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NOTHING MORE TO TELL by Karen M. McManus Kirkus Star

NOTHING MORE TO TELL

by Karen M. McManus

Pub Date: Aug. 30th, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-17590-3
Publisher: Delacorte

A budding reporter returns to her old school and reopens a cold case murder.

Four years ago in Sturgis, Massachusetts, three Saint Ambrose eighth grade students found the murdered body of Mr. Larkin, a beloved new English teacher, in the woods behind the prep school’s campus. The culprit was never caught, and the case remained unsolved. Soon after, Brynn Gallagher’s family moved to Chicago, but her father has been transferred back to their hometown, and now she’s going to finish up her senior year at Saint Ambrose. Brynn is a promising investigative journalist, and after she nabs an internship with a true-crime podcast, she decides to look into finally solving the murder of her favorite teacher—even if it means deceiving her peers. Tripp Talbot was Brynn’s best friend in middle school, but they became estranged after Tripp humiliated her in front of their classmates. He also happens to be one of the kids who found Mr. Larkin’s body, and the lies he told the police haunt him to this day. As secrets unravel in Brynn’s pursuit of the truth, Tripp and Brynn reconcile and become closer. This thrilling novel hits all the right spots, with red herrings and twists galore. Perspective shifts between Brynn and Tripp (with a couple of flashback breaks) tell a character-driven story with family drama, plenty of buried secrets, and lovely romantic vibes. Most characters are White.

An edge-of-your-seat page-turner; the strongest yet from a master of the genre.

(Thriller. 14-18)