“Echo Ridge is reeling. This picturesque town, nestled near the Canadian border, experienced its tragic loss in 1995 when high-school senior Sarah Corcoran vanished while walking home from the library. Then five years ago, homecoming queen Lacey Kilduff was found dead in the aptly named Murderland Halloween park. Now, the killer claims to be back. A small town that keeps losing its homecoming queens. Two murders, still unsolved. Echo Ridge is not a good place to be popular.”
What is the book about?
Echo Ridge is a small town near the Canadian border that has experienced 2 tragic losses: the disappearance of Sarah Corcoran in 1995 and the death of Lacey Kilduff 5 years ago. Ellery Corcoran and her twin brother Ezra find themselves in the town their mother had been desperate to leave in almost the same situation. Malcom Kelly’s family still hasn’t properly recovered from the last murder and now everything seems to be connected to him and, although no one seems to admit it, it leaves, once again, a Kelly as the prime suspect. With the killer claiming to be back even more mysteries begin to unfold. Two murders still unsolved and a third one that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Echo Ridge only seems to be getting worse which no one thought was possible. With all hope lost, will they find the murderer before it is too late?
What were your initial thoughts on the book?
For Christmas I got a set of 3 books: One of Us is Lying, One of Us is Next and Two Can Keep a Secret. I had previously read both of the first books and loved the mysteries at Bayview High. After reading them, I knew that I would love any books by this author because of how thrilling and intriguing the mysteries were. I was desperate to begin reading the last book in the set, Two Can Keep a Secret but, I knew that the book would be slightly different as it is in a different location. However, despite it being in a different place, I knew that I would enjoy it even before I had read the first sentence. The beginning of the book was engaging and before I knew it there was already a mystery afoot. I loved the characters from the very start and I knew that this investigation would be even better than the ones in the previous books by Karen M. McManus.
Who was your favourite character and why?
My favourite character was Ellery mainly because she loved crime and murder novels. This made her mind work differently than everyone else as she was always more interested in hearing about people’s lives and was suspicious of everything. She had strange and intriguing theories and even if they were almost always wrong it was very fascinating to see how she pieced everything together and got that result – it was constantly in a way that made sense and it could have easily been the real explanation. She was also able to spot clues and was always on guard looking for things that could later be useful if things turned out to be a mystery. She analysed things like a police officer as if she was on a permanent investigation, looking for things that may be out of place which made he an extremely remarkable character. Above all she was nice to people and was very smart which made her an ever better person.
What was your favourite part of the book and why?
My favourite part of the book was the last few chapters. These were the chapters were everything fell into place and when all the clues and facts discovered earlier finally made sense and pointed to the right suspect. During these chapters, it was like all the characters had given up on the mystery and left it all for the police to investigate, but in the end they managed to figure it out. The chapters were action-packed and full of intriguing information, I really liked the ending and the conclusion was logical and had the most interesting answer to all the questions I had from earlier in the book. I love learning the true answers and seeing the entire investigation as a whole and how the clues piece together like a puzzle which is exactly what happened so I really enjoyed reading it. Although I didn’t enjoy the very end as much as the end of One of Us is Next, I still really liked it but would have loved to read on.
What was your overall impression of the book?
The book was an amazing read and I loved almost everything about it. I found that this mystery was 10 times better than One of Us is Lying and One of Us is Next and was really intrigued and like how you could be so confident that it was a certain character but a few chapters later you are suspicious of a new culprit. I thought that this murder mystery was much more interesting and the clues for the truth were much more obvious. I really liked how the real murderer made more sense than the suspicions that the investigators had. Another thing I liked about this book was that there were 3 mysteries that not many people thought were linked but truly had a connection that made a huge difference. It was unexpected to have so many unsolved murder/disappearance cases in the same place with no one really considering who the criminal was and how they got away with everything. I know that with the other 2 books written by this author I complained about how the ending left you not with questions but with a feeling of needing to read more. Two Can Keep a Secret had the same problem as the other books but I realise now that this is just the author’s way of writing and although I was upset I think that it gives the book a more mysterious flair that makes you want to read other books by Karen M. McManus.
Would you recommend this book?
Two Can Keep a Secret is definitely a book that any reader will enjoy; especially a murder mystery lover. I think that it is an amazing read particularly for a reader 14 or older and anyone who read it will not be able to put it down.
Summarise the book in one sentence. (Verdict)
An extraordinary and astonishing mystery full of secrets and new discoveries.
Reviewed by Jimena Gutierrez Reviriego
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