Two can keep a secret by Karen M. McManus

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Penguin Books, 2019. ISBN: 9780141375656.
(Age: 15+) Recommended. Themes: Mystery, Diversity. McManus shows a masterly hand at the mystery genre with this easy to read, dark tale of secrets in a small town. Ellery and her twin brother Ezra return to Echo Ridge to live with their grandmother, after their mother was sent to rehab for driving into a jewellery shop. It is the town where their aunt went missing years ago and where a Homecoming Queen was murdered. No one knows what happened to these girls and it has affected everyone in the town, especially Malcolm whose older brother was the prime suspect. When his brother returns to town and another girl disappears Ellery and Malcolm know that they have to unravel the secrets in the town.
This is a gripping murder mystery which kept me guessing until the end about who committed the murders and what the motivation could possibly be. Narrated in two voices, that of Ellery and Malcolm, the author gradually informs the reader about the past mysteries, while increasing the tension about the present disappearance and who might be behind it.
Fans of McManus' first book One of us is lying and fans of the mystery genre like me will find much to love about this book. The suspense builds up very effectively, there are some very scary moments, the characters portrayed are believable and the tension lasts until the very end.
Pat Pledger

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