Karen M. Mcmanus’s books were everywhere during the year 2019; it was on every booktuber/ book reviewers’ list of books to be read or reviewed. Many of the feedbacks were positive, so I felt compelled to add this to my wish-listed books. But, the thing about books waiting its turn to be read is, they wait forever.
Fast forward to 2020, when time equates to boredom (since the majority of us has ample time on our hands now), one of her books -One Of Us is Lying - which is her award-winning debut novel that is in the works of being turned into a TV-series, coincidentally appeared in the recommended section of the website I scour for my next read. The name seemed familiar, and the plot synopsis was intriguing, so I wondered, Heck, why not?
Little did I know, that it took me only three days to ravish the novel.
The book is good. But today is not the day I talk about that. I’m here to review her second book, Two Can Keep A Secret.
The Story:
The story begins with narration from one of our protagonists, Ellery, who has a twin brother, Ezra. They are en-route to the town where their mother was born and raised in, Echo Ridge. Right off the bat, the novel insinuates how Echo Ridge is not like any other quiet, forgotten town. The author does not linger or hesitate in her storytelling, as an incident happens almost immediately when their grandmother and her neighbour fetches them from the airport to the quaint, little town.
As with Karen M. Mcmanus’s maiden book, the plot unfolds by way of several narrations of the author’s choosing. In her first book, we get four protagonists, each telling their side of the story. First- time readers would feel lost, since each new chapter means that a different character takes over the storytelling. Once you are accustomed to this style of narration, though, it is easy to navigate the story.
Two Can Keep A Secret has two voices helming the direction of the story; the female protagonist, Ellery, a pale-faced girl with loud,red hair with a penchant for mystery; and the male protagonist, Malcolm, who is the sibling to a suspect in a grisly crime that happened five years prior to the current story. It is worthy to note that Malcolm’s brother’s reputation was never truly cleared, and the whole town is almost sure that he committed the evil deed. Through our young main characters, we see the story with alternating accounts, each describing the mysterious and confounding events that happen after the twins’ arrival at the mystery-laden town.
As if the unsolved crime of a murder that took place five years hitherto wasn’t puzzling enough, the author decides to cook things up by also adding in the mystery of Ellery’s aunt, Sarah, who went missing twenty years earlier in this very town. Ellery, who is already a mystery novel addict, finds herself poking into the mystery of her aunt’s disappearance as well as the five-year-old death of the high-schooler.
Despite having a first person point of view with alternating protagonists, it is easy to discern the distinct personality of each character. The author does an amazing job at constructing the characters in the story to be well-defined individuals, each with underlying motives . This is one of the reasons how easily, as a reader, you ease into reading as the plot unravels, despite it being told from multiple points of view. It could feel a lot, especially when each protagonist rolls out their own issues and dilemmas in each chapter.
Who Might Like This?
The book is clearly a whodunit type of mystery novel, with the clear goal of pinpointing who our murderer truly is in the end. However, the author cleverly inserts several twists throughout the story, including one you won’t see coming. This would be a fantastic entry-level read for murder-mystery beginners for its easy- to-manoeuvre style of writing and high school setting; nevertheless, long-time mystery novel enthusiasts might find this an intriguing read as well. Karen M. Mcmanus has that charismatic way of putting words together that makes an incident that much more riveting. No wonder this had a popular crowd of readers last year.
What’s Missing?
But no book is without its faults. Despite the fact that Ellery is hinted to be “joined at the hip” with her twin brother, Ezra, the author does not seem to make any attempts at including him in major plot events, altogether pushing him aside in favour of other minor characters. I would have loved to see the author explore their twin relationship more, and not just mention him in passing to remind readers of the existence of such a character. Ezra could have been the emotional support Ellery needed during times of duress, or been a pivotal character in certain situations. Sadly, he was neither of those in the book.
But, hold your horses! The mystery doesn’t end in this book. There are actually some clues scattered throughout the story that don’t add up, which makes one anticipate if a second book is in the making.
Conclusion:
In a nutshell, Two Can Keep A Secret is a book that is worthy of its popularity and definitely one that you’ll find yourself reading from its first page to the last in a single sitting. You will find yourself delving headfirst into the spiralling mysteries of Echo Ridge. Before long, you might just realize, like Ellery does, how these chilling occurrences seem to revolve around her aunt’s disappearance, twenty years prior…
Rating: 8.5/10
If you have read the story, tell me what you think, in the comments section down below. Let’s discuss!
(*Disclaimer: All views expressed on this site are my own.)
Rating System:
1- I would not recommend it.
2-I disliked it. Someone else might like it.
3- I managed to finish it, but…
4 - Something feels missing.
5- It was alright.
6- It was pretty okay. It could have been a 7, though.
7- It was good!
8- Great! I recommend it.
9 - Awesome! Highly Recommended!
10 - Absolutely Perfect! You must read this
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