I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

The first thing I want to say about I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick is that the book itself is beautiful.  Not only the cover, but the edges of the pages are a brilliant blue.  I love books with colored edges.  The inside of this book is pretty damn good as well.  If you like mysteries and who-done-its, this one should be at the top of your list.  It was such an intriguing and fun read.  From the very first pages you will be hooked.  Frick has given us a great story with tons of twists and turns that will keep you guessing throughout.  If you are a fan of authors like Karen McManus or Kara Thomas, this one will be right up your alley!

I Killed Zoe Spanos is the story of newly graduated Anna Cicconi.  Anna's senior year of high school was filled with hard partying, blacking out, and police rides home.  Before she starts college in the fall she is determined to change her ways.  When she takes a job as a nanny in the Hamptons for the summer, it gives her the perfect escape from the temptations of her life in Brooklyn.

Things quickly turn strange for Anna as people all around the small town of Herron Mills begin to do a double take when they see her.  What she finds out is that she has a strong resemblance to Zoe Spanos, a local girl who went missing on New Year's Eve.  As the summer rolls on, Anna begins to obsess over the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, while at the same time having vivid memories of the people and places in Herron Mills, even though she doesn't believe she has ever been there before this summer. 

When Zoe's body is discovered late in the summer, Anna begins to believe she may have had some involvement in her death.  Soon she finds herself confessing and is placed in a juvenile detention facility.  But did Anna really do it or is she simply conjuring up memories that aren't really connected to Zoe's disappearance?  With the help of aspiring journalist and current podcast host Martina Green, the truth will finally be revealed.  Will Martina clear Anna's name, or will we be convinced that she is guilty as charged?   

From Amazon:

A People Best Book of Summer 2020
A Parade Best Book of Summer 2020
“The YA thriller of the summer.” —Bustle

First print edition includes blue sprayed edges!

For fans of Sadie and Serial, this gripping thriller follows two teens whose lives become inextricably linked when one confesses to murder and the other becomes determined to uncover the real truth no matter the cost.

What happened to Zoe won’t stay buried…

When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.

Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?

Inspired by Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, Kit Frick weaves a thrilling story of psychological suspense that twists and turns until the final page.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

My latest read is the debut novel by Iain Reid, I'm Thinking of Ending Things.  This story is dark and haunting and is one that will stick with you for a long time.  The psychological horror of this novel will scare you and leave you breathless in moments.  And as Reid dives in to the ideas of relationships and loneliness, you will begin to question your own psyche.   Reid does a masterful job of building suspense throughout the course of the novel and leaves the reader with one of the most WTF endings I have ever read (and I mean that in a really good way).  If you like to be scared in a very real way, this is the perfect novel for you!

From Amazon:

SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL FILM DIRECTED BY CHARLIE KAUFMAN
AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2016

“I’m Thinking of Ending Things is one of the best debut novels I’ve ever read. Iain Reid has crafted a tight, ferocious little book, with a persistent tenor of suspense that tightens and mounts toward its visionary, harrowing final pages” (Scott Heim, award-winning author of Mysterious Skin and We Disappear).

I’m thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. It sticks. It lingers. It’s always there. Always.

Jake once said, “Sometimes a thought is closer to truth, to reality, than an action. You can say anything, you can do anything, but you can’t fake a thought.”

And here’s what I’m thinking: I don’t want to be here.

In this “dark and compelling…unputdownable” (Booklist, starred review) literary thriller, debut novelist Iain Reid explores the depths of the human psyche, questioning consciousness, free will, the value of relationships, fear, and the limitations of solitude. Reminiscent of Jose Saramago’s early work, Michel Faber’s cult classic Under the Skin, and Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk about Kevin, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an edgy, haunting debut. Tense, gripping, and atmospheric, this novel “packs a big psychological punch with a twisty story line and an ending that will leave readers breathless” (Library Journal, starred review).

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power

Burn Our Bodies Down by Rory Power is an intense and creepy read from the acclaimed author of Wilder Girls.  The sophomore novel from Power does not disappoint.  This novel takes some of the elements from her debut, but weaves it in to a much different tale.  This story is all about finding family and uncovering our roots.  It's about finding our identity, even if it isn't anything like we expected.  This novel also shows us how we don't have to be tied to our past, but instead finding a way to blaze our own future.

This is the story of Margot, a young girl who has lived her whole life with only her mom.  She knows nothing of her dad or any other family.  Any time she asks, her mother refuses to give her any details.

But by chance, she one day finds an old photo, the only scrap she has ever uncovered about her family.  This photograph leads her to the small town of Phalene, a town that was once highly influenced by her family, the Nielsens.  But tragedy fell upon the family and the Nielsen name isn't what it used to be.  As Margot finds more questions than answers about her family, she starts to realize she may have stumbled upon something much more sinister than she ever could have imagined.  And now she has to wonder if she will ever be able to escape the past she so desperately wanted to uncover.  

From Amazon:

"[A] deliriously creepy tale...that'll keep your nightmares up at night." --Melissa Albert, New York Times bestselling author of The Hazel Wood

From the author of the New York Times bestseller Wilder Girls comes a feverishly twisty thriller about a girl whose past has always been a mystery--until she decides to return to her mother's hometown . . . where history has a tendency to repeat itself.

Ever since Margot was born, it's been just her and her mother, struggling to get along. But that's not enough for Margot. She wants family. She wants a past. And she may have just found the answer: A photograph, pointing her to a town called Phalene. Only, when Margot gets there, it's not what she bargained for.

As soon as they see her face, everyone in town knows who Margot belongs to. It's unmistakable--she's a Nielsen. And when a mysterious girl who could be Margot's twin is pulled from a fire, Margot realizes that her mother left Phalene for a reason. But was it to hide her past? Or was it to protect Margot from what's still there?

The only thing Margot knows for sure is there's poison in their family tree, and their roots are dug so deeply into Phalene that now that she's there, she might never escape.