Mister Tender's Girl

Written by Carter Wilson

Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

How far are you willing to go for Mister Tender?

At fourteen, Alice Hill was viciously attacked by two of her classmates and left to die. The teens claim she was a sacrifice for a man called Mister Tender, but that could never be true: Mister Tender doesn’t exist. His sinister character
is popculture fiction, created by Alice’s own father in a series of popular graphic novels.

Over a decade later, Alice has changed her name and is trying to heal. But someone is watching her. They know more about Alice than any stranger could: her scars, her fears, and the secrets she keeps locked away. She can try to escape
her past, but Mister Tender is never far behind. He will come with a smile that seduces, and a dark whisper in her ear …

Inspired by a true story, this gripping thriller plunges you into a world of haunting memories and unseen threats, leaving you guessing until the harrowing end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 13, 2018
• ISBN: 9781501971068

Carter Wilson

Carter Wilson is the USA Today and #1 Denver Post bestselling author of six critically acclaimed standalone psychological thrillers, as well as numerous short stories. An ITW Thriller Award finalist and a four-time winner of the Colorado Book Award, he has been honored by multiple starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal. He lives in Erie, Colorado, in a Victorian house that is spooky but isn't haunted... yet. For more information, visit CarterWilson.com.

Reviews for Mister Tender's Girl

[kayla.krantz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

How far would you go to gain the thing you want the most in the world?

Alice Gray, formerly Alice Hill, knows the answer to that better than anyone. The idea is connected to her father’s graphic novels and one character in particular—Mister Tender. Alice hates the comic for all that it brought her. At age 14, her friends, convinced Mister Tender was real, tried to kill her. Because of that, Alice grows up trapped inside her mind. When references to Mister Tender begin to appear fourteen years later, she realizes that her past is catching up to her. Just because she ran away from it all, doesn’t mean she could hide.

This book was one of the best psychological reads I’ve encountered in a long time. Usually, I can guess who the bad guy is halfway through a book but this one totally took me by surprise. There were so many elements of different mental health issues that were touched upon in this book that made it all the more real, especially in Alice. The author gives the readers a very realistic look into how a survivor of violent crime thinks and feels. It’s because of this depth that the story really pulls the reader in.

[booklover3258 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a great book that I couldn't stop reading. First off, this book is based off of true events with what happened with Slenderman. It is definitely a work of fiction though. A young girl gets stabbed by two of her classmates and lives. They stab her because Mr. Tender (a graphic novel devil bartender) told them to stab her. We fast forward her life and she has a new name and wants to forget what happened in the past. But the past won't let her forget. I totally did not guess the evil person and kudos for that! Ending was great and it was definitely a nail biter all the way through!

[bingereader87 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a thriller, set primarily in the Boston area of the US and a little bit in London, about a woman named Alice who was brutally attacked as a teen by a couple of obsessed fans of a graphic novel called Mister Tender. Now she is finding it hard to cope with life as an adult and learns she may have a stalker. What made this story so good was the writing. I found it very well written and engaging. I loved the writing style and how easily each chapter and scene flowed throughout the book.

I found Alice to be relatable and likable. She has such strength and has an inner monologue that really gets you to understand her struggle. I found this incredibly hard to put down once I got started reading it. This is in talks for a potential TV series and I can't be more excited.

[ellegato · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Eh. As a concept this was intriguing but as an actual story I felt like it fell flat. Too much going on and none of it really seemed to matter very much in the end. I liked the main character and the way she responded to the tragedies and terrors that dogged her but the plot itself was unwieldy and lacking impact.

[over.the.edge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mister Tender's Girl🍒🍒🍒🍒🍌
By Carter Wilson
2018

"Alice, what did the penguin always tell you?"
If you get the sudden urge to start trusting someone, be smart and do away with it.

Alice Hill was only 14 when she was viciously stabbed and left for dead in Gladstone Park by the Glissen Girl twins. The twins were obsessed by a cartoon character, Mister Tender, a popular graphic novel series created by Alice s father.
It's years later, Alice has changed her name, opened a coffee house and is beginning to really heal from her past......until she realizes she is being watched by someone who knows her very private past, knows her scars, knows her fears....Who is Mr. Interested??......what does he want??
Based on The Slender Man crimes, this is a true thriller.. it will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's creepy, It's absorbing. It's a fantastic thriller that will hold you in its grip until the end.....and stay with you long after...
Highly Recommended Thriller.

[grumpydan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is one twisted story which makes for a good read. At the age of fourteen, Alice was stabbed and left for dead by two twin sisters. The twins wanted to impress Mister Tender, a bartender that was the main character in a series of graphic novels created by Alice’s dad. After the incident, Alice’s mother leaves with Alice and her brother and moves to the US. Alice changes her name and tries to put the past behind her. But there are fans of Mister Tender out there and one of them doesn’t want her to forget who she really is.As the story progresses, Alice fears for her life and tries to figure out who is keeping the story alive and possible stalking her. This was not only an intense read, it was also very entertaining and surprising. I really liked it and read it quickly as I didn’t want to put it down.

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Alice Hill was fourteen she was a lonely teenage girl who was looking for friends. When the Glassin twins asked her to come over and hang out with them, she didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation. The twins volunteered to walk Alice back home that fateful night and instead of seeing her home safely, they stabbed her repeatedly and left her on a bridge in a park to die. Alice was luckily found by a Good Samaritan walking through the park. What possessed these sisters to attack Alice? According to them, Mister Tender, the main character of a graphic novel authored by Alice’s father commanded them to kill Alice.Alice’s life has never been the same since the night of her attack. Shortly after, her parents divorced and she moved across the ocean to live in the United States with her mother and brother. Once she turned eighteen, she changed her name. She’s spent years turning her body in to a fighting machine. None of these preventative measures can stop Mister Tender and Alice’s biggest fans from stalking her and finding her. Alice has just received a final draft of Mister Tender, which her now deceased father, never took to publication and a man going by Mr. Interested is tracking her every move. Can Alice escape from this nightmare?MISTER TENDER’S GIRL is an addictive, fast-paced, suspenseful read filled with captivating moments that keep the reader at the edge of their seat. Carter Wilson sucked me in within the first few pages and kept me up far past my bedtime desperate to know what was going to happen in Alice’s life next. The chapters are short, which lends to the quick pace of the read. While there are certainly some situations, which may make a reader question the reality of this story, I think that everything lends itself to a lighter crime fiction, suspense read. MISTER TENDER’S GIRL is perfect for someone looking for a fun and interesting tale inspired by the actual events surrounding The Slender Man. Now, if only someone would publish an actual Mister Tender graphic novel!

[dknight0918 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Holy page turner, Batman. So many plot twists and turns. The suspense had me staying up late so I could read more, especially once I got to the third part of the book. It makes you wonder what one would do in a similar situation. I was so worried when Alice went to visit the twins. Jack was so creepy, he made me shudder with disgust. Did not see what happened with Brenda coming. Hope Richard turned out to be a good guy and her brother Thomas is able to turn things around. Would love to see a sequel. I feel invested in these characters at this point. I look forward to reading other books by this same author. Thanks Bookishfirst for the free copy to review, just hate that my dog spilled tea on my copy.

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a book unlike any other I have read in a very long time that is truly deserving of the mystery and thriller genre label. From the very first page this books pulls you right into the story and, with super short chapters that each land a pretty good punch, it pulls you right out of your reality, and before you know it you have ignored all the responsibilities of your actual life just so you could finish the wild ride you started. As I read this I couldn't believe that each and every chapter was delivering yet another twist, another turn, another shock that made the entire experience just an amazing thrill ride from the very page right through to the very last page. Completely and utterly engrossing! Many thanks to the publisher and Bookish for providing me with an advance copy to read in exchange for an honest review.

[sensitivemuse · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was a really good thrilling read. I enjoyed the twists and the overall feeling of the book really gave you the feeling you were being observed just like Alice felt throughout the novel.Depictions of anxiety, of Alice breaking down and feeling defeated, her constant fear of being watched and followed, there’s a lot of emotions in the book and you can’t blame her as she went through a real rough patch in her past. It’s amazing she’s able to do the things she does (like owning a coffee shop for example). Alice is a very strong and determined character with considerable vulnerabilities.I wasn’t really much into the guessing game as to who’s the one doing the following here. I was much too engrossed on how Alice was faring throughout the story as it seemed she was going to snap at any moment.However, let’s get to the last third of the book.Holy jeez. I don’t even know what to think.You ever get that horrible creepy feeling when you come across something so terrible and bizarre and the only thing you can do is keep reading about it until your curiosity either gets the best out of you and you can’t sleep for the rest of the night or you turn away (but your curiosity hasn’t been satiated and you go back to step one)That’s how I felt while reading the last third of the novel. To even think something like *that* actually exists out there (and worse) is frightening.Now there were some unanswered and strings that weren’t really tied together or finished. Some characters just vanished without a trace and you’re left wondering what’s going to happen to them or if Alice is going to keep in touch with these particular people. Or maybe, Alice is just going to start fresh again ? who knows. I just didn’t like that some of them were just left there forgotten.Other than that little bit, I enjoyed reading this book. You’d be surprised what awful twisted things lurk out there in the world and they’re probably just watching without us even knowing it. Great suspense and thrills. Worth a read!

[kamoorephoto · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I waited with baited breath to receive my finished copy after reading the initial excerpt, and I was not disappointed when I got the actual book in my hands. ‘Mister Tender’s Girl’ kept me riveted from start to finish; the tension, and gripping story just didn’t let up for the entire novel.The main character, Alice Gray (formerly Hill), has been victim to the atrocity of being attacked and stabbed by the Glassin twins, some 14 years ago now, and the crime was ‘encouraged’ by their fanatical attachment to graphic novels that Alice’s father wrote and drew about a character called ‘Mister Tender’. For many readers (author Carter Wilson writes about this at the end of the novel), this will remind them of the real-life crimes spurred on by the Slender Man case. Alice now lives in a world where she has tried to run away from her terrible past back in England, where her father was also later attacked and killed, her brother has been diagnosed with mental illness, although her mother is pulling all the strings for him; along with all that, Alice gradually finds out there’s a whole online community dedicated to following Alice’s new life, obsessed with her struggle, and she comes to learn that the past is catching up with her. There’s now a ‘Mister Interested’ on her tail, and figures from her past are popping up, making her her terrible PTSD symptoms and panic attacks incredibly difficult to deal with, especially in her new life that she has tried to create; she now owns a coffee shop, and has dedicated time to make her body and mind stronger in response to her past. It seems her changes are not enough though, as she is living in a world of constant terror, anxiety, and fitful dreams.I feel like this is more than just a thriller though; it kept me glued to my pages for 2 days straight, as often as I could get reading time in, Wilson has done an excellent job in creating a character who has worked hard on herself and fights back against all odds, shows great tenacity, and although she is struggling with problems like PTSD, anxiety and panic attacks, she continues to rule out being a victim any longer. She also wants to have strong bonds with her brother and sees his struggle as well. I like that Wilson delved into the ‘scary depths’ of mental illness here because this was important to these characters. I know you have to suspend your disbelief about the cops becoming involved at certain junctures of the plot perhaps (I’m trying so hard not to reveal what happens!), but the tension and drama in this book doesn’t let up and I was INSIDE this book all the way; it was written THAT well. For writing Alice as a survivor who decided to fight back after she became a victim, I say bravo. And for making it so that I forgot about about real-life scenario comparisons, extra kudos. I also enjoyed the writing tactic of taking the reader inside other worlds within the book successfully, without losing me in the least: the children’s story, the graphic novel, the past storylines, the dreams, the Internet chatroom, all very cleverfully employed. *Extra points for taking me back to Dover, England, where my dad lives.Overall, this was one enthralling suspenseful read, and just like I couldn’t wait to get this in my hands, I can’t wait to read what Carter writes next. I couldn’t get ENOUGH of this book, I just wanted more. That’s ALWAYS a sign of a good book.*Thank you to Sourcebooks and BookishFirst for my copy of the book. **First Impression of what I’ve read so far (after reading initial EXCERPT): I actually slept on my first look of the book before writing this ‘impression’, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what I read. I also lapped up those first 30 pages (and kept swiping, hoping there was more on my Kindle, because I didn’t want it to end yet), because I was immediately drawn into the story that Carter has written. Alice is gripped in this world of anxiety and ongoing terror after what happened to her (and her father) so many years ago, and those feelings just emanate off those pages. I was immediately made to feel what she was feeling and because I love psychological thrillers in general, this just felt unique, with the graphic novel element, just jumping off the pages too. The writing was smooth and felt natural as Alice’s ‘voice’, and out of all of the ‘First Impressions I’ve read yet, this is the one that has pulled me in the fastest. Alice is haunted daily by her past, while trying to hide behind a veneer in a different world where no one really knows her, and now this ‘Mister Tender’ shows up?! I absolutely am dying to know what happens next and I would be honored to read and review an early copy of this thriller. It looks fantastic.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There were so many aspects of this book that I really, really liked. I loved the anagram, that was way cool. The website and the stalking gave the book a major creep factor which was right up my alley.However, and this is not a bad thing towards the author - just a heads up (imo), tiny warning. A small part of the book dealt with self harm (cutting) that came in towards the end. That just makes me super queasy, I just don't get that, not at all. I realize it's a thing but I don't care to read about it while I am wanting to be entertained. Fortunately, that was a very small part. I just wanted to warn those of you who feel like me and would appreciate the heads up. This was my first book by this author and it definitely won't be my last. My aversion to a detail he chose to use did not alter my feelings for the rest of the book.Huge thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Net Galley for introducing me to this author by providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[darcia_10 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't think I've ever used the word "exquisite" when describing a book, but that's the word that comes to mind now. This book is exquisite in all respects.The writing style: perfection. I was lost in the words. I wanted to read faster, to find out what happened, but I also wanted to read slower, to savor each phrase. The characters: each one is complex, unique, and oh so real. I cared what happened to them. I felt their pain, their hope, their fear. The plot: are you kidding me? Wow! I read more than 100 books a year, yet I have never read anything that even comes close to this story. It's intense, believable, powerful, and unputdownable. This book is so much more than a typical thriller. The subtleties in the content bring the story to life far beyond a mere reading experience. An excerpt from Mister Tender's Girl was available as a First Impression on the BookishFirst website. I read it, thought "Oh my God!", and immediately went to NetGalley to see if it was available to request. It was, and I was fortunate to receive a review copy. So thank you to BookishFirst, NetGalley, and Carter Wilson for this book. It blew me away.

[theeclecticreview · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"My father created Mister Tender, and Mister Tender nearly killed me." This book is 60 chapters of bone chilling twists and turns! Not only is it a terrifying thought that people can be so obsessed to kill because of a fictional character, but it is absolutely incredible that this story is based on a true crime. Alice is a strong, but fragile character. I felt her fear and paranoia and then her anger and resolve to not be the victim anymore. The events leading up to the finale are excruciatingly intense and this book is the epitome of what a psychological thriller should be. If you like fast-paced, psychological thrillers with some graphic depictions, reserve it today. It goes on sale in February 2018. You won't regret it!!