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
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
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
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