Years ago five friends went to a remote winery in Oregon. Unlimited wine should have made for a good weekend, but the most popular girl vanished without a trace.

Emily can’t let go of that night. She thinks she was the last one to see Vanessa alive but she isn’t sure. When she is sure she sees Vanessa in a coffee shop, she decides to tell the story herself. To do that she needs to go back. With all of them.

The four of them were all there but what have they been up to since? Thrown together and all of them suspects, it could be a dangerous time.

I can tell you I did not care for this one. Why? The screenplay parts were dragging the story down I thought. I just didn’t care for the way it was done. It was a good idea, but the execution fell short for me.

NetGalley/ September 5, 2023, RHPG/BALLENTINE

Emily's friend Vanessa disappeared 10 years ago and is presumed dead. Emily can't help but wonder all these years if she had a hand in her friends disappearance. Emily is a screenwriter and wants to tell Vanessa's story, but she needs to know what really happened first. She gathers the three other girls at a remote winery along the Oregon coast for another girls getaway. It turns out that one of them knew the truth all along.

The story alternates between the present and a screen-written story of the past/present in the eyes of Emily. This was a creative way to incorporate that into the storyline and I enjoyed it. For the most part all of the female friendship's were toxic which highlights some of the real issues one can encounter amongst female friends. I enjoyed this story and recommend for anyone who likes a good locked room mystery!

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is a heart-pounding novel that will captivate readers from start to finish. The author skillfully crafts a suspenseful narrative filled with unexpected twists and turns, ensuring an enthralling reading experience.

The story introduces readers to a diverse cast of characters, each with their own motivations and secrets. As the plot unfolds, their lives become intertwined in a high-stakes game of danger and deceit. The author expertly maintains a sense of suspense throughout the book, keeping readers guessing and eagerly turning the pages to uncover the truth.

One of the book's greatest strengths lies in its ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and unease. The author's vivid descriptions and attention to detail transport readers into the world of the story, making them feel as if they are right alongside the characters, experiencing the thrilling events firsthand.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Scenes of the Crime.

I've never read this author before so I was excited my request was approved. I'm always eager to read a new author, hoping I'll be surprised and/or engaged by the writing.

This was a big NO from me.

Where do I start?

1. Wholly unlikable characters. I don't mind unlikable people, but even unlikable characters have something to like/dislike about them.

Everyone had personal agendas and grudges they've been nursing for years. Seriously, they all need therapy.

2. What's with the long paragraphs? Has no one heard of paragraph breaks?

3. Those screenplay drafts were distracting to read, not to mention not accurately written as a screenplay. You don't include descriptions or emotional cues in screenplays.

4. The big reveal, all the lies at the end, were TOOO hard to suspend disbelief for. I just couldn't and wouldn't believe Lydia and Vanessa's scheme, what Vanessa has been doing all this time, and that ending. Nope, sorry.

5. Nothing unique about the premise; a friend goes missing (naturally, she was young, gorgeous, and manipulative), and fifteen years later, her frenemies have gathered together to 'remember' her at a remote location. Naturally.

6. The writing is good, but the narrative drags. There's very little to no suspense and urgency, until the end if you can believe that scene.

7. You have to plod through numerous descriptions of the winery, the landscape, the ladies drinking and drinking some more, Emily's internal monologuing about what happened in the past, what's happening now, and what should happen in her screenplay drafts.

I'm all for exposition and background but most of the descriptions took up more than half a page. See #2.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this early but this wasn't for me.

In Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon, an ambitious screenwriter tries to solve her friend’s disappearance by recreating their fateful final girls’ trip in this locked-room mystery.

I thought the cover was creative, a bit creepy, and set the stage for the story. However, the story fell a bit flat for me. The story is about toxic relationships and is told partly via storytelling and screenplay format, which is an interesting way to unfold the plot. It was a bit confusing at first.

The mystery was okay and a bit predictive. The setting was nice.

This is the first book I've read by this author. It was not my favorite book I've read this year, but I would check out more by this author.

I give this a 3 out of 5 stars as the final third of the book picked up and kept me invested.

#ScenesoftheCrime #NetGalley @atrandom @jillygagnon

Unfortunately, I ended up liking this same author’s book All Dressed Up much better. I found this read to be rather underwhelming and none of the characters overall to be that engaging or likable. The story centers around a girl’s trip in the wake of the death of one of the groups’ friends and the interpersonal conflicts and tensions that ensue. Each friend plays a different role in the group, such as emotional mediator or stirrer of the pot, and each of those roles contributes to the group dynamic in different, unique ways.

Secrets reveal themselves as the plot develops and builds as all of the friends come to terms with their pasts and how those pasts affect their ultimate futures. This was definitely a slow-burn and I found that I became a little disengaged by the end, even though there were little moments worth staying for that kept me invested enough to finish. What I enjoyed was the chilling sense of atmosphere that the winery inspired, where the events of the novel took place, as well as the creative integration of the screenwriting as that was one of the main character’s professions. I found both of those aspects to be well-done when the actual characters experienced grief or the daunting undertaking of confronting their pasts or sense of selves that changed, evolved, and became heightened over time.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review!

I requested to read and review this book for free from Bantam an Imprint of Random House Publishing Company. This book had many twists and turns. It can be read anywhere but for a mature audience I would recommend. This book has drama and mystery. This book will leave you keep wanting to turn the page! The ending was something I didn't except. Friendship sometimes can bring out the best in us and other times not so much the best. What is true friendship? You will meet friends Emily Lydia, Brittany, Paige and Vanessa. They think they are each other friends but are they really? What is the truth? What would you do for people that you call your friends?

Thank you Random house-Ballantine for the chance to read this ARC by Jilly Gagnon!

The story was well written but the parts that were written like a script made me wonder if that was what really happened or if it was fabricated by the script writer, Emily. In the end, she wrote a script that was loosely based on the actual events of her friend’s disappearance which made me wonder about this even more.

While this was not my favorite book, I will definitely check out other books by Jilly Gagnon.

I loved the premise of this story and I enjoy and good mystery. I also enjoyed going back and forth between the script and present time. The pace of the book lost my interest in certain parts but it was overall and enjoyable read.
Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

Frenemies, strong setting, sharp suspense — I loved this book. Will be featuring it on the 08 September episode of my podcast The Library of Lost Time.

*3.5 stars rounded down to 3 stars on the scale*
Centered around the effects the disappearance of a college student had on her friend group, Scenes of the Crime follows a group of friends on their return to the site of their friend's disappearance in an attempt to gain closure on what really happened.
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It was very interesting to read how the author alternated between actual events and the screenplay draft of one of the main characters. At first, this was confusing because the details in the draft did not always match the actual narration but once I realized it was intended, I could appreciate it better.
I liked how none of the friends can trust each other because it is representative of how hard it is nowadays to make deep connections, especially in college. The mystery itself was not too engaging, and the interactions between the women made it feel like a YA piece, which I feel a little on the fence about.
The book ended with a sense of unfinished business, which was really satisfying, because it leaves room for the reader's imagination.
If you're looking to try something new, add this to your TBR and check it out when it releases in September!📚🤞🏾
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Check out my review posted on May 5, 2023 on Instagram: @booksareavibe
https://www.instagram.com/p/Cr3E8HfLd8a/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon has all the markings of a great, fun rompy little mystery- a missing friend, a reunion of old college friends, long-held grudges and tentative connections, a winery, a screen-writing narrator- it should have been a slam-dunk read for me. I really enjoyed her previous novel, All Dressed Up; so I expected this to be just as light and humourous, with just the right amount of suspense and edge. I was let down. The main character, Emily, catches a glimpse of Vanessa while sitting in her favorite coffee shop; yet, Vanessa vanished during a wild college girls‘ weekend at the winery owned by Vanessa‘s grandparents. This sighting sets in motion a return to the winery with the group in order to get closure on Vanessa’s disappearance (and assumed death). Emily contacts the original women- successful, married, ‘have-it-all’ blogger Brittany (and Vanessa’s cousin); former athlete, wine saleswoman Paige; emo wallflower Lydia; and screenwriter Emily all gather at the winery. And it is clear their friendships have not made it past the night of Vanessa’s disappearance. And each woman seems to have a reason to avoid the details of what happened that night. Slowly, the edges are peeled back and everything is not all that it first seemed to be…

The main issue I have with the story is that about halfway through it just stops making sense. There is one scene that builds tension, but the rest is filled with tepid attempts to flashback to the night of Vanessa’s disappearance. The real story of that night simply doesn’t make sense. I didn’t buy it. At all. And the resolution makes even less sense. The writing itself is fine, it’s the plot that did me in. It felt rushed and unfinished. The premise had promise, but the ultimately it just didn’t click. I struggled to finish this one. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for the eARC. Publishing date is September 5, 2023.

Scenes of the Crime is a thriller novel that revolves around Emily, who is a screenwriter for a popular tv show. 15 years ago, Emily's friend Vanessa disappeared while on a girls trip and Emily has been haunted by the disappearance since. Emily convinces her three other friends to visit the winery where Vanessa disappeared to get closure. However, Emily has an ulterior motive as she is trying to write the story into a screenplay. Strange things begin happening and secrets are revealed.

I thought this book had a very interesting and had a different layout than any other book that I have read. The chapters are split into present and past, and also split into regular story telling and into a script layout. I really liked the script portions of the book! The only issue that I had with this book was that there were parts that were a little confusing. Overall, I enjoyed the book! 3.5 stars.

This was a dark read of friendship and enemies. I found myself getting lost in piecing together the story as it unfolded and left me with questions but I also think that was part of the authors plan. We all have our own storyline of how big events in life played out but how much of that gets twisted and swayed by others opinions. You never know the thoughts going on in someone else’s mind at any given time. Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

This one didn't hold my interest at all, and I couldn't get invested in the characters. I made it halfway to the book and still felt like not much had happened, although I still pushed through. I did enjoy the "frenemies" plot as that made it the most interesting

First of all, thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for letting me read this ARC!

This doesn't come out till September 5th 2023....ssooo I'm a little early 😬🤷‍♀️🤣

I think I liked the premise of this better than the execution. While I liked the story itself but I could have done without the mix of screenplay scenes inside.

It would go for a while and then change over to screenplay format. Sometimes the screenplay was flashbacks and sometimes it was current events. That was really the only problem that I had with the book.

This was definitely a frenemies book. So toxic but so good. Some losing contact and then coming back together after 15 years to finally have closure and figure out what happened to their missing friend. Backstabbing and petty and you don't see the twist coming.

Sadly wasn’t the hugest fan of this one!

I really enjoyed the premise, the setting, and the script-writer scenes peppered in—they kept me guessing as to what was really happing in real life. But I think the very slow pacing and the frustrating characters made it difficult to love! Quite a few of the flashbacks didn’t seem to contribute very much to the present timeline, although the writing was lovely and the author had some great turns of phrase.

Still, I’m grateful to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc—really thought I’d love this one!

Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are well-developed and their dynamics and relationships are intricately woven into the story. The setting of the winery is vividly described, and readers will feel as if they are there with the characters, experiencing the tension and drama firsthand.

Overall, Scenes of the Crime is a well-written and engaging thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. With its complex characters and twisty plot, it's a perfect read for fans of suspenseful mysteries. I would give it 4 stars.

This book is a closed population thriller surrounding the death of one girl in a small group of friends. It seems as if every one of them has a motive for murdering her, and all these reasons are drawn out throughout the novel.
I thought this started a bit slow, but really picked up about halfway through. The final 25% of the book was full of drama and activity and it was in-put downable at that point!
Overall, I’m glad I stuck with this book and really enjoyed the twisty ending.

Interesting plot, and the location. I just did not love this book, it was and easy read and the characters were fine. This for me wasn’t a book I couldn’t wait to get back to.