Review

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Description Summary | Incredibly written with chilling suspense, Jackson manages to include all the factors that make a classic murder mystery while not building on overused cliches. New favorite!

Rating

Book Summary | (Skip to Review)

Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to pick the most ambitious final project for her final school year because of course it’s Pippa and that shouldn’t surprise anyone. Despite what anyone else thinks she is adamant to get to the bottom of this case: the tragic disappearance and murder of high school sweetheart Andie Bell five years ago.

What starts as an amateur school project sets off a rippling of unfolding secrets coming out once more. And by her side is Ravi Singh; the alleged killer’s brother.

Soon Pippa realizes that the town she grew up in is frighteningly turning into a nightmarish fever dream with her finding death threats and anonymous texts from Unknown. Someone is noticing Pippa digging and they are not happy.

Friends and foe have been wrapped so indiscreetly it is hard to even know who to trust anymore, people she’s known for years scare her now; how do you deal with a town that’s ultimately all smoke and mirrors?

Time is ticking for Pippa…

Review

This was exactly the murder mystery that I needed, it has so much suspense and the right amount of build up that wasn’t too long or too fast. Our main MC Pippa is actually smart for once, and I’ve been rooting for her all the way!

Even if I wanted too I don’t think I would have been able to put down the book. Jackson manages to snag my attention like a clearance sale. The writing itself was superb, I was constantly flipping through the pages, and Jackson’s tone of almost grey scale was the perfect blend of it being “spooky” but not too much for a YA book.

Story

Our superstar here is the plot. The plot was really thought out, in terms of mystery cases this isn’t something you’ve never heard of before but what makes it different is Jackson’s method of unraveling this mystery. You go in knowing one thing, but that thing unravels to many more things, and the further you go into the book, the more you are in disbelief that so many things were going on and no one had a clue. It’s slightly terrifying how easily people can get away with things or hide them. And Jackson plays on that heavily.

Remember that meme of Horrible Bosses? That’s exactly what the plot looks like visually.

Also love that romance wasn’t a plot in this at all. It was a clear focus on the mystery without any distractions.

Characters

Pippa

Pippa is such a mood! I loved her pragmatic way of thinking; I’m always really happy with murder mysteries that actually have an MC who is smart. Pippa was the perfect balance of studious, logical on one hand, and impulsiveness and drive on the other.

Whatever theory Pippa mentions is quite believable and understandable because she is a character that accurately builds on information she finds. Here is where Jackson excels too because a believable and reasonable character will lead you to believe the story and enjoy the twists and turns that end up popping up in the book.

The Little Things

I loved the attention to detail, and how we got different forms of texts and visuals through phone call logs, mind maps, and Pippa’s log; a diary for the updates and thoughts surrounding the cold case.

The entry log in particular was a clever way to go about this book instead of a lengthy monologue that wouldn’t seem as original.

Do I recommend? Yes!

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