Member Reviews
I will read anything that Karen McManus writes and will recommend them to my teens as well. This was another solid title!
I loved this book. One of Us Is Lying was such an amazing book that I knew I would love this authors next work, but I didn't know how much. As far as YA mysteries go this one is top notch. This was a read in one sitting, race to the end kind of book and that is stellar. It has a twist and boy did I love it.
Great suspense/mystery for teens! I would hand this to readers who enjoy books from April Henry, the Truly Devious series, or the Trouble is a Friend of Mine series.
Can I just start by saying that I will read anything this author writes. So far I've read all of Karen M. McManus's books as they come out and I love them. I love a good YA mystery, and hers certainly fit the bill. I love all the twists and turns. In Two Can Keep a Secret, twins Ellery and Ezra move back to their mom's home town to live with a grandma they've been estranged from. While there, they discover that their mom's twin was killed after becoming homecoming queen. Five years ago another girl was killed after being crowned homecoming queen. Now Ellery is nominated and the nominees are receiving threats and a girl goes missing. The twins try to find out what is really going on before another girl dies. So good!
Ominous and intense!
Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for the opportunity to read and review Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus!
Twins, Ellery and Ezra, travel to their Nana’s home to stay while their mother is in rehab. They’ve known about their aunt Sarah’s mysterious disappearance for a long time and when they get to Echo Ridge, they get more than they bargained for. Another young woman went missing five years ago and now new threats are popping up right before a new teen comes up missing. The story is ominous and becomes suspenseful when danger becomes reality. Endearing characters and a creepy killer sum up this book, 5 stars!
Echo Ridge is a town full of secrets; Sarah disappeared over 23 years ago, Lacey was found dead 6 years ago and now murderous threats are being made around town. Twins Ellery and Ezra are new in town. Ellery loves true crime stories and shows; can she figure out this who did it? Is the same person involved with both crimes and the murderous threats? Or are their three culprits? I loved how Ellery and her new friend Malcolm kept coming up with new theories, culprits and motives throughout.
Give this one to teens who are looking for a modern day murder mystery.
Two Can Keep a Secret
by Karen M. McManus
Read an Excerpt
Random House Children's
You Are Auto-Approved
Delacorte Press
Teens & YA
Pub Date 08 Jan 2019 | Archive Date 31 Jan 2021
When it comes to suspense, Karen McManus is in a league of her own. I love her books and recommend them to our patrons who like thrillers.
Thanks to Net Galley and Delacorte Press for providing me an ARC.
5 stars.
I didn't necessarily love this one - but I think fans of "One of Us is Lying" will enjoy this sophomore mystery from Karen M. McManus.
Loved the mystery! I did purchase this for my middle school library. Very popular with my older students.
A great YA mystery that will keeping you guessing and at the edge of your seat until the very end. The small town setting and spooky tone make this a great book to recommend or display for Halloween.
A very strong YA mystery, that was really fun to read. I liked the Halloween atmosphere and the small town setting. Perfect making for a creepy mystery. The characters were well written and developed, and I moved the siblings dynamic. Recommended!
A great mystery for HS teens who love twists and turns, characters that they can relate to and an unexpected twists.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Ellery and her twin brother don't know much about Echo Ridge, the town where her mother grew up. All they really know is that she couldn't wait to leave. Now with the start of her senior year looming, Ellery finds herself shipped off to live with her grandmother while her semi-famous mother goes to rehab. Living in a small town isn't high on her list of hopes and dreams, but from the few things that Ellery does know about Echo Ridge, it should be at least a little interesting.
This small town has deadly secrets...Ellery's aunt (twin sister of her mom Sadie), went missing during their senior year of high school and was never seen again. Fast forward, and a homecoming queen is found dead at the local amusement park.
Who stands accused of the murder of Lacey? Her boyfriend Declan. Nothing can ever be proved though, and Declan is run out of town leaving younger brother Malcolm to pick up the pieces. Malcolm is also starting his senior year, and things have gotten better for him and his mom. She remarried local attorney Peter, and he still can't get used to the fact that he basically lives in a mansion with his uber popular step sister, Katrin.
Malcolm and Ellery's stories quickly mesh as the pair find themselves with an instant connection and a passion for trying to figure out what is going on in Echo Ridge. The mystery evolves as Ellery finds herself entwined in the newest slew of murderous threats. With all the secrets Echo Ridge has, who really knows the truth?
I really enjoyed this book. I love true crime, and this was right up my alley. I enjoyed how it seamlessly went back and forth between Ellery and Malcolm's point of view, and the suspense and thrills were there from start to finish. I also like how McManus kept me guessing right up until the end! I highly recommend this book for people that enjoy thrillers, mystery, and true crime. I think it will hit all the right buttons for you!
I didn't really like this book as much as 'one of us is lying'. I felt like it was rather dry and very hard read. It lacked consistency and the power to keep the reader on edge.
Two Can Keep a Secret is an incredible follow up to One of Us is Lying. From the beginning the characters hooked my high school readers. I can’t wait to see what is next.
In Two Can Keep a Secret twins Ellery and Ezra are staying with their grandmother in Echo Ridge, while their mother is in rehab. Their mother's twin, a high school homecoming candidate, died there 17 years ago, the homecoming queen five years ago was murdered and now threats against the homecoming court have again surfaced. The twins are working at the Fright Farm, formerly known as Murderland, where the homecoming queen's corpse was found. Ellery, a true crime buff, is determined to solve the mysteries. The story is told in alternating chapters from the perspectives of Ellery and Malcolm, the younger brother of a man suspected of the five-year-old murder. This fast paced mystery is filled with red herrings and shocking twists that will keep readers turning pages until the satisfying conclusion, that reveals not only the murderer's identity and motivation, but other town secrets as well.
I had several eighth grade students read Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M.McManus in my ELA class. Some loved it, and some dreaded it finishing it. While I can side with the students who struggled to enjoy it, there were some pretty great moments along the ride. I really enjoyed McManus's first book, One of Us is Lying, and constantly found myself comparing Two Can Keep a Secret to it. I think that, along with my students who struggled with it, was the biggest challenge.
This is a decent YA mystery that is perfect for teens that want something a little bit creepy and a little bit thrilling.
Can anyone say WOW!!!
Not only did McManus fool me once but fooled me twice!!!
I thought I had it all figured out on who was the killer in One of Us is Lying and I thought the same for this gem of a book but I was all wrong again!!
I.am.dumbfounded.
McManus is truly a master of mystery and this book kept me hooked!
First off is the main character Ellery. Amateur sleuth but overall nice girl. She was a average character I would say but that doesn't really bother me since I rather have average than whiny. I also found her relationship with her mother intriguing from the start since she doesn't even call her mom, just Sadie. That gives off right away that their relationship was strained but Ellery and her twin Ezra took it pretty much in stride. As best as you could really when you are forced to move to a blip of a town with new people and as grandmother you barely know while your mom is in rehab. There's also the other main character Malcolm whose own perspective alternates with Ellery's. Another cute but also dorky guy and I appreciated that about him since he wasn't a cocky bag of dicks. His life was not so great either but he also did his best when you are forced to live with your now stepfamily while also dealing with the black stain that is your older brother.
For this book was all about murder, and Malcolm's brother Declan was a prime suspect since one of the victims was his girlfriend Lacy. Found strangled to death in a theme park called Murderland. I liked that little element of this tiny town having a twisted amusement park that Ellery and Ezra ended up working at. I honestly wish it tied in more to the other victim's deaths for more dramatic emphasis instead of Brooke being found in the middle of the woods outside of town and Sarah having no details since her body was never found. But still, don't really have complaints. I can't when this plot was so twisty and windy, revealing whammy after whammy of secrets revealed. For did I have any suspision of Peter Nelson, fuck no I didn't. There were signs but the author made sure to steer our attention away with a ton of red herrings and almost successful framing of Declan as the killer. It's just so good I can't help but rave and rave about it.
What was probably the best part was the cute romance between Malcolm and Ellery and the ending.
THAT is an ending I'm not going to soon forget with the reveal and also not reveal of what happened to Sarah. Why Ellery decided not to tell Malcolm, Ryan, or anyone really that Peter was also responsible for her aunt's death I do not know. But still my brain is still reeling with that last line of Peter saying "I thought she was your mother."
Anyway I am a huge fan of this author's work and can't wait for more. I also have to give kudos to the narrators since I listened to this in audio form and they did a great job. So go grab a copy or download this on audible you won't be sorry!!
A fast-paced YA mystery that is chock full of secrets both past and present, just the way I like 'em! Karen M. McManus has hit another one out of the park, and I will definitely read whatever she writes next.