Publishers Weekly
08/03/2020
Ever since she escaped from and helped to apprehend serial killer Daniel Huxton, Ohio State freshman Emma Lewis has kept her hair buzzed and her running shoes laced. When FBI agent Ed Cooper arrives to recruit her for a behavioral science unit, he offers her myriad benefits in exchange for interviewing juvenile serial offenders with a partner, 18-year-old Travis Bell, son of a U.S. Marshal killed by a serial offender. As Cooper hits a wall with an ongoing investigation—a string of teen murders in Pennsylvania by “the Butcher”—he pushes Emma to speak with Simon Gutmunsson, the artistic serial murderer responsible for Travis’s father’s death. Simon, intrigued by Emma’s prickly demeanor and traumatic history, tries to pull her out of her shell; Emma, learning Simon’s sensibilities and interest in the Burkean sublime, realizes that he may be the key to identifying the Butcher. Marney (Circus of Arts) has created a thrilling cat-and-mouse story in this taut, Silence of the Lambs–like thriller, which employs a teen behavioral psychologist’s trauma and resilience against a gripping, dangerous puzzle. While the propulsive investigation takes center stage, Marney also skillfully creates engaging and complex characters as well as a budding romance that tenderly juxtaposes the overarching plot. Ages 14–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
"A YA Silence of the Lambs that blew me away with its daring premise, gripped me with its twists and turns, and kept me up all night until its stunning conclusion. Ellie Marney brings the serial killer thriller to YA with riveting suspense and sizzling style. Don't read this book in the dark!"—C.S. Pacat, USA Today bestselling author of Fence
"...The tightly plotted story moves inexorably forward with shocking twists. Vivid, chilling, and important."—Kirkus Reviews
"Marney (Circus of Arts) has created a thrilling cat-and-mouse story in this taut, Silence of the Lambs-like thriller.... Marney also skillfully creates engaging and complex characters as well as a budding romance that tenderly juxtaposes the overarching plot."—Publishers Weekly
School Library Journal
07/01/2020
Gr 9 Up—Emma Lewis, a 17-year-old survivor of a violent abduction, has just been recruited by the FBI to join an elite unit tasked with creating profiles of teenage serial killers. Emma leaves her quiet town in Ohio for Quantico, VA, to join Travis Bell, another recruit, in an attempt to interview incarcerated offenders and gain insight into what made them kill. As Emma begins to interview a highly dangerous serial murderer, news of a new killer becomes known. Emma and Travis lend their knowledge to the hunt for the "butcher" and become wrapped up in the progressing investigation. While the concept is exciting and there is quite a bit of action, the narrative in this book is lacking. The speed at which Emma is recruited and joins the FBI, and is subsequently trusted as an agent is too unbelievable. VERDICT An ambitious undertaking that doesn't quite hit the mark. Not recommended for purchase.—Maryjean Riou, Hunterdon County Lib., Flemington, NJ
Kirkus Reviews
2020-06-15
Two 18-year-olds with traumatic pasts become entangled in a high-stakes manhunt for a serial killer targeting teenagers.
Emma Lewis isn’t your average psychology undergrad (and not just because she has a buzz cut). Two and a half years ago, she escaped a serial killer’s clutches and then helped the authorities apprehend him. Now a student at Ohio State, she’s been recruited for her unique qualifications by an agent in the FBI’s Behavioral Science department to spend the summer interviewing juvenile offenders. Alongside trainee Travis Bell, whose late father was killed while apprehending one of their subjects, Emma reluctantly ventures into the minds of teenage killers—and must confront her own past when one of the subjects offers unexpected insight into the motives of a new killer known as the Butcher. Set in the early 1980s, narrated in present tense, and told through Emma’s perspective as well as others’ (including the Butcher’s), the tightly plotted story moves inexorably forward with shocking twists alongside clear, applicable descriptions of the cognitive behavioral strategies Emma uses to navigate her PTSD. The narrative is critical of law enforcement work, emphasizing its psychological toll, and the '80s cultural references are handled with a light touch. Emma is white while Travis is cued as biracial (Mexican American and white); although most secondary characters appear white, two key figures are people of color.
Vivid, chilling, and important. (author's note) (Fiction. 13-18)
