The Fourth Girl

A Novel (Haven Cliff, Book 1)

By: Wendy Corsi Staub

Narrated by: Alex Picard

On the anniversary of a teen’s disappearance, three friends face a deadly hometown reunion in this twisty suspense novel by a New York Times bestselling author.

On prom night, Caroline Winterfield walked away from the ruins of an abandoned mansion called Haven Cliff and into the woods…never to be seen again. Only her three best friends know what really happened. But a secret is a secret, and a promise is a promise—even when it shatters lifelong friendships.

On the twenty-fifth anniversary of that night, Midge, Kelly, and Talia reunite at Haven Cliff, now a gleaming architectural jewel. But they aren’t alone. Someone is watching. Someone who knows what really happened to Caroline—and to the man who now lies dead a stone’s throw from where she was last seen.

Police detective Midge knows she’s dealing with a murder the moment she sees the item clutched in his lifeless hand. Only three other people in the world would grasp its significance. That means Kelly and Talia are either involved or in danger, because Caroline is long gone…or is she?

©2025 by Wendy Corsi Staub. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

“Distinctive voices add depth and flavor…”—Kirkus Reviews

“Staub…[doles] out key details with a steady hand before walloping readers with a surprise ending. It’s dark, satisfying fun.”—Publishers Weekly

It kept me guessing

Loved this book! Always kept me guessing and I found myself excited for the next chance I could get to listen.

Mostly Good 3.5

I had a hard time getting into this book at first. I think it took about 16 chapters before I figured out the characters and what was going on. Then most of the book after that was really good. The author had me guessing until the very end. I did not like that there were a few questions that remained unanswered and I was really disappointed about that. Altogether not bad though.

Twists & Turns

I really enjoyed all the twists and turns in the story! I’m going to look for more of her books.

the predictable loom

I did enjoy the story and love murder mystery stories. this one felt like it had been told just slightly differently from the other ones I've read before. overall, I'd recommend this story as an easy story to track. I was just hoping for a story that would be less predictable for where it was going to land. I still had enough of a "who done it" possibility that I kept listening to find out who was actually behind the scenes. But it's good and enjoyable.

Cliffhanger

Great story but I would like to have know who the baby’s father was!!! Who killed Caroline!!