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‘The Dead Girl Under the Bleachers’ – Donna M. Zadunajsky

The Dead Girl Under the Bleachers opens with the murder of an unnamed girl. We know this event is taking place late at night, before the weekend, and that whoever kills the girl blames her for something. Then we cut back in time to allow the author to build up to the why and where, and dropping little clues about the who.

I think the first thing to say about this story is it’s ridiculously over the top in content and style. The characters walking round in this book are, to put it mildly, deranged and if you were to experience just one hint of the craziness going on here you’d walk away. By the time we get to the end I was almost laughing at how preposterous this story had become.

Our story focuses on a trio of girls. There’s bitchy Mayor’s daughter, Scarlet, who is a bully used to everyone jumping to do her bidding just because. We have her best friend, Rachel, who doesn’t like her all that much but who recognises that small-town popularity has its advantages. Lastly, there’s loner Laura who used to be friends withRachel but who has kept herself to herself since her brother and father were killed in a crash and her mother has become an abusive drunk.

For reasons that make little sense – like much of this – Scarlet decides that she wants to humiliate Laura and tries to befriend her in an attempt to cause maximum hurt. In the process, Rachel and Laura become friendly again and start to unearth some awful secrets about those around them.

There are so many skeletons tumbling out of closets here that it’s hard to know which way to turn. The casual misogyny and use of traumatic experiences for entertainment seems callous – perhaps it’s meant to mean something, but it comes across as cheap. I find it hard to believe such things would take place without anyone being suspicious, but we do build to some answers and some of the worst things are dealt with.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication. If you like Pretty Little Liars then this could be up your street, but it really would be a stretch to say I’d enjoyed it or would recommend it to others.

 

‘Home Before Dark’ – Riley Sager

In spite of the relatively eye-watering price it cost to get my hands on this, it was most definitely worth it. Home Before Dark is a book that depends on you not knowing certain details, but even having finished it I think it could stand up to a repeat reading to look for the clues I missed first time round.

Every house has a story to tell and a secret to share we’re told. Maggie Holt’s life has come to be defined by her parents’ ill-fated decision to buy ‘fixer-upper’ Baneberry Hall when she was a child. The family only lived there for 21 days – and something so awful took place within those walls that they fled one night, never to return.

Everyone in the surrounding area – and many others – seems to know the story of Baneberry Hall as Maggie’s father released a book chronicling their short time there. From the time they look around the property we know there is something odd going on. There are the ubiquitous paranormal hints with strange noises, unexplained atmospheric changes and events that would – with no exceptions – have most people scared…snakes appearing from the kitchen ceiling, record players mysteriously starting to play and repetitive thumping noises. The history of the house doesn’t help – with a number of unexplained deaths and the murder/suicide of the most recent owners.

We don’t learn much of this until some time later. Upon the death of her father, Maggie learns that she has now become the owner of Baneberry Hall and although nobody in her family wants her to return, she is determined to do so. Much as I questioned this, I do understand that with so much of her life defined by this book and the events described within its pages she wants answers. And, boy, does she get them!

I loved the way this book told us about Maggie’s experience in the present but interspersed it with excerpts chronicling the story of her father and mother, and what happened to the family. This was a great way of divulging snippets to help establish what happened while maintaining the tension created.

There are – as you might expect – a number of attempts to throw us off the scent. It was, in hindsight, clear that things were not quite as Maggie had been led to believe but I was open-mouthed as we reached the climactic moments…I can’t wait for others I know to read this and then to be able to discuss it with them.
Highly recommended.

 

‘Thirteen Storeys’ – Jonathan Sims

I received this book from Secret Readers, and was initially attracted by the suggestion of different tales merging to form a coherent whole. I was unsure about the extent to which this story could hold attention, but I feel it works overall.

Our main focus is the wealthy businessman Tobias Fell, who is found dead in his penthouse apartment. Nobody knows what happened to him and there are no signs of anything untoward. On the night of his death there were a number of guests from the building he owns invited to his home. None of them claim to have seen anything or know anything. What on earth happened?

Having told us there is something unusual about this occurrence, we are then given thirteen different stories. Each of these focuses on a different character, and the only thing they have in common is that they live in the building and have been experiencing strange events.

Naturally, some of the stories were more interesting than others. Few of the characters were particularly likeable, and each had something about them that appeared to make them unusual in some way. What was quickly clear, though, was that this building was not a positive place.

As the stories progressed I did feel that things were becoming a little repetitive. However, in light of the overall story – and once we have the closing scenes that we have spent the book waiting for – it becomes clear that this makes sense.

This was a little more graphic in parts than I was expecting, and I’m still unsure how much of this was real and how much was imagined. However, it certainly made clear the sometimes the real horror can be much closer to home!

 

‘More Than Maybe’ – Erin Hahn

A love story written by someone who I imagine is obsessed with matching moments to music, this is a contemporary that deserves to be fallen in love with.

Our main characters are Luke Greenly, son of a rather famous British punk musician, and Vada Carsewell, daughter to an ex-musician and determined to follow her dreams of being a music journalist. Luke, along with his twin Callum, hosts a regular podcast and Vada is desperately trying to help keep her boss’s bar afloat (not least because it forms a major part of her plans). It could only be this way, but each harbours a secret crush…on each other…so we get to watch as they get thrown together for a college assignment and then start to develop their relationship.

Alongside the love story between these two, we get a lot of attention on their family set-ups as they’re instrumental to the choices these two make. Some of the characters are more appealing than others, but the general vibe is a positive one that you can’t help but smile at. I defy anyone not to be full of love, rainbows and sparkly unicorns (or whatever else signifies happiness to you) by the closing moments.

What made this book stand out for me though was the obvious love of music and the significance it can hold for us as we go about our business. Huge thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this before publication, and now I need to go and dig out some old music!

‘The Day She Came Back’ – Amanda Drowse

Victoria is eighteen, about to travel with her best friend and a little nervous about leaving her beloved grandmother Prim behind. Our opening quickly establishes the loving relationship Victoria has with her grandmother, and alerts us to the fact that there are no other family members in this relationship. So it is something of a shock at the end of the opening chapter when Victoria returns home to find her grandmother dead in her gardening chair.

What follows clearly establishes the shock and upset you might experience at the sudden death of a family member. Victoria sleepwalks through the days immediately following the discovery, unsure how to feel or act now her only living family member has left her.

You can only begin to imagine the maelstrom of feelings experienced by Victoria at this point. So when, at the funeral, a woman turns up who claims to be Victoria’s mother it really is hard to know what to think/feel.

The book follows Victoria as she takes on this news and tries to work out what to do. She has always been told her mother died when she was young, so it’s understandable to see her upset/anger/confusion/excitement at this point. She takes the decision to find out more, and then we watch as these two start to unpick the choices that led them to the position they are in, and to try to work out how to move forward with this new information.

I loved reading this, even though it was heavy on the emotional elements that in real life are so confusing. The author depicted the mix of emotions so clearly, and it was hard to feel anything other than understanding and compassion for each of those involved.

Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in advance of publication in exchange for offering my honest thoughts.

 

‘Last Lesson’ – James Goodhand

Ollie Moorcombe, pianist and star student, about to take his GCSEs and seemingly on the brink of great things. Yet Ollie seems to be hanging on by a thread. On his last day of school he arrives with a home-made pipe bomb in his bag…how did it ever get to this stage?

We cut between past and present as we learn a little more about Ollie. We learn about the bullying he has endured at the hands of his classmates. We learn about the relationship he has with his grandpa, who he lives with as his mum is receiving treatment for schizophrenia. We learn that he fears for his life as he receives daily threats from some of his more sadistic classmates. And we learn something of the catalyst for some of these events – the death of his Aunt Kaye in a car crash, which Ollie was also part of.

There’s no getting away from the fact that this is a tough read. Graphic accounts of sexual violence, the flashbacks to the car accident and the details about Ollie’s treatment do not make for a comfortable read. The subject matter of a planned school bombing is scary – and getting into the mindset of the person planning it doesn’t make it any easier.

While it was easy to see some of the signs surrounding Ollie’s behaviour as potential triggers, it doesn’t go anywhere near explaining fully why he plans what he does. The author ensures we feel some sympathy for Ollie, which makes what he’s planning even more chilling. Seeing the decline in his mindset/behaviour was worrying, and not least because someone should have seen things were not right and done more. I got cross at all the missed signs that could have minimised the damage caused, and it certainly examines the toxic culture surrounding boys and mental health issues. I also found myself increasingly unnerved by the voice of Ollie, which was – perhaps – the first indication that this seemingly straightforward story was a little more complex than we might have been led to believe.

This will not be a book for everyone, but I do feel it raises important questions. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this and offer my honest thoughts prior to publication.

 

‘My Backward Life’ – Claire Merle

This is a book that will confound and delight in equal measures.
Our main character, Louise, goes to a gig with her friends on a Friday night. Things don’t quite go to plan, and she recalls walking home and falling. She has a memory of a boy coming to check on her, but when she wakes up she’s six days in the future and things are not what they were.
Leaving aside the whole ‘she’s jumped six days and nobody sees anything weird’, this gets odder as we realise Louise is now travelling backwards a day at a time. She knows things before they happen, and she’s taking steps to right wrongs that nobody is prepared for her to know.
Louise was a strong character, that you can’t help but root for as she tries to make sense of the strange events she’s living through. Her relationship with Dylan was entertaining to read about, and I liked the message this gave about her friendships.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this in exchange for my thoughts.

 

‘Death Sets Sail’ – Robin Stevens

I can’t believe we’ve arrived at book nine of Daisy and Hazel’s adventures already, and that this is it. Due in August 2020, I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to read it early…and, boy, is it a treat!

Death Sets Sail really is a homage to Agatha Christie, with the girls taking part on a cruise on the Nile as they are invited on holiday with school friend, Amina. Along with the boys from the Pinkerton Agency, Daisy and Hazel quickly get caught up in the activities surrounding a mysterious group of wealthy individuals who all believe themselves to be reincarnations of Egyptian leaders. When one of their group is murdered, we have a quick confession and everything seems straightforward.

Nothing is ever so simple. The girls – with a little help from Hazel’s amazing little sister who is, most definitely, a voice to watch – are not convinced the sleepwalking murderer story is wholly plausible. With their usual spirited and wholly intuitive approach to detection, Daisy and Hazel are determined to crack the case.

From the outset we’re alerted to a truly shocking fact. This looms large and overshadows every single advance in the investigation. As we moved towards this moment I felt genuine horror that we might actually have to face this, and there would be no last-minute reprieve or a twist we weren’t expecting. When it finally arrived I was a little surprised that we had waited so long and wondered why Stevens had organised things as she did.

Not wanting to spoil anything for anyone reading this I apologise for sounding so cryptic.

So, it really is over. I’ve loved this series and watching the girls develop as characters as they learn about their world. Each book has its charm, but I think this really does go down as my favourite because of the possibilities it leaves open for me to create my own ideas about the future for those involved.

 

‘The Female of the Species’ – Mindy McGinnis

Although there’s clear warning of the content/focus of this book, I admit to coming out of this feeling metaphorically battered. It’s dark, but oddly compelling, and I find myself confused at having such a positive reaction to characters – particularly Alex – that I should find wholly unattractive.

Even before the story begins it’s hard not to feel sympathy for Alex. She talks about her sister, Anna, giving her advice about growing up and dealing with men. Then she segues into the details she has learned about what happened to Anna on the night she was abducted, raped, brutalised and murdered. Sobering stuff.

To open then with a confession of how she tracks and murders someone (all we know is they had committed a sexual crime) shocked me. Are we dealing with a cold-blooded killer? Is Alex a psychopath? These labels are bandied around and might make it easier to categorise how we react to others in society, but they don’t seem easy to apply to the character we come to know in more depth through this story.

McGinnis focuses on not just Alex but a number of other characters to reference our seemingly toxic attitudes to sex and rape culture. As part of her senior year commitments Alex volunteers at a local animal shelter. Here we see a warm and compassionate character, making friends with preacher’s kid, Peekay, and through this friendship being drawn into the fold of normal teen behaviour. She ends up in a relationship with star athlete, Jack, who is drawn to her even though he has his suspicions of the darkness inside her. Alongside these three characters we have others, but they never really felt developed. They exist to bring about certain scenarios, or to allow our main characters to make a point. There are few adult voices in the book, and though they talk of knowing about things happening they don’t try to stop them…and that makes them culpable for me. I feel they have a duty to try to pass on their experience and advise the younger generation – taking precautions if necessary to keep them safe.

While I feel the topics covered in this book need to be talked about, I’m not convinced it’s fully successful here. We can see the toxicity surrounding many of the female characters, and the perpetuation of awful attitudes. Yes, this needs addressing – but is Alex’s response really the only option? I’d have to say absolutely not. Few characters change their views, and throughout the book there are actions taken that show how easy it is for these attitudes to be maintained if nobody does anything. But Alex’s route is one that cannot be seen to be successful, which seems to go some way to explain the ending.

The ending…a shock on its own. I was expecting fireworks as we could start to see where this might be going, but I’m not convinced the characters used earlier and returned to here would have waited so long for their vengeance. It lent a certain weight to the view that we’re all complicit in such events, even if it’s through inaction. However, the ending seemed a way of dealing with a character that the author wasn’t sure what to do with. On one hand we applaud her resolve to stand up for things she sees as wrong, but her actions go against the structural make-up of our society. She can’t succeed, because that would be a clear sign that we’re very broken.

Trying to write this review has been tough. There was a lot to like about this book, in spite of its subject, and though there are areas in which I feel it could have gone further it does try to make a start. That, for me, counts for a lot.

 

‘I Killed Zoe Spanos’ – Kit Frick

From the moment I saw this cover I couldn’t wait to read I Killed Zoe Spanos. With the focus being on a young woman who has confessed to a murder, and another who is determined to uncover the truth it promised lots.

When we first meet Anna Cicconi she is not in the best of places. We get told about excessive drinking, potentially dangerous hook-ups and blacking out with no recollection of events. As part of her attempts to get her life back on track she takes a summer job for a wealthy family in the Hamptons, acting as an au pair. Upon arrival she is somewhat taken aback by people commenting on her similarity in appearance to local girl, Zoe Spanos. This isn’t too strange, until we learn Zoe has been missing for months and nobody knows what has happened to her.

As the summer progresses, Anna meets a number of characters linked to Zoe, and she starts to have recollections that – by rights – she shouldn’t be having. She knows things about Zoe and her life that suggest she knew her. It becomes a case not of is Anna hiding something, but a case of will Anna work out what on earth is going on?

The timescale of this book lends to the air of confusion perfectly. As we learn more of the events of the summer, we also learn that Anna is being held having confessed to the murder of Zoe. Some think it’s an open and shut case, while others are convinced Anna might be innocent. I’ll be honest, I couldn’t tell where the author was going with this as there were a number of very plausible interpretations, any of which would have worked.

Definitely one to recommend for fans of Holly Jackson’s A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series.