*Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Books for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 7/10 (4/5 on Goodreads)
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
Blurb from Goodreads, Bookshop, etc:
When her favorite true crime podcast host goes missing, an adrift young woman sets out to investigate and plunges headfirst into the wild backcountry of Northern California and her own dangerous obsession.
Sera loves true crime podcasts. They give her a sense of control in a world where women just like her disappear daily. She’s sure they are preparing her for something. So when Rachel, her favorite podcast host, goes missing, Sera knows it’s time to act. Rachel has always taught her to trust her instincts.Sera follows the clues hidden in the episodes to an isolated ranch outside Rachel’s small hometown to begin her search. She’s convinced her investigation will make Rachel so proud. But the more Sera digs into this unfamiliar world, the more off things start to feel. Because Rachel is not the first woman to vanish from the ranch, and she won’t be the last…Rachel did try to warn her.
Review:
This book felt like a slow burn of despair, but I was hooked the entire time! Fans of true crime, particularly fans of True Crime podcasts will find similarities in themselves with Sera Fleece and will be sucked into her world of trying to find Rachel, the host of the podcast, Murder She Spoke. Side note: I wish this were a real podcast especially after author, Eliza Jane Brazier, posted a mock clip of the podcast on her Instagram. An interesting aspect of this novel, is that it’s told in second person in that Sera is talking to Rachel and addresses her as “you” to refer to her often. I think it’s rare to find a book that does this well but Brazier nails it. I will admit that I figured out the ending pretty quickly and I think others may too, but that didn’t make this any less of an engaging read. Additional note, the cover of this novel is amazing.
Book stats:
Musings by Michelle 