Shrewd characterizations elevate this taut, white-knuckle murder mystery.
In Traymore’s thriller, a teacher’s first semester at a new school is upended by a possible case of homicide.
Thirty-year-old Cassie Romano, following the sudden end to her long-term relationship, forgoes California’s sunshine for New York’s blusteringly cold winters. She takes a job in the English department at Falcon Ridge Academy, a relatively isolated boarding school. That December, there’s startling news: Kimi Choy, Cassie’s department chair (and the first faculty member to befriend her), dies in an apparent accident. But if that’s true, then why are police asking questions on campus? As Kimi’s posthumous letter to Cassie implies, something shady has been happening at the academy, and foul play is a definite possibility. Cassie takes a closer look around campus and at certain people, from the much-despised dean of the faculty, Brooke Baxter, to the curious, hunky new English teacher, Dan Moralis. She certainly doesn’t want the authorities nosing around for too long, as they might begin digging into the community members’ pasts and expose the secret Cassie has stowed away. The first half of Traymore’s brisk, well-written novel is a solid mystery—a probable murder rattles Cassie’s quiet life, introducing a few dubious characters into the mix. The story then takes a somewhat disappointing turn, answering a handful of the questions it’s stirred up as a killer is revealed (who intermittently takes the narrative reins). But while the mystery largely vanishes, suspense rises as the intelligent, methodical, and coldblooded killer (“I’m not a monster, and I do feel bad about that teacher, but then she should have minded her own business”) keeps tabs on Cassie, who may have put herself in danger simply by knowing too much. The author skillfully develops the cast throughout, particularly Cassie, whose secret gives an already-great protagonist an exciting new dimension; Cassie’s potential romantic interest, Dan; and the empathetic fellow teacher and father figure, Ed Roberts.
Shrewd characterizations elevate this taut, white-knuckle murder mystery.Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2023
ISBN: 9798218264611
Page Count: 278
Publisher: Pathways Publishing
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Trust no one in this over-the-top tale of deception and revenge.
Dead bodies turn up in the first sentence of the prologue in McFadden’s latest domestic thriller.
The mystery of who died is at the pulsating heart of this propulsive tale. As Chapter 1 begins, Naomi arrives home to find the locks changed on the front door of the gorgeous home she shares with her husband, Jeremy, and their 5-year-old son, Teddy. Jeremy steps out the front door and convinces Naomi to move out while he has their home renovated, a plan Naomi knows nothing about. It’s all a ruse, though, as the next day Jeremy tells her he wants a divorce. Naomi is shellshocked and soon discovers that Jeremy is having an affair with Veronica, a beautiful younger woman. What seems at first like a stereotypical story about a man who leaves his wife turns into something else when Naomi decides she’ll do anything to get Veronica away from Jeremy and Teddy, and Veronica decides to fight for what she thinks she deserves. Fans of stalker novels will cringe with delight as creepy things start to happen. Teddy’s stuffed elephant, a gift from Veronica, is found impaled on a kitchen knife; Naomi suspects Jeremy is gaslighting her and that Veronica tried to poison her. A weird confrontation among Jeremy, Veronica, and Naomi at Teddy’s birthday party, to which Naomi shows up uninvited, is priceless. There are three main characters, and any or all of them may be unreliable narrators. Packing the plot with dark, gasp-inducing twists, McFadden outdoes herself in a story about how highly emotional people engage in risky behavior to get what they want—but in this novel, for better or worse, not everyone will survive.
Trust no one in this over-the-top tale of deception and revenge.Pub Date: May 26, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249631
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK TO SCREEN
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.
A woman accused of shooting her husband six times in the face refuses to speak.
"Alicia Berenson was thirty-three years old when she killed her husband. They had been married for seven years. They were both artists—Alicia was a painter, and Gabriel was a well-known fashion photographer." Michaelides' debut is narrated in the voice of psychotherapist Theo Faber, who applies for a job at the institution where Alicia is incarcerated because he's fascinated with her case and believes he will be able to get her to talk. The narration of the increasingly unrealistic events that follow is interwoven with excerpts from Alicia's diary. Ah, yes, the old interwoven diary trick. When you read Alicia's diary you'll conclude the woman could well have been a novelist instead of a painter because it contains page after page of detailed dialogue, scenes, and conversations quite unlike those in any journal you've ever seen. " 'What's the matter?' 'I can't talk about it on the phone, I need to see you.' 'It's just—I'm not sure I can make it up to Cambridge at the minute.' 'I'll come to you. This afternoon. Okay?' Something in Paul's voice made me agree without thinking about it. He sounded desperate. 'Okay. Are you sure you can't tell me about it now?' 'I'll see you later.' Paul hung up." Wouldn't all this appear in a diary as "Paul wouldn't tell me what was wrong"? An even more improbable entry is the one that pins the tail on the killer. While much of the book is clumsy, contrived, and silly, it is while reading passages of the diary that one may actually find oneself laughing out loud.
Amateurish, with a twist savvy readers will see coming from a mile away.Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-250-30169-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Celadon Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
