The Book Bump

First published: 2023
Author: Sharhonda Exantus
Language: English
Genre: Mystery and Crime
My rating: 3/5

Everyone has secrets, only some are more dangerous than others.

At Kappa Theta Theta all systems are go as the sorority prepares to reveal their latest line sisters. However, tragedy strikes as one of the sisters, Miss Nia Bryant, is missing from the line up and nobody has seen or heard from her since the night before.

Detective Chris Evans and his partner must race against the clock as the chances  of finding the missing college student alive slip away.

The book is narrated by three characters: the detective in charge of the investigation, Chris Evans; Nia Bryant best friend Tori; and Evie, an old Kappa Theta Theta sorority member.

Having three points of view allows readers to gain more insight into the different aspects of the story. This is particularly helpful when you want to play detective yourself and try to find the culprit before the investigation ends.

As the story is told in first person narrative and the action and emotions are recounted in real time, the narration style is more telling than showing. The choice of the present tense adds tension to the build up, making the drama and emotions feel more real. However, since the drama unfolds from the very beginning, which is great to get readers hooked, it doesn’t necessarily allow readers to grow attached to the characters. It feels more like following the drama from afar, as if in a news bulletin, than side by side with the characters.

Unfortunately, the characters seemed a little flat. The author seemed to spend more time on the unfolding of the investigation than the growth of the characters. Readers get to know very little about Tori or her circle of friends outside of the investigation, which is a shame as they have the potential to be really great characters.

On occasion, some scenes seemed unrealistic given the circumstances. Some characters lacked empathy and behaved in u in a manner that seems shocking given the seriousness of the crime. I’m not suggesting that being victim of a crime gives you a free pass, but there is surely a time and a place to air the victim’s dirty laundry in front of their loved ones who are grieving. Some of the subplots were too obvious, and cliché.

A seasoned mystery/thriller reader, might figure out who the culprit is quite early on, but that doesn’t stop it from being an enjoyable read.

That being said, the novel is a great holiday read, a gripping and highly enjoyable mystery. It was fun to play detective alongside Chris Evans.

Overall it’s an intriguing story with good characters.

I would like to thank Reedsy for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.