4 I Didn't See That Coming Stars

Ellery and her twin brother arrive at their mother's hometown of Echo Ridge in a hail storm to discover a body on the road - a local high school teacher victim of a hit and run. That welcome was merely the beginning. The twins quickly find their new home is seeped in secrets, disappearing girls and murder. It all began with the disappearance of their mother's twin sister on Homecoming Night. Her disappearance may have remained unsolved but its effects ran deep both within their family and the community at large.

Fast forward 5 years and another Homecoming Queen, Lacey goes missing and ends up dead. Now, the twins find themselves in the middle of yet another mystery when the town in besieged with bloody messages, broken dolls and other ominous threats to members of the current Homecoming Court. Are all these events related? What evil lurks in Echo Ridge?

I was a huge fan of McManus' first book, One of Us is Lying so I had high expectations for her second novel. While I found this one engaging I definitely wasn't as blown away as I was with the first book. Still, it was a fun read. Echo Ridge and its inhabitants were interesting, creepy and felt like a guilty pleasure to read about. It seems like everyone had some skeletons hidden in their closet which added to the whodunnit aspect. I kept going round and round, changing my mind on who the "bad guy" was and speculating on their motive. I was a bit underwhelmed by the reveal but I think I just wanted/expected a bit more after One of Us is Lying. My mind had certainly come up with a few outlandish theories that I was hoping would be correct!

All in all, a strong sophomore effort by Karen McManus. I look forward to seeing what else she comes up with. Keep it BIG Karen - you know how to do that well!