"A quick, enjoyable read for mystery fans."
Washington State Young Adult Review Group
[A] fascinating narrative...McClintock has created a thrilling and thoroughly believable suspense novel that explores many issues, including drug use, relationships, memory, trust, and more...Tegan and Kelly are both fully realized and engaging teenagers, but adult characters are also surprisingly complex, most notably Martin's father, Tony Genovese. This page-turner is a quick and enjoyable read, and teens who are discovering McClintock for the first time will no doubt run to the library to find more of her great reads. Highly Recommended."
"Sure to appeal to teenage mystery fans...McClintock's writing is taut and tense, and the reader will find him/herself flipping rapidly through the pages seeking the truth...about that fateful night."
"The novel is fast-paced and dramatic as chapters of first-person narrative are juxtaposed with a movie-script portrayal of events."
"A triple good read of a suspenseful thriller...Its topic is timely, its characters flawed but smart, and the screenplay format a great introduction to the discipline."
"Mystery queen Norah McClintock has created another edge-of-your-seat thriller that will keep readers guessing until the end...A fast-paced and enjoyable read that will make an excellent addition to any teen mystery collection."
Canadian Children's Book News
"The story's themes are mature but realistic...[and] the story is adept in portraying the lives of contemporary teens."
"McClintock can sure tell a story! She creates a duo of sisters who are credible in their jealousy anti-relationship, she creates a murder scenario that is eerie and unexplainable, and finally, she uses originality in her presentation that the reader will simply adore!...Her use of a play-like structure is intriguing and thought-provoking...[and] the drama at the end will astound the reader!"
Tri-State YA Book Review Committee
Gr 8 Up—This fast-paced mystery revolves around the fallout from a drug-related drive-by shooting through the story of two sisters: Tegan, the only survivor in the car, and Kelly, 10 months younger than her popular sister. The deaths of two popular high school students devastate the community, and it is up to Tegan to help bring the murderer(s) to justice. Although she is interrogated repeatedly by the police and representatives of the victims' families, she cannot provide details of the attack. Initially, most people claim to understand that she may be in some sort of traumatic shock; her inability to recall the assailant's identity leads to shunning by her peers, including her sister. Pressured by the intimidation, Tegan publishes an online video addressed to the killer, which ultimately makes her a target. Although the ending is highly dramatic, the events do not stretch beyond believability. Tegan's mental block is understandable and realistic. The infighting between the families of the two victims, both from different economic, ethnic, and social backgrounds, is tragic and believable. The dangers of buying illegal drugs are presented without overt moralization. Through alternating the narrative between the two sisters, McClintock unveils details about Tegan and the victims that surprise and change readers' initial attitudes about them. Several scenes, including one in which Tegan learns that her mother's job is in jeopardy and a flashback involving an enraged motorist, crackle with tension. A solid choice for reluctant readers.—Jennifer Schultz, Fauquier County Public Library, Warrenton, VA
McClintock, the author of the Ellis Award–winning Chloe & Levesque crime series for teen readers, returns with a slim and shocking stand-alone. Tegan and Kelly are nearly twins, born less than a year apart. They live with their single mom, inhabiting realities so starkly different they barely acknowledge one another's existence—until the unthinkable happens. Tegan's two best friends are shot dead at point-blank range right in front of her. As the investigation unfolds, Tegan's unable to contribute in any meaningful way, either having blocked out the memory of that night or having failed to pick up any details of it in the first place. She becomes the most widely reviled girl in school, and even Kelly isn't sure she trusts Tegan anymore. McClintock lays all the complexities and horror of adolescence bare. She has the two sisters trade turns narrating, with Kelly's narrative written as a screenplay and Tegan's composed as first-person journal entries. The brisk pace, solid character development and inventive structuring make for fast, page-turning reading, and at all wraps up with an unpredictable plot twist and ending. Mysterious and haunting, packed with hard truths about adolescence. (Mystery. 15 & up)
McClintock, the author of the Ellis Award–winning Chloe & Levesque crime series for teen readers, returns with a slim and shocking stand-alone. Tegan and Kelly are nearly twins, born less than a year apart. They live with their single mom, inhabiting realities so starkly different they barely acknowledge one another's existence—until the unthinkable happens. Tegan's two best friends are shot dead at point-blank range right in front of her. As the investigation unfolds, Tegan's unable to contribute in any meaningful way, either having blocked out the memory of that night or having failed to pick up any details of it in the first place. She becomes the most widely reviled girl in school, and even Kelly isn't sure she trusts Tegan anymore. McClintock lays all the complexities and horror of adolescence bare. She has the two sisters trade turns narrating, with Kelly's narrative written as a screenplay and Tegan's composed as first-person journal entries. The brisk pace, solid character development and inventive structuring make for fast, page-turning reading, and at all wraps up with an unpredictable plot twist and ending. Mysterious and haunting, packed with hard truths about adolescence. (Mystery. 15 & up)
Kirkus Reviews - Kikus Reviews
