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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A solid murder mystery with a very engaging story telling format (documentary, texts, emails, newspaper clipping, etc)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Infidelity, Mental illness, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The biggest draw of this book is undoubtedly its format. I don’t remember how I stumbled upon it—probably a random post online—but it immediately stood out amidst the sea of contemporary mysteries I’ve long since learned to tune out. What caught my attention was the way it’s written: a compilation of interviews, emails, texts, social media posts, and more that reads less like a traditional novel and more like the script for a true-crime documentary in production.
And I was hooked—not just by the format, but by the premise too. With all the evidence laid out before you, can you solve the mystery before the experts in the book do? I’d say for some, it might be an obvious mystery, but I dare say, there is probably no written mystery novel that isn’t figured out by at least a percentage of its readers.
Overall, I would say the book absolutely delivers in the most part. It’s engaging, incredibly easy to fly through, and genuinely fun—akin to binge-watching a multi-part true crime docuseries or podcast. And it’s nicely interactive for anyone who wants to follow along. Hunter does a solid job presenting the crime, introducing the characters, contextualizing the time period, and weaving in just enough evidence to offer readers a fair chance at piecing the mystery together alongside the show’s experts. And that interactive aspect is a big part of the book’s appeal.
For me, it fell apart in the final build-up and climax. The author’s attempts at clever twists didn’t quite land. I tend to lose patience when novels rely too heavily on coincidences or conveniently timed reveals to appear more intricate than they are. It can make the story feel more contrived than clever. With stronger logic and tighter plot construction, I think this could have been an almost perfect mystery. Instead, the ending veers into sensationalism, which doesn’t quite mesh with the grounded, “true crime” tone the book initially sets. So unfortunately, the book ultimately just couldn’t stick the landing.
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
fast-paced
Okay this book has my worst rating so far this year and its down the format/layout and lack of chapters .... also the additional twist at the end wasn't needed and made the story so much more unbelievable.... however I did actually like the plot and even though I guessed who the killer would be very early on it kept me reading so that I could see I was proved right by the end . Would sadly not recommend this book
Não me conecte com os personagens e achei os plot twists muito rasos o que diminuia o impacto.
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes