I did my part, BFF. Now it’s your turn.
Seventeen-year-old film noir fan Neve Lanier is a girl who just wants to be seen, but doesn’t really fit in anywhere. When Neve is betrayed by her best friend, Yasmin, at the end of the school year, she heads off to a girl’s empowerment camp feeling like no one will ever love her again. So when she grabs the attention of the beautiful, charismatic Diane, she falls right under her spell, and may accidentally promise to murder Diane’s predatory step-brother, Javier, in exchange for Diane murdering Yasmin. But that was just a joke…right?
Wrong. When Yasmin turns up dead, Diane comes calling, attempting to blackmail Neve into murdering Javier. Stalling for time, Neve pretends to go along with Diane’s plan until she can find a way out that doesn't involve homicide. But as she gets to know Javier – and falls for him – she realizes that everything Diane told her is a lie. Even worse, she discovers that Yasmin probably wasn't Diane's first victim. And unless Neve can stop her, she won't be the last.
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I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in in way compensated for this review.
Gretchen McNeil returns with her latest YA thriller, Dig Two Graves and it was exactly what I was hoping for from my favorite thriller author! McNeil's YA thrillers have always been nothing short of amazing! They are so bone-chilling and twisted that you better pay close attention or you might miss a vital clue! That these are YA books should never deter the thriller reader because there is something so spectacular about the YA level in these books as they present a new kind of challenge to the story. Needless to say, that McNeil has once again hit the nail on the head with this one!
First off, though I know a few good Hitchcock movies, I'll admit that I have not seen much of any classic film Noir movies. I'm vaguely familiar with some, but pretty much by name only. So if those movies' plots held any hints as to how this book would turn out, I pretty much went in blind on that factor. But it was kind of fun though since I basically had no clue what to expect and I positively love that factor when reading a mystery!
Neve has had a rough go of it lately. Just a few months ago, her best friend betrayed her in order to get close with the "in-crowd." She deceived Neve and threw her under the proverbial bus in order to make her rise to "fame." So naturally, Neve is feeling a bit bitter this summer and when her grandmother and mother force her into going to an empowerment camp for teenage girls, she's only putting up with it since her grandmother promises to help with college funds for Neve in the following fall. Since her father left his job after having a breakdown.
It turns out, the camp wasn't so bad. Neve made a few friends even. Her roommate Inara was a little cold at first, but they ended things rather amicably. But Neve grew the closest to Diane, a girl who just totally got her. And as it turned out, Diane was dealing with her own emotional turmoil as well. The girls bond on their last night of camp commiserating over the betrayals they have suffered at the hands of their perpetrators. Diane was dealing with a very over-friendly stepbrother who won't leave her alone. In a hormone induced rush, Diane suggest that she will kill Neve's ex-best friend, Jasmin, if she would kill her predatory stepbrother, Javier. Neve giggly agrees.
Then we transition into fall and Neve walks into school seeing everyone crying. It turns out Jasmin is dead...killed in her own bed. And everyone is giving Neve dirty looks since they all knew of the fallout between them the year before. Now Neve is the police's #1 suspect. To make matters worse, she received a text message from an unknown number telling her now it's her turn. *cue the dun-dun-DUNNNN music*
This book was totally chilling! The idea of the Strangers on a Train style murder is just a chilling sort. Actually killing someone you don't know for another person is terrifying, but I guess that's what makes it the perfect murder, perhaps? Naturally, Neve isn't really the girl who could easily kill someone nor want to. It's purely something you say you'll do in a fit of rage, but it's forgotten about later on. Neve knows she's dealing with a killer with Diane. If she doesn't do as Diane demands, then things will get worse. Diane already has a contingency plan in place; if Neve refuses to kill her stepbrother then evidence will be found that links Neve's father is the murderer, given his mental breakdown some months back.
Now Neve is racing against the clock trying to find some way to incriminate Diane and also make it look like she's trying to kill Javier, the lecherous stepbrother. Except, Neve is realizing that everything Diane said he did was a lie. He's actually a rather nice guy and Neve can't help but feel conflicting emotions about him. Neve is only now coming to realize she's bisexual since her unrequited feelings for her first best friend blew up in her face and her instincts about Diane blew up in her face. She's had a rough go of it in the romance department lately, but luckily, this book isn't about the romance. True, there is definitely some sort of connection forming between Neve and Javier, but Neve isn't sure what to do about it. She's not the best in social situations which I totally relate to! Lol.
Things only continue to get more dire for Neve and her family as evidence continues to pile up that supports Neve's father is the murderer despite Neve knowing better. Sadly, the police aren't too willing to take hearsay from a teenager as viable evidence. Luckily, Neve's roommate from camp is more willing to help her out than anyone else.
This mystery reveal really blew me away. Again, I'm not sure if answers were hidden in some old movie that I am unaware of, but I have to say while I briefly thought I knew what was going on, I was totally wrong. There's always a certain victory to guessing the whodunit right, but I have to say, I'm not at all upset when I get it wrong, because the author was able to totally fool me and I have to give them props for that when it happens. Kudos, McNeil! I do love a good twisted ending that I was not able to see coming. That definitely happened here!
Though if you read McNeil's other books, you know what kind of ending to expect. It's honestly the best kind of ending too! I love it when things turn out like the way they did in this epilogue! I won't say anything more than that either! If you're looking for an exceedingly good mystery that will have you on the edge of your seat and theorizing what will happen next by this devious femme fatale than Dig Two Graves is the read for you!
Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Gretchen McNeil is the author of #MurderTrending, #MurderFunding, #NoEscape, I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl, Possess, 3:59, Relic, and Ten which was adapted as the Lifetime original movie Ten: Murder Island in 2017, as well as Get Even and Get Dirty, adapted as the series "Get Even" which is currently streaming worldwide on BBC iPlayer and Netflix. You can find her online at www.GretchenMcNeil.com, on Instagram @Gretchen_McNeil, and on Twitter @GretchenMcNeil.
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Giveaway Details: 1 winner will receive a finished copy of DIG TWO GRAVES, US Only.
Tour Schedule:
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5/31/2022 |
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