A suspenseful and deliciously plot twisty YA Mystery, with an endearingly quirky protagonist I thoroughly enjoyed. Arm chair detectives and Agatha Christie fans (who like to be kept on their toes) definitely need to consider adding this to their TBRs. 

Told through two interwoven timelines, that alternates between the POVs of Morning House’s original inhabitants and our present day protagonist, Marlowe. Maureen Johnson cleverly explores two edge-of-your-seat mysteries (occurring almost a century apart) and the complicated bonds of friendships, relationships and family that I found unputdownable.  

It was a bit slow to start, but the attention to detail and dearth of clues paired with those atmospheric visuals and a foreboding sense of unease more than made up for it. The pacing did pick up at around 100 page mark and the twists and secrets, once they started, just kept coming!

I really loved Marlowe, who was such a relatable and realistic teenage character. She’s a little awkward (as were most of us at that age) but came off very endearing, that I couldn’t help but want to see her thrive. And to finally flirt/date without it leading to property damage. 

There’s a bit of a romance sub plot that I really enjoyed, Marlowe’s dynamics and blossoming friendship with the sharply witty and cynical, Riki was really good and I honestly could read an entire series of these two just attempting to solve crimes (Cold Case style.)

In fact, I liked quite a lot of the supporting cast, who were all intriguing in different ways. With secrets and personal motivations that we learn very little about, I was immediately suspicious of all of them! And, despite my best efforts (and multiple guesses) I wasn’t able to correctly work out either of the big mysteries we encounter, which pleasantly surprised me. I’m definitely gonna have to reread this to fully digest all the little details I missed the first time around.

Overall, an unputdownable and plot twisty, standalone mystery that kept me utterly hooked until the very last page. I can totally see why Johnson is described as the Queen of Mystery — and will be adding all of her back list titles to my TBR as soon as possible. 

Also, a huge thank you to Nina Douglas and Harper360YA for the (signed and personalised!) finished copy.