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Scenes of the Crime
An ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend's disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this riveting locked-room mystery from the author of All Dressed Up.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.
It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.
Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.
She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There's Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.
One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?
Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.
A remote winery. A missing friend. And a bunch of sour grapes.
It should have been the perfect spring break. Five girlfriends. A remote winery on the Oregon coast. An infinite supply of delicious wine at their manicured fingertips. But then their center—beautiful, magnetic Vanessa Morales—vanished without a trace.
Emily Fischer was perhaps the last person to see her alive. But now, years later, Emily spots Vanessa’s doppelganger at a local café. At the end of her rope working a lucrative yet mind-numbing gig on a network sitcom, Emily is inspired to finally tell the story that’s been percolating inside her for so long: Vanessa’s story. But first, she needs to know what really happened on that fateful night. So she puts a brilliant scheme into motion.
She gets the girls together for a reunion weekend at the scene of the crime under the guise of reconnecting. There's Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin and the inheritor of the winery; Paige, a former athlete, bullish yet easily manipulated; and Lydia, the wallflower of the group.
One of them knows the truth. But what have they each been hiding? And how much can Emily trust anything she learns from them… or even her own memories of Vanessa’s last days?
Suspenseful, propulsive, and interspersed with scenes from Emily’s blockbuster screenplay, Scenes of the Crime is an unforgettable mystery that examines culpability, the shiny rearview mirror of Hollywood storytelling, and the pitfalls of female friendship.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 5, 2023
102 people are currently reading
15875 people want to read
About the author
Jilly Gagnon
9 books430 followers**Please note I rarely check messages here -- find me on instagram, @jillygagnon, for contact!**
Jilly Gagnon is the author of the young adult novel #famous and the suspense novel All Dressed Up. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Elle, Vanity Fair, The Toast, The Hairpin, The Huffington Post, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency, among others.
She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her two cats. She loves terrible television and well-crafted Manhattans.
Jilly Gagnon is the author of the young adult novel #famous and the suspense novel All Dressed Up. Her work has appeared in Newsweek, Elle, Vanity Fair, The Toast, The Hairpin, The Huffington Post, and McSweeney's Internet Tendency, among others.
She lives in Salem, Massachusetts with her two cats. She loves terrible television and well-crafted Manhattans.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 548 reviews
September 5, 2023
It’s okay that the romance genre is formulaic. We read romance anticipating the witty banter, the frustrating miscommunication, and finally the happily ever after.
It’s not okay that the over saturated thriller market, is becoming formulaic and predictable too.
This time the locale is an Oregon Coast winery, instead of a ski chalet or an Island, (see epilogue) but that is about all that sets it apart.
We have a group of 5 friends (frenemies) who had gathered for a Spring break getaway where one disappears. The “friends” go their separate ways until one decides, after 15 years apart, that there should be a reunion for “closure” about what happened.
This time it’s Emily Fischer, now a screenwriter, who is inspired to tell their friend Vanessa’s story, when she spots her doppelgänger at a local café. Emily puts a plan into motion, suggesting that the reunion take place at the scene of the crime-the winery owned by Brittany and Vanessa’s grandparents.
Their back story is shared with us through the pages of her screenplay, (original) but it reads very YA.
The other friends who agree to attend are Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin who has inherited the winery, Paige, the former athlete of the group, and Lydia, the meekest of the five.
The characters are not well developed and those descriptors are about all we learn about them, Their toxic “friendships” didn’t feel authentic, since we never really got to know any of the women.
Of course they each know something about that night which they haven’t shared with the others-and then we will all find out the truth.
I was not at all invested in learning the outcome.
I probably wouldn’t have requested this book, but when I was invited to read it, I took a chance on it because I spent a year living in Oregon and I loved tasting at the wineries there and visiting the gorgeous Oregon Coast, but unfortunately the locale wasn’t enough to save this tired premise.
A buddy read with DeAnn, and unfortunately it was a MISS for us both! Be sure to watch for her review!
As always, if you haven’t yet read a lot of these stories, it might be more satisfying for you.
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to Bantam Dell who provided a gifted copy through NetGalley in exchange for an HONEST review.
It’s not okay that the over saturated thriller market, is becoming formulaic and predictable too.
This time the locale is an Oregon Coast winery, instead of a ski chalet or an Island, (see epilogue) but that is about all that sets it apart.
We have a group of 5 friends (frenemies) who had gathered for a Spring break getaway where one disappears. The “friends” go their separate ways until one decides, after 15 years apart, that there should be a reunion for “closure” about what happened.
This time it’s Emily Fischer, now a screenwriter, who is inspired to tell their friend Vanessa’s story, when she spots her doppelgänger at a local café. Emily puts a plan into motion, suggesting that the reunion take place at the scene of the crime-the winery owned by Brittany and Vanessa’s grandparents.
Their back story is shared with us through the pages of her screenplay, (original) but it reads very YA.
The other friends who agree to attend are Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin who has inherited the winery, Paige, the former athlete of the group, and Lydia, the meekest of the five.
The characters are not well developed and those descriptors are about all we learn about them, Their toxic “friendships” didn’t feel authentic, since we never really got to know any of the women.
Of course they each know something about that night which they haven’t shared with the others-and then we will all find out the truth.
I was not at all invested in learning the outcome.
I probably wouldn’t have requested this book, but when I was invited to read it, I took a chance on it because I spent a year living in Oregon and I loved tasting at the wineries there and visiting the gorgeous Oregon Coast, but unfortunately the locale wasn’t enough to save this tired premise.
A buddy read with DeAnn, and unfortunately it was a MISS for us both! Be sure to watch for her review!
As always, if you haven’t yet read a lot of these stories, it might be more satisfying for you.
AVAILABLE NOW!
Thank You to Bantam Dell who provided a gifted copy through NetGalley in exchange for an HONEST review.
March 17, 2024
2.5 Stars
Toxic college friends turn into petty adult acquaintances when they reunite 15 years later after the disappearance of their friend, Vanessa. Emily, a screenwriter, orchestrates this whole reunion in order to try and figure out what happened to Vanessa all those years ago. She’s hopeful that by putting the pieces together, she’ll be able to produce a script from it. (Sounds a little a selfish? The others are just as bad.)
A weekend trip to the winery ends when Vanessa disappears. During the friends’ reunion it’s clear old wounds and rivalries still exist. Soon mysterious things start happening and the past gets dug back up as the truth about what happened all those years ago unravels.
I wasn’t a fan of the chapters that were told in script form. I get it was to differentiate the past from present (and that it was from Emily’s script), but it makes for choppy reading. I also wasn’t sure of the decision to make part of the present plot started being told in script form. I guess to make for more of an unreliable narrator?
While the plot itself was enough to make me keep reading (I was curious to see what happened), the constant bickering and pettiness really grated on me and the overall selfishness of Emily (her obsession of doing anything for the script) annoyed me. I also felt let down by the ending.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
Toxic college friends turn into petty adult acquaintances when they reunite 15 years later after the disappearance of their friend, Vanessa. Emily, a screenwriter, orchestrates this whole reunion in order to try and figure out what happened to Vanessa all those years ago. She’s hopeful that by putting the pieces together, she’ll be able to produce a script from it. (Sounds a little a selfish? The others are just as bad.)
A weekend trip to the winery ends when Vanessa disappears. During the friends’ reunion it’s clear old wounds and rivalries still exist. Soon mysterious things start happening and the past gets dug back up as the truth about what happened all those years ago unravels.
I wasn’t a fan of the chapters that were told in script form. I get it was to differentiate the past from present (and that it was from Emily’s script), but it makes for choppy reading. I also wasn’t sure of the decision to make part of the present plot started being told in script form. I guess to make for more of an unreliable narrator?
While the plot itself was enough to make me keep reading (I was curious to see what happened), the constant bickering and pettiness really grated on me and the overall selfishness of Emily (her obsession of doing anything for the script) annoyed me. I also felt let down by the ending.
I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
April 13, 2023
Fifteen years ago Emily’s friend Vanessa disappeared on a girl’s weekend away at a winery. Present day Emily is getting all the remaining friends back together at the winery to try to figure out what happened to Vanessa that night. Secrets come out and trouble arises.
This was an exciting story that I finished quickly. Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released September 5, 2023!
This was an exciting story that I finished quickly. Thanks NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for this ARC that will be released September 5, 2023!
April 22, 2023
This one dragged really for me and didn't hold my interest at all. Seemed like a great idea but poorly executed. It rambled and was redundant with flat, unlikable characters. I could only read a chapter or two at a time as it was too frustrating. Better editing would definitely help here
July 9, 2023
Fifteen years ago, five friends, Vanessa, Emily, Brittany, Paige, and Lydia, spent a weekend at Brittany’s family’s winery on the Oregon coast. After a wine infused evening, Vanessa disappeared. Emily always wondered if she had something to do with that disappearance. When she thinks she sees Vanessa at a local coffee shop, she calls together the other three women for a weekend reunion at the winery to try to figure out just what happened. Oh, and since she is a writer for television, she is also working on a screenplay about the incident.
If I had not made a commitment to never have a DNF, this may well have been one for me. I always like to give a book a chance and sometimes am pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, this just didn’t capture my interest and I frequently found myself skimming. Weaving a script for a screenplay into the story is a clever device, but, somehow, it just didn’t work. It also made it difficult to distinguish between what really happened and what Emily was making up. It took about half the book for secrets to begin to be revealed. All of the women were quite unpleasant characters. I certainly wouldn’t want to spend a weekend with any of them and it was difficult to believe that they were supposed to be such good friends at one time.
There will be an audience for this book; I just wasn’t it.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Randomhouse #ballantine #Bantam for the arc
Follow me on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/shereadbook...
You can read my other reviews at http://vickieonmarco.blogspot.
If I had not made a commitment to never have a DNF, this may well have been one for me. I always like to give a book a chance and sometimes am pleasantly surprised. Unfortunately, this just didn’t capture my interest and I frequently found myself skimming. Weaving a script for a screenplay into the story is a clever device, but, somehow, it just didn’t work. It also made it difficult to distinguish between what really happened and what Emily was making up. It took about half the book for secrets to begin to be revealed. All of the women were quite unpleasant characters. I certainly wouldn’t want to spend a weekend with any of them and it was difficult to believe that they were supposed to be such good friends at one time.
There will be an audience for this book; I just wasn’t it.
Thanks to #netgalley and #Randomhouse #ballantine #Bantam for the arc
Follow me on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/shereadbook...
You can read my other reviews at http://vickieonmarco.blogspot.
April 9, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Random House for sending me an ARC copy for an honest review.
Emily’s friend Vanessa disappeared 15 years ago on a trip to their friends wine house. Years later her friends and her come back to remember Vanessa, but secrets start coming out.
Was this a great thriller in my own opinion no. It wasn’t very dark and the twist was just ok. Some stuff like I wish was drawn out and more dark was just quickly skimmed over. Then there were parts I just wanted to skip over. I got bored some parts and would have to put the book down to read something else.
Once it finally got going about 80% then it started getting good. I did enjoy the parts that were written like they were a movie script. The ending was a great tie up to the story as well.
Emily’s friend Vanessa disappeared 15 years ago on a trip to their friends wine house. Years later her friends and her come back to remember Vanessa, but secrets start coming out.
Was this a great thriller in my own opinion no. It wasn’t very dark and the twist was just ok. Some stuff like I wish was drawn out and more dark was just quickly skimmed over. Then there were parts I just wanted to skip over. I got bored some parts and would have to put the book down to read something else.
Once it finally got going about 80% then it started getting good. I did enjoy the parts that were written like they were a movie script. The ending was a great tie up to the story as well.
November 3, 2023
Jilly Gagnon won me over with her unique but fun Clue-style novel All Dressed Up, so I was really excited to get started on Scenes of the Crime. This also had a unique setup, with past and present viewpoints as well as sections of the screenplay that Emily is writing. The theme of friendship is strong as the story involves 5 female friends, but keep in mind that these are toxic ones, and no one is all that likable. I sometimes thrive on unlikable characters, and I definitely did in this case. I did end up getting a little confused at times about what actually happened versus what Emily was making up, so I highly recommend making sure you pay attention.
I did enjoy the audiobook as well, and I thought the narrator Eileen Stevens did a great job. Her pacing was a bit on the slower side, so I sped it up to around 3x speed and that was just about perfect. The pace of the book is steady but also a bit slow, and I think listening to the audio was helpful in keeping me engaged. The remote winery was the perfect setting for Scenes of the Crime and I thought Gagnon did a fantastic job of bringing the location to life without getting too overzealous with the descriptions. The wine is flowing and the secrets are spilling, and I was there for all of the drama.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
I did enjoy the audiobook as well, and I thought the narrator Eileen Stevens did a great job. Her pacing was a bit on the slower side, so I sped it up to around 3x speed and that was just about perfect. The pace of the book is steady but also a bit slow, and I think listening to the audio was helpful in keeping me engaged. The remote winery was the perfect setting for Scenes of the Crime and I thought Gagnon did a fantastic job of bringing the location to life without getting too overzealous with the descriptions. The wine is flowing and the secrets are spilling, and I was there for all of the drama.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
December 2, 2023
ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.
This book gave me hope with its complex storytelling and friendships that are struggling in the face of a friend that went missing more than a decade before. The part that really confused and irritated me at times is how most of it is set up as a screenplay since the main character that is telling the story is also a sitcom writer that wants to elevate her career. So most of it is hard to tell if it happened in real life or something she’s writing about for her show. Other than that I really liked all the misdirection and surprises that come up throughout regarding her friend’s disappearance. I would recommend to anyone that likes mysteries and friends coming together to try to solve them.
This book gave me hope with its complex storytelling and friendships that are struggling in the face of a friend that went missing more than a decade before. The part that really confused and irritated me at times is how most of it is set up as a screenplay since the main character that is telling the story is also a sitcom writer that wants to elevate her career. So most of it is hard to tell if it happened in real life or something she’s writing about for her show. Other than that I really liked all the misdirection and surprises that come up throughout regarding her friend’s disappearance. I would recommend to anyone that likes mysteries and friends coming together to try to solve them.
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January 11, 2024tl;dr
High drama, bad blood, and toxic relationships are the building blocks of this twisty mystery. Takes a few chapters to pick up momentum.
Thoughts
There are no heroes in this story. It's not a book where you find someone to cheer for. Rather, it's the kind of book you read when you want to see how much trouble terrible people can get themselves into when they're stuck with each other, and it nails down that mood perfectly. Messy women, toxic friendships, and high drama rule the day, as our less-than-noble MC brings all her friends(?) together ostensibly to bring closure to trauma, but secretly to mine them for plot points on a script she's stalled out on. Everyone has secrets. Everyone's lying, most of all our POV narrator who - like all good writers - knows to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. What does get in the way, unfortunately, is the pacing. The setup takes time, and there were several moments where the plot felt like it meandered in the beginning. The second half of the book moves decidedly faster, bolstered by some clever writing and lots of cut-ins to the MC's "WIP script," of the events she's currently experiencing. It's a neat way to move things forward, as well as keep the reader guessing, and I liked all the reveals they included (or didn't!). Read it for the drama and allll the wine.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
High drama, bad blood, and toxic relationships are the building blocks of this twisty mystery. Takes a few chapters to pick up momentum.
Thoughts
There are no heroes in this story. It's not a book where you find someone to cheer for. Rather, it's the kind of book you read when you want to see how much trouble terrible people can get themselves into when they're stuck with each other, and it nails down that mood perfectly. Messy women, toxic friendships, and high drama rule the day, as our less-than-noble MC brings all her friends(?) together ostensibly to bring closure to trauma, but secretly to mine them for plot points on a script she's stalled out on. Everyone has secrets. Everyone's lying, most of all our POV narrator who - like all good writers - knows to never let the truth get in the way of a good story. What does get in the way, unfortunately, is the pacing. The setup takes time, and there were several moments where the plot felt like it meandered in the beginning. The second half of the book moves decidedly faster, bolstered by some clever writing and lots of cut-ins to the MC's "WIP script," of the events she's currently experiencing. It's a neat way to move things forward, as well as keep the reader guessing, and I liked all the reveals they included (or didn't!). Read it for the drama and allll the wine.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for a review copy. All thoughts in this review are my own!
August 25, 2023
I was excited to jump into this book and loved the whole premise of the story. Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations.
The cast of characters has a variety of personalities to make up the group of friends. Other than the main character, Emily, I struggled to really connect with any of them. The format of going back and forth between the story and the screenplay was difficult when I had to use my text-to-speech feature. However, when reading directly it made more sense but I still was never sure if the screenplay was supposed to be true as it happened, or fictional in the way she could imagine it would happen.
The mystery itself never really captured my attention to any real degree as I was pretty sure what had happened almost from the beginning. The rest was just going through the motions to get to the end result. While it was still enjoyable enough, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.
The cast of characters has a variety of personalities to make up the group of friends. Other than the main character, Emily, I struggled to really connect with any of them. The format of going back and forth between the story and the screenplay was difficult when I had to use my text-to-speech feature. However, when reading directly it made more sense but I still was never sure if the screenplay was supposed to be true as it happened, or fictional in the way she could imagine it would happen.
The mystery itself never really captured my attention to any real degree as I was pretty sure what had happened almost from the beginning. The rest was just going through the motions to get to the end result. While it was still enjoyable enough, it just didn’t hit the mark for me.
August 7, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
Scenes of the Crime.
I've never read this author before so I was excited my request was approved.
I'm always eager to read a new author, hoping I'll be surprised and/or engaged by the writing.
Sadly, this was a big NO from me.
Where do I start?
1. Wholly unlikable characters. I don't mind unlikable people, but even unlikable characters have something to like/dislike about them. They need to be interesting in some way.
Everyone had personal agendas and grudges they've been nursing for years. Seriously, they all need therapy.
2. What's with the long paragraphs? Has no one heard of paragraph breaks?
3. Those screenplay drafts were distracting to read, not to mention inaccurately written as a screenplay. You don't include descriptions or emotional cues in screenplays.
4. The big reveal, all the lies at the end, were TOOO hard to suspend disbelief for.
I just couldn't and wouldn't believe Lydia and Vanessa's scheme, what Vanessa has been doing all this time, and that ending. Nope, sorry not sorry.
5. Nothing unique about the premise; a friend goes missing (naturally, she was young, gorgeous, and manipulative), and fifteen years later, her frenemies have gathered together to 'remember' her at a remote location. Naturally.
6. The writing is good, but the narrative drags. There's very little to no suspense and urgency, until the end, if you can believe that scene.
7. You have to plod through numerous descriptions of the winery, the landscape, the ladies drinking and drinking some more, Emily's internal monologuing about what happened in the past, what's happening now, and what should happen in her screenplay drafts.
I'm all for exposition and background but most of the descriptions took up more than half a page. See #2.
Is it just me or do recent books seem to be chockfull of exposition, padding the book like filler?
Not a fan of this new writing style or this book.
I've never read this author before so I was excited my request was approved.
I'm always eager to read a new author, hoping I'll be surprised and/or engaged by the writing.
Sadly, this was a big NO from me.
Where do I start?
1. Wholly unlikable characters. I don't mind unlikable people, but even unlikable characters have something to like/dislike about them. They need to be interesting in some way.
Everyone had personal agendas and grudges they've been nursing for years. Seriously, they all need therapy.
2. What's with the long paragraphs? Has no one heard of paragraph breaks?
3. Those screenplay drafts were distracting to read, not to mention inaccurately written as a screenplay. You don't include descriptions or emotional cues in screenplays.
4. The big reveal, all the lies at the end, were TOOO hard to suspend disbelief for.
I just couldn't and wouldn't believe Lydia and Vanessa's scheme, what Vanessa has been doing all this time, and that ending. Nope, sorry not sorry.
5. Nothing unique about the premise; a friend goes missing (naturally, she was young, gorgeous, and manipulative), and fifteen years later, her frenemies have gathered together to 'remember' her at a remote location. Naturally.
6. The writing is good, but the narrative drags. There's very little to no suspense and urgency, until the end, if you can believe that scene.
7. You have to plod through numerous descriptions of the winery, the landscape, the ladies drinking and drinking some more, Emily's internal monologuing about what happened in the past, what's happening now, and what should happen in her screenplay drafts.
I'm all for exposition and background but most of the descriptions took up more than half a page. See #2.
Is it just me or do recent books seem to be chockfull of exposition, padding the book like filler?
Not a fan of this new writing style or this book.
September 2, 2023
This is a novel about female friendships and secrets that need to be uncovered before any of the friends can progress in their lives. Fifteen years before the current story starts, all four friends were at the winery for a girlfriends’ weekend when Vanessa disappears. Emily, a close friend, has a vague memory of meeting Vee on the beach, but nothing that really helps her give closure to her friend’s disappearance. The book has almost a dual timeline as it swings back and forth from the present to a screen play that Emily is writing that is set in the past when Vanessa disappeared. The friends who show up at the winery for a final farewell to Vanessa are Brittany, Lydia and Emily. Emily is a screenwriter but not very happy with her job. Brittany is an heiress and a stay-at-home mom with a lot of extra time on her hands. Paige is an anomaly and Lydia is the misfit of the group. I liked the back and forth between the novel and the screen play, but I did find the novel part tedious at times as there were a lot of extra details that did not add a great deal to the story. The setting is atmospheric, so I liked that gothic-type of mysterious setting. I also liked the characters but did not find them particularly relatable or even believable. Emily was the most realistic and was the narrator, but she is not a reliable storyteller, so even she did not meet my expectations of weaving the story clearly. I got lost at times in the past as more and more details about Vanessa’s disappearance were added and more than once had to look back a few pages to get clues that I had missed during the wordy descriptions that were constantly included. All in all, this is a good read and reminded me a great deal of the Victoria Holt novels that I read many years ago.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16th CFR, Part 255, “Guidelines Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
September 16, 2023
Four friends meet at a family owned winery for a reunion and to remember the friend they lost there 15 years earlier. Secrets held tight for years are slowly revealed and what happened years ago come to light.
Mean girls grow into mean women, as this book proves. Characters all held onto their own secrets and grudges, which usually leads for interesting reading, but these women were all unlikable, immature, rude. I found it very hard to keep them straight, initial introductions weren’t well defined. Sentences were long, chapters were even longer. Story was told alternating with a screenplay being written, which totally thru me off. The story line was choppy, slow moving until 3/4 of the way in. I appreciated the author trying something new, but the editing didn’t work. New to me author, would give her another try to see her writing in a different setting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.
Mean girls grow into mean women, as this book proves. Characters all held onto their own secrets and grudges, which usually leads for interesting reading, but these women were all unlikable, immature, rude. I found it very hard to keep them straight, initial introductions weren’t well defined. Sentences were long, chapters were even longer. Story was told alternating with a screenplay being written, which totally thru me off. The story line was choppy, slow moving until 3/4 of the way in. I appreciated the author trying something new, but the editing didn’t work. New to me author, would give her another try to see her writing in a different setting.
Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.
April 19, 2023
Five girlfriends get together for a reunion weekend at a remote winery on the Oregon coast under the guise of reconnecting. It's told between the past and present. The premise was interesting but I found my mind wandering. It was difficult to get the full impact of what the author was trying to convey in the physical aspects.
I always find the best mysteries are those when a reader can almost imagine themselves there. At 50% in I still felt like nothing had happened to advance the plot. As much as I hate to skim, I did skim a bit until 65% in when it picked up some.
I’m glad that I pushed through, the ending was great. I think most people can identify with the kind of toxic friend relationships we see here.
Thank you to Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
I always find the best mysteries are those when a reader can almost imagine themselves there. At 50% in I still felt like nothing had happened to advance the plot. As much as I hate to skim, I did skim a bit until 65% in when it picked up some.
I’m glad that I pushed through, the ending was great. I think most people can identify with the kind of toxic friend relationships we see here.
Thank you to Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
November 26, 2023
I loved this author's first book so I was excited to start this one. It's a story of a group of girls going a way for the weekend, one going missing. Now, years later, they return to the same spot to discuss what they think happened to their friend and to try to rekindle their friendships.
I wish I'd loved this one. I think there are a lot of books with this same plot and I'm, maybe, burned out. I struggled to like any of the characters. I found the reasonings and excuses to be a big stretch and really struggled to connect the dots in a way that made sense.
If you like mysteries with remote locations and toxic female relationships, you should give this one a try. I just didn't find a way to connect with it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
I wish I'd loved this one. I think there are a lot of books with this same plot and I'm, maybe, burned out. I struggled to like any of the characters. I found the reasonings and excuses to be a big stretch and really struggled to connect the dots in a way that made sense.
If you like mysteries with remote locations and toxic female relationships, you should give this one a try. I just didn't find a way to connect with it.
A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.
October 21, 2023
Couldn’t get into this one unfortunately. All of the characters were underdeveloped and unlikable. The writing style made it quite difficult to even imagine what these characters looked like and the description of their movements and actions was really strange. There was a lot of references to characters licking their teeth or lips or jutting out their jaw. Lots of narrowing of the eyes. The story went from the past to the present to a movie script that the narrator was maybe writing. The story dragged on and the ending was a major flop. Would not recommend this one to others.
April 10, 2023
A girls weekend gone wrong except there is so much more to this thriller. Vanessa, a beautiful and charismatic friend died in college. Now Emily a struggling screen writer wants to turn her story into a screen play but also wants answers. She gets their friend group together at the winery where Vanessa disappeared to hopefully find out more about what really happened when Vanessa died. The friend group includes, Brittany, the wealthy one, who is set to inherit the winery and is also Vanessa's cousin. Paige, the former athlete but she always goes along with what Brittany wants. Finally, Lydia, the one friend Emily is closest to but she does not get along with Brittany. There is so much drama between them all. Emily tells the group that they can get some closure however there is evidence showing up in each of their rooms that each one of them might have had something to do with Vanessa's death. To top it off they all seem to hate each other. This is one you have to read to the end because it will shock you.
Overall, a good thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Plus part of the novel is written as a screenplay that Emily is writing. It adds suspense to the book and gives an interesting twist. Filled with lots of drama and mystery. This book will leave you wondering what will happen until the very end.
Thank you to Bantam Books/Random House for this advanced copy.
Overall, a good thriller that will keep you guessing until the end. Plus part of the novel is written as a screenplay that Emily is writing. It adds suspense to the book and gives an interesting twist. Filled with lots of drama and mystery. This book will leave you wondering what will happen until the very end.
Thank you to Bantam Books/Random House for this advanced copy.
nope-dnf
October 30, 2023DNF37 %.
"Friends " who hate eachother...lots of petty drama and digs
Very boring 😴 snoozefest
Hours of telling not showing...lots of talking about their past and drinking wine
Reminds me a LOTTT of She Started It by Sian Gilbert...
I get thats the gimick of the book but The script portions feel so tedious
Feels flat
I love the cover at least!
"Friends " who hate eachother...lots of petty drama and digs
Very boring 😴 snoozefest
Hours of telling not showing...lots of talking about their past and drinking wine
Reminds me a LOTTT of She Started It by Sian Gilbert...
I get thats the gimick of the book but The script portions feel so tedious
Feels flat
I love the cover at least!
November 17, 2023
Emily, a TV sitcom producer and writer, is haunted by a tragedy that occurred 15 years ago when her friend Vanessa vanished near the top of a cliff during a girls’ drunken spring break weekend at a winery (conveniently named The Cliff’s Edge). Emily has no recollection of the night except for a text exchange. Apparently Vanessa wanted Emily to keep quiet about something. A chance encounter with Vanessa’s doppelgänger prompts Emily to convince the three remaining spring breakers (Brittany, a privileged stay-at-home mom, Vanessa’s cousin,and heiress to the winery; Paige, former athlete, who works in liquor/wine sales; and gloomy tech coder Lydia, the one who had a goth phase) to reunite where Vanessa disappeared. Emily believes if she finishes a speculative screenplay about that night, she can recover her memory and the group can get some closure.
The structure of the book is distinctive: as the reunion is set up, chapters are interspersed with pages from Emily’s screenplay and its imagined (?) scenes. The group dynamic has changed — Vanessa was probably the center of a spoked wheel. Now Emily is only partially friends with Brittany, Brittany has stayed close to Paige, and snarky Lydia is back to brew up confrontation. Their desire to just talk about the fateful evening gets spooky when personal effects of the missing girl show up. Is Vanessa still alive? Or was she murdered? Is there an outsider taking advantage of the reunion?
I could understand the present day tension and cattiness, but the same group 15 years ago seemed like an odd bunch then with their shifting alliances. Most of these women suffer from hangovers and over drinking in the present as in the past — apparently not having matured in their drinking habits. Add a cavern system that connects to the wine cellars from the beach below the cliff, and the plot gets more twisty. This is a tale about friendship, some that turn toxic or always were that way.
As noted, the screenplay pages were clever and moved the action along in ways that a story could otherwise be spoiled. The book is compelling and enthralling. It seems a lot like a locked room mystery. 4.5 stars for Jilly Gagnon’s second major release!
Thank you to Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only Lydia’s “slightly bulbous” eyes are described as brown.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There is a scene where tables are decorated with “lush bouquets of rare flowers” and I wish I knew what kinds that meant. Proteas? Sea Holly? Birds of Paradise?
The structure of the book is distinctive: as the reunion is set up, chapters are interspersed with pages from Emily’s screenplay and its imagined (?) scenes. The group dynamic has changed — Vanessa was probably the center of a spoked wheel. Now Emily is only partially friends with Brittany, Brittany has stayed close to Paige, and snarky Lydia is back to brew up confrontation. Their desire to just talk about the fateful evening gets spooky when personal effects of the missing girl show up. Is Vanessa still alive? Or was she murdered? Is there an outsider taking advantage of the reunion?
I could understand the present day tension and cattiness, but the same group 15 years ago seemed like an odd bunch then with their shifting alliances. Most of these women suffer from hangovers and over drinking in the present as in the past — apparently not having matured in their drinking habits. Add a cavern system that connects to the wine cellars from the beach below the cliff, and the plot gets more twisty. This is a tale about friendship, some that turn toxic or always were that way.
As noted, the screenplay pages were clever and moved the action along in ways that a story could otherwise be spoiled. The book is compelling and enthralling. It seems a lot like a locked room mystery. 4.5 stars for Jilly Gagnon’s second major release!
Thank you to Random House Publishing/ Ballantine Bantam and NetGalley for a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): NO Only Lydia’s “slightly bulbous” eyes are described as brown.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO There is a scene where tables are decorated with “lush bouquets of rare flowers” and I wish I knew what kinds that meant. Proteas? Sea Holly? Birds of Paradise?
September 10, 2023
This was a book about toxic people / friendships that was just ... Alot !
Tbh this book just didn't do it for me . The chapters were like 40 pages each & also I just really didn't care about anyone that much.
I'd say it was a 2.5 ⭐ but I'm gonna bump it up to a 3 ⭐ .
I'm a California girl , born in Burbank so I loved the setting . LOVED the mention of Porto's towards the end. That place ❤️
If u know , u know.
Tbh this book just didn't do it for me . The chapters were like 40 pages each & also I just really didn't care about anyone that much.
I'd say it was a 2.5 ⭐ but I'm gonna bump it up to a 3 ⭐ .
I'm a California girl , born in Burbank so I loved the setting . LOVED the mention of Porto's towards the end. That place ❤️
If u know , u know.
April 5, 2023
4 ⭐️
This is a very fun and fast thriller about old friends coming together because a friends that I thought was dead might not be *wink* *wink* ( I thought I was hilarious).
Are main characters a screenwriter so half of the book is told through screen plays retailing what happened in the past, which was an aspect that I’ve never seen in books but I love. The only downside is I was enjoying the past more than the present until a certain point. at the end of the book I was really into what was going on but at the beginning I did not care about the story as much.
No matter what this was still a book that I read in one day and I would recommend it for anyone asking for a recommendation for thrillers. I’m excited to read more from this author.
Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me too read this book early.
This is a very fun and fast thriller about old friends coming together because a friends that I thought was dead might not be *wink* *wink* ( I thought I was hilarious).
Are main characters a screenwriter so half of the book is told through screen plays retailing what happened in the past, which was an aspect that I’ve never seen in books but I love. The only downside is I was enjoying the past more than the present until a certain point. at the end of the book I was really into what was going on but at the beginning I did not care about the story as much.
No matter what this was still a book that I read in one day and I would recommend it for anyone asking for a recommendation for thrillers. I’m excited to read more from this author.
Thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for allowing me too read this book early.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2023
This is a great twisty (and twisted) thriller about five girlfriends and their trip 15 year ago to a family-owned winery where one of them ends up dead. Emily is now a screen writer who still mourns friend, Vanessa's death as it's surrounded by mysterious circumstances and the body was never recovered. So as she plans to capitalize by writing a screenplay, she revisits the past and the details slowly emerge as the novel alternates between past and present. Great suspense as themes of friendships, secrets, lies, and jealousies reveal themselves before the exhilarating conclusion! Couldn't read this one fast enough! Out in Sept.
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!
August 3, 2023
Did AI write this?
No offense to the he author, but this book was all the tropes tossed together and stirred into a story. I felt like I was reading mad libs.
Friendship reunion in an isolated locale?Check.
Everyone kinda hates and suspects each other?
Yup.
Something mysterious happened years ago and they are down to figure out wtf happened now?
You know it!
Add in a bunch of wine and whining from one dimensional characters and you've got this book.
No offense to the he author, but this book was all the tropes tossed together and stirred into a story. I felt like I was reading mad libs.
Friendship reunion in an isolated locale?Check.
Everyone kinda hates and suspects each other?
Yup.
Something mysterious happened years ago and they are down to figure out wtf happened now?
You know it!
Add in a bunch of wine and whining from one dimensional characters and you've got this book.
September 22, 2023
Scenes Of The Crime is an unexpected whirlwind thriller with layers of shocking twists and secrets which will have you reading non-stop until its jaw-dropping conclusion.
A group of friends who met in college years ago meet at the winery where one of them disappeared years ago on the anniversary of the mysterious death (disappearance) of their friend Vanessa Morales who was the bond that kept them together.
Emily Fischer knew Vanessa as her best friend. Her hazy memory of what happened the night she disappeared is the reason she convinces the women to revisit the place where something obviously occurred. But what? That night has haunted her for years.
But she also has another motive. She is a writer on a sitcom, and she knows she has more in her than writing for a silly show. She wants to attempt a screenplay about the weekend Vanessa went missing. She is sure if she can pull this off, she will have a hit on her hands.
The cast of characters at the winery this weekend, as well as the weekend of the disappearance are:
Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin. They both came from a very wealthy family, but when Vanessa’s parents die in a car crash, instead of embracing her the family treats her as an outsider. Britany got everything she wanted, including the winery when her grandparents died. Vanessa had to beg just to get tuition money. Spoiled and narcissistic, she enjoys taunting the others with what she has and looks down on them for what they don’t.
Paige, who is still friends with Brittany to this day is her puppy dog. She follows Brittany around and agrees with everything Brittany says, no matter what. She has no opinions of her own and waits for her friend to lead her.
Finally, there is Lydia who has had a difficult and challenging life. In college she was trying to pay for school and help her sick mother with her medical bills which were adding up due to all her treatments. As she looked for research jobs at school, Brittany somehow was always able to make it, so Lydia lost the job. Now, she barely participates in any conversations they have during this weekend.
Without Vanessa, these women hardly really know each other. Vanessa was truly the glue which held them all together and now without her things don’t seem to be going very smoothly. And then on the first night, items of Vanessa suddenly appear in the rooms of the women. Items she had on or saved before her disappearance.
What is going on?
Fear begins to take over the group. Why? Because they all seem to have secrets from back in the day. As we learn the history of each woman, it becomes clear Vanessa was not really who they thought she was, but neither were the other women.
And Emily’s screenplay which is dispersed throughout the story becomes invaluable to the reader. What is clear is that something terrible happened the night Vanessa disappeared. Was it one of them? Now if Emily could only find out what happened, she would have the ending she knows would be spectacular. Although it could cost her life.
What really happened to Vanessa?
Scenes of the Crime is filled with suspense, mystery and psychological torture. It immediately grabs you and its ending, a perfect ten.
Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #ScenesOfTheCrime #JillyGagnon for the advanced copy.
A group of friends who met in college years ago meet at the winery where one of them disappeared years ago on the anniversary of the mysterious death (disappearance) of their friend Vanessa Morales who was the bond that kept them together.
Emily Fischer knew Vanessa as her best friend. Her hazy memory of what happened the night she disappeared is the reason she convinces the women to revisit the place where something obviously occurred. But what? That night has haunted her for years.
But she also has another motive. She is a writer on a sitcom, and she knows she has more in her than writing for a silly show. She wants to attempt a screenplay about the weekend Vanessa went missing. She is sure if she can pull this off, she will have a hit on her hands.
The cast of characters at the winery this weekend, as well as the weekend of the disappearance are:
Brittany, Vanessa’s cousin. They both came from a very wealthy family, but when Vanessa’s parents die in a car crash, instead of embracing her the family treats her as an outsider. Britany got everything she wanted, including the winery when her grandparents died. Vanessa had to beg just to get tuition money. Spoiled and narcissistic, she enjoys taunting the others with what she has and looks down on them for what they don’t.
Paige, who is still friends with Brittany to this day is her puppy dog. She follows Brittany around and agrees with everything Brittany says, no matter what. She has no opinions of her own and waits for her friend to lead her.
Finally, there is Lydia who has had a difficult and challenging life. In college she was trying to pay for school and help her sick mother with her medical bills which were adding up due to all her treatments. As she looked for research jobs at school, Brittany somehow was always able to make it, so Lydia lost the job. Now, she barely participates in any conversations they have during this weekend.
Without Vanessa, these women hardly really know each other. Vanessa was truly the glue which held them all together and now without her things don’t seem to be going very smoothly. And then on the first night, items of Vanessa suddenly appear in the rooms of the women. Items she had on or saved before her disappearance.
What is going on?
Fear begins to take over the group. Why? Because they all seem to have secrets from back in the day. As we learn the history of each woman, it becomes clear Vanessa was not really who they thought she was, but neither were the other women.
And Emily’s screenplay which is dispersed throughout the story becomes invaluable to the reader. What is clear is that something terrible happened the night Vanessa disappeared. Was it one of them? Now if Emily could only find out what happened, she would have the ending she knows would be spectacular. Although it could cost her life.
What really happened to Vanessa?
Scenes of the Crime is filled with suspense, mystery and psychological torture. It immediately grabs you and its ending, a perfect ten.
Thank you #NetGalley #Bantam #ScenesOfTheCrime #JillyGagnon for the advanced copy.
July 18, 2023
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book had a very promising premise. A group of girlfriends get together again on a girl’s trip to get some closure on the disappearance of their friend years ago. However I felt like this one didn’t hit the mark for me.
To start of with the good, I thought the incorporation of the script to help piece together the events of the night of the disappearance was clever. Though, as it went on, it got very confusing to distinguish what was actually truth vs fiction, which may be what the author intended, but as a reader, it was frustrating.
All of the character’s motivations were all over the place and didn’t make sense. I started to lose sense of the plot around 50% in, and from there the book became hard to finish even though it is fairly short.
I also didn’t understand how these girls became friends to begin with. None of them had anything in common, nor supported each other on anything, so it was unbelievable that they would get together in the current timeline to go on a trip together. The toxicity of the friendships is a theme throughout the book, but it was too much for me to enjoy.
This book had a very promising premise. A group of girlfriends get together again on a girl’s trip to get some closure on the disappearance of their friend years ago. However I felt like this one didn’t hit the mark for me.
To start of with the good, I thought the incorporation of the script to help piece together the events of the night of the disappearance was clever. Though, as it went on, it got very confusing to distinguish what was actually truth vs fiction, which may be what the author intended, but as a reader, it was frustrating.
All of the character’s motivations were all over the place and didn’t make sense. I started to lose sense of the plot around 50% in, and from there the book became hard to finish even though it is fairly short.
I also didn’t understand how these girls became friends to begin with. None of them had anything in common, nor supported each other on anything, so it was unbelievable that they would get together in the current timeline to go on a trip together. The toxicity of the friendships is a theme throughout the book, but it was too much for me to enjoy.
October 3, 2023
Hard NO on this one. Flat, stereotyped characters with no personality other than snarky comments and yelling. A narrator who is not unreliable so much as she is untrustworthy. Weird scripted scenes that may be telling the story or may be just out of the narrator's head. A tedious repetitive first half that took me a month to get through, then a third of the book with characters confessing for no real reason and then many more pages of the characters re-confessing to others. The tired and ridiculous premise of four women who absolutely dislike each other coming together in a remote location to think about another woman who they also disliked. A confrontation scene that played out with two hysterical unreasonable women having a sort of catfight - I had to doublecheck if the author was a man, it was so immature and misogynistic. In the end, the idea that the main incident had happened 15 years ago felt unrealistic, I would have believed it more if it had been just a five year time period.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this one was really not for me and I cannot recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Unfortunately this one was really not for me and I cannot recommend it.
November 13, 2023
This was a good read with an unreliable narrator. It centers on Emily, whose friend Vanessa vanished without a trace during a girls weekend at a winery. 15 years later, Emily gets the girls back together to see if she can find out the truth so she can write a screenplay about it.
Nobody in this story was all that likable but that didn’t bother me. The toxicity of some female friendships is real and I thought the author captured the dynamic well. The story was told in both past and present times and also includes chapters from the screenplay where the reader gets to decide just how many liberties Emily is taking. The atmosphere was cool and creepy and there was tension throughout. I thought the ending worked well.
Overall, I thought this was a unique and enjoyable read and I’d recommend to those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Nobody in this story was all that likable but that didn’t bother me. The toxicity of some female friendships is real and I thought the author captured the dynamic well. The story was told in both past and present times and also includes chapters from the screenplay where the reader gets to decide just how many liberties Emily is taking. The atmosphere was cool and creepy and there was tension throughout. I thought the ending worked well.
Overall, I thought this was a unique and enjoyable read and I’d recommend to those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 1, 2024
Thanks to Random House Ballentine and Netgalley for this advanced copy!
I love a good locked room mystery and this one was a fun read. We find Emily Fischer in a coffee shop in Los Angeles when she spots Vanessa or is it her doppelgänger who vanished without a trace twenty years ago, and she may just be the last person to see her alive. She invites the same group of friends to a similar get together on a remote winery on the Oregon coast.
I enjoyed the premise of the story, and I really enjoy locked room mysteries, where I tried to guess who the murderer is. I enjoyed the Hollywood style storytelling and screen writing of the story. Enjoyable and a great weekend read for thriller fans.
I love a good locked room mystery and this one was a fun read. We find Emily Fischer in a coffee shop in Los Angeles when she spots Vanessa or is it her doppelgänger who vanished without a trace twenty years ago, and she may just be the last person to see her alive. She invites the same group of friends to a similar get together on a remote winery on the Oregon coast.
I enjoyed the premise of the story, and I really enjoy locked room mysteries, where I tried to guess who the murderer is. I enjoyed the Hollywood style storytelling and screen writing of the story. Enjoyable and a great weekend read for thriller fans.
September 4, 2023
This locked room mystery had so much potential but it was kinda meh.
Taking place at a winery 15 years after their mutual friend disappeared, a group of friends get together for closure, and to make sure nobody discovers their secrets about that night.
This story is told in dual timelines. The past timeline is set through a movie script - which was such a fun addition! However as much as I love mixed media, this confused me and took away from the reliability of the narrator. The mystery itself was engaging but honestly I’m still confused about the ending.
I think this was a good book and I had a great time with it, but it was a little too much going on for me.
Pub date: 9/5
This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Taking place at a winery 15 years after their mutual friend disappeared, a group of friends get together for closure, and to make sure nobody discovers their secrets about that night.
This story is told in dual timelines. The past timeline is set through a movie script - which was such a fun addition! However as much as I love mixed media, this confused me and took away from the reliability of the narrator. The mystery itself was engaging but honestly I’m still confused about the ending.
I think this was a good book and I had a great time with it, but it was a little too much going on for me.
Pub date: 9/5
This eARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
August 17, 2023
Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon Bantam Publishers PUB: 9/5/2013 2/5 stars
GENRES: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Locked Room
This is a book that tells the story of five college friends who really don’t like each other. Four of them return to the vineyard where fifteen years one of them disappeared/died/was killed. One of the four—Emily--plans to find out which of them was responsible for Vanessa’s undoing.
This is advertised as a locked-room mystery; however, it should be called a drunken weekend debacle. There are a lot of foggy brains and amnesia which are used to add to our suspicions of who dun-nit. Also, there are several plot holes, one of which made me think that the weekends should have taken place in the mid-1990s.
I wish I could be more positive, but I found this book to be a disappointment.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantom Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
GENRES: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller, Locked Room
This is a book that tells the story of five college friends who really don’t like each other. Four of them return to the vineyard where fifteen years one of them disappeared/died/was killed. One of the four—Emily--plans to find out which of them was responsible for Vanessa’s undoing.
This is advertised as a locked-room mystery; however, it should be called a drunken weekend debacle. There are a lot of foggy brains and amnesia which are used to add to our suspicions of who dun-nit. Also, there are several plot holes, one of which made me think that the weekends should have taken place in the mid-1990s.
I wish I could be more positive, but I found this book to be a disappointment.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantom Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.
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