Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus Review

True crime can leave a false trail.

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favourite teacher. The case was never solved, but she's sure that the three kids who found Mr. Larkin's body know more than they're telling, especially her ex-best friend Tripp Talbot. He's definitely hiding something.

When Brynn gets an internship working on a popular true-crime show, she decides to investigate what really happened that day in the woods. But the further she dives into the past, the more secrets she finds.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. Now it's time to uncover the truth . . .

General Impressions

"Nothing More to Tell" might be my favourite Karen M. McManus book so far and proof of that is that after reading this I got such a hunger for YA thrillers, I read all of her other books and spent the entire month of September reading other moody/ fall appropriate books. That kind of thing had never happened to me before.

I started this book as a palate cleanser between bigger, heavier books with the expectation that this author would not disappoint and she didn't. Unlike other books by the author and perhaps because of the true-crime fever, we are now in the middle of, the main character in this book is part of a true crime investigation that has little to do with her from the start and is in it for her professional future alone, or at least, that's how she starts.

I have mentioned before in my reviews for her previous book that more than the mystery what I enjoy most about Karen's books is the importance she places on a diverse cast and the attention to class and privilege she always displays without ever typecasting her characters, tackling some very difficult themes with care through them.

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and wanted to know who did it I think what made this book the best Macmanus for me was the romance (the height difference people!): I was rooting for these two characters from the beginning and the way that they find their way to each other and communicate was a wonderful thing to see in a YA novel.

Reading a new McManus for me is always a wonderful experience because I get to watch her improve at her craft from novel to novel and this was a wonderful one because there were plot twists after plot twists. I truly never knew what was going to happen next, suspected everyone (and I mean EVERYONE at different points) and really enjoyed where we left these characters. Like always, I can barely wait for the next McManus book

Thank you to Penguin Random House UK for kindly sending me a proof copy.

Rating: 4.5/5