Set in Indiana's elite Westmont Preparatory High School, this psychological thriller centers around students committing suicide a year after an initiation goes wrong a year before. What I really enjoyed about this story is how it was set up as an unsolved mystery by a rookie journalist and special detectives. Presenting the Westmont Preparatory High School murders as a Podcast show was a brilliant idea. It showed how modern the author has adapted his characters to the times. The plot itself had me hooked from the beginning which made you wanting more as you tried to figure out the case. I also enjoyed the incorporation of the urban legend of "The Man in the Mirror" because it added more of an eerie setting to the school.
The writing style was interesting. The author mixed journal entries, podcast episodes, and social media content. It was easy to follow and distinguish between a mixed media and the present story. Some of the story did feel repetitive and I feel it could have been edited down to speed up the pace of the story.
Although this is a stand alone novel, I thought it featured too many characters to follow. I did enjoy the characters Rory Moore and Ryder Hillier. The combination of crime columnist & blogger with the forensic re-constructionist was fascinating. It was almost like watching a crime documentary TV show, and the added bonus of Lane Phillips as the serial killer profiler.
I'm a huge mystery/thriller fan. This book definitely grabbed my attention. I'm glad I had an opportunity to read an ARC and can't wait to read more from the author.
The writing style was interesting. The author mixed journal entries, podcast episodes, and social media content. It was easy to follow and distinguish between a mixed media and the present story. Some of the story did feel repetitive and I feel it could have been edited down to speed up the pace of the story.
Although this is a stand alone novel, I thought it featured too many characters to follow. I did enjoy the characters Rory Moore and Ryder Hillier. The combination of crime columnist & blogger with the forensic re-constructionist was fascinating. It was almost like watching a crime documentary TV show, and the added bonus of Lane Phillips as the serial killer profiler.
I'm a huge mystery/thriller fan. This book definitely grabbed my attention. I'm glad I had an opportunity to read an ARC and can't wait to read more from the author.