Two Can Keep a Secret in What's the Name of That Book???

Oct 24, 2018 Emma rated it really liked it

"Welcome to life in a small town. You’re only as good as the best thing your family’s done. Or the worst."

Welcome to Echo Ridge, population 4,935. Echo Ridge looks like small town America at its finest. But looks can be deceiving.

Ellery knows about all about the secrets hidden in Echo Ridge because her family is at the heart of them. Her aunt went missing from the town when she was Ellery's age--sixteen. Five years ago their family was in the news again when a homecoming queen was murdered, her "Welcome to life in a small town. You’re only as good as the best thing your family’s done. Or the worst."

Welcome to Echo Ridge, population 4,935. Echo Ridge looks like small town America at its finest. But looks can be deceiving.

Ellery knows about all about the secrets hidden in Echo Ridge because her family is at the heart of them. Her aunt went missing from the town when she was Ellery's age--sixteen. Five years ago their family was in the news again when a homecoming queen was murdered, her body found at the local Murderland amusement park.

Malcolm wishes he could forget Echo Ridge's darker side and the role his brother played in the murder five years ago as prime suspect. Declan was never arrested but a small town's memory is long and he was never cleared either. Even when Malcolm's mother remarries it isn't enough to change what the town thinks of his family. Not really.

When Ellery and her twin brother Ezra are sent to live with their grandmother while their mother is in rehab it hardly feels like a fresh start. Instead, Echo Ridge seems to be choked by past tragedies it can't forget. When another girl--another homecoming queen--goes missing both Ellery and Malcolm will have to explore Echo Ridge's darkest secrets to uncover the truth and the killer in Two Can Keep a Secret (2019) by Karen M. McManus.

McManus's latest standalone mystery is a tense exploration of a town with a dark past. The novel alternates between Ellery and Malcolm's first person narration. This novel capitalizes on the strengths of McManus's debut novel One of Us is Lying (multiple narrators, tense pacing, conversational and readable prose) without the problematic resolution.

Two Can Keep a Secret is a refreshingly realistic mystery where, although Ellery identifies as a true crime buff and would-be amateur sleuth, she still gets things wrong and still needs help from actual investigators to crack the case.

The contrast between Ellery with her connection to one of the town's victims and Malcolm with his connection to one of the town's suspects is striking. Their chemistry and nearly immediate rapport is countered by these preconceived identities that should place them on opposite sides. Instead their friendship is made of stronger stuff with rock solid loyalty and hints of romance that add much-needed levity to an otherwise dark story.

The story's secondary cast including Ellery's twin bother Ezra and Declan's best friend Mia are also welcome additions who flesh out the cast in this short but evocative story.

Two Can Keep a Secret is a taut mystery filled with unexpected turns and surprises that will keep readers guessing right until the last line. Recommended for amateur detectives, mystery lovers, and true crime enthusiasts alike.

Possible Pairings: Little White Lies by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, This is Our Story by Ashley Elston, The Body in the Woods by April Henry, Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson, People Like Us by Dana Mele, The Amateurs by Sarah Shepard ...more

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Jan 30, 2019 katayoun Masoodi rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery-thriller, ya, ebook

a very nice thriller, enjoyable and would be looking more of this author

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Apr 09, 2019 Kate rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, 2019, age-ya, thriller

Ellery and her twin brother Ezra just moved to Vermont to live with their grandmother while their mother Sadie is in rehab. They've never met their grandmother, because when Sadie was in high school, Sadie's twin Sarah was murdered, and Sadie left as soon as she could, only returning a few times. Ellery, obsessed with true crime novels, looks forward to investigating her aunt's cold case, but as soon as they get into town, they stumble upon a hit and run, and not long after that, a girl goes mis ...more

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Apr 26, 2021 Josianne Fitzgerald rated it really liked it

Shelves: print, mystery, young-adult, re-read, cac

I had read this before and had not noted it on Goodreads, but it was just as good the second time around!

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Mar 14, 2021 junia rated it really liked it

This author is my new jam. People wonder how i can enjoy long drives. Give me a mystery thriller that isn't too deep but interesting and well-written and has enough twist and turns and I'm good!

Per use, she has alternating narratives and in the audiobook, they have alternating readers! Great twists!!! ...more

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Oct 24, 2022 Maria Elmvang rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, 4-stars, owned-physical-book, suspense, 2022

Not quite as good as the "One of Us is Lying" books, but very close! Same style and it totally lived up to my expectations of being unputdownable (and thus a good book for a readathon). I felt, perhaps, it was somewhat less believable than the other books, which is why I didn't find it quite as good, but it's hard to make YA suspense believable at the best of times, so I'm willing to give it a bit more leeway.

But that final line!!! *gasp* Worth an extra star by itself.
...more

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