A razor-sharp sequel exceeding the previous installment’s high expectations.
Three months after helping the FBI bring down the Berryville Butcher in None Shall Sleep (2020), college students Emma Lewis and Travis Bell reunite on a new case with a chilling connection to Emma’s past.
Emma was the sole survivor of serial killer Daniel Huxton, who died three years ago in 1979. Her insights from that experience proved invaluable to the FBI’s fledgling Behavioral Science department in their hunt for the Butcher. Now, the department is investigating murders in Pittsburgh that bear a resemblance to Huxton’s M.O. Despite her distrust of the bureau, Emma figures that consulting on this case in hopes of saving other girls is preferable to chafing in protective custody until the copycat is caught. Travis is now in part-time training at Quantico, and there’s another familiar face there—that of Kristin Gutmunsson, whose sociopathic twin, Simon, played a critical role in the Butcher case. Enigmatic Kristin volunteers her own insights—plus Simon’s cooperation—in hopes of reducing her brother’s death sentence to life in prison. The rich, engaging narrative jumps among the three young people, employing taut, restrained language laced with a pervasive feeling of dread as the stakes escalate. While the fast pace and morbidly fascinating subject keep the pages turning, the book’s thoughtful exploration of intense trauma, PTSD, and therapy-informed treatment centers survivors and keeps the story grounded. Emma and Kristin are White; Travis is Mexican American.
A razor-sharp sequel exceeding the previous installment’s high expectations. (author’s note) (Thriller. 13-18)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780316487719
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind.
In this companion novel to 2013’s If He Had Been With Me, three characters tell their sides of the story.
Finn’s narrative starts three days before his death. He explores the progress of his unrequited love for best friend Autumn up until the day he finally expresses his feelings. Finn’s story ends with his tragic death, which leaves his close friends devastated, unmoored, and uncertain how to go on. Jack’s section follows, offering a heartbreaking look at what it’s like to live with grief. Jack works to overcome the anger he feels toward Sylvie, the girlfriend Finn was breaking up with when he died, and Autumn, the girl he was preparing to build his life around (but whom Jack believed wasn’t good enough for Finn). But when Jack sees how Autumn’s grief matches his own, it changes their understanding of one another. Autumn’s chapters trace her life without Finn as readers follow her struggles with mental health and balancing love and loss. Those who have read the earlier book will better connect with and feel for these characters, particularly since they’ll have a more well-rounded impression of Finn. The pain and anger is well written, and the novel highlights the most troublesome aspects of young adulthood: overconfidence sprinkled with heavy insecurities, fear-fueled decisions, bad communication, and brash judgments. Characters are cued white.
A heavy read about the harsh realities of tragedy and their effects on those left behind. (author’s note, content warning) (Fiction. 14-18)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728276229
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head.
The finely drawn characters capture readers’ attention in this debut.
Autumn and Phineas, nicknamed Finny, were born a week apart; their mothers are still best friends. Growing up, Autumn and Finny were like peas in a pod despite their differences: Autumn is “quirky and odd,” while Finny is “sweet and shy and everyone like[s] him.” But in eighth grade, Autumn and Finny stop being friends due to an unexpected kiss. They drift apart and find new friends, but their friendship keeps asserting itself at parties, shared holiday gatherings and random encounters. In the summer after graduation, Autumn and Finny reconnect and are finally ready to be more than friends. But on August 8, everything changes, and Autumn has to rely on all her strength to move on. Autumn’s coming-of-age is sensitively chronicled, with a wide range of experiences and events shaping her character. Even secondary characters are well-rounded, with their own histories and motivations.
There’s not much plot here, but readers will relish the opportunity to climb inside Autumn’s head. (Fiction. 14 & up)Pub Date: April 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4022-7782-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
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