e-ARC, 368 pages
Release Date: August 30, 2022
Published by: Delacorte Press
Read from: July 21- August 2, 2022
Companion to other McManus novels
Source: Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)
TW: Death, Unreliable parent, drinking
For Readers Interested In: Mysteries, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Thrillers, True Crime, Cold cases, Young AdultBe sure to keep your friends close . . . and your secrets closer.
Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened.
The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder. They’ve never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.
Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and as Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she begins to uncover secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.
Four years ago someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they never left.
*MY THOUGHTS*
If you know me, you know that if there is a Karen McManus book out there and I don’t have it in my hands, you know I cannot rest. I was very upset that I couldn’t get this at TLA when I went, but the lady at the Random House booth must have seen the look on my face and took pity on me because she gave me this card that had e-ARCs on it. And this just so happened to be one of them. And what can I say, I knew this came out at the end of the month, but as soon as August 1 hit, I started reading it lol
My favorite of hers is still Two Can Keep a Secret, but this one is a strong contender! I don’t know why I liked the plot of this one so much. Maybe because she was an intern that dealt with true crime? Or maybe because this was about a Cold Case? (Y’all know I’m obsessed with those) Whatever the case may be, (no pun intended) I was obsessed with this. And though it didn’t move as fast as her others, I liked the way it felt real. Like she was really trying to solve the case. I don’t know that that makes sense, but it felt like she was really working on it. I know cases aren’t solved in a day. Especially one that police couldn’t even solve. Buttttt this also made it a little repetitive. She would find a clue, write it down, and it would be the same cycle. I know, THRILLER, but usually she has some red herrings or some crazy weird info happen while we’re waiting on the MC to find more info, but not with this one.
I also liked that this one was dual POV. I thought this one was pretty cool to be dual POV because it was a thriller. And I thought at the beginning *spoiler* that since it was Tripp talking he might be the one who killed him, so I was like wide eyed that McManus would go there lol *end spoiler* But I should have known better lol I know for a fact that nothing is as you expect it to be in a Karen McManus novel.
The mystery itself was pretty good. I thought it was interesting how he was this beloved teacher but no one was really looking in to what happened to him. I guess I just thought it would have been more talk about it if the town was so small. However towards the end, I understood why. It was a lot more to it than what I was thinking. Which is how again with this book (just like in all her others) McManus was able to stump me again. I was able to pick the person who did it, but the motive I got 100% wrong lol And I don’t know that I even would have went there at all. (Because she didn’t introduce all the evidence) It was fun to finally get all the answers at the end tho.
So the part that I didn’t like? The ending. It seemed like everything was tacked on the end. Like the beginning is so slow moving, but then it suddenly switches gears and it’s like 0-60. And although I like when the plot gets ramped up, I don’t like it when it’s suddenly added to the end. I would have prefered it be spread out some throughout the end. But the trouble with that, it was already 368 pages. So it felt like “Oh this is getting too long, let me end it.” And I wasn’t completely satisfied with it either. Like when it was revealed who it was, they never even admitted to it. I would have liked some super distinct closure. Like did they get caught? What happened to them? I wanted something more concrete. (I realize this could be a me thing, but I absolutely HATE books with open endings lol)
The other characters in the book were absolutely abysmal lol I didn’t like any of them besides Tripp and Brynn. And let me tell you, I barely liked them two. But everyone in this book acted like they were scared of their own shadow and yet that didn’t stop them from lying about literally everything lol I don’t know everyone was weird and a liar. That’s the best way to describe them.
Again, this wasn’t my favorite of hers, but with so many of my favorite elements, it’s a strong contender. Really everything by McManus is a strong contender. All her stuff is good. So if you’re on the fence, jump down and try it! I promise you won’t regret it!
Overall, I give this
