Book Review :: Nothing More to Tell by Karen M McManus

Nothing More to Tell by Karen M. McManus
ISBN: 0241473683
Published by Penguin Publishing Group, Penguin Books
on 30 August 2022
Genres: Mystery, Young Adult
Pages: 358
Format: Paperback
Goodreads

Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened.

The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder. They've never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.

Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and as Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she begins to uncover secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.

Four years ago someone got away with murder. The most terrifying part is that they never left.

Last updated on 12 April 2023

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What is Nothing More To Tell by Karen M McManus about?

Nothing More To Tell by Karen M McManus is the story of Brynn, who, after leaving Saint Ambrose School a few years back, has returned to the area, and to the school. Back then, a teacher, Mr Larkin, was found dead in the woods behind the school, but the case remained unsolved. Now, as Brynn comes back to Saint Ambrose, she is determined to uncover the truth, especially now that she’s got an internship at a true-crime podcast.

“The world would be a better place if more people knew when to stop talking. Everyone says too much, all the time. Ask them a simple question, and they’ll give you their entire life story. No one cares! Just say yes or no.”

As Brynn delves into the past, she unearths secrets that could upend everything, including her perceptions of Saint Ambrose, Mr Larkin, and Tripp, her former best friend and one of the three students who found him dead. The investigation is sure to cause waves, and the most chilling aspect is that the killer is still at large, having evaded justice for four long years.

We follow Brynn as she and the other students at Saint Ambrose are flung back in time (okay but not like, literally) and the truth of what happened begins to come to light.

My thoughts on Nothing More To Tell

Having read all of Karen M McManus’ books, I have to say I’m getting very accustomed to her novels, her writing style, and her storylines. But even though I’m now so familiar, McManus still manages to entertain me. And Nothing More To Tell was no different.

Even though it took me about a month to read this (I picked it up at the time I did because I wanted ‘a nice quick read’ … and it would have been had I not been so horrendously busy and therefore too exhausted to keep my eyes open for reading), I did enjoy this one.

“I know that you can have the best intentions and still get the worst results.”

Like all her books, there are a plethora of characters, and I actually really liked Brynn and Tripp as the main leads in this one. Sure they were slightly annoying teenagers and they didn’t make the best decisions, but honestly? What teenager does? Don’t answer that.

The plot was a mixture of the present day, with Brynn trying to figure out what happened to Mr Larken four years ago and the whole case resurfacing, and also throwbacks to four years, and what Tripp and the others saw and heard. The pieces of the puzzle are drip fed to you, as you might expect, but done so in a way that means you can figure out what happens and who did what … but also leaves some room for surprises.

I’ve been reading for a long time. And I’ve read a lot of who-dun-its and mysteries, and most of the time I can pick out or ‘call’ a few things that happen in a book. McManus manages to still include details that I don’t see coming, so while there are always a couple of things I’ve worked out before the ‘big reveal’, there are other things that are so well done they come out of the blue.

Another great (and short) mystery from Karen M McManus! If you’ve read any of her other ones, then Nothing More to Tell is another entertaining book that’s of the same ilk.

If you’ve read Nothing More to Tell, what did you think?