Review--The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard

 

From New York Times bestselling author Susan Dennard comes The Executioners Three, a mystery filled with rivalry, romance, best friends, and a gruesome curse that dates back centuries.

Freddie Gellar didn't mean to get half the rival high school arrested. She’d simply heard shrieks coming from the woods, so she’d called the cops like any good human would do. How was she supposed to know it was just kids partying?

Except the next day, a body is found. And while the local sheriff might call it suicide, Freddie's instincts tell her otherwise. So, like the aspiring sleuth (and true X-Files aficionado) she is, Freddie sets out to prove there's a murderer at large.

But her investigation is quickly disrupted by the rivalry between her school and the school of the partying teens she got arrested. For more than twenty years, the two student bodies have had an ongoing prank war, and Freddie's failed attempt at Good Samaritanism has upped the ante. Worse, the clever--and gorgeous--leader of the rival prank squad has set his sights on Freddie.

As more pranks unfurl, more bodies also start piling up in the forest. But it's the supernatural warning signs around town, each plucked straight from an old forgotten poem called "The Executioners Three," that worry Freddie the most. She knows the poem and its blood curse can't be real, but she's quickly running out of time to prove it.

Because the murderer--or executioners?--knows she's onto them now, and their next target just might be Freddie.

Susan Dennard's The Executioners Three is the 90s murder-mystery-rom-com you didn't know you needed! This book was a wild and delightful ride that honestly feels like the best of the 90s and would make an incredible 90s movie too! Never fear, if the 90s weren't a decade you were familiar with, Susan sets the scene very well in this murderous supernatural mystery that had me eating up the pages!

Having been a child in the 90s I truly loved every moment of this book! From the *NSYNC vs Backstreet Boys debate, to the rising internet and the classic ringtones of ye olden days...this book was nostalgia on a stick for me! And it was just delightful! Freddie is easily someone I would've been friends with as she's just a whole heartedly good person, with a good sense of humor too! I loved her wit and, naturally, she has a bit of knack for solving mysteries!

There were quite a few 90s references made throughout this one with the aforementioned boy bands, and The X-Files and a few other tech references too! It's just so wild seeing this as a "dated" kind of decade now. I mean, I guess if American Girl made a historic doll from the 90s, it is well and truly in the past! Lol.

I feel like this book also pulled in the themes and styles of good 90s thrillers and rom-coms as well. I can't say much for the thriller/horror movie vibes as i was and still am terrified to watch those. I have an overactive imagination and I can't forget a scary thing once I see it. I still see flashbacks of nightmares from the time I was "forced" to watch a Freddy Kreuger movie at a young age.

The story has a very chilly, eerie kind of setting since it takes place during fall in a small town. Rival high schools, an upcoming Halloween festival, and a long ago ghost story that seems to becoming to life once more. There's also a very Scooby Doo sort of essence happening here, but whether the monsters or real or bad guys in a mask won't be revealed until the very end...and even then you will be questioning yourself.

I did really enjoy the mystery aspect to this one. It was perhaps a little slow going. Something weird would happen, then Freddie would want to investigate it and then there's real life interruptions and whatnot, so I can get where it might not be everyone's thing. But I guess since I'm already a fangirl of Dennard, I knew the buildup and waiting would be worth it...and it so was!

Dennard, for me, has always had a knack for writing an enjoyable romance! I love the slow build-up, the enemies-to-lovers vibes she has been known to go with. Freddie and Theo start out as enemies but it's not long before the sparks begin to fly and we move into friendlier territory! I'm pretty much always a sucker for the enemies-to-lovers scenario!

I have to say I really did enjoy the mystery part of this book. It was spooky and eerie and it really rocked those Scooby Doo vibes! I loved not knowing if things were really supernatural or not. It just brought back all those nostalgic feels I had as a kid watching the cartoon show! Lol. 

I guess the one thing that presented a wee bit of confusion was the big historic thing that was the onset for a lot of this mystery's drive. I mean, I grasped it enough, but at the same time there were moments where I fumbled with the puzzle pieces and wasn't quite sure where they were meant to go. It wasn't enough to totally detract me from the story, but it caused a noticeable hiccup. But this is likely just a me thing.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one! Freddie was just a lovable heroine, I loved her passion for the truth and the love she had for her bestie. The passion she had for *NSYNC and Lance Bass...lol, it was truly a delight!

If you're looking for a spooky read this fall with a good mystery, amazing characters, and a 90s rom-com romance, than The Executioners Three is the read for you! This is book is 90s nostalgia perfection and I give it two thumbs up Siskel and Ebert style!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars