Where Sleeping Girls Lie
Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé
Synopsis:
Sade Hussein is starting her third year of high school, this time at the prestigious Alfred Nobel Academy boarding school. After being home-schooled all her life and feeling like a magnet for misfortune, she’s not sure what will happen. What she doesn’t expect though is for her roommate Elizabeth to disappear after Sade’s first night. Or for people to think she had something to do with it.
With rumors swirling around her, Sade catches the attention of the most popular girls in school – collectively known as the ‘Unholy Trinity’ – and they bring her into their fold. Between learning more about them - especially Persephone, who Sade finds herself drawn to - playing catch-up in class, and trying to figure out what happened to Elizabeth, Sade has a lot on her plate. It doesn’t help that she’s already dealing with grief from the many tragedies in her family.
And then a student is found dead.
The more Sade investigates, the more she realizes there’s more to Alfred Nobel Academy and its students than she realized. Secrets lurk around every corner and beneath every surface…secrets that rival even her own.
Review:
9/10
When I read an average mystery book, I always imagine the plot as a winding path. Always twisting and turning, but still leading in a line. When I was reading Where Sleeping Girls Lie, however, I could only envision it as a tree. That is to say, there are many subplots in this book from the disappearance of Sade’s roommate, the school's lack of interest, the untimely death of another student, to even Sade's own secrets. All of these subplots are relevant to the overall story, and that's what makes it a great book to me. Although sometimes the pacing of the book drags, in my opinion, not all of the subplots needed to be dragged out to the very end compared to others.
The Woman In The Library
Sulari Gentill
Synopsis:
The ornate reading room at the Boston Public Library is quiet, until the tranquility is shattered by a woman's terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who'd happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning—it just happens that one is a murderer.
Review:
8/10
I personally really enjoy dual perspectives in books and I was pleasantly surprised when I realized it was set up as a book within a book. Not only do you get a riveting mystery novel, but you also follow the story of Hannah Tigone as she writes it.
This book is in first person, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, however, the plot relies on the suspense of one of the four strangers is a murderer. Not to mention the whole plot is focused on framing another character for the murder. While I like these plot points and still love the book, these decisions eliminated two out of the four suspects, leaving it slightly anticlimactic to me. Overall, still an amazing book!
Deja Dead
Kathy Reichs
Synopsis:
Her life is devoted to justice; for those she never even knew. In the year since Temperance Brennan left behind a shaky marriage in North Carolina, work has often preempted her weekend plans to explore Quebec. When a female corpse is discovered meticulously dismembered and stashed in trash bags, Temperance detects an alarming pattern and she plunges into a harrowing search for a killer. But her investigation is about to place those closest to her, her best friend and her own daughter, in mortal danger…
Review:
8/10
If you like the TV show “Bones” then I'm sure you'll love the books written by the author the show was inspired by! I like these books specifically for the very technical side of them. Since Kathy Reichs is a real forensic anthropologist, her books are very scientific and informative. As a mystery lover, I enjoyed seeing similar plots put into a justice system standpoint. However, I will say the learning gap in following the science and technical terms is definitely something to consider if you were to pick up this book.
Jane Anonymous
Laurie Faria Stolarz
Synopsis:
“Jane” was just your typical 17-year-old getting ready to start her senior year. She had a part-time job she enjoyed, an awesome best friend, overbearing but loving parents, and a crush on a boy who was taking her to see her favorite band. She never would’ve imagined that in her town where nothing ever happens, a series of small coincidences would lead to a devastating turn of events that would forever change her life.
Now, it’s been three months since “Jane” escaped captivity and returned home. Three months of being that girl who was kidnapped, the girl who was held by a “monster.” But, what if everything you thought you knew―everything you thought you experienced―turned out to be a lie?
Review:
10/10
This was a “finish it in one day, unable to put the book down” kind of read for me. I really like how the author balances such heavy topics and emotions throughout the book. This one is also told through dual perspectives, with the present and the past being when Jane was held captive. I found myself liking the present (when she's back home) parts more. So many times a mystery book ends when the bad guy is caught, but Laurie Storlarz took it further and made half the book the effects of after the plot. All in all, this book will break you, but you should read it anyway!
Sadie
Courtney Summers
Synopsis:
Sadie hasn't had an easy life. Growing up on her own, she's been raising her sister Mattie in an isolated small town, trying her best to provide a normal life and keep their heads above water.
But when Mattie is found dead, Sadie's entire world crumbles. After a somewhat botched police investigation, Sadie is determined to bring her sister's killer to justice and hits the road following a few meager clues to find him.
When West McCray―a radio personality working on a segment about small, forgotten towns in America―overhears Sadie's story at a local gas station, he becomes obsessed with finding the missing girl. He starts his own podcast as he tracks Sadie's journey, trying to figure out what happened, hoping to find her before it's too late.
Review:
10/10
Courtney Summers is always a go-to suggestion for anyone who likes mystery. “A master of the bitch” according to Electric Literature, her books are more than just the plot happening. It's the way she breaks down the notion of “The perfect victim.” Sadie, specifically, is my favorite of her novels, it captures the essence of female rage perfectly, and, let's be honest, wouldn't do the same if in her position.
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