dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
dark hopeful reflective tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

I highly suggest listening to the audiobook if you can. The voice acting really beings the book to life.

3.5 stars.
mysterious tense medium-paced
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
dark mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

This book had me engaged from the start. The voice of the narrator brought a diverse structure to the book which prevented any boredom from setting in. I really felt like I got to know her as a person and was working alongside her to solve the crime. This said, I don’t feel like other characters ever really had their own voice. Additionally, while the majority of characters did have independent aspects which helped to flesh them out as people, some were clearly lacking in backstory. This meant that I’d guessed the big twist about halfway through the book. However, I was still thoroughly on edge right until the end and was deeply interested to see exactly how everything would be tied up. On top of this main narrative, there were also some truly interesting discussions about true crime and the way police treat marginalised groups. This did flop in some places with the discussion becoming far too much of a binary to actually discuss why certain groups feel certain ways but I understand fitting in a full discussion of issues was not the aim of this book. This goes hand in hand with my only other criticism; I’m a little tired of the footnote craze. I think it makes authors take their books too seriously when they’re not actually doing anything overly serious while also just being incredibly annoying to read. These issues were all minor in comparison to the wider plot. Overall, a very good read


After her father’s death, Jane distracts herself by getting involved in a true crime forum. She helps a group of 4 other internet sleuths solve a murder near her home in Florida so they invite her to their private Signal chat to get involved in more cases.

When a trio of sorority girls are murdered in Idaho, they blame the wrong suspect who is then beaten by vigilantes. “Lightly,” a member of the group quits because he thinks “Goku” and “Citizen” are too proud and released info they shouldn’t have. Three more girls in the town are murdered.

The 5 sleuths move to the town in order to continue investigating. Jane thinks the sorority house mother, Lizzie, killed the first girls and a copy cat killed the other three. Goku and citizen get a confession from a man to all the murders. Once that man is arrested, he has an air tight alibi (in jail). Jane and lightly realize Citizen committed the second killings to bring Lightly back to the group. 

Citizen escapes the FBI, and Jane moves back to Florida. When Citizen reaches out to Jane she provides him with the location of the FBI safe house where Lizzie is staying. Lizzie and Citizen fatally stab each other. 

Jane closes by revealing all this in her book to set the record straight even though she knows she’ll be prosecuted.

The twist was predictable. Red herrings are part of the genre, but still a bit too obvious. The sleuths quit communicating with each other, each following their own leads, once they moved into a house together in Idaho even though they should have been even more collaborative at that point. If they had all shared info with each other, they would have noticed the gaps in Citizen’s work. It would have made more sense if they weren’t all living together and eating dinner every night. 

Diverse cast of characters: Yes
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I love her writing so much.