November 30, 2015
Horrible things happen in Conlea’s uneven debut, starting with the murder of first-year law student Becca Eckersley in her family’s stilt house in the Blue Ridge Mountains tourist town of Summit Lake, N.C. Penn Courtney, the editor of Events Magazine, assigns reporter Kelsey Castle to dig into the story, which is starting to receive national attention. Penn’s ulterior motive is to allow Kelsey additional time to recover from a recent trauma. Despite the Eckersley family’s efforts to obfuscate matters, Kelsey explores Becca’s history, including her bonds with three fellow students and a faculty member at George Washington University. Refreshingly, Kelsey stresses repeatedly that she isn’t trying to solve the murder or get in the way of the professionals assigned to do so. Most of the other people involved, however, take a detached, almost academic approach toward the case. The reader gets little sense that anyone is mourning Becca. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency.
December 1, 2015
The police believe that law student Becca Eckersley knew her murderer. What they can't figure out is who would have followed this likable young woman to her parents' second home in the Blue Ridge Mountains and beaten her to death. Chapters going back a little more than a year before her death show Becca to be a dedicated student with a small group of devoted friends. As the chapters draw down to the months before her death, it becomes clear that at least one of her friendships was not what it had seemed. Recovering from a haunting episode in her own life, journalist Kelsey Castle is in Summit Lake investigating the case for her magazineand uncovering secrets some very powerful people would like to keep hidden. Debut author Donlea keeps the reader racing through the chapters about Becca's past, trying to stay one step ahead of the present-day investigation. Fans of contemporary suspense will enjoy this brisk read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)