Thursday, July 13, 2017

Review: The Bakersville Dozen - Kristina McBride

The Bakersville Dozen
Kristina McBride
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
You have four days to locate five treasured trophies. Break the rules and you all die. Happy hunting!

Back in September, the town of Bakersville, Ohio made national news when a video went viral featuring thirteen of the high school’s elite in compromising positions. Now it’s May, and every month since the “Bakersville Dozen” made their infamous appearance on the national stage, one girl has gone missing. Officials are no closer to identifying the criminal.

Bailey “Like a Virgin” Holzman is getting really fed up with the scrutiny. She just wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year and have an epic summer before heading off to college. So when she discovers a note in her locker on the last day of school inviting her on a scavenger hunt, she thinks it’s just a sweet surprise from her boyfriend trying to cheer her up.

But following the clue leads her, instead, to the first official casualty. And another sinister envelope. The killer is close, and it could be anyone. Even the people Bailey’s always trusted most—her best friend, her perfect boyfriend, or the boy-next-door she’s always pined for. With the clock ticking, she faces a terrifying choice: play the game by the killer’s rules—follow the clues, tell no one, and no cops—for a chance to save the rest of the missing girls, or risk becoming the next grisly victim.

Months after the disappearances of several of the "Bakersville Dozen", Bailey receives a note, which sets her on a psychotic scavenger hunt. The prize? She may be able to save the missing girls' lives.

I really enjoyed The Bakersville Dozen. McBride crafted a captivating story that seemed "ripped from the headlines", built a great backstory, and filled it with lots of mystery. The thing I always love about mysteries is looking for the pieces of the puzzle, and assembling them in an attempt to solve the crime. McBride was very sly in the way she planted and revealed the clues, which only added to the fun. There were twists, turns, and even some red herrings. I was deceived several times. Just when I thought I knew "whodunit", a piece of information would be uncovered and prove me wrong. I did up being partially right, but I would have never guessed the mastermind behind this nefarious plot.

This book was more than a mystery though. It had all the makings of a great suspense-thriller. There were many times when my heart rate increased, and I found myself biting my nails. There was a spooky quality that permeated most of this tale, and this constant tension that kept me wondering what was next. It all just added to the thrill ride McBride took me on.

This wouldn't be a review by me, if I omitted my thoughts on the romance. I didn't expect it, but it was there, and I really liked it. McBride admirably integrated the romance into the story. It did not seem forced to me, and although it took a looooong time, we finally got some answers and resolutions  regarding said romance. I was quite pleased with the way McBride tied up this storyline, as well as all the other loose ends in the book.

This book toyed with my emotions and pulled on my heartstrings. It took me on quite a wild ride, and I was throughly entertained by this fast-paced mystery/thriller.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.










Do you like mysteries?
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16 comments:

  1. Sounds really good! I don't read a whole lot of mysteries, but I do find myself completely absorbed when I do! I like that there's a slow romance as well (nothing kills my mood more than insta-love!). Great review!

    Cass @ Words on Paper

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    1. I read mostly contemporaries, and with that, mostly contemporary romances, but I usually enjoy mysteries when I read them. This one had the mystery, the romance, and a little bit of that slasher movie feel I remember from my youth.

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  2. I completely agree with you review on this book! I did not see it coming and the author did a great job leaving bread crumbs in the book. Great review!

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  3. This sounds like my kind of book. I love a story with lots of twists and turns. Great review!

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    1. It definitely threw in some surprises as we journeyed on this macabre scavenger hunt

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  4. Ooh, it's set in Ohio! Great review. :)

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    1. It is always fun when a story is set in your hometown. 😄

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  5. This is the first I've seen/heard of this one and I really like the sound of it. I haven't read a mystery in ages and this one seems good and suspenseful. And knowing there is a romance aspect is the cherry on top. :) Great review, Sam!

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    1. You know I am all about the romance. 🙃 I liked it. It reminded me of those 80s slasher films

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  6. Woo!! Glad you liked this book!! I was a fan. And I liked her other book One Moment too. I liked that I got fooled by that one scene-- you know the one. Also, I thought the romance wasn't forced or made to be too big in light of people being murdered and stuff. Great review!

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    1. I thought McBride wove the romance into the story quite well. (Reminded me of how well it was done in Last Seen Leaving). That scene was great! I am definitely going to check out her backlist, because I really liked this one.

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  7. I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed this book since it's on the top of my wishlist! I've been really loving mystery books lately so the mystery aspect of this really captures my attention. I'm also intrigued by the unexpected romance! Great review! :)

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    1. I don't read a ton of mysteries, but this was really good. It had a cool slasher vibe and a love story too. I just finished Dangerous Girls this morning, and I now firmly believe, that I need to read more thrillers.

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  8. I don't usually read mysteries, but I have to admit that, thanks to your excellent review, this one sure has me intrigued! Besides, I LOVE the fact that there's also romance involved! So I think I'll add it to my TBR. Thanks for sharing!! :)

    BTW, something in your review has me a bit mystified (pun intended, lol)..... Is the phrase "biting mynas" a colloquial expression, perhaps from either Canada, the UK, or Australia? I'm not familiar with it. I did look up the word "myna" on Google, and I got the information that this is an Asian bird. But of course you wouldn't be biting a bird! Lol. Anyway, let me know what this means. I love learning new idiomatic expressions! (I'm an English teacher.)

    Thanks for commenting on my Book Blogger Hop post, as well as for following my blog! I'm now going to follow you on Bloglovin'!!

    Enjoy your day!! <3 :)

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    1. *face-palm* "biting mynas" is called typo/auto-correct. (this is why other people need to proof-read. You see what you want to see when you re-read). Thank you for the heads up. I am sorry it was not anything more exciting. I mean, I did spend my early years in Brooklyn, but I have no phrase as mystifying as "biting mynas" in my repertoire. I am glad you are going to give this one a chance. It was a nice change of pace for me, and I think it may have started me seeking out more YA thrill-suspense-mystery type books.

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