School Library Journal Review
Gr 7 Up--Seventeen-year-old Piper Gray's interest is piqued when she helps a boy corral his wayward dog while she is visiting Skyline Cemetery. Piper is new to the town of Firview and is adjusting to moving in with her dad, stepmom, and two young stepbrothers. The boy she helps turns out to be a senior at North High--just like Piper. She discovers his name is Jonas, and there is something mysterious from his past that has caused his limp. He seems a little standoffish until Piper is paired with him to create a podcast-themed senior passion project. Piper is fascinated with Layla Trello, a 17-year-old who disappeared from a Halloween party 17 years ago in their small Oregon town. Layla's murdered body turned up two weeks later, but no one has ever been charged with the crime. As Jonas guides her in successful podcasting skills, he relaxes around Piper. Their friendship blossoms, and they peel back the layers of grief they have endured. The plot is an engaging mingling of twists and turns that will keep readers absorbed until the end. Not only will the fast pace keep readers invested but the characters are multidimensional and fascinating. VERDICT This podcast-themed fusion of mystery and suspense that will arouse readers' curiosity to the nail-biting end.--Julie Shatterly
Publisher's Weekly Review
Henry (Two Truths and a Lie) questions the ethics of true crime as entertainment in this tightly twisted thriller. Seventeen-year-old transfer student Piper Gray, a murder podcast enthusiast, attains notoriety at North High when she starts her own podcast about the unsolved murder of teenage Layla Trello, who was found dead in the nearby woods 17 years ago. Determined to crack the cold case, Piper enlists classmate Jonas Shortridge to help investigate. As the inquiry gains traction and suspects reemerge, Piper receives an anonymous demand--"Stop this podcast about Layla Trello. You don't want to end up like her"--prompting Piper and Jonas to believe the murderer is listening. Henry's socially aware prose, interspersed with podcast transcripts and newspaper clippings, deftly depicts Piper's altruistic commitment to justice for Layla alongside her critique of the perfect-victim myth ("Her disappearance and death attracted the kind of attention you probably wouldn't get if you were poor, disabled, older, homeless, or not white"). Sections read, at times, like a "how-to" guide for podcasting, but red herrings, dramatic cliff-hangers, and a growing body count keep the plot suspenseful. Major characters cue as white. Ages 12--up. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, Wendy Schmalz Agency. (Mar.)
Booklist Review
In Henry's latest engrossing mystery, Piper Gray is a true-crime enthusiast with a hunger for investigating unresolved mysteries. After learning of the unsolved case of Layla Trello from more than 17 years earlier, she starts a podcast and digs into the story. The podcast is the distraction she needs, especially after her mother's recent death, which which led her to move to the same place where Layla's murder occurred. Piper's new project leads to a sudden rise in her popularity at school, which makes her suspicious of trusting anyone, and the suspense ratchets up when she starts receiving eerie death threats meant to stop her work. Readers will be kept guessing throughout, but they will stay grounded through Piper--especially her struggles and her passion for gory stories--as her podcast grows in popularity and people are reintroduced to the cold case. The pages fly by until a final reveal that will leave readers questioning everything they thought they knew about the story.
