Tag: Karen McManus

REVIEW: Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus

REVIEW: Nothing More to Tell by Karen McManus

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

It’s the last semester of her senior year, and Brynn is back at Saint Ambrose, the last place she expected to be. But her return could help her out of a jam.

At her last school, a malicious prank left Brynn cut from her school newspaper job and ripped away any credibility she had earned for journalism. But now she’s an intern for a true crime show, and she’s pitched them a story centered at Saint Ambrose.

Brynn’s favorite teacher was murdered on school grounds. Three students found him, including Brynn’s former best friend. But the investigation seemed flimsy, and the crime was eventually blamed on a “drifter.”

So while Brynn is back at Saint Ambrose, she’s determined to find out the truth. And if she gets some bonus points for college by sharing the story with the world, all the better.

Review

This was twisty! From start to finish. Brilliantly plotted. The two storytellers really made this come together.

I was sure I knew what was going on at least 4 different times – but every reveal spun the story in a different direction.

When I was a teen, I voraciously read books by Lois Duncan. And the whole time I was reading this, I kept thinking about Duncan’s books and what I loved about them. Teen me would have been a HUGE Karen McManus fan. I loved this book and the sense that I was tailing a young sleuth looking for the truth while I read.

Fans of McManus’s previous work – One of Us is Lying, Two Can Keep a Secret, etc. – should absolutely pick this up. If you enjoy a tightly plotted mystery with teen protagonists, you will love this! (Language)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read.

REVIEW: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

REVIEW: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Twins, Ellery and Ezra, are living in Echo Ridge, Vermont, while their mother is in rehab. While it was their mother’s home town, and their grandmother still lives there, the twins had never been there before.

Twenty-three years earlier, their mother Sadie’s twin sister, Sarah, had gone missing. She was never heard from again, and Sadie left town as soon as she could to try to escape the memories and grief.

Echo Ridge has a tough reputation for dead and missing girls. Five years before Ellery and Ezra arrived, another high school girl, Lacey, was found dead at the local amusement park. While no one was ever arrested, Lacey’s boyfriend was the prime suspect. Declan also left Echo Ridge, but for him it was to avoid the whispers and suspicious looks everywhere he went.

Ellery is a true crime fanatic. While she’s in Echo Ridge, she’d love to piece together what happened to Lacey and whatever happened with her Aunt Sarah. But before she can really get settled in her new home, Ellery and two other girls are targeted by a vandal whose actions indicate that another girl could suffer a similar fate as Lacey and Sarah.

Review

This was a terrific, twisty mystery! I loved the author’s first book, One of Us is Lying. This is just as good – clever, and meticulously plotted. There are several mysteries spanning the entire book – not just the two girls from the past and the current threats. Add to the actual cases Ellery’s many theories of what could have happened, and it feels like there’s a new wrinkle to consider every couple pages. I loved it! I never wanted to set the book down for very long because I had to find out what happened.

The main characters are Ellery, Ezra, Mia and Malcolm. They’re a great core group. Mia and Malcolm have the Echo Ridge background that Ellery and Ezra don’t, and they both have connections to Lacey who died 5 years before. Those connections layer really well on top of the deaths and disappearances.

I am writing this about an hour or so after I finished the book, and the solution keeps rolling around in my head. I can’t shake it. And I had the same reaction to the ending of One of Us Is Lying. Karen McManus is now a must-read author for me. If you love a good, twisty mystery, check this one out!

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½