suspense – Down the Rabbit Hole

In a gripping novel perfect for fans of Sadie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, two best friends start a true crime podcast—only to realize they may have helped a killer in the process.

In August of 1999, dazzlingly popular cheerleader Clarissa Campbell disappears from a party in the woods outside the rural town of Oreville, Washington and is never seen again. The police question her friends, teachers, and the adults who knew her—who all have something to hide. And thanks to Clarissa’s beauty, the mystery captures the attention of the nation. But with no leads and no body, the case soon grows cold. Despite the efforts of internet sleuths and true-crime aficionados, Clarissa is never found—dead or alive.

Over twenty years later, Oreville high-school juniors and best friends Blair and Cameron start a true crime podcast, determined to unravel the story of what—or who—happened to this rural urban legend. In the process they uncover a nest of dirty small-town secrets, the sordid truth of Clarissa’s relationship with her charismatic boyfriend, and a high school art teacher turned small-town figurehead who had a very good reason for wanting Clarissa dead. Such a good reason, in fact, that they might have to make him the highlight of their next episode…

But does an ugly history with a missing girl make him guilty of murder? Or are two teenage girls about to destroy the life of an innocent man—and help the true killer walk free?

Overall Recommendation:

Missing Clarissa combines a few elements that make this story compelling: intriguing protagonists, a commentary on missing white girls, and a podcast style of storytelling. While I’m always down for a good mystery, the best things about this book isn’t really the whodunnit. Whether it was predictable or not earth shattering enough, this book gives on social commentary as well as a realistic growth arc for the two protagonists. I came in looking for a simple mystery but got a lot more out of it.

**Missing Clarissa comes out March 7, 2023**

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Blair and Cam are two ordinary teenagers who find themselves looking back on the legendary cold case in their town. A local girl disappeared many years ago without a trace, sparking nationwide attention and many theories to her whereabouts as her body was never found. Is she even dead or alive?

There are a number of things I really enjoyed about this book, and oddly enough, the mystery itself isn’t the chief reason. Firstly, I really enjoyed both Blair and Cam as our protagonists. Blair was the one who gave into other people’s desires, whether it was Cam’s more exuberant personality or her boyfriend’s domineering attitude. Cam, in contrast, knew who she was and didn’t care what others thought. What was more enjoyable was their interaction with one another. On paper, they don’t look like they could be best friends, and yet, their opposing natures balanced one another and forged the other to see from a different perspective.

I also really liked how they came across as real teenagers. They made mistakes, super dumb ones. And the whole reason they started this thing into Clarissa? For a school assignment. With the slight narcissistic thought that they’d be able to crack what others couldn’t over the years. I mean, what college would say no to you if you solved a cold case with this level of media scrutiny?

In the vein of recent mystery favourites featuring podcasts like Sadie and A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, each chapter was divvied up by the subject matter they were interviewing with regards to the case. I’m not sure what it is about mysteries with podcasts formats, but there’s something about it that keeps us on our toes as we watch, like a podcast audience, what would happen next. I did like this format in this novel, but it did feel more of a plot device than something integral to the storytelling.

And lastly, there is the commentary between the girls and their journalism class. Clarissa, as a beautiful white girl, gets all this media attention for being missing, yet thousands of other girls disappear all the time, namely from Indigenous backgrounds. I appreciated this running thought here because it is something to be mindful of in our own society. It’s not heavily discussed, but its presence here is a question. Would Clarissa have gotten such fervor from her community and around the country if she wasn’t a white, blond girl?

Now, I’ve written a number of things that aren’t the mystery, but I’ve yet to comment on how I felt about it. I love mysteries, and I’ve read my fair share. While this novel isn’t something that will shake your core with its ending, I will say I didn’t guess everything immediately. It may not be earth shattering in its plot twists but I don’t think the purpose of this mystery is simply just a whodunnit. Missing Clarissa brings more to the table, and for that I’m quite pleased with how everything turned out.

4 star

Review: The Night Swim by Megan Goldin

January 4, 2023December 30, 2022 Fives @ Down The Rabbit Hole

After the first season of her true crime podcast became an overnight sensation and set an innocent man free, Rachel Krall is now a household name―and the last hope for thousands of people seeking justice. But she’s used to being recognized for her voice, not her face. Which makes it all the more unsettling when she finds a note on her car windshield, addressed to her, begging for help.

The small town of Neapolis is being torn apart by a devastating rape trial. The town’s golden boy, a swimmer destined for Olympic greatness, has been accused of raping a high school student, the beloved granddaughter of the police chief. Under pressure to make Season Three a success, Rachel throws herself into interviewing and investigating―but the mysterious letters keep showing up in unexpected places. Someone is following her, and she won’t stop until Rachel finds out what happened to her sister twenty-five years ago. Officially, Jenny Stills tragically drowned, but the letters insists she was murdered―and when Rachel starts asking questions, nobody seems to want to answer. The past and present start to collide as Rachel uncovers startling connections between the two cases that will change the course of the trial and the lives of everyone involved.

Electrifying and propulsive, The Night Swim asks: What is the price of a reputation? Can a small town ever right the wrongs of its past? And what really happened to Jenny?

This was another one that was recommended by one of my friends who shares the same tastes as me. I believe she mentioned that there were some mixed reviews about this book, but I personally found that it was pretty good! Overall quite plausible, and the story is very sad, and dark at times but not too overbearingly so. It was just the right amount of dark for a sad story, though I’ll get into a few more details later about that.

The Night Swim is a story that has a few elements to it. Our main protagonist, Rachel, is the latest hit in true crime podcasts, having unearthed decade-old cold cases successfully while podcasting about it. Her latest case takes place in the small town of Neapolis, where everyone knows everyone, and there is a rape trial going on. At the same time, a girl seeks Rachel’s help solving a desperate mystery from her past that was never solved. Rachel investigates both, and it becomes clear that the town hides many more secrets than it first shows, and Rachel wonders what will happen in the end at the trial and with this girl.

The characters in this book were pretty good. Nothing to really speak of in the character growth/development department though I think that can be rare for thriller/mystery novels. Essentially, most people are exactly how you’d expect them to be, and that paints the air of suspicion in a certain light and really frames the story. If people were changing all the time, it might be too hard to follow. This is one such novel where there are numerous characters from the past and present, and so most of them do remain static as the story progresses to reveal the ultimate truths. Of course, more and more is revealed about certain characters so they “grow” in that way.

The plot is fairly interesting. Yes, there is the classic protagonist butting her nose into the past and in the present to dig for her podcast, which is classic. But in my opinion that’s where the common tropes end. The use of the podcast is very interesting, and we really do get to listen (read) through each episode as she goes through the trial and addresses her readers. The implausibility here is probably attending a trial all day while recording a podcast in the evening, that sounds crazy. But it was cool to follow along with the podcast. While there were suspense elements (as to be expected in a mystery novel), the podcast really toned down a lot of the suspense, so if you’re looking for a true crime creepy mystery, this was totally not the vibe here.

The ending was overall good. Perhaps a little bit too convenient in how everything tied together, but I certainly didn’t hate it. In fact, as I was reading it, I was fairly happy nodding along to what was a very simplistic ending. However, upon further reflection I’m not sure it was really the best way to just have things work out, but again, it was far from “magically” working out so I’ll give it a pass there. I overall really enjoyed reading a book in this kind of format, and the tying together of two timelines (of different characters!) I felt was pretty well done.

Trigger warnings of course for rape and sexual assault, and some parts did get quite into the weeds (though nothing too graphic). I overall felt it was handled pretty well, the subject was quite objectively approached and really urged readers to think about the standards that are in the justice system. Delicately handled yet still got to the truth, I felt that the author could have pushed it even further, but I don’t have any qualms with how it was handled – I certainly felt frustrated for the victim!

Overall Recommendations

The Night Swim is a story of our protagonist making her true crime podcast, this time about a rape trial. At the same time, Rachel also researches into the past of this town in the cover-up of a murder 25 years past. As the trial drags on, the town (and her listeners) both get heated all around the subject of rape and the double standards it imposes. Follow along in this journey as the past and present collide, and the trial comes up to its spectacular finish. It isn’t the most suspenseful and thrilling novel, but it certainly executes its murder mystery element well. Hope you enjoy!

3 star, YA

Review: Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus

November 17, 2022November 17, 2022 Andge @ Down the Rabbit Hole

From the internationally bestselling author of Netflix’s hottest new show, One of Us is Lying, comes a new, page-turning thriller . . .

True crime can leave a false trail.

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favourite teacher. The case was never solved, but she’s sure that the three kids who found Mr. Larkin’s body know more than they’re telling, especially her ex-best friend Tripp Talbot. He’s definitely hiding something.

When Brynn gets an internship working on a popular true-crime show, she decides to investigate what really happened that day in the woods. But the further she dives into the past, the more secrets she finds.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. Now it’s time to uncover the truth . . .

Overall Recommendation:

Nothing More to Tell is a solid enough standalone mystery – if you haven’t read any of Karen M. McManus’ other stories. The mystery itself was intriguing (death of a teacher *gasp*) but the pacing felt a little off as we focused more on Brynn and Tripp’s history and individual struggles. There was also nothing particularly outstanding about either protagonist. Ultimately, this is a fine mystery to read, relatively, but one that unfortunately is not super memorable.