Information:
- Author: Ravena Guron
- Genre: Mystery, Thriller
- Page Count: 384
- Year published: 2023
Read This If You Like:
- Murder mysteries
- British novels
- Boarding school thrillers
- Books where every character has a secret
- Secret societies
- Interesting character naming choices
Spoiler-Free Summary:
Jess Choudhary is one of the only scholarship students at Heybuckle School, and is trying to stay out of trouble. But then Hugh Henry Van Boren, one of the most popular kids at Heybuckle, is found dead in the woods. Then she gets an anonymous text from an unknown number thanking her for the “inspiration”… as it turned out Hugh was murdered in the exact same way as a character in a short story written by Jess. Now at the center of the investigation, Jess sets off to solve Hugh’s murder, and finds more that she thought she would, including a secret society and students who all hold a secret.
Review/Opinions:
This was one of the best “hidden gem” novels I have found. Since it’s a British novel that doesn’t have a U.S edition yet, it took me forever to actually order a copy since I heard of the book. And I don’t regret waiting to get this book.
Jess was one of the best main characters I’ve ever read in a thriller novel. She was unique for her voice- her narration was very sarcastic and smart. But she was also great at solving Hugh’s murder, and had to deal with the challenges of being a scholarship student at an elite school where most of the students are rich and influential. The side characters were also amazing- while we don’t get to know much about Hugh, the other characters have a lot of depth to them, and I didn’t know who to trust, as all the characters had something to hide.
Heybuckle is also a well-thought out prep school. Its status as an elite academy helps to contribute to the character’s actions and highlights how Jess feels out of place for not having the same status as the other students. Plus, Heybuckle also has a secret society that plays a key part in the story.
The twists were another aspect of this book that was beautifully written. I couldn’t see many events coming, which is important for a good thriller, and This Book Kills knows that well. The actual murder reveal wasn’t as well thought out though, [REDACTED SPOILER] wouldn’t have been my first choice for the villain at the beginning of the story, but it became more obvious that it was them as the mystery wore on. Luckily, the twists before the reveal make up for this underwhelming reveal.
Overall, if you are looking for a fast paced, suspenseful thriller read, this is one of my favorites. It is lesser known and hard to find, but also has perfectly developed characters and mystery.
Update: The book will have a U.S edition! It’s available now for preorder and will be released in September 2024.
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