The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan is a new standalone suspense novel. Lucas Vega has decided to make his senior capstone project a podcast to uncover the truth of a unsolved cold case involving one of the sorority sister’s murder at his own university. Lucas finds it harder than expected to get anyone to open up but with the assistance of former US Marshall Regan Merritt the case gets blown wide open in unexpected and dangerous ways.


This story combined two things I enjoy tremendously, podcasts and true crime. I found the formatting around the episodes to be a unique approach to presenting the information but tedious at the same time because there was so much recap between the characters uncovering a lead and then having it included on a podcast episode. The story moved in a non-linear timeline that felt jarring. The mystery itself kept me interested as it unraveled even if I did feel like I was reading the same thing over and over. The action picked up substantially keeping the reader engaged and concerned about the main characters Lucas and Regan. I did appreciate that the mystery had layers that were uncovered through thorough investigation and took turns that I wasn’t expecting.


3 stars for a mystery that shows the past can always come back to haunt you.

"A popular sorority girl. An unsolved murder. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions.

Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found after two weeks, but the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.

Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn't sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace's last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise.

New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace's secret life, a much darker picture than Lucas imagined - and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own secret. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast - before the killer silences him forever."

Sororities were created solely for murder mysteries and the horror genre. Throw in a podcast, and well, I'm a happy reader.

The incorporation of a true-crime podcast into the story was such a brilliant idea! In my opinion, it made the story so much more thrilling.

The story starts with a prominent sorority girl’s disappearance and eventual murder. Candace left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found two weeks later, but the case grew cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested. Lucas decides to start a podcast in order to possibly gain information on Candance’s death. He teams up with Reagan, who is a former US Marshal and has experience in missing persons cases.

With the podcast listeners giving their recollection of events at the time of Candace’s disappeared the web of lies start to unravel.
This book was fantastic! I was hooked from start to finish! There were constant misdirection’s and shocking discoveries, very unpredictable.

I really loved Reagan’s character. I doubt this will become a series, but I would absolutely read another book that included Reagan’s character! I believe there’s more to uncover with her, and her past. Overall great story and great writing! Highly recommend.

I really enjoyed this book, the podcast angle really brought the story to life. I really loved following Lucas as he is trying to solve the murder of Candace Swain.. Three years ago Candace was last seen after leaving a sorority party, and found dead over a week later.. As Lucas and Regan begin their journey using the podcast to ask people for help solving this crime, secrets are uncovered, and some of the witnesses that come forward end up dead.. This podcast has uncovered so much more than they thought and it has put everyone who is involved in danger.
The story was a more of a slowburn mystery at least in the beginning.. Once the big things begin to be revealed the pace really picks up..
Lucas and Regan really take their time building their case amd asking people questions to try and put all the puzzle pieces together. It really makes you feel like your apart of their investigation..
Im really hoping that this is the beginnin of a new series, I would love to see Regan with the help of her father solve some more cold cases!

This is a good thriller but it is also a little predictable.

Regan has just quit being a US marshal following the death of her son when she's introduced to Lucas, a graduating student who's started a podcast. He needs her help organizing the investigation of the death of another student years before, and she might just agree to it, even though she feels there's more in his motivation than mere curiosity or wanting to use the project as his capstone.

3+.

When I look back at the story there was a good number of plot twists and they were indeed interesting. I like the plot as a whole. The problem was the execution, and one of the reasons may sound weird: I think this writer was too organized. Because of how perfectly laid out the story was, it became easy to guess the culprit, the reason, and a lot more. It also made both Regan and Lucas not very easy to like, because I was seeing through the process, which caused me not to see them as characters anymore but tools to the writer. I don't think I'm a smart reader, so I'm sure this story is predictable.

That aside, I could still enjoy it. I really wish I had been surprised, fooled and all, it's supposed to be a mystery, but the story itself, the death of the student, everything that came before it and that happens while Lucas and Regan go on with the podcast, I think it was also worth reading. Unfortunately, it all just lacked the punch it could have. I can't compare to other books by Allison Brennan, being my first by her, but I would read more from her.

As a true crime podcast fan, I am loving the way the story was woven with a podcast.
Candace Swain left a party and never returned. Found dead a few weeks later, Candace turned into another cold case.
When a podcaster takes on the story of Candace’s murder, new theories come to light. As does the true motive of the podcast.

Of this author I've read so far about 4 of her books and out of those books I would say this one might just be my favorite, loved the slow pace of it because it helped bring the story line too life, the characters which showed their strengths and weaknesses, especially the podcast aspect of it and how will the author did that part, plus other thing I loved was the family 's love they had for each other. As for the story itself it was ,a chilling story that will have readers turning the pages to solve the case as well as show the reader you don't will knew a person as well as you think you do.

Three years ago, Candace Swain left a sorority party. Two weeks later, her body was found. Three years after her murder, forensics senior Lucas Vega is obsessed with the cold case. He starts a podcast to try and turn up fresh leads, and enlists the help of Regan Merritt, a former US Marshal, guest lecturer and university alum. But things grow more complicated as a key witness turns up dead, Candace's secrets are uncovered, and a deeper mystery emerges.

The exposition and setup at the beginning are a little infodump-y and repetitive. If I learn the same information in two different scenes, in what amounts to the same exact way, one of the scenes is redundant. The plot is slow to get started, and honestly remains fairly slow through most of the book (it does pick up considerably at the end) but as more clues turned up, I got more interested in the mystery. The book is still not what I’d call fast-paced, but it’s entertaining to watch the pieces of the mystery come together.

Overall it’s a decent book, but I wish it had been more compelling. I was in the mood for a fast-paced thriller, and I didn't find one in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this book in return for an honest review. Allison Brennan is one of my favorite authors. I have loved everything I have read from her. This book was just like her others with a great mystery and twist. I loved the podcast angle where they were searching for clues to a cold case that someone didn't want solved. This book would make a great series. This is one not to miss.

I really enjoyed reading this.

Lucas is a senior in college and is doing his capstone project as a podcast. He's studying criminal justice and he picked a local cold case. Candace was murdered three years earlier. She was a sorority sister and there was only one suspect, a local homeless man. Candace was someone who helped everyone, but she was keeping a secret that was eating at her. Lucas saw Candace the night she went missing. He found out that she was alive for a week before her body was found and that she wasn't killed there. It was just a body dump spot, likely to confuse authorities. Lucas was sure that a severe alcoholic, like the homeless suspect, couldn't think enough to plan this out. Also, where was Candace during the week she was missing? Why didn't people see or talk to her? She wasn't being held captive because she had been eating and had no restraint marks. Lucas wants to solve this case, but he has his own personal motives, too. He believes Candace knew or was a part of another crime and that got her killed.

Regan is an ex marshal that moved back to be near her family in Arizona after her son was killed. Lucas's professor recommended that she talk to him and maybe help out with his podcast. At first, Regan wasn't that interested. She was still grieving her son's loss and was getting divorced. But this case full of secrets pulled her in and she decided to help. Something must have been working because another person ended up dead and Lucas was getting threats. Regan was sure that the killer was following the podcast and was still local.

This was fast paced and I had a hard time putting it down.

I gave this book 4 1/2 stars rounded up to 5 on Goodreads.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.

This is ,I hope, the start of a new series by Allison Brennan. I liked Regan, a former US Marshal, a lot. This story starts as a young man, Lucas, doing a podcast to try and solve the murder of a classmate. As the story progresses, it's actually about more than that. I really enjoyed this and do hope we see more of Regan. I thank Netgalley for the advanced copy.

So I am a huge true-crime podcast lover and these books that use a podcast as a way to work through the story and crime I am really enjoying!
Let's start at the beginning. A very popular Sorority girl is murdered. Candace was at a sorority house party and when she left that night she was never seen alive again. Two weeks after that night her body was found. That was three years ago, now her murder is a cold case.
Lucas is a forensics major and he is interning at the medical examiner's office. He is also obsessed with Candance's murder. While originally the suspect was a homeless drunk man he has not been seen since her murder, so that is kind of a dead-end there. While interning at the medical examiner's office Lucas finds some new information, however, when he goes to the police they really aren't interested in the information. Knowing that he has quite a bit of pieces of the puzzle Lucas decides to create a podcast that goes over the last hours of Candace's life. He soon pairs up with Reagan and she was a US Marshal so she can share her expertise in this case. Now, his listeners start sharing information and this leads to another case as well. you
I loved this book! I was hooked by the first chapter. So, I was guessing and trying to work out who the villain was and I felt like I was going in circles over and over but it was soo good! If you love shows like law and order or are fans of Karen Slaughter then this should be your next read! It was soo good! I also really enjoyed the mystery and the suspense that was built up in the book until the very dramatic reveal!
Thank you Netgalley and Mira for the opportunity to read and review this one!

She was at the party, and now she is dead.

Who saw Candace when she left the party after an argument three years ago ?

Where was Candace for a week before they found her in the lake?

Candace was a popular sorority sister, and the publicity for the sorority with the re-opening of this case through podcasts is not what they wanted.

Many sorority members were nervous when, Lucas, a friend of Candace’s started podcasts to try to get people to remember that night in hopes that after three years new clues would surface and help find her killer.

There was only one suspect the police looked at, and this homeless man was seen disappearing the same day they found Candace's body, and he still hasn’t been found.

When other things start happening, questions pop up….could it be that the homeless suspect isn’t the real killer? But…where can he be?

Hints about other friends knowing things and becoming nervous makes the tension increase as Regan comes on the scene to help Lucas with his podcasts.

Someone is hiding something that they know about Candace and the sorority, but what is it?

We follow Regan and Lucas as they put themselves in danger as they begin to uncover the truth.

THE SORORITY MURDER is engaging, has a great story line, and complicated, interesting characters.

One character is pretty evil and cunning.

Thriller fans and amateur detectives will really enjoy this book especially when the tension ramps up as they get closer to solving the mystery. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book has all the elements perfect for a thriller: the murder of a student and missing cases that were never solved, a young student trying to find answers through a podcast, and a detective that's trying to help him while investigating the sorority, receiving threaths and dealinh with their personal lives and problems. A must read!

THIS BOOK WAS WILD!!! I went into this book with low expectations and it was exceeded. I loved the podcast element of the book and Lucas will forever have a special place in my heart. Who knew sorority girls could be so evil?

The cover and the title of this book enticed me to click “request” on Netgalley. Unfortunately, it wasn’t my favorite read. It felt as though I was reading a textbook. Also, the paragraphs were too long. I was disappointed by it.

The mystery itself was alright, but the writing is dry as burnt toast and about as nourishing. I have never wanted to listen to a podcast less than in the hours I had to contemplate this fictional one.

This is (somehow??) my first Allison Brennan, and it will definitely not be my last. Really excellently drawn characters and worldbuilding, and the mystery is paced perfectly.

This is a solid mystery with virtually no romance, which I appreciated. Enough twists to keep the reader engaged. Some questions still remain at the end. Perhaps there will be a sequel.

I LOVED this book but then again, Allison Brennan is one of my favorite authors - everything she writes is GOLD. This book was no exception and had a great mystery. Plus, I'm watching the TV Show Murders in the Building so what I nice surprise to find out that there was a true crime podcast in this book. Genius twist on the story! The book did a great job of incorporating the podcast into the plot where it prompted more people to come forward who wanted to talk as well as scaring them into solving it quickly. I would love if this become a series following Regan.