ELLIE MARNEY
(Book 1 of None Shall Sleep)
Synopsis:
A psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.
In 1982, two teenagers—serial killer survivor Emma Lewis and US Marshal candidate Travis Bell—are recruited by the FBI to interview convicted juvenile killers and provide insight and advice on cold cases. From the start, Emma and Travis develop a quick friendship, gaining information from juvenile murderers that even the FBI can't crack.
But when the team is called in to give advice on an active case—a serial killer who exclusively hunts teenagers—things begin to unravel. Working against the clock, they must turn to one of the country's most notorious incarcerated murderers for help: teenage sociopath Simon Gutmunsson.
Despite Travis's objections, Emma becomes the conduit between Simon and the FBI team. But while Simon seems to be giving them the information they need to save lives, he's an expert manipulator playing a very long game...and he has his sights set on Emma.
Content:
Language: Use of minor swear words, semi-frequent uses of stronger language ("f" and "s")
Violence: Mentions of gruesome murders, descriptions of blood and bodies, some description of a character's past experience as a serial killer survivor, stabbings, manipulation, brief discussion of sexual violence, some disturbing interactions with serial killers, and other similar instances and interactions.
Sex: none in a romantic way, but there are some mentions of sexual crimes.
LGBTQ: Not present
My Review: I was super excited for this one, and I am so glad I finally got around to it! I had some issues with it, such as the third person x present tense combo, but I was able to ignore it for most of the time.
I was so anxious to get back to this book and figure out what was going to happen next, but there is an issue in the book that I am still unsure how to feel about. For most of the book, the reader actually knows who the killer is. It just wasn't what I expected going into it, so I'm not sure what to think about the choice.