Thriller set in a small town where everyone knows each other. A young couple are murdered ,is it a copy cat? Struggled with this book,dragged in the middle but surprise ending.

Greer's sister was murdered. Her murderer, who confessed to the slaying was executed by the State. Fourteen years later there's a copycat killing which causes Greer to return to the town of her tragedy in the hope she can find some answers, both to her sister's killing and the copycat, which her gut feeling is telling her is linked.
So, the scene is set and we the reader, walk alongside Greer in the hope of discovering the link. Ludlow is a small town where people's lives are entwined in a manner that could never happen in a large city. So we peer in to the minutiae of people's lives and relationships but we must be reminded that the first killings were fourteen years ago and heady teenage emotions were then at play.
I really enjoyed this novel, it was detailed and immersive. Plausible to a degree but only in a country where guns are readily available. If you want to be lost in people's lives for however long it takes you to read a book then this is definitely a novel for you.

This is the first novel I've read by the author and I'll definitely be seeking out her back catalogue.
Following a double murder Greer returns to her hometown of Ludlow, Kansas 14 years after her older sister Eliza and her boyfriend were murdered.
This is a superior thriller; Greer is a convincing character and her relationship with her parents following the death of Eliza is heartbreakingly portrayed. It's a moving account of the impact of murder on a family. I loved the portrayal of small town America and was transported to Ludlow and the intensity of a place where everyone knows you.
I did feel that a part of the ending was a slight let down, otherwise this would have been a five star rating.
Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This is a book with a limited caste so few choices as to who is the murderer when her elder sister and boyfriend were shot in this small town in Kansas, Greer left for ten years in Chicago. Then another couple are murdered in similar fashion. This brings her back because she was never convinced that the young friend who confessed to the first murders and was executed was the only participant. There didn’t appear to be any reason for him to fire the shots. Greer comes back to solve the case and does, of course. There is a note which she received which is the book’s title. Is that the clue she needs? This is a good enough read but not grippingly so.

I enjoyed this story about a girl returning to her home town after a second murder takes place. Her sister and boyfriend were murdered in a similar way years ago which brings her home to try to discover more. The story examines family and long term friendships from before and her response to the changes brought about by the time that has passed. Even though it is about a violent crime, the story moves along fairly gently as more information comes to light. There is a devastating twist in the final chapters.
Recommended

Greer Dunning returns to her hometown of Ludlow after many years, mainly because she feels compelled to do so. Her sister Elisa was murdered there 14 years ago, along with her boyfriend, and the family has never been the same. Nor have the town and its inhabitants.

Although Eliza's killer was convicted and later executed, Greer never felt fully satisfied by the outcome of the investigation. And it seems that she was justified in her scepticism. Because now, there are more dead teenagers to account for. And their deaths bear an eerie similarity to her sister's killing.

But if Eliza's murderer has been dealt with, who is responsible for this latest set of murders? According to the police, it's a copy cat. But Greer suspects that Eliza's killer was never working alone. Can she discover the truth of the matter by returning to a town that was once home?

The trope of the hometown girl returning to solve a cold case is far from original, but what makes this story memorable is the way that Engel portrays the characters involved in this tragedy. They leap off the page and into your psyche.

Above all, Engel leaves you in no doubt of the nature of the profound impact that a brutal event like Eliza's death leaves on the remaining family members and those who knew her. This is a book well worth reading.

If you think this is going to be yet another tale of the main character leaving the 'mid-west' US town in teens, making good (or so-so in this case) and returning to find no-one else seems to have left the town in heading for a couple of decades you would be very wrong. This is a really good read, moves along at a good pace and doesn't go over the top with the typical and violent 'Hollywood style ending'.
When reading 'whodunnits' I always decide who the culprit is/was without necessarily knowing why. For once in this book I actually got it right! This doesn't mean the book is not cryptic and full of clues - I was just lucky for once.
Definitely worth reading if you are into murder mysteries. Loved every minute

The premise of the book was good but it failed to deliver for me. The book started well but the ending was not up to standard. I must admit, I was disappointed.

3.5 rounded down

Greer Dunning is back in Ludlow, Kansas after a gap of 12 years and the news spreads like wildfire through this small town, but it’s as if they have all been waiting for her all this time. It’s 14 years since the murders of her sister Eliza and her boyfriend Travis. Now it seems there is a copycat killer years after the execution of Eliza’s killer, Roy Matthews. Greer is convinced there is more to the story than a copycat. She’s never been satisfied with the original investigation. Equally, she recognises returning to Ludlow is a potentially incendiary situation and to her surprise she has an unexpected partner to help her to get to the truth. Greer narrates the story, somewhat unemotionally, maybe detached but with good reason. You do bear witness to her determination to not let the questions and reservations she has about Eliza’s murder go, this time for the latest victims, Addy and Dylan.

I enjoy much of this character driven psychological thriller which is extremely good on the impact of murder on family members and on an area. The characterisation is very good and there’s a good range of those to like and to dislike. The setting is excellent too, the small town located on the Kansas Prairie is very well described and has quite a history too, as it’s located near the site of the murders of the Bloody Benders. This adds an extra dimension to the storytelling. There are some good reveals, there is tension and suspense, but because its character driven the pace does drop off from time to time.

This book has me firmly placing it in the four star category until the ending. The perpetrator does not come as a huge surprise as there are clues to pick up along the way. However, it’s the motivation I question as to describe it as thin is an understatement especially with the second and most recent murders – they make no sense at all to me. What a pity.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to HQ for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Rounding up to three stars

I've read and enjoyed a few of Engel's other book, but this one just didn't hit the mark for me.
It's an easy read and fairly short, so I'd finished it in a few hours.
But too often I felt as if I was reading some teen drama, and had to remind myself these were grown up characters.

There some good points too, such as showing how grief effects everyone differently.