WE WON'T ALL SURVIVE

A reality show turns deadly as young people scramble to escape a nightmare town.

Having survived a mass shooting one year ago, Mercy Gray is tougher than the bullet fragment that’s still lodged in her back. She plans to use that grit to win one of the $100,000 prizes offered by eccentric tech billionaire Damien Dare, who’s determined to test his theories about what makes someone a survivor. Mercy and seven other contestants, all between 18 and 20, arrive in Landry’s Gap, a deserted wilderness town Dare bought specifically for the TV show, Who Survives. Each bears scars from a trauma that still haunts them. The rules are simple—complete a series of challenges; everyone who makes it to the end wins the cash. But when the first contestant turns up dead, the remaining players—the only people in the town—are left wondering who can be trusted. Marshall’s fans will appreciate that in Mercy she serves up another one of her signature stoic, slightly awkward girl protagonists who manage to be both resilient and fragile. The narrative tackles misogyny with mixed success; one character’s backstory feels realistically insightful, while another plotline comes across as forced. Mercy’s inner voice, as she wrestles with self-doubt, feels inconsistent. Disappointingly, the major plot twist is so obvious that even readers with little experience of the genre may anticipate the ending. Mercy is white, and there’s diversity in race and gender identity in the supporting cast.

A promising premise marred by heavy-handed execution.