The Murder Hypothesis

LoveReading4Kids Says

From the author of Four Good Liars, we have another gripping psychological thriller. Narrated by Grace, who has been uprooted from her life in London ‘ for her own good’. A ‘fresh start’ in rural Devon is what her dad is seeking for them both after an unspecified trauma involving Grace. Accompanying them is the adorable Shelby, an equally traumatised dog, passionately devoted to Grace, as she is to him.

It is apparent that Grace’s mental health is not good and on one of her sleepless nights, the smart speaker in the kitchen of their rental property suddenly starts issuing death threats and spooky noises. When it happens again the next night, Grace realises the speaker has been pre-programmed and surmises that the threat was aimed at a previous owner. When she starts to investigate, Grace uncovers four mysterious accidental deaths in this quiet rural village, and all have some connection to this device.

Grace is a science ‘nerd’ and treats the deaths like a science experiment, gathering evidence and testing her hypothesis that one of the deaths was in fact a murder and her notes and the Venn diagrams scattered through the book give it an unusual STEM flavour. In addition, the reader is always trying to work out the mystery of Grace herself and her back story. The depiction of her mental health issues and PTSD is sensitively handled and feel authentic. Add in a tentative slow building romance with local boy Jem, brother of one of the accidental death victims, and there is plenty to keep readers frantically turning pages. There are plot twists and turns aplenty, some genuine peril and flawed, believable characters.

Another winner to appeal to all the murder mystery fans!

Joy Court

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