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Katie and Sophie start a true crime podcast to discuss the murder of, Lacey, 5 years ago. Lacey was murdered at a beach party that Katie was at, so it makes her close to the case. As they start interviewing old friends of Lacey's more evidence and secrets are brought to light. As the smoke from the bonfire spirals into the night sky and the cool drinks slip down our throats, none of us can take our eyes off Lacey. She dances in the dunes, her long golden hair damp from her late-night swim, her smile dazzling, her blue eyes closed. I love the concept of this book where the podcast was a cold case where two of the people on the podcast team knew the victim and were present at the time of her murder. As someone who has never actually listened to a podcast, it was interesting to see some of the process involved. I also liked the extenuating circumstances that made it very difficult to figure out who the killer was. More than that, the twists closer to the end of the book really caught me off guard, thus making this debut novel a truly riveting read. I will be longing for the next Amy Sheppard thriller which I read is well underway and again set in Corwall - hats off to this formidable talent in a crowded sector, where she is head a shoulders above at least 90% of the authors working within it. My other complaint was the leading character. Her excessive drinking (why is everyone a drunk these days???) was tiring and her constant self-deprecation and saying how she didn't compare to her friend/cohost was very grating. I also had a hard time believing these two girls solved a cold case in a week or two.
The 3 of them return to Cornwall and start poking around. Katie also does a lot of drinking and complaining about how fabulous Sophie is. The story is told primarily as it is happening, but occasionally they stop to "record a podcast episode" where they discuss the case or interview someone. Katie starts to uncover secrets about Lacey and Lacey's friend groups. No surprises here; cheating, affairs, pregnancies, more cheating, gross older men, etc. It is also revealed that several people didn't report the truth or share what they knew to the police; most all of them were motivated by protecting their own status and reputation. Gross. Eventually, Katie finds out who killed Lacey and why and is utterly gutted over it. Fortunately, she isn't like everyone else and does the right thing. Who would have thought our beach party could end the way it did? Close friends gathered on the last night of a long hot summer – which one of us could have killed the girl everybody loved?
Instead this is a superbly written multi layered murder mystery where all the characters are carefully constructed with real depth and so much interest. I was definitely surprised that this story actually ended up being mostly set five years after the event, and I didn't see the podcast angle coming either. I'm not sure why especially the true crime podcast wasn't mentioned in the blurb to be honest, because it seems like such an essential part of the plot in the first place. It certainly was the element I liked most about the story, along with the mystery around Lacey's death. There were a lot of suspects to keep you busy, although I have to confess that I did guess what happened long before it was revealed.
Sadly, the victim of that murder, Lacey, was at that party that was attended by several teens who were soon to go off to college. Most of them were friends since childhood, yet one of them was very likely was responsible for Lacey’s murder. This is especially the case because not all of this group of young people were friends. Throughout the book you witness the birth of the podcast, Katie telling Lacey’s (the girl who was murdered at age 19) sister Megan that they are starting this endeavor and thus trudging up a lot of the past and also experiencing the varying public opinions around the girls starting the Podcast endeavor.Sophie and Katie are best friends who start a podcast documenting the details of a murder of one of their acquaintances that took place surrounding a beach party when they were around age 19 in their small British town(along with their mutual friend Tom as podcast editor). First of all, the positives of the debut novel. The premise is good and it’s a great setting in Cornwall which is used effectively. I like the podcast element and this is done well with an air of mystery maintained until the end. The characterisation is okay although Sophie is probably the only one that is truly well fleshed out. I had fairly low expectations based on having been let down so many times by false advertising; books described as “unputdownable” or as “mysteries” or “grabs you and won’t let go” only to find that yet again you’ve been mislead. Katie and Sophie met at university whilst studying Journalism together in London. Sophie enjoys being more of a broadcaster whereas Katie enjoys writing. They combine their talents together to create a True Crime podcast called Small Town. They focus on the unsolved murder of nineteen-year-old Lacey Crew in Cornwall. Katie grew up in Cornwall and has inside knowledge surrounding the event that led to Lacey’s body being discovered. She was there – does she know something that she had forgotten? Can secrets stay buried forever?
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