Karen M. McManus - Two Can Keep A Secret

Synopsis

With 2 promising young women gone, Echo Ridge is no stranger to unsolved tragedies. Now, 20 years later, they might just lose their third. Haunted by the disappearance of her aunt, 17-year-old Ellery is sent to Echo Ridge where she investigates the events surrounding the missing girls. However, her arrival is soon met with sudden mysteries and vandalisms, suggesting that the killer might be back

Likes

I really enjoyed the storyline and appreciated how it was something completely different from the first 2 books of the trilogy. As hard as I tried to keep ahead of the twists and turns, my detective skills were unfortunately not up to scratch. Nonetheless, I knew there would be a big twist coming but when it did, I STILL didn’t see it coming! It was well-written and executed which made it easy for me to remain engaged throughout and I never stopped wanting to know what would happen next

I liked how Ellery was investigative from the beginning as it allowed me to follow along and feel involved. This meant that when she succeeded, it was my success too, and when she messed up, I unfortunately did as well. Allowing the reader to be so involved is what I really appreciated about this book as it strengthened my interest in the plot and determination in uncovering the truth. Out of all the books in the trilogy, I definitely felt the most involved in this one

The author displayed great use of foreshadowing. Once I had finished the book, I remembered how it started and realised that the author had been dropping hints and making links right from the start which I loved. Additionally, the book ending on a cliff-hanger was very fitting. However, because I’m nosey, I wanted to know more, but everything which needed to be answered already had been so I’m glad McManus didn’t drag it out but knew when to stop. I couldn’t have thought of a better way to end it

Dislikes

As much as I enjoyed the book and all the twist and turns, I felt as the though the story developed but the characters did not. Neither Malcolm nor Ellery had much character development as the book progressed. As they were such pivotal characters, I would have liked for them to have grown to the point that there was a noticeable difference from who they were at the beginning of the book to who they became at the end. Instead, despite their experiences, they seemed relatively unchanged

General Thoughts

Although this is the last book of the trilogy, it was easy to see it as its own stand-alone book which I struggled to do with the second. I was glad to start this book and see that there were completely new characters in a different setting with a fresh storyline. I would have lost my mind had we been back at Bayview for a third time

A fortune teller couldn’t have seen the twist coming! There were so many hints that I should have figured out who the culprit was but they didn’t even cross my mind. I was beyond frustrated with myself for not solving it but can only applaud McManus for the highs and lows she put me through

At some point I decided to make everyone the culprit as they all seemed suspicious – Declan, Daisy, Officer Rodriguez, Katrin, Brooke… all of them. I was even ready to suspect the grandma. I got such a headache from trying to figure out who did it, how and why yet didn’t even come close. This book stressed me out but for all the right reasons

Rating

This book was a pleasant read which further tested my clearly less than average detective skills. I appreciate how involved the author let me be and the careful planning, attention to detail and effort that went into making this book. Although I really did enjoy this book, I still prefer the first book just a little more

Based on this, I would give this book a 3.7/5

Would I recommend?

I had low expectations after reading the second book but I’m happy that I gave this one a chance as it did not disappoint. If you’ve enjoyed the series so far but want to take a step away from Bayview High like I did and still enjoy a good mystery, then I would encourage you to read this book. Or if you’re someone who simply wants an enjoyable book that will keep you on your toes, this book does just that. So yes, I would recommend this book

Favourite Quotes

‘Tell me and I forget                                                                                                                                     

Teach me and I may remember                                                                                                                

Involve me and I learn’