I really like Amy Engel's writing and remember enjoying 'The Roanoke Girls'. I found 'I Did It For You' to be a compelling read, although I found the plot a little disappointing. I'm in two minds about it because on the one hand, I thought it was a little far-fetched. On the other hand, I liked what it says about the pointlessness and mundane nature of murder. Overall, it held my attention throughout and I would recommend it.

The author chose a great setting with small town America sounding very real. The book is more character led than plot but unfortunately I wasn’t keen on many of them. There are plenty of red herrings and an ok reveal but not the best book I’ve read just an ok one.

This started off strong but just dragged on for way too long with not much going on. I had it pretty much figured out very early on which was a pity. It lacked the usual twists and turns and the overall storyline just fell flat as far as storylines go. Not sure it’ll be one I’ll remember. Unfortunately this one just didn’t work for me.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review #IDidItForYou

Having read The Roanoke Girls and rated it 6 stars out of 5 I was really keen to read this book. Sorry to say but this book wasn't as good. I felt the pace was very slow and didn't really have enough "nuggets" to keep me enthralled and turning the page. It well written. All the characters are pretty loathsome but that doesn't necessarily mean anything negative. Small town America did feel very alien and claustrophobic.
I will certainly read more of this author and look forward to the next book

This is a murder mystery set in a small American town with all the claustrophobic intricacies which that entails.
Greer has been living in Chicago for many years but when a young couple are murdered in her hometown she feels compelled to return as it has been carried out in the same way her elder sister was killed 14 years earlier. However the perpetrator was caught and executed so it cannot be him. Greer decides to investigate the new deaths as she has always had misgivings about the earlier conviction and has felt that someone else might have been involved.
There are many secrets revealed as the novel progresses and many regrets. Greer’s parents have never recovered from losing their daughter and are shells of their former selves, her father losing himself in drink.
As Greer starts to find things out with the help of an unexpected ally she learns things that might have been better buried and puts herself in danger. Her first person narration of the story means that some key facts about the time of the murders have been conveniently omitted and this leads to the reader not being able to put everything together. This was a clever device used by the author to build the tension. Can we really trust what Greer says- we are only seeing things from her point of view.
There is a major twist towards the end which I did pick up on before it happened but this did not detract from the story.
The characters were well described and their sadness palpable, particularly Greer and Dean’s . Their connection, although unlikely was understandable- they had both lost a sibling.
This was definitely a page turner and a gripping read right from the very first page. If you like dark thrillers you will like this.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my advance copy.

I really enjoyed this book! The writing was excellent and the plot was well thought out. I was intrigued to find out what had happened and kept turning the pages all night. My only disappointment was the ending because it wasn’t as happy as I’d hoped. Oh well, you can’t please everyone. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the arc – this is a book I can heartily recommend.

I love Amy Engel books and was so happy to receive this arc and let me tell you I was not disappointed. Another brilliant thriller set in a small town America, with creepy vibes and twists galore. Brilliant. Highly recommended xx

Thank you to @hqstories for having me again, this time for this gem of a book! Oh my goodness, I loved it! A book filled with mystery, emotion, twists & turns and it certainly kept me guessing. I was actually quite annoyed that I didn’t see the twist coming 😂 Greer’s life has been in standstill since the murder of her sister, but by coming home for answers, maybe her life can get back on track! I don’t want to say anymore.. this one was published yesterday, go get yourself a copy!

Brilliant story that you will get lost in and lose hours of sleep in order to finish!!

Greer is a complex character who you empathise with and want to support her journey, but is it right... Then what a finale!!

Superb. A real page turner with lots of twists. I loved all of the characters, especially her parents who it seemed had forgotten how to parent. Look forward to reading more by this author.

I struggled with this crime mystery set in a claustrophobic small American town. The story was well written but I had difficulty engaging with the characters.

This is a good page turner. Set in a small town in Kansas, it is very atmospheric and builds interesting relationships between the main characters. Greer feels she has to return to her home town when there is a copy cat murder many years after her sister was killed. I was disappointed with the ending so only 4 stars.

It’s been 14 years since Greer’s teenage sister was killed, along with her boyfriend, and the young man convicted of the killing has been executed. But when another young couple are murdered in a similar fashion, Greer returns to her Kansas hometown and begins her own - ill-advised - investigations.

I have absolutely loved Amy Engel’s previous Kansas-set thrillers and enjoyed many things about I Did It For You, but although the quality of the writing was excellent as always (and particularly the scene-setting: no one does small town America quite like Engels), for me it didn’t quite reach the brilliance of The Roanoke Girls or The Familiar Dark. Part of the problem is that there was really only one, very obvious, solution to the mystery - and while it can sometimes be enjoyable to watch characters figure out whodunnit while knowing as a reader, it wasn’t made quite explicit enough for that to be the case.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Greer Dunning feels compelled to return home to Ludlow, Kansas, after a young couple are murdered while courting in a car - in the same way her sister and boyfriend were killed 14 years earlier.. Greer has never been able to rid herself of the guilt she feels over her sister's death and that her family has disintegrated. Having returned she still is not honest with her two closest friends.
Greer's guilt, her inability to face the past and her necessity to find the truth are so well described in the writing. Her relationships with her old friends and her new relationship are absorbing. Amy Engel knows how to draw the reader in.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Amy Engel/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Greer returns to the small town where she grew up and her sister was murdered. Another murder has occurred with stark similarities, and Greer needs to know the truth. This literary thriller examines family and friendship relationships, the good and bad elements of a community that seems to know everything, yet everyone still has secrets. Greer's relationship with her family implodes after the murder, and through its characters, the story explores grief, guilt and loss. There are flashbacks to the past that illuminate what Greer discovers. This immersive, insular, intricately constructed tale contains numerous suspects, shocking twists, and unexpected alliances.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I love a mystery and this book was certainly that. Trying to work out who did what and why and the intrigue of how what happened so many years ago could be linked to a copycat killer got the brain going.

I engaged with the characters and how the tragedy had split so many people apart and the guilt felt by all those involved. A good read and great twist.

A dark, gritty and gripping thriller that surprised me with each twists and kept me hooked and guessing.
I had fun and thoroughly enjoyed it.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Fourteen years ago, Greer's sister Eliza was shot dead in a parking lot with her boyfriend Travis. Local man, Roy Mathews confessed to the double murder and was executed for his crimes. The tragedy tore Greer's family apart, eventually sending her off to a lonely existence in Chicago, but the distance that lies between her and her parents involves a lot more than miles.

When two more teenagers are murdered in a similar way to Eliza and Travis, Greer is compelled to return home to her broken family in Ludlow, Kansas The authorities are sure that this is a copycat killing, but Greer has always been convinced that someone else was involved in the original murders - and she will not rest until she finds out the truth.

I Did It For You is a cracking combination of small town crime story and domestic noir that draws you in from the very first page, carries you along through a beautifully contrived series of twists and turns, and does not let you go until it spits you out broken and bloody at the end. The story follows Greer as she returns home after many years away to finally lay her ghosts to rest about the murder of her sister. Home is no longer the place she remembers, as her parents have been unable to move beyond their grief, and a gulf has widened up between them that it seems impossible to breach.

Greer is hiding a secret about the summer Eliza died, and the weight of what she knows brings with it the belief that she could have prevented Roy Mathew's crimes. She cannot rest until she discovers everything there is to know about the tragedy fourteen years ago, and whether it is related to the recent murders. Despite the presence of her two closest friends in Ludlow, she finds an ally in an unlikely place - the one person who seems to be capable of understanding her. It is an alliance that sends shockwaves through this devastated community.

Engel tells Greer's story with perfectly judged pace, dropping in reveals which throw suspicion on several members of Ludlow's close-knit community in a bevy of red herrings, until the shocking truth is revealed. She breaks up the narrative with intriguing little snippets from the points of view of Eliza, Travis, and the latest murdered teens too, which blend nicely with the clues Greer gathers in her quest, until all the little pieces of the mystery come together in a shocking epiphany - one that completely floored me.

Along the way, Engel explores so many thought provoking themes. I am seriously impressed by the way she examines guilt, shame, grief, loss, alienation, revenge, responsibility, and forgiveness, all within a story that is such a page-turner. I loved how she probes the effect a violent crime has on, not only, the friends and family of the victim, but those of the offender too. She also has some interesting things to say about the way male and female victims are viewed, and notions of justice and complicity.

I could not put this book down, the mystery elements, the hefty punch of emotion, and claustrophobic small-town vibes all make this book the very best kind of thriller. A must for your summer reading pile!

Greer Dunning’s sister Eliza and her boyfriend Travis were murdered in cold blood when they were all teenagers. Greer was obviously troubled and found it very difficult to continue with a normal life. She eventually moved to Chicago, not wishing to return to her small town home and face her demons. A man was convicted of the murders but Greer always felt he hadn’t acted alone. Years later a copycat murder of two teenagers in the same town brings Greer home. She felt certain there was more to her sister’s death and that these latest murders would give her answers. Meeting up with her loyal friends Cassie and Ryan she embarks on a mission to find the truth. However, a fine line between love and hate leads her into dangerous and dark situations but she will not give up her quest. This book had a decent plot but dragged at times and the final outcome was a little disappointing in that the reasoning didn’t really convince.

It's been fourteen years since Greer Dunning's older sister, Eliza, was murdered, and Greer's family has never been the same. And now there's been a similar killing in Greer's small Kansas hometown, Ludlow, after the execution of the convicted killer. A copycat according to the authorities, but Greer is convinced there is more to the story. That Eliza's murderer had help all those years ago.

The pace is slow until the big reveal and then the pace picks up. It's also more character driven than plot. Greer returns to her hometown after two teenagers are killed in similar circumstances as her sister Eliza was killed. The community fear they have a copycat killer. The story has some really good twists, but there wasn't anything really surprising. The first half of the book is really character developing. The story is told from Greer's point of view. Tension builds once the pace picks up.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HQ and the author #AmyEngle for my ARC of #IDidItForYou in exchange for an honest review.