I read this book a while back but somehow forgot to write a review. I’m finally correcting that wrong. Unfortunately it’s not necessarily a good thing.

I’ll begin by saying that the writing itself was entertaining and I would definitely read the author again. The story, however, did not work that well for me. The formatting in my copy was a little off and made reading difficult but that didn’t impact my experience as much as I expected. There was a twist in the tale that I expected almost from the very beginning, it was only the reasons behind it that I needed more details to complete the picture.

Grace does not fit into the ‘ normal’ of her age group. She manages stress and other anxieties in different ways. When the Amazon echo in their new rental place starts to spew threats nightly, Grace knows something is wrong. The plot is well done and I would never have guessed the culprit (although the readers do not have the entire picture to reach the conclusion easily). I found the going slow. The conversations were a little abrupt and not something I enjoyed. Since a lot of the investigation involved conversations, I ended up not liking the book overall. There were parts I liked but not enough.


It’s still a book I’d recommend to fans of the genre because it is well thought out.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Absolutely loved this. Grace is a great character, complex, interesting, smart, and determined. The other characters are equally good, realistic and interesting. The plot is well crafted and the book overall ahs a decent pace that keeps you reading. The concept of Grace spotting a statistical anomaly in the deaths in a small Devon town, then working through her hypothesis to solve a murder, was great fun. I also liked how her back story was wovem unto the story, it felt well considered rather than contrived. Add a real sense of place and you have a great YA mystery novel. Oh, and I loved Shelby the ex-guide dog, what a star!

Enjoyable mystery read with a twist, will be recommending it to the crime fans in my YA book club. Loved the science element too

Having never read any of Sarah Wishart's work before, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself enjoying her narrative style so much. 'The Murder Hypothesis' - a YA thriller following a teenage girl uncovering the truth about a small village's dark past - is superbly written and certainly one you'll be tempted to devour in one sitting.

From the numerous plot twists - particularly surrounding Grace's past and her relationship with her best friend - to the stunningly vivid descriptions of the village (from its cemetery to its houses and even its inhabitants), there is plenty to admire and enjoy! And even when you think you know what's happening, I can guarantee there are details you will have missed.

The Murder Hypothesis is one of those books just begging to be read again once you finish it, and I know that once I reread Grace's story I'll be marvelling at all of the foreshadowing I missed.

My only critique (which my ADHD could be entirely to blame for) is that sometimes it was difficult to remember all the different characters - particularly those who had passed away! I found myself getting mixed up fairly often and having to revisit earlier chapters.

3.5/5 ⭐️

Gracie and her dad, along with their rescue dog Shelby, have moved to a small town to try to get away from problems Gracie had in London. However, on their first night there, Gracie hears the Amazon Echo the landlady has in the house announce an ominous threat about murder. She becomes convinced that one of the previous owners must have been murdered and sets out to find out who the culprit is.

I really liked this one until about halfway through (and I still liked it, but to a much less degree). At a point, Gracie just starts to become annoying for lack of a better word. I think part of it is that she is just over the top obsessed with the mystery? You find out why (a little) more toward the end, but it was still a lot. I think part of it too was that the suspects and most "victims" were adults. Maybe if the other suspects and potential victims had all been teenagers too it would have made more sense? Also the "twist" was glaringly obvious. Once a character comes on the scene, I was like 100% this is the situation (and I was correct). I did love her relationship with Shelby - as always the dog was one of the best parts of the book! It was also pretty fast-paced and easy to read.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

THE MURDER NYPOTHESIS is a fun murder mystery about a girl who thinks there might be a murder everyone's overlooked - except she doesn't know who.

It is a good hook and I liked how confusing and tricky it was to work out the mystery given you started not knowing the victim. In that way, it was a double mystery, which was a really nice angle on it. As a physicist, I liked the scientific method framing of this book. The hypotheses and data gathering were interesting ways to structure the investigation, with added tables and venn diagrams. I also loved all the science puns!

One interesting thing about this book is how much one section felt like watching a train wreck in slow motion and being unable to stop it. Gracie cannot seem to keep her mouth shut and just makes situations worse. It is heavily suggested by the adults around her that she is struggling with a mental health condition related to the (heavily hinted at and not revealed until the end) "incident" in London. Reading from that perspective, it felt like her inability to stop herself was linked to whatever condition she was struggling with. However, being in first person narration, it was written off as the adults "overreacting" and "not listening" to her.

I found myself in the position of both wanting there to be an actual murder (and thus Gracie was technically right even if her approach was terrible!) and also somewhat interested in there not being one . The reason for the first was knowing that, given this was billed as a murder mystery, I knew it would be unsatisfying to not have one. However, my reasoning for the second was that I wanted this paranoid spiral of hers to be broken (so she could start the path to recovery) and not reinforced by being right in the end.

In the end, there was a murder and a solution, but it did feel like there was an intervention and it was working. The best of both worlds, there!

This book is a brilliant YA thriller that kept me hooked from start to finish!

Grace and her dad have just relocated to a quiet, sleepy village in Devon, hoping to leave behind the tragedy of their past life in London. But their fresh start quickly takes a dark turn when the second-hand Echo in their new home springs to life at midnight, chillingly announcing, "I’m going to murder you."

At first, Grace dismisses it as an old recorded message. But when she realises that the Echo has been previously used by four people in the village—all of whom are now dead—her curiosity as a passionate science lover takes over. Using the methodology of a chemistry experiment—observation, hypothesis, experimentation, and results—Grace is determined to uncover the truth behind these deaths, convinced there’s more to them than mere accidents.

But no one believes her, except her loyal best friend, Maddy, who urges Grace to confront a painful truth. As Grace digs deeper, it becomes clear that whoever is behind the deaths has noticed her, and will stop at nothing to keep her silent.

The writing is sharp and engaging, with a great balance of thrilling suspense and science-based problem-solving. The plot moves at a perfect pace, with no lulls or holes to detract from the tension. Grace’s scientific approach to solving the mystery adds a unique twist, and I loved how it weaved into the narrative. The stakes rise quickly, and you’ll find yourself racing to finish, not wanting to put the book down.

This is a fantastic YA thriller with just the right amount of suspense, mystery, and science! Highly recommended for fans of gripping, fast-paced thrillers with a smart, relatable protagonist.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

First time reading from this author and I can say I'm greatly impressed. It took me a while to get into the book but I did finished it in one sitting. The premise its very interesting and leaving the reason why the main character relocated was very clever as the reader I thought something completely different.

If you love a book with lots of mystery and suspense then this is the one for you. There are so many hints dropped at the start of the story that make you want to keep reading. Why did Grace and her dad leave London and move to a quiet village in Devon? Where did the Echo device in the farm house they're renting come from and who programmed it to make threats in the middle of the night? And were the sudden spate of "accidental" deaths in the village over the past couple of months really all accidents? The last two questions are ones that Grace sets out to solve using scientific methods. But Grace's problems from London follow her to Devon and make her mission to find the truth much more difficult. Will anyone believe her theories?
I love a story where I am desperate to find out the answers. This one has a big twist at the end that is very cleverly done as I thought at one point that I'd spotted it, but then second guessed myself. I absolutely loved this book and would definitely recommend it to older teens.

An entertaining YA thriller, though the strategic withholding of information leads to a rather frustrating reading experience. I can see this book being an instant hit with some readers, while others will find fault. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review it before publication.
Our main character Grace has moved with her dad to a sleepy Devonshire village. Rather stereotypically people are not the most amenable, but when Grace starts hearing threatening messages coming from the Echo installed in their home her investigations rub a number of people up the wrong way.
Without giving important plot details away there are a high number of accidental deaths in the village. Grace is convinced that someone is behind these deaths so she conducts her own murder investigation. Suffice to say, she’s onto something but the continual allusions to her past - without telling us of its relevance - made a rather unsatisfying experience.

Have you ever had to relocate your life? Have you struggled to move on from past events? Have you become obsessed with something that has nothing to do with you? Gracie has and this is her story. She's moved to a new location far away from her old life and she falls into researching recent deaths in 'the safest village'. Unfortunately, this research doesn't go without problems and Gracie eventually realises what happened to make them move away.
The whole way through, I was guessing who the murderer was and several times I was convinced I'd got it. I never did! There so many twists and turns that I didn't see them coming. The final reveal at the end was both terrifying and heartbreaking. This is a great read for anyone who loves a murder mystery.

Grace moves to the country in Devon with her dad. They have moved for a fresh start after Grace suffered some (unspecified) trouble. They have an ex-service dog called Shelby who has also undergone a trauma of her own. The village is very quiet, too quiet for Grace but it seems that may not be the whole truth. One night Grace is downstairs having trouble sleeping when the smart speaker (Alexa) in their rented house suddenly switches on & tells her "I'm going to murder you."

When it happens again the next night, Grace realises the speaker has been pre-programmed & that the threat was aimed at one of its previous owners. When she starts to investigate, Grace uncovers four mysterious accidental deaths linked to the device. Her dad won't believe her so Grace treats the deaths like a science experiment, gathering evidence & testing her hypothesis that one of the deaths was in fact a murder.

Unfortunately this didn't quite live up to the early promise for me. It deals with mental health, trauma, & PTSD not only for the main character but for little Shelby too. The mystery itself wasn't bad (although the twist was pretty obvious) but the main character was a problem. Basically she is annoying as hell. Would all these adults really spill their guts to a nosy 16-year-old who just arrived in the village? No, they'd tell her to take a hike. Shelby is an absolute sweetheart though so I'm going to up the rating to 3 stars just for her.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, HarperCollins UK Childrens'/Harper Fire, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I love Sarah WIshart's books so this one really excited me, I really got into this book and loved working out the mystery of the town and it kept me hooked.

I received an E Arc copy in exchange for an honest review.
I was quite surprised with this YA title, I know that YA can be a really gritty genre but I found this so dark that I genuinely struggled to finish this. No spoilers, but the plot was very twisty but I found distressing. The themes of mental health were sensitively handled, but again were difficult to read, I struggled to stick with a young person making choices to help them self destruct. I also found the material about the abused dog extremely distressing.
I actually guessed the ending, although I think it was pure luck. It was a well constructed and twisty plot.

I've always been a bit nervous of my Alexa, and this book hasn't helped. A clever mystery, I was pleased with the ending and thought it was an engaging read, but the main character Grace was almost completely ruined it because of how annoying she was. A shame, because otherwise this would have been an excellent read!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The gist of the book: Grace and her dad decide to leave the hustle of London behind and settle in a quiet village in Devon for a new beginning. Not long after they unpack in their rented home, Grace finds herself in the kitchen late at night, grabbing a snack, when their old Echo suddenly turns on and delivers a chilling death threat.

This book wasn't it for me as the writing felt stilted and it felt like the reader was constantly told that there was something about Grace's past that they weren't privy to (which when you reach the end you understand but was frustrating as a reader and felt very drawn out). Even when you find out about Grace's past and why she had to move the climax felt short.

The reveal of the murderer as well felt flat as it introduces an element to the group of suspects that you only find out through the MC themselfves - meaning you as a reader cannot figure it out until they do which feels deceitful.

I will try to be honest and clear on the reasons why I didn't liked this book while being part of the "targeted audience" (I really love YA murder mystery!).

First of all, there is 2 tropes I really dislike in any mystery/thrillers I'm reading, may it be adult or YA, which are:
1) the "there were something really important happening before the beginning of this book but while we'll mention it a lot of times you won't get any explanation before the very end of the book" trope. Okay, while I've finally read the explanation in the very last chapter before epilogue (yes!), I do get the reason why it has been used. But still, it's frustrating as a reader.
2) hidden identity. It totally leaves us reader outside of the guessing who did it, you can try and guess the guilty characters because you have no possibilty to guess at that hidden identity until brought by the MC herself...
I know it's personal but it really didn't helped me appreciate the book.

I really didn't liked Grace. She's selfish, manipulativ, reckless, and let's be honest stupid while herself saying she's an adult and a scientist (she's 16 years old let's stop with that "we scientist we do that" please). The way she's investigation is really reckless, too direct, and she's obsessed. You get to understand that obsession with her past (yet here again we get it at the end, so you spend the whole book disliking her obsession), but it's still very frustrating and unpleasant. She's hurting everyone around herself (and herself) without much realizing it, or at least with little care about it.

I only liked the idea of all the investigations and searching for which accident was truly an accident and which one was actually a murder. The results and explanations were interesting (while being easily given away when confronted). I also really appreciated Shelby and Jem, and I wanted to give my support to Gracie's dad.

Grace and her father move from London to a sleepy Devon village in search of a fresh start. Soon after they move into their rented house, Grace is having a midnight snack in the kitchen when the second-hand Echo springs into life and makes a mysterious death threat.
Science-obsessed Grace decides to investigate and some comes to the conclusion that one of the spate of recent accidental deaths in the village is In reality a murder. She uses her scientific methods to identify the victim and the murderer. Her persistence cause ripples throughout the village but she is determined to solve the mystery.
This YA mystery thriller will appeal to it’s target audience with its mix of drama, romance, suspense and mystery. The venn diagrams scattered through the book give it an unusual STEM element, the many twists and dead ends keep the reader guessing and Grace is a very likeable main character. Some important topics are subtly included and sensitively handled which added more depth to the story.

A YA crime / murder mystery with lots of twists and turns. Grace moves away from London to start afresh in Devon after something traumatic happened to her. When she arrives, she realises that the death rate in this sleepy town is way above national average. When her Alexa starts to make threats, she sets out determined to prove that something out of the ordinary is going on. I must admit, that I'd worked out the twist by the end but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. MY students will love this book.

Thank you to net gallery and the publisher for this arc copy. This was so much fun to read, I really liked Grace as a character. I was hooked from the start of the book to the very end. Tthe elements made it a fun, engaging suspense murder mystery book. It was such a joy of a book to read. I liked Grace and how she figured out the murder. Grace has a brilliant mind and knows how to use it. This book is very modern and I think it will appeal to all ages from the age of 13 plus. It’s a very well written book and I can’t wait to read more by this author xxx