by Eliza Clark
HarperCollins, 2023. 304 pages. Fiction
Nearly 10 years after 16-year-old Joan Wilson was set on fire by three other schoolgirls, journalist Alec Z. Carelli has written the definitive account of the crime, drawn from interviews with witnesses and family members, historical research and correspondence with the killers themselves. But how much of the story is true?
Both a critique of the true crime industry and an indulgence in it, Penance is a fascinating read. The author presents the novel as a nonfiction account of a ruthless teenage murder. Despite the book introducing Carelli, the fictional journalist, as an unreliable narrator from the start, many aspects of the story feel so realistic! Allusions to true crime cases and other real-life horrors are plentiful. The journalistic approach kept me engaged even when the dark subject matter made me squirm. If you spent a lot of time on the internet in the 2010s, you might find Clark's portrayal of teens online eerily familiar. Though it may not be for those who prefer lighthearted whodunits, Penance is clever and unflinching-- perfect for fans of psychological thrillers.
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by Ella Berman
Berkley, 2023. 369 pages. Fiction
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer spent in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of having any involvement in their friend Evangeline's death. But that didn't stop the media from ripping apart their teenage lives like vultures. While the girls were never convicted, Joni, ever the opportunist, capitalized on her newfound infamy to become a motivational speaker. Bess, on the other hand, resolved to make her life as small and controlled as possible so she wouldn't risk losing everything all over again. And it almost worked. . . Except now Joni is tangled up in a crime eerily similar to that one fateful night in Greece. And when she asks Bess to come back to LA to support her, Bess has a decision to make. Is it finally time to face up to what happened that night, exposing herself as the young woman she once was and maybe still is? And what happens if she doesn't like what she finds?
by Rebecca Makkai
Viking, 2023. 438 pages. Fiction
A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past--the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia's death and the conviction of the school's athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers--needs--to let sleeping dogs lie. But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn't as much of an outsider at Granby as she'd thought--if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
by Jessica Knoll
Simon & Schuster, 2015. 341 pages. Fiction
Grooming herself for an ideal life involving a successful career and a happy marriage, a rising young journalist confronts a violent episode from her past that threatens to unravel everything she has worked to achieve.
RP
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