Well written and well performes. Recommended.

FROM AMAZON: No suspects. No persons of interest. Just a girl who was alive one day and dead the next.

Some places seem too beautiful to be touched by horror. Summit Lake, nestled in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains, is that kind of place. But two weeks ago, Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student and daughter of a powerful attorney, was brutally murdered there. Now the town is reeling with grief, and the police are baffled.

“An exciting debut, with all the right touches, captivating from the first page to the last.” --Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author

At first, investigative reporter Kelsey Castle thinks of the assignment as a fluff piece. But the savagery of the crime, and the efforts to keep it quiet, hint at something far more sinister than a random attack by a stranger. As Kelsey digs deeper, despite danger and warnings, she feels a growing connection to the dead girl. And the more she learns about Becca’s friendships, her love life - and her secrets - the more convinced she becomes that walking in Becca’s footsteps could lead her out of her own dark past.... ( )

Eu adorei a escrita do Charlie Donlea, mas confesso que acertei o final, mas não estragou o livro de maneira alguma. Indico muito. ( )

This engaging thriller was an enjoyable listen/read. It alternates the story of murdered first-year law student Becca Eckersley with that of journalist Kelsey Castle.

Kelsey has been sent to Summit Lake by her editor more for a vacation and time get over her rape than to find out who murdered Becca. She arrives to find the case taken out of the local police's hands and given to State investigators. She also finds that things that should be public, like the autopsy, are being carefully kept from the public. Her curiosity is aroused and aroused even more when she learns that Becca too was raped before being murdered.

The story begins from Becca's point-of-view on the night of her death. Then the chapters alternate between Kelsey and Becca with Becca's having ominous titles like "Fourteen months before her death." As we hear Becca's story, we meet a young college student and her three best friends. Gail, Brad and Jack and see that changing relationships among them.

Becca comes across as a nice young woman who somehow lacks awareness of her effect on some of the men around her. She's still being harassed by her high school boyfriend who doesn't want to believe their relationship is over. She has a sort-of inappropriate friendship with one of her professors. Brad is falling in love with her whereas she sees him only as a friend. She actually falls in love with Jack, but they keep their relationship quiet so as not to disturb the dynamics of the group.

Kelsey and her new friend, coffee shop manager Rae, along with the covert assistance of the Chief of Police and Dr. Peter Ambrose, try to discover what happened to Becca despite the fact that someone - likely Becca's powerful father - is trying to cover things up.

I really enjoyed this story which I partially read and partially listened to. The narrator did a good job building the suspense. ( )

I'm putting the whole review under spoiler tags instead of here and there since I'm discussing things in the book that was problematic for me quite a lot in this review. And, I don't want to ruin anyone's reading experience.

Star reporter Kelsey Castle travels to Summit Lake in North Carolina to write an article about Becca Eckersley who was murdered in her parents home 2 weeks earlier. Is the police trying to cover up the murder and if so why? Kelsey must find out the truth...

I initially gave this book three stars, but there are just some things that bothered me quite a lot. Things with the story that just didn't make sense. I will come to them later on, but first will I say that the book was not all bad, it was easy to read, the flashback story of Becca Eckersley, as we get to know her before she was murdered was quite good. I like Becca and it made me sad reading about her and knowing her fate. So, part of me enjoyed reading the book, but part of me was also a bit frustrated.

There are some things with the story that for me just didn't work out. Like for instance why the police didn't manage to figure it out by themselves? I mean it was not that puzzling case and if they just would have interviewed her close friends would they quickly have solved it. And, having a journalist receiving classified documents and information from the chief of the police and a doctor? Come one. A man that has worked 40 years as police would just hand over classified material to a journalist because he has been taken from the case? Because apparently there is a cover up? Why? There was no reason for a cover up, no explanation to why there even should be a cover up. Why would her father have tried to cover up his daughter's brutal murder? She hadn't done anything wrong. It felt more like incompetence than a cover up.

Then we have the thing that I can believe for a second any normal person would do. Keep an important secret after a person has been murdered. I mean I can understand if a priest couldn't talk. But, it was just not believable that an ordinary person would keep evidence. "I have in my had something that could help the police catch the killer, I will hide that". What?

Then we have the fact that the main characters, star reporter Kelsey Castle have returned to work after she's been on leave for a couple of weeks because as we learn during the progress of the story she was assaulted. And, I would guess that a woman would be quite traumatized by this. But, she has some bad moments now and then, but no biggie since the doctor is oh so nice. What? After an experience like that would someone need therapy, but she bounced back to work after a month on leave because she was tired of sitting at home doing nothing. And, she has no problem meeting a man after this. I'm sorry, I haven't been assaulted like she was in this book, but I'm sure it would make an impact on me.

Last, but not the least, the twist in the end. Which wasn't that big of a twist. I thought in the beginning of the book that it would be too easy if that person was the killer. Guess what? Yes, despite the author's brave attempt to throw out some red herrings was the ending not really surprising.

There we have it, the things that really bothered me, at least, the things that I remembered. And, that's just too bad because part of me enjoyed reading the book. But, there were just too many things that just didn't make sense, or made me annoyed.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley in an exchange for an honest review!

Read this review and others on A Bookaholic Swede ( )

Kelsey Castle is an investigative reporter who was the victim of a crime. Her editor assigns her to investigate a mysterious death in Summit Lake. Kelsey reluctantly travels there to find out details of the murder, and details of the young woman's life. Becca Eckersley, a first-year law student at GW was found brutally murdered, but the police investigation looks like it was hindered from going anywhere. As Kelsey digs into the murder, and Becca's life, she finds a friendship between 4 college friends - Becca, Gail, Jack, and Brad, plus secrets that Becca was hiding.
The book had a few surprises for me, but I was still unclear as to who covered up the murder details. I believe I know who and why, but I don't believe it was ever explained. ( )