The Amateurs
Sara Shepard
Disney-Hyperion, 2016
Hardback edition, 307 pages.
Trigger Warnings: Murder, Drugs, Alcohol
About the Author: New York Times best-selling author of the acclaimed series Pretty Little Liars (my favorite series ever), Sara Shepard has always been seen writing. Living with her husband and dogs on the outskirts of Philadelphia, Shepard has been making a comeback with her recent YA series, including The Amateurs.
“If I changed my mind about you, he said silently to the waitress’s back, you would plead for your life, and I’d just laugh.”
With a creepy twist, this young adult novel ends with a revelation that you will not see coming.
One afternoon as snow falls like dancing angels receding from the sky, Aerin’s sister Helena goes missing and ends up dead in a park five-years later. For the anniversary of her sister’s disappearance and with the case coming up dry, Aerin reaches out to an online website called “Case Not Closed,” a website for unsolved murders waiting to be solved by amateur detectives. Aerin connects with four other teenagers; Brett, Seneca, Madison and Maddox, who are willing to help solve this mystery, and begins to realize her sister wasn’t so innocent.
As the crime solving group of teenagers get closer to unraveling the truth, things get dangerous. With Seneca’s room being torched and Brett being hit in the head by a masked figure, you cannot help but feel a little frightened.
Shepard keeps you guessing who the killer is throughout the whole novel. When you think you know who it is… surprise! You’re wrong. Leaving the book on a cliff hanger, Shepard keeps the reader guessing who the killer’s next victim will be. For those who are a fan of Scooby Do or enjoy novels with awesome crime fighting teenagers, this novel is perfect.
PRR Writer, Elizabeth McCormick
