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Le cercle secret
At an exclusive California prep school, four young girls form a bond that will endure over two decades -- a bond built on secrets, scandal and murder . . . a bond about to be broken.Mattie, a federal judge . . . Breeze, a wealthy entrepreneur . . . and Jane, the first lady of the United States, have all enjoyed a meteoric rise to success since their days at the Rowe Academy for Girls. But now the truth behind the suicide of their friend Ivy and the murder of their headmistress twenty years ago is no longer safely hidden.The man imprisoned for the murder has been exonerated, and a true crime reporter is relentlessly pursuing a loose thread in the decades-old cover-up, one that threatens to unravel the women's pact of silence. But none of them anticipated the twisted depths of the secrets about to be exposed -- or how the truth could shatter all their lives.
495 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
12 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
About the author
Suzanne Forster
62 books49 followersNew York Times and USA Today best-selling author Suzanne Forster is living proof of William Shakespeare’s maxim that the uses of adversity are sweet. Suzanne’s writing career began by accident. Literally. A car accident ended her dreams for a career in clinical psychology. During her recovery, she began writing to fill the hours, and before she was well enough to return to graduate school, she’d sold her first book and launched a new career.
Since then Suzanne has written more than thirty novels and been the recipient of countless awards, including The National Readers’ Choice Award for Shameless, her mainstream debut. She’s received recognition for outstanding sales from Waldenbooks and Bookrak, and her recent novel, Unfinished Business, was made into a movie for the Oxygen Network.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and she teaches and lectures frequently. Her seminars on Women's Contemporary Fiction at UCLA and UC Riverside were rated outstanding, and her most requested workshop, "The High-Concept Synopsis," is based on personal experience. Her breakout novel, Shameless, sold on a synopsis that triggered a bidding war and garnered her a six-figure contract.
Suzanne has received considerable media attention, including a feature segment on Extra, NBC's news and entertainment magazine, and an Emmy Award–winning "Special Report" on CBS Channel 23 News. Her many print appearances include the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Redbook and Orange Coast Magazine
Since then Suzanne has written more than thirty novels and been the recipient of countless awards, including The National Readers’ Choice Award for Shameless, her mainstream debut. She’s received recognition for outstanding sales from Waldenbooks and Bookrak, and her recent novel, Unfinished Business, was made into a movie for the Oxygen Network.
Suzanne has a Master’s Degree in Writing Popular Fiction, and she teaches and lectures frequently. Her seminars on Women's Contemporary Fiction at UCLA and UC Riverside were rated outstanding, and her most requested workshop, "The High-Concept Synopsis," is based on personal experience. Her breakout novel, Shameless, sold on a synopsis that triggered a bidding war and garnered her a six-figure contract.
Suzanne has received considerable media attention, including a feature segment on Extra, NBC's news and entertainment magazine, and an Emmy Award–winning "Special Report" on CBS Channel 23 News. Her many print appearances include the L.A. Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, Redbook and Orange Coast Magazine
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
May 27, 2020
3.5 Stars
July 7, 2008
The only reason this didn't get 4 stars is because I felt it was about 50 pages too long. I generally don't feel that way but this one just got a little thick and muddy in the middle. Otherwise thought it was well worth the time spent!!
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November 16, 2025Kirjan juoni on lupaava ja tarina tempaa mukaan, kirjan edetessä tarina hieman lässähtää, mutta mielenkiinto tapahtumien kulusta säilyy kirjan loppuun asti.
Helmet 7/2021 Kirjassa on kaveriporukka
📖 Foster Susanne, Sydänviini (7/2021) 👍👎 29.1-5.2.2021
Helmet 7/2021 Kirjassa on kaveriporukka
📖 Foster Susanne, Sydänviini (7/2021) 👍👎 29.1-5.2.2021
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December 31, 2016I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14342384
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/14342384
April 27, 2022
A good story, but at times written to tell, not show.
August 17, 2022
Great twist. Didn’t expect the ending. Could’ve been about 50-100 pages shorter. Middle of book was all fluff and didn’t help develop the plot.
July 20, 2025
I started this and 3 chapters in decided it was not a subject I wanted to read about. would give it zero Stars if I could.
November 10, 2012
At the Rowe Academy for Girls in Tiburon, California, nothing is as it appears to be. The outside might look like a Victorian castle you would find in England, but on the inside, under the control of headmistress Millicent Rowe, the Academy is nothing more than hell for four young girls forced to do things that are truly abhorrent. For Ms. Rowe, the Academy is her life, and she'll do anything to make sure the school stays intact. That includes providing young girls for the wealthy men who have sexual tastes that differ from the norm.
Matilda "Mattie" Smith, Jane Mantle, Breeze Wheeler, and Ivy White were four troubled girls who were at the Academy for different reasons. Thrown together by the sick desires of Millicent Rowe, however, forced to "pay" their way through school by doing the bidding of Ms. Rowe and the men who paid her handsomely, the four girls formed the Lonely Girls Club. Brought together by their sad fates, not allowed to be normal teenagers, these girls had a bond stronger than that of sisters. Although totally different in their personalities, Mattie, Jane, Breeze, and Ivy were joined by their hatred and fear of Millicent Rowe, by their own guilty consciences, and by the terrible men who forced them to become women before they were ready.
The Lonely Girls Club ended, however, when Millicent Rowe was murdered by William "Billy" Broud-or so the girls thought. Twenty years have gone by, and Broud has been exonerated through DNA evidence, proving he wasn't the one who killed the Academy's headmistress. At the time of his arrest so long ago, he'd been trying to tell authorities about Ms. Rowe, about her sex-ring involving students, about conspiracies and cover-ups involving men of power. No one was inclined to listen then, when Billy had a prior record, drugs in his possession, and had the same blood type as that found at the scene of the crime. Now that he's released, the only one who is inclined to look back on that past, to follow a string of clues reaching back to the Rowe Academy for Girls and its headmistress, is Jameson Cross, a true crime writer, who just so happens to also have a heavy interest in proving Billy's innocence. The wrongly-convicted man wants no part of Cross and his book, however, and after a short stint outside prison walls, ends his life to avoid a past that just won't leave him alone.
Jameson Cross is obsessed with finding out who really murdered the headmistress of the Academy, and discovering who the Lonely Girls are. He knows that Ivy White is no longer alive, having committed suicide years ago, but what about the other mysterious members of the Club? As clues come to light, as he finds the three remaining women in positions of authority and prestige-one a judge, one a businesswoman, one the First Lady of the United States-Jameson realizes that finding out what happened so long ago is about more than just solving a crime. Because one of these girls-or even all of them-may very well have murdered someone. And even now, the Lonely Girls Club is gathering steam, trying to keep their secrets hidden and lock away the part of themselves that was abused so long ago.
Suzanne Forster has once again managed to write a suspenseful story of danger, intrigue, sex, lies, and murder that takes you into the world of the rich and powerful. The men and women associated with the Rowe Academy for Girls will do anything and everything to keep themselves from being exposed, up to and including murder. With an intense plot, strong characters, and the twists and turns of a true mystery, THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB is a book not to be missed.
Matilda "Mattie" Smith, Jane Mantle, Breeze Wheeler, and Ivy White were four troubled girls who were at the Academy for different reasons. Thrown together by the sick desires of Millicent Rowe, however, forced to "pay" their way through school by doing the bidding of Ms. Rowe and the men who paid her handsomely, the four girls formed the Lonely Girls Club. Brought together by their sad fates, not allowed to be normal teenagers, these girls had a bond stronger than that of sisters. Although totally different in their personalities, Mattie, Jane, Breeze, and Ivy were joined by their hatred and fear of Millicent Rowe, by their own guilty consciences, and by the terrible men who forced them to become women before they were ready.
The Lonely Girls Club ended, however, when Millicent Rowe was murdered by William "Billy" Broud-or so the girls thought. Twenty years have gone by, and Broud has been exonerated through DNA evidence, proving he wasn't the one who killed the Academy's headmistress. At the time of his arrest so long ago, he'd been trying to tell authorities about Ms. Rowe, about her sex-ring involving students, about conspiracies and cover-ups involving men of power. No one was inclined to listen then, when Billy had a prior record, drugs in his possession, and had the same blood type as that found at the scene of the crime. Now that he's released, the only one who is inclined to look back on that past, to follow a string of clues reaching back to the Rowe Academy for Girls and its headmistress, is Jameson Cross, a true crime writer, who just so happens to also have a heavy interest in proving Billy's innocence. The wrongly-convicted man wants no part of Cross and his book, however, and after a short stint outside prison walls, ends his life to avoid a past that just won't leave him alone.
Jameson Cross is obsessed with finding out who really murdered the headmistress of the Academy, and discovering who the Lonely Girls are. He knows that Ivy White is no longer alive, having committed suicide years ago, but what about the other mysterious members of the Club? As clues come to light, as he finds the three remaining women in positions of authority and prestige-one a judge, one a businesswoman, one the First Lady of the United States-Jameson realizes that finding out what happened so long ago is about more than just solving a crime. Because one of these girls-or even all of them-may very well have murdered someone. And even now, the Lonely Girls Club is gathering steam, trying to keep their secrets hidden and lock away the part of themselves that was abused so long ago.
Suzanne Forster has once again managed to write a suspenseful story of danger, intrigue, sex, lies, and murder that takes you into the world of the rich and powerful. The men and women associated with the Rowe Academy for Girls will do anything and everything to keep themselves from being exposed, up to and including murder. With an intense plot, strong characters, and the twists and turns of a true mystery, THE LONELY GIRLS CLUB is a book not to be missed.
December 15, 2022
This was a bookstore recommendation. For being a little pocketbook from 2005, I was pleasantly surprised that the plot and characters were intricate and fleshed out.
It did, however, have misplaced moments and mentions of sex that really felt like the author was required to "phone in"...
A good go.
It did, however, have misplaced moments and mentions of sex that really felt like the author was required to "phone in"...
A good go.
September 17, 2011
I will admit to not enjoying the beginning of this book. It took quite a while before I was sucked into the mystery of who killed Millicent Rowe and why the lonely girls were hiding if they didn't do it. At first I didn't feel a connection to the three main characters (Mattie Smith, judge; Breeze Wheeler, sex spa owner; and Jane Mantle, first lady). It wasn't until the flashbacks started that I could feel any empathy with them and their plight.
Headmistress Millicent Rowe has four girls arrive at her finishing school on scholarship. These four girls (Mattie, Breeze, Jane and Ivy) are ostracized at the expensive boarding school and Ms. Rowe takes them under her wing. Of course, this is not an altruistic endeavor as she is training them to be sex slaves for powerful men who come cloaked in darkness. The girls are tortured for their disobedience and punished for the slightest misdemeanor. I was horrified at what the headmistress was doing to them and couldn't believe it when the went to the police and sent right back into the hornets nest. No matter who killed Millicent Rowe, she surely deserved it.
When the convicted killer, William Broud, was released because it was finally proven that he was not the killer, Jameson Cross, a writer of true crime came out of the woodwork to find the real killer. Jameson harasses and stalks Mattie almost to the point of imprisonment (she is a judge after all). He stirs up Mattie, Breeze and Jane to the point where Mattie takes a leave of absence to uncover the truth and suppress evidence, if needed. The mystery of who actually killed Millicent is fascinating but I think it was drawn out a little too long. I found myself getting bored with the repetitions and at some points felt it needed to just get on with it.
Headmistress Millicent Rowe has four girls arrive at her finishing school on scholarship. These four girls (Mattie, Breeze, Jane and Ivy) are ostracized at the expensive boarding school and Ms. Rowe takes them under her wing. Of course, this is not an altruistic endeavor as she is training them to be sex slaves for powerful men who come cloaked in darkness. The girls are tortured for their disobedience and punished for the slightest misdemeanor. I was horrified at what the headmistress was doing to them and couldn't believe it when the went to the police and sent right back into the hornets nest. No matter who killed Millicent Rowe, she surely deserved it.
When the convicted killer, William Broud, was released because it was finally proven that he was not the killer, Jameson Cross, a writer of true crime came out of the woodwork to find the real killer. Jameson harasses and stalks Mattie almost to the point of imprisonment (she is a judge after all). He stirs up Mattie, Breeze and Jane to the point where Mattie takes a leave of absence to uncover the truth and suppress evidence, if needed. The mystery of who actually killed Millicent is fascinating but I think it was drawn out a little too long. I found myself getting bored with the repetitions and at some points felt it needed to just get on with it.
July 6, 2016
While I was reading this book on the beach over July 4th my mom looked over and asked me "Is that a good book?" I wasn't sure how to respond and finally came out with "It's entertaining". This book was entertaining, but it wasn't good, per se.
When they were fourteen Mattie Smith, Jane Dunbar, Breeze Wheeler, and Ivy White were all scholarship girls at the Rowe Academy. Exploited by their headmistress in a sex ring, the girl's attempted their revenge after Ivy's suicide. 23 years later the man convicted of Millicent Rowe's murder is exonerated by DNA evidence and the three remaining women; Mattie now a federal judge, Breeze the owner of an exclusive spa in Mexico, and Jane the First Lady of the United States, are drawn back into a mystery they considered long dead.
Writing that synopsis was almost embarrassing. There were plenty of moment in this book where I rolled my eyes so hard I as afraid they would stick. This is the sort of book that claims to be a "sexy" mystery with tons of twists and turns. I can't say that is entirely untrue. There was some sex, and some hanging around in negligees... whatever the hell that was about. But there were a lot of things that seemed open ended, like the author had left threads out so we'd suspect more people but then failed to tie them up at the end. But I was genuinely curious to see how it would turn out and wasn't entirely disappointed by the reveals.
When they were fourteen Mattie Smith, Jane Dunbar, Breeze Wheeler, and Ivy White were all scholarship girls at the Rowe Academy. Exploited by their headmistress in a sex ring, the girl's attempted their revenge after Ivy's suicide. 23 years later the man convicted of Millicent Rowe's murder is exonerated by DNA evidence and the three remaining women; Mattie now a federal judge, Breeze the owner of an exclusive spa in Mexico, and Jane the First Lady of the United States, are drawn back into a mystery they considered long dead.
Writing that synopsis was almost embarrassing. There were plenty of moment in this book where I rolled my eyes so hard I as afraid they would stick. This is the sort of book that claims to be a "sexy" mystery with tons of twists and turns. I can't say that is entirely untrue. There was some sex, and some hanging around in negligees... whatever the hell that was about. But there were a lot of things that seemed open ended, like the author had left threads out so we'd suspect more people but then failed to tie them up at the end. But I was genuinely curious to see how it would turn out and wasn't entirely disappointed by the reveals.
March 14, 2016
This was a terrible book. It had a good story line but it meandered all over the place. I HATE strong women who act stupid over and over. The main character, Mattie Smith, is a Federal judge and she acts and thinks like a dope. Over and over again she puts herself in dangerous positions without thinking about the consequences. She's a Federal judge - good grief!! No thanks!!!!
December 30, 2016
This book was wayyyyyy too long! It was fun to read, but I kept wanting it to just get to the point already. They probably could have left the entire Jameson storyline out and I would have been just as happy.
September 19, 2015
I started out not being able to put this book down, but then about 2/3 of the way through, I just wanted it to get to the point. It was a good read, but too long in getting to a conclusion towards the end.
August 23, 2014
I actually enjoyed this book. There were times when it was slow and the book itself could have been cut down shorter... BUT it did have a good plot... Great twist and turns....kept you guessing...and even in the end kept you wanting to know more. I would definitely recommend this book to others!
November 1, 2010
This was a longggg book. I had a hard time getting into it. The middle was ok and then I just wanted to be done with the book! Skip reading this one!
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July 29, 2011Wow! What a page turner! One of the best mystery/suspense novels I've ever read, Clues and red herrings galore and all neatly tied up in the end.
September 26, 2011
Long book but good :)
March 24, 2012
Really good book, great mystery, great characters, thought I wish she could know more about Ivy's death. I loved the little bits of the past mixed with the present! Really good!
January 20, 2013
Awesome book.....enjoyed it all the way through
January 14, 2015
a page turner
May 16, 2015
Pretty good story. Keeps you guessing.
June 7, 2015
The only bad thing I could say about this book is the ending. But then again I'm not the author!! I loved it and would recommend it to anyone.
September 27, 2015
was not believable. Not characters you like, no good love connection. Weird. Terrible ending. Wish I never started, because I always (almost)finish a book when I start
September 30, 2023
Totalmente increíble
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January 23, 2009It was so long, drawn-out and boring. And extremely predictable. I hated it.
February 19, 2010
An amazing,twisted book. I could not bring myself to stop reading it.
August 14, 2014
A page-turner.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews