A review by thereadingraccoon
I Did It For You by Amy Engel

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 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️