The Secret History by Donna Tartt mainly takes place at the elite Hampden College, a liberal arts university in Vermont. The novel follows Richard Papen as he leaves his poor California home and joins a tight-knit exclusive group of students studying Classics at the school taught solely by Professor Julian Morrow.
The Naturals follows protagonist Cassie Hobbes, a gifted 17 year old girl, who has a knack for reading people. Ever since she was a kid, Cassie had a special ability to look at a person and know their whole life story. When the number of cold cases began to rise, Cassie finds herself in contact with the FBI as they plan a special task force with other teen “naturals.” Seizing the opportunity to put her profiling abilities to use, Cassie finds herself thrown into a world of danger and mystery.
Pippa Fitz-Amobi decides to investigate the Andie Bell case as part of her high school project. Andie Bell was murdered five years ago, and the case was closed when they named Sal Singh, her boyfriend, her murderer. However, Pip always thought there was something off with this case. She teams up with Ravi Singh, Sal’s brother, to investigate the truth of what truly happened to Andie Bell.
Good Girl, Bad Blood follows Pip after the events of solving her last case. It doesn’t take long for Pip to take on a new case. When Jamie Reynolds disappears on the anniversary of Andie Bell's death, Pip recognizes that it’s too big of a coincidence to ignore. While this book wasn’t as good as the first one I still really liked it. I thought that it very quickly picked up after the events of the last book, and had really good pacing overall.
After being left haunted by her last case, Pip is done investigating mysteries. But when online threats turn into being followed in real life, Pip is forced into solving one more case. This book was easily the most action packed in the series. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It has a very different tone from the other two books and it definitely gets way darker, but the progression of Pip’s character was amazing. I think this was a great way to end the series.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder follows high school senior Pippa Fitz Amobi uncovering a murder case that has haunted her small town for years. Sal Singh was suspected of killing his girlfriend, Andie Bell, but Pip isn’t convinced. I loved this book. The characters felt very realistic and it was very fast paced. One of my main problems with mysteries is when the twists are not foreshadowed in the book. I think the author did a great job at making the ending hard to guess, but also laying out easy to find clues.
The Only One Left by Riley Sager is a fictional thriller that tells the tragic events of Lenora Hope’s past at Hope's End through her caregiver, Kit McDeer. Lenora is not the only one with a tragic past involving murder; Kit also has a mysterious story to tell. Throughout the book, more and more murders take place while Kit tries to uncover the secrets of the past and present. This book keeps readers interested by slowly revealing clues of Lenora’s past.
When Nick Dunne wakes up on the morning of his wedding anniversary, he finds that his wife Amy has suddenly disappeared. As it is with missing spouse cases, Nick is the police force’s first suspect. Nick swears that it isn’t true, but there are strange searches on his computer, testimonies from Amy’s friends, and, above all, a secret affair that Nick tried his best to hide. As Nick’s relationship with Amy slowly begins to unravel throughout the novel, there still remains the dominating question: What happened to Amy Dunne?
Firekeeper’s Daughter is an amazing young adult thriller that blends mystery, culture, and self-discovery. The novel is about Daunis Fontaine, an 18-year-old girl living in Michigan, who feels torn between two worlds—her mother’s wealthy white family and her late father’s Ojibwe heritage. Though she is deeply connected to the Native community, she is not officially enrolled in the tribe, which confuses her sense of identity.
Adam and Amelia Wright’s marriage is struggling. In their final attempt to save their relationship, they venture to Scotland on a getaway trip where they stay in an isolated chapel in the woods. Adam has a rare condition that makes it hard for him to recognize faces and Amelia has her own secrets. Their stay at this chapel turns into a game of manipulation and a journey of uncovering the past in unexpected ways.
