Goodreads

Release date: February 6, 2024

Publisher: Minotaur

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

What if everything you know about the worst night of your life turns out not to be true?

Nine years ago, with the world’s eyes on her, Charlie Colbert fled. The press and the police called Charlie a “witness” to the nightmarish events at her elite graduate school on Christmas Eve—events known to the public as “Scarlet Christmas”—though Charlie knows she was much more than that. 

Now, Charlie has meticulously rebuilt her life: She’s the editor-in-chief of a major magazine, engaged to the golden child of the publishing industry, and hell-bent on never, ever letting her guard down again. But when a buzzy film made by one of Charlie’s former classmates threatens to shatter everything she’s worked for, Charlie realizes how much she’s changed in nine years. Now, she’s not going to let anything—not even the people she once loved most—get in her way.

Review:

I absolutely adore when I read a great debut but I’m always a little more impressed when said debut is a mystery/thriller. There’s something so impressive to me about an author having the ability to craft not only a gripping story but one that is well executed and has the right amount of reveals and turns to keep the pacing perfect. Bonus points for twists that make sense and strong writing, all of which I found in this one!

While I personally found the pacing to be appropriate for a thriller, there are arguments to be made that this could qualify as a slow burn. Details about the horrific night that changed Charlie’s life are revealed very slowly but I thought the author did a great job of spoon feeding enough information to keep me pretty satisfied. The ending was a tiny bit underwhelming but was still a very worthwhile read for me and I will definitely be excited to see what this new author does next.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.