Review Detail

Here is a murder mystery done right. With a short introduction, we’re catapulted into the trial of Jeremy, our female lead Hope’s brother. He is on trial for the murder of his coach, who is someone that Jeremy has always admired. From there until the very bitter end, we witness step-by-step of the murder trial and Hope’s never-ending will to find the real killer to save her brother.

The characters in this book were nothing short of amazing, yet still uncharacteristically realistic - and by that, I mean that they were written like actual real people than characters. There was never an action that a character took where you thought, “Okay, really, that could ONLY happen in this book.” Especially Hope and her brother, Jeremy. Unlike most YA female leads, Hope is not driven by romance in this book. Sure, there is a bit of romance in the book, but it doesn’t take center stage. Instead, this book focuses on Hope’s undying devotion and loyalty to her brother in finding proof of his innocence. Her bond with her brother is so strong that it really tugs at your heart strings. And Jeremy, though a selective mute, speaks louder in his actions and his character than he ever could with actual words.

The plot of this story grips you from the very beginning and doesn’t let go until the very shocking ending. I honestly think this is the first mystery that I’ve read in some time where I didn’t predict the ending at all - it completely caught me off-guard. The pacing seemed to drag a little in the story, mostly during the trial scenes, but it never deters from the actual story. This is quite possibly one of the absolute best murder mysteries in Young Adult literature, and I do not say that lightly.