Reviews

I Did It For You by Amy Engel

thereadingraccoon's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I Did it For You is an adult contemporary mystery and thriller about a young woman whose sister was the victim of a horrific crime and now fourteen years later there is a similar murder in the same small Kansas town. 

Greer Dunning’s sister and boyfriend were murdered fourteen years ago in a parked car. A young man (Roy Mathews) from a neighboring city was immediately arrested and sentenced to death but Greer has always suspected he didn’t act alone. But months after his execution a nearly identical murder of a teenage couple has happened and this time the police don’t have a suspect. Greer heads back to her small Kansas town to investigate why four people lost their lives with no clear motive and enlists the help of Roy’s older brother Dean for help. Greer and Dean will interview both friends and family of the victims and the murderer to try to figure out who is responsible and finally put the past to rest. 

I Did It For You is a dark small town mystery about what happens to a community when violence strikes. Everything from Greer’s father escaping into the bottle to Roy’s family home being vandalized feels authentic and realistic. Amy Engel does a really good job drawing out the tension as Greer and Dean get closer to the truth and the uneasy feeling that everyone is keeping secrets and the perpetrator is hiding in plain sight. Despite the dark subject matter I enjoyed the small moments of levity between Dean and Greer and their overall chemistry. 

I highly recommend this gritty and dark murder mystery. It has suspense, drama and an unexpected series of twists and turns that lead to a killer. 

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

devynreadsnovels's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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novelgossip's review against another edition

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3.5

I always love a mystery where the character heads back to their hometown after they fled due to a tragedy but this had a slight twist. Greer’s sister was murdered and her killer was caught and even executed but something about the whole case is off for her and when two more teens are murdered in a similar fashion she knows it’s time for her to return home. So a solid setup for me and I was into it at the beginning. As the plot progressed in a slow manner what kept my attention was how the author showed the effects of these murders on Greer’s family and the entire small town. It’s character driven and heartbreaking but along with that strong aspect I wanted some more suspense and tension. Things do ramp up in the end but the motivation behind the murders was really weak and didn’t make much sense to me. Overall great themes and writing I just wanted more suspense and reasoning in the end. 

bookswithruby's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.5

justreaditalreadypod's review against another edition

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dark mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

stephaniesbookreviews's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

 I received a copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. It does not impact my review.

I was vey intrigued by the title and description of I Did it for You. I went into it expecting a twisty thriller, but it’s not really what I got. As a mystery, it left a lot to be desired for me, but as an exploration of grief and guilt and love it excelled. 

Greer’s sister and her sister’s boyfriend were murdered when she was a teenager and while the killer was caught quickly, she never believed he was working alone. Now after more than a decade, two more teenagers are killed in the same manner. Greer finally decides to return to her small hometown to try and figure out what happened once and for all. The story was pretty slow moving and the reveals felt few and far between. The biggest ones were due to Greer’s unreliable narration and not things that she actually discovered, which I didn’t really care for. The villain ended up being one of my first guesses and the motivation for everything that happened felt very flimsy. 

Where the book really worked for me was when it looked at how people cope with grief and guilt. Greer teams up with Dean, the brother of her sister’s killer, as he also always believed there was someone else involved. Roy never shared his motivation for the killings, nor did he really express remorse for what he did, before his execution, but as we get to know more about him through Dean’s eyes, it’s hard to not feel bad for him. While Dean is devastated and ashamed of what his brother did, he’s also grieving his loss and the emotional confusion and turmoil of it all was very well done. Greer’s journey through grief, anger, and guilt to acceptance was also a well-done journey. 

Overall, I Did it for You was just ok for me. The mystery/thriller aspect really lacked for me, but the emotional exploration helped make up for it. 
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