Two Can Keep a Secret
by Karen M. McManus
If you picked up a copy of Two Can Keep a Secret because you were a big fan of Pretty Little Liars and hoped the book would somehow pay homage to the exciting series, you’re not alone. It was a very clever title that no doubt ensured millions of sales from teen girls who missed their favorite series. However, just know that it has nothing to do with Rosewood High in setting, execution, or plot.
Karen M. McManus has a definite style, so if you liked her earlier books, you won’t be disappointed. All of her books are set in high school with misfit characters who are hiding secrets. When an unexpected murder removes one of their peers, they’re all under suspicion and must band together. She also always writes a hugely diverse cast, with different ethnicities and sexual orientations abounding. If that’s important to you, you’ll love her work; if you interpret it as checking off all the “hot topic” boxes, you might want to pick another mystery writer.
Two Can Keep a Secret has an interesting premise: boy-girl twins move in with their grandmother while their unfit mother is in rehab. Small town life is enough of an adjustment, but they also find it strange that no one wants to talk about the murder of a high school girl twenty years ago. And with a Halloween-themed amusement park in town, there are plenty of opportunities for creepiness and danger. The mystery and suspects are very well written, and I didn’t see any of the twists and turns coming before they happened (which is pretty rare). It’s an easy read that’s pretty exciting; check it out!
Karen M. McManus has a definite style, so if you liked her earlier books, you won’t be disappointed. All of her books are set in high school with misfit characters who are hiding secrets. When an unexpected murder removes one of their peers, they’re all under suspicion and must band together. She also always writes a hugely diverse cast, with different ethnicities and sexual orientations abounding. If that’s important to you, you’ll love her work; if you interpret it as checking off all the “hot topic” boxes, you might want to pick another mystery writer.
Two Can Keep a Secret has an interesting premise: boy-girl twins move in with their grandmother while their unfit mother is in rehab. Small town life is enough of an adjustment, but they also find it strange that no one wants to talk about the murder of a high school girl twenty years ago. And with a Halloween-themed amusement park in town, there are plenty of opportunities for creepiness and danger. The mystery and suspects are very well written, and I didn’t see any of the twists and turns coming before they happened (which is pretty rare). It’s an easy read that’s pretty exciting; check it out!