the end came with lack of description. I would have liked a few chapters on each of the main characters feelings, a bit more on how Lily’s past made her feel as this all played out, and how Alice now handled the change in her family. I really liked the characters, and to complete their story after the mystery was solved would have made this a five star for me.
#TheNextWoman #NetGalley

[Jenae Gilchrist · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC of The Next Woman by Caroline Corcoran.

This was a tense, unsettling domestic thriller that taps into a very real, creeping fear; the idea that someone could quietly step into your life and start taking pieces of it from the inside out. Corcoran does an excellent job building atmosphere and unease, making even ordinary moments feel charged and slightly off. The story unfolds at a steady pace, layering suspicion, doubt, and psychological tension in a way that kept me turning pages.

I especially appreciated how the novel explores themes of identity, comparison, and how easily women are pitted against one another, sometimes without even realizing it. The characters felt grounded and believable, and the emotional stakes were just as compelling as the mystery itself. While this isn’t a nonstop action thriller, the slow burn works in its favor, allowing the dread to build naturally.

Fans of psychological and domestic suspense who enjoy subtle twists, mounting tension, and character-driven storytelling will likely find The Next Woman a satisfying and thought-provoking read.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to admit, I very nearly did not read this book.
Being a format that I could not send to my beloved Kindle, but had to read either on my phone (old eyes - cannot do it), or on my pc...... AFTER finding an app to convert it to something I could read.

Then, the beginning was a yawn...... SO much description, and I very nearly decided this would be a DNF. I hate not reading a book, but I soldiered on, and am very pleased that I did.

Once it became interesting - the plot almost unique - I was hooked. I just had to find out who the heck was taking these women alphabetically, and whether they were still alive!
Suspects? Yes, there were many. Ross, the journalist was on the top of the list.
Motive? Could be anything!! Attention? People did pay attention once the Alphabet angle was exposed.

I enjoyed it, and because it was well written, and taut with tension, I award it 4/5 stars. However, I will take care not to request a book that I cannot read on my Kindle. No matter who the author is, or how appealing the book sounds.

[ThrillersDoodles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve switched to bulleted reviews to more succinctly capture my thoughts.


* needless repetition
* rushed plot; women go missing at an alarming rate with no explanation of how they went missing
* ridiculous plot and I’m shaking my head hard while mouthing wtf
* really irritated at how much time I just spent getting through this
* no discernible character development

First Reaction or Impression:
My attention is waning.

Character Connection/ Development:
I’m not drawn to any of them early on.
Probably more repelled by the MC and Ross than anything.

Level of hooked after first 3 chapters:
I’ll carry on because it’s an ARC but I’m not drawn into the story.
Still pushing through this. It’s not writing I’m enjoying. (55%). No better by the end.

What to expect:
- [x] Dual pov
- [x] Single timeline
- [x] Twist if you call it that
Trope(s): missing women

Flow and Pacing:
- [x] Slow
- [x] Bored
- [x] Flabbergasted

Recommend:
Ummm, no.

Advance reader copy received via NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer/Amazon UK.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

**review coming soon**

Note: thank you to NetGalley for the early copy so that I may provide an honest review. All comments are my own.