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Yass. Calling all the crime thriller fans!
One hell of a ride this book was!
“The truth is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run. I truly believe the truth sets us free.”
The book is set in the small town of Twin Falls, where a brutal murder of a fourteen-year-old teenage girl Leena Rai under the Devil’s bridge, shocks the whole community. They used to believe nothing wrong can happen in Twin Falls but after the murder of Leena Rai and the horrifying revelations following that, all of their lives are changed. Following the investigations, Clayton Pelley, the guidance counselor at the only high school in Twin Falls is arrested for the assault and murder of Leena Rai. Why he killed her has always been a mystery.
Twenty-four years later, Trinity Scott, a true-crime podcaster dug up this case for her podcast, It’s Criminal. She interviews the killer, interacts with the detectives including, Rachel Walczak, and people involved in this case. Soon her podcast starts to gain popularity and with each of Clayton’s teasing reveals one thing is clear: he’s not the only one in Twin Falls with a secret.
Damn. What a page turner this book was!
Trigger warning: Bullying, sexual assualt and rape mentions. Please be careful, if you’re triggered by any of these.
Plot: Inspired by a true crime, this one had me fully engrossed. It was such a well-written book. Jumping between the multiple points of view and timelines had me so hooked. Loreth White managed to write such a gripping story, covering a gruesome, disturbing and unforgettable crime.
What I loved about the plot is that even when there was a new addition, or a character was introduced in the play and new revelations were made, I never felt confused by their storyline and it did not feel lacking. It all felt connected in some way. I was satisfied with the way it was written. As a thriller fan, this was an awesome feeling. It gave me time from the beginning, to start suspecting the killer. I almost suspected every one of them. The author provides such valid clues for each of them that you have to be attentive. And I actually did predict the most important clue, due to a quote in the beginning of the book. That is when I got an idea of how it could have it happened.
“If it takes a village to raise a child, does it also take a village to kill one?”
(if you know, you know👀)
- There was so much going on in the story for finding the killer, who is telling the truth, while who is telling a lie? What are they hiding?
- Damn, I remember the author still managed to surprise me with a plot twist towards the end.
- This was truly such a horrifying, well-paced, and thrilling ride. *woof*
- I also loved the little details in the story that could have been easily overlooked but they were such huge clues.
- The sequences involving the post mortem and autopsy of the body, in the forensic lab, were so disturbing and chilling to read.
- A lot was going on in terms of relationships between the characters, and their parents, it was good but not my favorite part. Though, it added an emotional touch to the story.
- All the bullying, sexual assault, and rape mentions were so disturbing and saddening. A story of a girl wanting to fit in along with her peers and would do anything for that, but who was still treated as an outcast. The story of Leena Rai’s murder. (It just goes to prove, how bullying can ruin someone’s mental health and their whole life. Don’t be a monster, don’t bully someone. You never know what someone is already going through.)
“The truth . . . sets you free.” His breathing changes. He struggles to get his next words out. “It’s . . . the secrets that fester. You . . . think you’ve buried them, gotten rid of them somehow, but they’re like this damned cancer. The minute you’re down, the second you grow tired, it starts to grow again, and it catches up with you.”
The ending was unnecessarily stretched for chapters long, when they could have just exposed the killer.
And that is what I did not like, the killer, which leads me to give 4 stars and not 5. The killer did not have a strong motive or a personal animosity for carrying out such a barbaric crime. It was an important point because in the whole book only one question is asked Why? Why, Leena? What was the reason and in my opinion it is not answered clearly.
Characters: Trinity Scott was perfect as the young and ambitious girl wanting to taste success with her new true-crime podcast. I totally loved the way she was chasing the truth and how she handled the unmasking of truth. She too had a huge part to play.
While Rachel, the retired detective who put Pelley behind the bars twenty-four years ago along with her fellow detectives, was good but not my favorite character. She was brave but was struggling to come to terms with her truth too. She also had a part to play in this crime, in a way you know.
Overall, four stars for this horrifyingly disturbing intense crime thriller.
I loved reading every second of it. You can pick this up as your next read if you like reading an unputdownable true-crime thriller!