Published 3rd August 2023 by HQ.
From the cover of the book:
A murdered girl. A convicted killer. Justice served…Or is it?
It’s been fourteen years since Greer’s older sister Eliza was murdered. Her family has never been the same. Nor has the small town of Ludlow.
The killer was convicted and executed but another body has been found.
A copycat, according to the authorities, but Greer is convinced there is more to the story.
And she is returning to Ludlow in search of the truth.
***********
Fourteen years ago, Greer's sister Eliza was shot dead in a parking lot with her boyfriend Travis. Local man, Roy Mathews confessed to the double murder and was executed for his crimes. The tragedy tore Greer's family apart, eventually sending her off to a lonely existence in Chicago, but the distance that lies between her and her parents involves a lot more than miles.
When two more teenagers are murdered in a similar way to Eliza and Travis, Greer is compelled to return home to her broken family in Ludlow, Kansas The authorities are sure that this is a copycat killing, but Greer has always been convinced that someone else was involved in the original murders - and she will not rest until she finds out the truth.
I Did It For You is a cracking combination of small town crime story and domestic noir that draws you in from the very first page, carries you along through a beautifully contrived series of twists and turns, and does not let you go until it spits you out broken and bloody at the end. The story follows Greer as she returns home after many years away to finally lay her ghosts to rest about the murder of her sister. Home is no longer the place she remembers, as her parents have been unable to move beyond their grief, and a gulf has widened up between them that it seems impossible to breach.
Greer is hiding a secret about the summer Eliza died, and the weight of what she knows brings with it the belief that she could have prevented Roy Mathew's crimes. She cannot rest until she discovers everything there is to know about the tragedy fourteen years ago, and whether it is related to the recent murders. Despite the presence of her two closest friends in Ludlow, she finds an ally in an unlikely place - the one person who seems to be capable of understanding her. It is an alliance that sends shockwaves through this devastated community.
Engel tells Greer's story with perfectly judged pace, dropping in reveals which throw suspicion on several members of Ludlow's close-knit community in a bevy of red herrings, until the shocking truth is revealed. She breaks up the narrative with intriguing little snippets from the points of view of Eliza, Travis, and the latest murdered teens too, which blend nicely with the clues Greer gathers in her quest, until all the little pieces of the mystery come together in a shocking epiphany - one that completely floored me.
Along the way, Engel explores so many thought provoking themes. I am seriously impressed by the way she examines guilt, shame, grief, loss, alienation, revenge, responsibility, and forgiveness, all within a story that is such a page-turner. I loved how she probes the effect a violent crime has on, not only, the friends and family of the victim, but those of the offender too. She also has some interesting things to say about the way male and female victims are viewed, and notions of justice and complicity.
I could not put this book down, the mystery elements, the hefty punch of emotion, and claustrophobic small-town vibes all make this book the very best kind of thriller. A must for your summer reading pile!
I Did It For You is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats.
Thank you to HQ for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.
About the author:
Amy Engel is the author of THE FAMILIAR DARK, THE ROANOKE GIRLS, and THE BOOK OF IVY series. A former criminal defence attorney, she lives in Missouri with her family.
No comments:
Post a Comment