Reviewer: Anuprova Bhowmik
Twins Ellery and Ezra Corcoran live an unstable life, moving from city to city due to their mother's troubles. However, once their mother gets in an awful car accident, she has to go into rehab, and the twins have to live with their grandmother in the small town of Echo Ridge, the town where her aunt went missing when she was 17. It's also the town where a beautiful homecoming queen was murdered five years ago. Both cases remain unresolved, and Ellery is determined to bring justice to both cases.
Malcolm Kelly is a senior at the local high school, and he has lived in Echo Ridge his whole life. However, he has a chilling connection to the murder of the homecoming queen: his brother was the prime suspect, and although he wasn't proven guilty, the rest of the town treated him as if he were. Their entire family was tarnished by the accusations, and they had to live under the radar to avoid scrutiny. However, that changed when his mom got married to Peter, one of the rich businessmen in town. Although they are still ostracized, they slowly start to get accepted again.
Soon after the Corcoran twins land in town, graffiti starts to pop up around town, threatening to kill the next homecoming queen. Malcolm keeps being at the wrong place at the wrong time, making him an easy suspect. Ellery initially suspects him, but after getting to know him better, she realizes that Malcolm is innocent. The two then team up and look for the clues that could help them prevent another cold-case. Will they succeed, or will they be the next victims?
Two Can Keep A Secret was an enticing novel with many unexpected plot twists that kept me engaged in the book. The story is narrated by Ellery and Malcolm, which allows readers to experience the story through two different sides and get a fuller understanding of the novel. I thought the pacing of this book was perfect, as it spent just enough time on the details while letting readers take the time to enjoy the writing. McManus' writing style is also wonderful, down to the very last sentence. The last sentence of this novel was absolutely perfect, providing a chilling turn in the events, even right at the end. Overall, this book was very well-written, and McManus has proven her abilities as a mystery writer once again after her popular debut novel, One of Us Is Lying.
Twins Ellery and Ezra Corcoran live an unstable life, moving from city to city due to their mother's troubles. However, once their mother gets in an awful car accident, she has to go into rehab, and the twins have to live with their grandmother in the small town of Echo Ridge, the town where her aunt went missing when she was 17. It's also the town where a beautiful homecoming queen was murdered five years ago. Both cases remain unresolved, and Ellery is determined to bring justice to both cases.Malcolm Kelly is a senior at the local high school, and he has lived in Echo Ridge his whole life. However, he has a chilling connection to the murder of the homecoming queen: his brother was the prime suspect, and although he wasn't proven guilty, the rest of the town treated him as if he were. Their entire family was tarnished by the accusations, and they had to live under the radar to avoid scrutiny. However, that changed when his mom got married to Peter, one of the rich businessmen in town. Although they are still ostracized, they slowly start to get accepted again.
Soon after the Corcoran twins land in town, graffiti starts to pop up around town, threatening to kill the next homecoming queen. Malcolm keeps being at the wrong place at the wrong time, making him an easy suspect. Ellery initially suspects him, but after getting to know him better, she realizes that Malcolm is innocent. The two then team up and look for the clues that could help them prevent another cold-case. Will they succeed, or will they be the next victims?
Two Can Keep A Secret was an enticing novel with many unexpected plot twists that kept me engaged in the book. The story is narrated by Ellery and Malcolm, which allows readers to experience the story through two different sides and get a fuller understanding of the novel. I thought the pacing of this book was perfect, as it spent just enough time on the details while letting readers take the time to enjoy the writing. McManus' writing style is also wonderful, down to the very last sentence. The last sentence of this novel was absolutely perfect, providing a chilling turn in the events, even right at the end. Overall, this book was very well-written, and McManus has proven her abilities as a mystery writer once again after her popular debut novel, One of Us Is Lying.
Nice review! I really liked your summary of the book since you were able to capture the basic premise/plot without spoiling any of the "unexpected plot twists." I also liked how you used questions like "will they succede, or will they be the next victims?" since it built up suspense and showed some of the 'mystery' within this novel. Two Can Keep A Secret sounds like a really interesting book and I'll definitely have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteThis review was interesting for me because my sister actually read and recommended One of Us Is Lying to me a while ago, which is the reason why although I haven't actually read One of Us Is Lying (heh), it has been on my "book radar" for quite a while.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I really liked your review. The summary caught my attention from the very beginning and kept me interested until the end. I especially liked how you were able to write your blog post and express your opinion on the book without spoiling anything huge about the book. You did a great job captivating the reader (namely, me). Your organization was on point as well - following the summary with an analysis and your personal opinion was a good way to tell the reader your impression of the book as well as support that impression with evidence from the book itself.
I think that I will be reading some McManus very soon in the future! :)
Love the review, felt like I was reading a professional summary. The review let each event flow into the next. By the end I felt like I had read the book myself. Your suspenseful writing was perfect. Your review at the end was very specific, but it hid spoilers or any actual events that happened in the book. Again, nice writing and I think I may read this when I get a chance.
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Your summary of the story was extremely interesting and you managed to capture the important parts of the story without spoiling anything for others who have not read the story yet. You followed the summary with some personal opinions that made me more interested in the book. I will definitely check out this story in the future!
ReplyDeleteI really liked your review, Anuprova! I especially enjoyed how you wrote your summary - it sounds very professional. You manage to keep a good balance of description and "hooks" for the reader, which maintaining a sublime lack of spoilers. You also used a lot of questions for the reader, which may seem to be an overused or overdramatic attention-getter, but is handled amazingly to truly create the effect of piquing the reader's interest. Thank you for this review!
ReplyDeleteYour descriptions make me want to start reading this book right away. I’m not a fan of long and wordy writing styles, McManus’ pacing and prose might be a good fit for me. You perfectly illustrate the aspects of mystery and suspense that make the book work. Great job!
ReplyDeleteFantastic review! I really like the way you described the book in a detailed yet concise manner. In your review, you portrayed the book in a really gripping and suspenseful manner, which is something I look for and enjoy when reading a book. Thanks for not spoiling it because I really want to read this now!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! I read Two Can Keep a Secret last year and also really enjoyed it. I don’t usually read mystery novels, but McManus’s writing style interested me as well. I had forgotten about this book until I read your review, and I’ll probably read some of McManus’s other novels now. Overall, your review flowed really well and perfectly summarized the book without giving away any details.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book. Your summary was nice and descriptive and yet didn't drag on. You gave your opinion with reasoning to back it up and examples. I haven't read many mystery novels but this could be an option. Was there anything wrong with this book? Thanks for the review!
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