Sue Wallman

Great murder mystery with a few plot twists that keep you reading. Leah is looking forward to spending time with her cousins at the old farmhouse they normally crash at each winter break. It is a chance to get away from her mother's creepy new boyfriend who looks like he is about to become a permanent fixture in their family. But everything is thrown into chaos when Leah gets there to discover that there is an additional teenager Tatum crashing the holiday who upsets the family dynamic and worse still, a few weeks ago a skeleton has been dug up from under the rose bushes at the side of the house and it appears the elderly past owner was a murderer. Coupled with the fact that her youngest cousin is very ill with a strange disease, her uncle has passed away and suddenly their beloved dog goes missing, seems that everything is very mysterious and upsetting. There are lots of plot twists and a romance with a local farm boy thrown in as Leah tries to uncover what happened to Rose the body in the garden and how is this linked to the events happening now? Great stuff.… (mais)

Trigger warnings: Death by poisoning, murder, death of a child

6/10, what a snooze-fest of a book and I really wish it was better but alas I did not enjoy this one. The main character Ruby was ok and I think she was one of those characters that people call morally grey since she wasn't the best protagonist ever when she killed a person called Hannah by pushing her off the slide when she was young but that was such a long time ago. The plot all began with a note that said I Know You Did It, the plot was slow at times but it got better towards the end. Towards the second half of the book two students died, Isaac died when the tampered weights crushed his neck and Monique died when she drank from her tampered water bottle which poisoned her.

I knew the killer was Mara because she appears to have nothing to do with the incidents and the school since it's the person who people would least expect but I expected her to be the killer and I was right which made the twist quite predictable. There weren't any red herrings which was a nice touch and usually red herrings frustrate me when reading crime novels like this. In the end the killer was arrested, her accomplice, Georgia, poisoned herself and after that Ruby got over Hannah's death and that's the end of the book. If you like an easy crime/thriller YA novel this is the book for you.… (mais)

Roeshot House will never be the same again. Leah, a feisty teenage girl is excited to see her best friends (the three Amigos) again. Every year, they visit Roeshot House but this year, there’s a new guest.


*Setting*

Roeshot House is an eerie and mysterious manor house. Lots of strange things begin to occur part way through the story, none of which anyone can make sense of.


*Themes*

.Death & Loss
.Betrayal
.Heartbreak
.Family
.History
.Mysteries & Secrets


*Characters*

There was a variety of character in this story but my favourites would have to be Leah and Jakob. Below, is a brief description of each of the Three (Now Four) Amigo’s.


Leah~

Leah was a kind, caring, brave, loyal, and determined character. She’s never afraid to voice her opinion and will fight for her friends no matter the situation.


Jakob~

Jakob was a funny, quirky character with a good heart. He was more or less the Joker of the group, providing a lot of the comic relief.


Ivy~

Ivy is the somewhat distant, kind, and helpful Amigo. I initially saw her as a sort of saintly figure.


Tatum~

Tatum (the new guest) was bratty, blunt, insensitive, and beyond brutally honest.
I didn’t overly like Tatum, not until the very end of the book anyway.


*Pacing*

The book moved at a mid to fast pace. The story kept me curious and guessing the whole way through, without a single dull moment.


*Plot*

The story was very well written with lots of tense moments that had my heart in my throat. I love how the plot developed, giving us gradual hints about the mysteries of Roeshot House.

The ending was absolute perfection. A lot of things occurred that I hadn’t expected but by the end, I was satisfied and more than willing to read another of Sue Wallman’s books.

If you love exciting mysteries that thrill and surprise, I’d recommend Sue Wallman as the author to seek out.


My rating?
5 stars.… (mais)