This book follows Frankie, a fourteen year old girl who moves to Litani, MN in 1984 to live with her mother. Frankie quickly realizes that there is something sinister going on in the small town, as the locals seem cold and it always seems to be eerily quiet outside. As Frankie hunts for answers, she starts to unravel secrets from the past and realizes some include her family.

First off, the premise of this book is so interesting and unique it had me hooked right away wanting to find out more information. Secondly, the fact that this book is based on a true story is chilling! I enjoyed the humor the author sprinkled throughout the book and thought that the pictures added a fun twist. Lourey is excellent at creating an eerie atmosphere and building up suspense. I did feel as if for all the built up suspense the ending seemed a bit rushed. This book does contain disturbing content such as child sexual abuse and incest, so keep that in mind before reading it. Overall, I enjoyed the book and would definitely pick up another by Jess Lourey!

TW - pedophilia

I was laid low with food poisoning and in-between bouts of vomiting and bizarre dreams, I read this. It brought me back to being a young kid in the early/mid eighties and the memories of hearing about Satan worshippers in the local woods. It was a widespread panic in those days and this book brought those recollections back, big time.

This was slightly disturbing (I was concerned it might be too much, given the subject matter), kept my interest even while sick, and I was impressed with the author’s writing.

This was my first Jess Lourey book; it won’t be my last.


My thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advance reader copy of this novel. All opinions shared are influenced by nothing other than my own reading experience.

Another great read by Jess Lourey!! Although, "great" may not be the best terminology to use here in reference to the subject material. Based off of true events that occurred in "Litani" Minnesota during the early 80's, this story is bound to capture the attention of true crime lovers. I think most people are secretly or shamelessly drawn to these stories of real-life evil in our world. And this book did not disappoint. It was horrifying, captivating and down right chilling! I highly recommend this one!

Narrated by 14-year-old Frankie, new to the area, readers will get to experience small town evil through the eyes of a child. Not knowing who she can trust, even her own mother, makes this even more scary and heartbreaking. Determined to learn the truth behind the secrets of the town's past, Frankie finds herself caught up in a terrifying game. Who knew that Minnesota played host to such evil?!

The only negative comment I could make about this book would be that the plant descriptions bored me at first; however, once I progressed through the story, the plants became more interesting and a relevant detail to Frankie's character.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for allowing me advanced access to this DRC.

Published on Instagram @Tiffany_is_reading

I really like the premise of this story, but it just didn’t deliver for me. I liked Frankie as a character, but wasn’t sure what to think about anybody else. There was a lot of suspense, and then it just fell flat for me. It left me wanting a lot more.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author Jess Lourey, and the publisher Thomas & Mercer for this ARC.

Litani by Jess Lourey, was well written, had good character development, the writing flowed well, and i quite enjoyed the creepy atmosphere. I think this book had a lot of potential but I just wasn’t in love with the main character, the whole story being told from the perspective of a 14 year old. It made it feel to me as more of a young adult book instead of a thriller. I would recommend to those who like young adult/thriller genre and would definitely try more books by this author! Thanks again!

I liked this. The writing was swift and the pacing was great.

I had some issues with Frankie's characterization (she seemed, from scene to scene, to somehow be both too naive and way too mature for a fourteen year old), and I really wish the author's note were at the end, considering it spoiled the entire story, but I had fun reading this one.

I had high hopes for this book, as I enjoyed Lourey's Bloodline, but this one fell flat for me. The subject matter was definitely dark and uncomfortable at times and I found the plot predictable and the characters bland.

Not my favorite Jess Lourey book, as it was a bit too slow and predictable, but it was still an interesting (yet *very* dark) story. The subject matter definitely makes this her most disturbing one yet. I had no idea about the true crime story she based this book on (a small MN town with a secret child sex ring during the height of the “Satanic Panic” in the 80’s) & all in all, she did a great job creating a very creepy story from it. I look forward to seeing what she’ll write about next!

Thank you to the author & NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

• inspired by actual true crime events
• small town with big, terrifying secrets
• feisty teenage protagonist surrounded by a cast of *interesting* characters

I've also read Unspeakable Things and Bloodline by Jess Lourey which deal with similar themes of true crime and horror in rural Minnesota. While at times this was a tough book to read given the subject matter, it pulls you in and you'll want to stay up way past your bedtime to keep reading. I always look forward to her novels and this one was no exception! Thank you to NetGalley, @amazonpublishing Thomas & Mercer and Jess Lourey for the opportunity to read and review this book through digital arc. All opinions are honest and my own.

The characters were very interesting, and it was at times tough to read, because the reader wants to prevent the children in the story from being in danger. As I was reading, I appreciated the perspective through the child's eyes, rather than through the eyes of the adults in the story. The child took on a lot of responsibility toward taking care of her father. The author brought to light the fact that many times too much is asked of children. By centering the story through the child's eyes, the plot gave ultimately greater insight into the victims of crimes.

This book is suitable for adult readers; the subject matter is too disturbing and scary for teenagers. The fact that it was based on a true story made the plot more compelling. I would recommend this book to readers who are fans of mysteries and horror novels.

The setting in the 1980s felt factual and realistic. I enjoyed the playlist that the author included at the end of the novel.

This is one of those books that is definitely not for everyone, as I think it could be quite triggering for some. I am one that enjoys darker, disturbing books, but know not all do, so I would proceed with caution. It is very well written, with amazing character development, which really helps you become both attached to the story and characters. It’s quite intense reading, with some brutal themes surrounding the dark tale. I would highly recommend to those like me, who enjoy brutal, demented themed books!

Will make sure to buzz around and use top Amazon reviewer number on release!

Litani is a small Minnesota bedroom town with terrifying, deeply guarded secrets. This takes place in the 1980s when talk of satanic cults abounded. Teenager Frankie’s father dies and she is forced to move to Litani to live with the mother she barely knows. Once there, she is confronted by very strange occurrences, none of which make sense to her. As she seeks to find answers, evil in turn seeks her out and her life is suddenly in grave danger.

Jess Lourey’s writing is superb and this was a page-turner. I love how the author incorporates Frankie’s love of botany into the book by including pictures of people as certain plants which represent them. This gave a completely fresh take on character development and really worked well. Lourey is a new writer to me but I definitely look forward to reading her other books.

Goodreads

First — if you enjoyed this book via audiobook, you must sneak into a bookstore or library or get an ebook from a library system to experience Frankie’s Pick Your Plant Personality sketches. You can’t miss Mom the Wild Parsnip or Darlene the Dandelion or the final one.

I loved this book not only for its inclusion of botany in an atmospheric 80s setting that takes you into a fugue state of “Is this real?”, “What’s really going on?”, “Do people really believe that Satan worshipping pedophiles are among us?” (Newsflash from maligned Comet Pizza 40 years in the future — yep), but also for the ever changing, unpredictable narrative. Frankie reminds us that her dad says that weeds are really someone else’s flowers — and the characters alternate between seeming to be poisonous plants or medicinal herbs.

Set in Minnesota in the 80s, a prosecutor, Linda Jublilee, is considering if a case like the California McMartin preschool scandal (which ended after a decade with no convictions, but a lot of ruined lives) is happening in Litani, a town that seems cursed ever since a little boy drowned 30 years ago. Frankie is the prosecutor’s 14 year old daughter — dropped into the middle of the Litani mysteries after her dad, the botanist, dies in California, and she’s sent to live with her estranged lawyer mother.

On her first day in Litani, Frankie is beaten up by a mean girl gang of chain smoking ten year olds (yes, TEN) who steal her shoes while asking her if she’s “fresh meat” for “The Game” and is rescued by a perplexing teenage boy. From this point on, Frankie is caught up in what is The Game (always capitalized in her mind), how long has it been “played” in Litani, is it really a game or real life, and how are her parents’ past lives involved.

First impressions never last long in Litani, and what your initial interpretation of a character will change as you see the flower instead of the weed or vice versa.

4 solid stars — thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of Litani

Frankie's father has died, which means that the young teen has been sent away from their home in Pasadena, to live with her mom in the small Minnesota town of Litani.

She and her mom have never been close, which makes the move that much harder. But Frankie feels responsible for her father's death, so living with her closed-off mom is just part of the punishment she thinks she deserves.

As soon as she arrives, Frankie is warned about dark things in Litani. Within just a few days, she's heard about dead animals and missing kids. Worse than that, she's heard about The Game. And whatever The Game might be, she knows it's something to be afraid of.

As rumors of Satanic worship swirl around the small town, talk of Frankie's own father's past starts to make it's way to the girl. Frankie becomes determined to learn more about her family while also vowing to help make Litani safe for kids. But where does a fourteen year old start in an investigation that seemingly stumps the professionals?

Jess Lourey writes some incredibly disturbing stuff! In Litani, as with Unspeakable Things, the narrator is a young girl and it lends a wide-eyed innocence to the story that makes the content all that much more unsettling.

Frankie is fourteen and—except for one visit that ended badly—this is her first time in Litani. But it's the town where her mother and father grew up. The town where they met. The town their families are from. Everyone knows who Frankie is as soon as she arrives. And they know things about her family that even she is unaware of.

As soon becomes clear to Frankie, some very bad things are happening to the kids in Litani. But she doesn't quite understand what those bad things are. And because Frankie is young and has led a fairly sheltered life—not just because the story is set in 1984—she misses some of the hints about said bad things. Hints that the reader doesn't miss.

And I have to say that those things weigh heavy on your mind as you follow such a young main character through the narrative.

Lourey does offer a slightly older foil who tries to open Frankie's eyes to some of the things she's not seeing. I'd say it helps the reader as well, but I think most readers (especially those familiar with Lourey's books) don't really need the help.

Litani is not an easy read by way of theme. And it reminded me a lot of Clay McLeod Chapman's Whisper Down the Lane, in that it draws from the same fervor of the era and even mentions the very case the latter is based on.

I enjoy Lourey's work because it is so gripping. And also incredibly layered. Yes, this is a dark tale in more ways than one. But it's also got a young heroine who is determined to be just that—a heroine. She has her own suffering but she wants to save everyone around her. Her story is not an easy one to read but she's easily the girl next door in every sense of the phrase: you quite literally do not know what the people around you are going through.

Lourey is an absolute must read for me. If you can handle the darker aspects of real life, her thrillers are undeniably gripping and her talent is amazing!

3.5 stars

Oh, this is a tough read because of the themes and motifs, but it's well constructed and has some strong points, too. Any contemplative reader should REALLY think about their potential reactions to the subject matter. Even those who have a high tolerance for tough material and no personal connections will find this challenging to complete.

Frankie, the m.c., is 14 when her father dies; she leaves her long-term home with him in LA for her mother's house in Litani, Minnesota; and she becomes a resident in a town full of Satan worshipping pedophiles. It should be clear already why most readers will find some aspect of this tough to stomach. To add to Frankie's trauma, her mom is a disaster. She's a local prosecutor, and she is fulfilling this role much more effectively (and for the bulk of the novel, that is not well at all) than she is serving as Frankie's parent. Often, she is gone for long hours, leaves nearly inedible food for Frankie to prepare herself, and expresses no level of compassion for or connection to her daughter. It's easy to guess that Frankie's mom is struggling with her own demons, but it is very challenging to watch how her trauma impacts Frankie. At 14, Frankie is basically on her own in a town full of the worst of the worst, and this is all on the heels of her own grief and displacement.

Lourney's choice to make a 14-year-old the narrator of these horrifying events is both sickening to read and extremely compelling. The thought that Frankie shouldn't know about any of this never left me, but that's really the underlying point of so much of this content: that no child should ever have to be aware that sickos like this exist let alone be victimized by them. It's easy to turn away from this material, but when the narrator is younger than the target audience and stares unflinchingly into every painful detail, the reader has no choice but to do the same.

This is not an average mystery/thriller. It is relentless in its depiction of victimized children, and readers never escape the voices and experiences of these young characters. While this is a nicely evolved narrative and depiction of character growth, readers should be more mindful about their capacity for this content than in most circumstances.

TW: rape, sexual assault, molestation, incest, neglect - all of children

This title was a lot scarier than I thought when I first read the description. While I usually enjoy true crime genres this one fell flat for me and I really struggled to finish the book. I felt like it was missing something, while it was very dark, there was just something missing that could have really taken the story to new heights.

I really loved Bloodline by Jess Lourey, but unfortunately this one fell short for me. I felt like I had to suspend a lot of belief to get into this one. For instance, I don’t believe anyone would let a young girl canvas the town alone during a time like that. The book was quick to get through though, so I imagine others will enjoy this one.

WOW, great book. Kept me reading all day.
This book follows the events of the town of Litani, in the 80s. Sinister events seem to be taking place and secrets are everywhere. Story does get creepy at times, reminds us that bad things do really happen. Not for the faint of heart.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

For me, this writer can do no wrong. I eagerly await everything she dishes up and this book did not disappoint in the least. Brilliant, deeply disturbing, this became one of the best coming-of-age stories I have ever read. The story itself, taking place in the summer of 1984 in the small town of Litani, Minnesota, is based on actual events. Terrible, horrific events. I wondered throughout the entire book if Frankie, the young protagonist of the story, was the writer herself or someone she knew because this character is so well crafted and so knowable. As in all of this writers stories the plotting is so tight and the dialog so brilliant and believable. You will finish this book and you will understand that monsters do indeed exist and they are aways closer than we think. And you will be like me.....awaiting the next piece of brilliance from this true gem of a writer. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I remember the panic of the 80s and I must say, Jess Lourney captured that toxic, terrifying time perfectly in Litani. I've loved all her other works and can't wait to see what her amazingly creative mind thinks up next!