Month: November 2020

It is difficult to classify this book. The cover says that it is a psychological suspense novel, but there’s also mystery involved. Frankly, I didn’t get much of a “typical” psych suspense from it…more straight-up suspense. But maybe that’s just me.  

The book starts with a jogger finding a body on a high school soccer field. The plot then skips back to the weeks prior to the discovery. Most of the book relates the events leading up to the tragic death.

Told through alternating points of view, the story unfolds from the eyes of a teacher, Jane, and a parent, Amy. We get very different perspectives from each of them, but put together, the full picture emerges.

An interesting note: as I read, I was sure that there were other narrators. But in writing this review, I went back to verify, and every other chapter was either Jane or Amy. There were a few exceptions where one or the other had a couple of chapters in a row.  

I think it’s a sign of good writing that an author can use two characters to paint such a complete picture that it seems like there are more people telling the story. I didn’t realize that until going back and checking, so very well done there.

I was able to relate to this book because I am a former high school teacher. Both the characters (administration, teachers, parents, students) and the setting were familiar. I recognized people I have worked with, especially among the teachers.

The attitudes were also familiar: the admin who only cares about test scores, the secretary who thinks she controls everything, the differing approaches of teachers…I’ve experienced them all.

I will say that Jane annoyed the heck out of me, and I spent most of the book rooting against her. Maybe it was due to personal experience with teachers like her or maybe she was just unlikeable. But her attitude, assumptions, and barbed comments and thoughts got on my nerves.

I had a difficult time discerning whether she was written that way on purpose to counteract Elena’s more positive approach, or to highlight the differences between an English teacher and a Chemistry teacher, or just to be the vessel that the revelations of the events come through.

Regardless, she did have the longest journey and it seemed by the end that she had seen the error of her approach and was determined to do better in memory of her friend.

I don’t want to say much else, because there were a few surprises along the way. I did guess a few of them (I figured out early on who was leaving the envelopes in Amy’s mailbox). I liked how the end wrapped up the earlier premise that teenagers go through phases – not saying more than that, but it was subtle yet effective.

Less successful, however, was the reveal as to “whodunit.” In hindsight, I see how it was all plotted, but the connections seemed tenuous. I’m not sure it was altogether “believable,” especially in light of the character’s other actions.

Likewise, there was a subplot that seemed to be used solely as a manipulation. I kept expecting a shoe to drop on that case (would have been an even more interesting twist), but it essentially went nowhere.  

That being said, it was still an interesting story and there was enough to keep me interested that I read it mostly in one sitting. You won’t be disappointed with this one.

Author Bio:

Laura Wolfe is a lover of animals and nature. When she is not writing, she can be found playing games with her highly-energetic kids, riding horses, growing vegetables in her garden, or spoiling her rescue dog. She lives in her home state of Michigan with her husband, son, and daughter. Laura’s YA mystery, Trail of Secrets, was named as a Finalist in the 2016 Next Generation Indie Book Awards. Laura holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan and a JD from DePaul University. She is an active member of multiple writing groups, including Sisters in Crime and the SCBWI.