I’ve read everything Karen McManus has ever written and particularly loved the first two books in this series. I had such high exceptions going in to One Of Us Is Back. Can she still keep the Bayview magic and drama live? The answer was obviously yes. This third instalment had all the mystery and intrigue I expect from this series and kept me guessing right until the final 20% of the book.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy

Karen McManus is BACK with a third outing for The Murder Club (or now dubbed The Bayview Crew). I struggled at the start of this book, having recently watched the incredible TV adaptation of these books which went wayyyyy off course when it came to the story (Dead characters are alive! Characters actually exist which didn't in the show!) After a quick read of a plot summary, I was straight back into the story and all the excitement it brought.

This time around, someone has hacked a billboard, promising a new game for Bayview to play. Not only that but a very much alive Jake Riordan is out of prison and in Bayview. Could he be the one tormenting Addy and her friends, threatening to finish what he started?

We get a few different perspectives in the story, some of the attention staying on Phoebe from book 2 but also coming back to Addy, Bronwyn and Nate. The bonds that this group have forged in the few months since 'One of us is back' are lovely to read, particularly the sibling dynamic between Addy and Nate. After all of the trauma, these characters deserve a bit of respite and genuine companionship.

I loved how this story added an extra dimension to our understanding of particularly the events in the first book. Character connections and motivations are deepened to an ultimately satisfying conclusion. Is the rumour that Simon was alive all along true!??!?! Well, you will have to read to find out ;)

A great cap to a fabulous series. Let's maybe get a 'Two Can Keep a Secret' sequel next please?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Rather unexpectedly perhaps - but if you’re onto a good thing then let it run - we return for our third visit to Bayview. Our murder crew has grown a little, but the repercussions of Simon’s game are still being felt. Nobody quite feels comfortable…and we soon see things are going to get a whole lot worse.
If you’ve followed the others in the series then this is a sure-fire hit. In fact, I’d go so far as to say it’s more appealing than its predecessors and fans of Karen McManus are going to be so excited when this releases in July 2023. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the chance to read and review it before publication, and I think - having just finished - I’ll have to get my hands on a physical copy (even though the paperback isn’t due until March 2024).
In One of Us is Back our story is mainly narrated by Phoebe, though we get views from all the characters and even get to see what was happening six years earlier with Simon and Jake. Bayview has always had its fair share of secrets but in this instalment we see just who is hiding what.
Things begin rather innocuously with a hacked billboard promising a new game. This puts people on edge but doesn’t seem too serious. However, as people start to go missing and the injuries become more serious, we soon realise that someone has returned to Bayview with their heart set on revenge. The book follows our crew as they try to work out who’s behind this, and why.
I genuinely did not see some of these revelations coming, and the story offering light on earlier events helped make sense of so many things. Perhaps it’s a little unlikely, bi it makes for a cracking read and there are definite signs that our trips to Bayview may not yet be over.