A Long Stretch of Bad Days by Mindy McGinnis

“Lydia Chass doesn’t mind living in a small town; she just doesn’t want to die in one. A lifetime of hard work has put her on track to attend a prestigious journalism program and leave Henley behind—until a school error leaves her a credit short of graduating. Undeterred, Lydia has a plan to earn that credit: transform her listener-friendly local history podcast into a truth-telling exposé. She’ll investigate the Long Stretch of Bad Days: a week when Henley was hit by a tornado and a flash flood as well as its first—and only—murder, which remains unsolved.

But Lydia needs help to bring grit to the show. Bristal Jamison has a bad reputation and a foul mouth, but she also needs a credit to graduate. The unexpected partnership brings together the Chass family—a pillar of the community—and the rough-and-tumble Jamisons, with Bristal hoping to be the first in her family to graduate. Together, they dig into the town’s worst week, determined to solve the murder.

Their investigation unearths buried secrets: a hidden town brothel, lost family treasure, and a teen girl who disappeared. But the past is never far, and some don’t want it to see the light. As threats escalate, the girls have to uncover the truth before the dark history of Henley catches up with them.

This gripping mystery from award-winning author Mindy McGinnis shows the power of a name and one lie and how two girls can use their voices to change a town forever.” - taken from Goodreads

Social and academic opposites, Lydia Chass and Bristal Jamison are both in danger of not graduating due to the guidance counselor's mistake. Both girls are lacking a needed history credit. The two team up to use Lydia’s podcast to highlight the dark history of their small town known as The Long Stretch of Bad Days. The deeper the girls dig into the happenings of that week, the more the story turns darker. Can Lydia and Bristal survive once they uncover secrets that others want to keep buried?

I thoroughly enjoyed this story but the part I loved the most were the characters, especially Bristal and Lydia's mom who added those needed touches of humor in such a turbulent time.

Visit Mindy McGinnis’ website.

Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson (Truly Devious book 5)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first four books in the series, Stop! You may not know some of the past details revealed in the previous books.

“Senior year at Ellingham Academy for Stevie Bell isn’t going well. Her boyfriend, David, is studying in London. Her friends are obsessed with college applications. With the cold case of the century solved, Stevie is adrift. There is nothing to distract her from the questions pinging around her brain—questions about college, love, and life in general.

Relief comes when David invites Stevie and her friends to join him for study abroad, and his new friend Izzy introduces her to a double-murder cold case. In 1995, nine friends from Cambridge University went to a country house and played a drunken game of hide-and-seek. Two were found in the woodshed the next day, murdered with an ax.

The case was assumed to be a burglary gone wrong, but one of the remaining seven saw something she can’t explain. This was no break-in. Someone’s lying about what happened in the woodshed.

Seven suspects. Two murders. One killer still playing a deadly game.” - taken from Goodreads.

This was an interesting installment in the Truly Devious series. With David studying in London, Stevie and her friends concoct a plan to study abroad so that she can visit David. Upon arrival, they meet one of David’s friends, Izzy, who wants Stevie’s help to solve the murders of two of her aunt’s college roommates. Blindsiding her aunt Angela with Stevie’s arrival, Izzy panics when Angela disappears. Begging for Stevie’s help, it’s not long before she is on the case. Told between flashbacks to June 1995 and the present, can Stevie solve this latest mystery that she has stumbled upon before she needs to leave for Ellingham?

Visit Maureen Johnson’s website.

Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holy Jackson (A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder book 2)

 

SPOILER ALERT! If you haven’t read the first book in the series, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, Stop! I don’t want to ruin the story for you.

“Pip is "not" a detective anymore.

With the help of Ravi Singh, she released a true-crime podcast about the murder case they solved together last year. The podcast has gone viral, yet Pip insists her investigating days are behind her.

But she will have to break that promise when someone she knows goes missing. Jamie Reynolds has disappeared, on the very same night the town hosted a memorial for the sixth-year anniversary of the deaths of Andie Bell and Sal Singh.

The police won't do anything about it. And if they won't look for Jamie then Pip will, uncovering more of her town's dark secrets along the way... and this time "everyone" is listening. But will she find him before it's too late?” - taken from Goodreads.com

Pip solved the mystery surrounding the death of Andi Bell and Sal Singh. It has brought her both good and bad notoriety. After completing a podcast about the case and the following court trials related to it, Pip is a bit of a celebrity. Although she wants nothing more to do with solving missing person cases, Pip soon finds herself at the heart of another disappearance when the police refuse to investigate. Toll through a current-day narrative and Pippa's podcast, readers will soon find themselves immersed in another case.