Publishers Weekly
03/27/2023
In this drawn-out thriller by Richards (Seven Dirty Secrets), eight teenagers fight for their lives against a murderous assailant in a desolate shopping mall. Jo and her seven coworkers are busy celebrating their bittersweet last night working at Riverview Theaters, the sole remaining open business in their soon-to-be-renovated Ohio mall. But when Jo goes to retrieve her confiscated phone from their manager, she discovers a coworker’s recently murdered body. Suddenly, the lights go out and the mall’s doors are sealed from the outside, and with the group’s phones still locked in the theater’s safe, they’re forced to rely on their wits to survive until someone can call for help. Each of the teens has a secret, and as they’re hunted down, their secrets’ connection to the murderer’s motive slowly unfurls. The immediate reveal of the killer’s identity saps narrative tension, and gratuitous banter frequently stymies atmosphere. Nevertheless, Jo’s urgent-feeling first-person POV, interspersed with newspaper clippings and personal email exchanges, ably guides the plot, which teems with rich character interactions and propulsive action as slasher-flick ambiance takes over the nostalgic setting. Jo reads as white, and the supporting cast is racially diverse. Ages 14–up. Agent: Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary & Media. (May)
From the Publisher
"The tension is high, the fear tangible... A high-octane thriller that towards the end cannot be put down" — Youth Services Book Review
"[Four Found Dead] teems with rich character interactions and propulsive action as slasher-flick ambiance takes over the nostalgic setting." — Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
2023-02-25
It’s closing night for the Riverview Theater—and four employees will be found dead in the morning.
The eight people working that evening are finishing up their last shift before the Ohio mall is closed down and completely refurbished. Before leaving, they need to get their phones and keys from the manager’s safe, but this routine does not unfold as usual. Their manager, Clayton, is as harsh and angry as ever, but Jo gets the sense that something is wrong: It turns out he has brought a gun to work, concealed in his waistband. And then the lights go out, the panicked workers discover all the exits are locked or boarded over for construction prep, and everyone is trapped inside with no way out. Despite the promising setup, the story goes on for too long, with some chapters feeling like filler instead of propelling the action. Jo’s first-person narration is effectively supplemented with news clippings and emails. The book features supporting characters who are racially diverse and fairly well developed; protagonist Jo is a White girl whose personal history of trauma is slowly revealed. Given the title, it’s clear from the outset that half the major characters will not make it out alive, but the central mystery of why they die may be obvious early on to astute readers.
An overly long thriller. (Thriller. 14-18)
