Little Threats by Emily Schultz
Actual Rating: 3.5
*Thanks to Netgalley for a free e-copy in exchange for an honest review.*
A whodunnit that takes place fifteen years later promises to be two things: tragic and nerve-wracking.
Little Threats is a mystery that kicks off in 2008, after Kennedy Wynn is released from prison for murdering her best friend Haley over a love triangle — a night she remembers nothing of. After fifteen long years, her twin has grown distant as she secretly dates Haley’s brother, her father is obsessed with putting the past behind them, the boy she crushed on fifteen years ago is sneaking into her house and making threats, and Haley’s mother is bent on revenge and still convinced of Kennedy’s guilt. When a crime show host comes into town and starts digging up the past, Kennedy’s memory starts to return, new evidence surfaces, and everyone starts becoming a suspect.
The plot for this started off really interesting and I was really invested in reading about the dynamics between characters, especially as Kennedy was just returning home. For me, I think my interest in the plot waned a bit because there didn’t seem to be a very active plot for Kennedy or any of the characters in terms of finding out what had happened years ago. Only the crime show people were actively asking questions and we didn’t hear much from them — I think I was really hoping we’d get to know more about the mystery from Kennedy’s perspective, maybe her figuring out what had happened and looking for clues or talking to people.
The characters were okay; I do have to say that I think Kennedy was pretty much the only perspective I cared about; her twin sister and her boyfriend never really got the character development I wanted them to, and it gradually felt like the book was adding so many new characters in an attempt to increase the number of suspects, whereas it would’ve been much more effective to flesh out the backstories of the few characters they had.
The writing style was pretty good overall; I liked the descriptiveness of different scenes and settings, and I definitely got the “grunge nostalgia” feeling. Ultimately, I still think this is a good read in the adult fiction genre; I’d consider it mystery, but not necessary thriller or suspense.
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