Betrayal by Gregg Olsen

Series: Empty Coffin, Book Two

Publisher: Splinter

Format: Paperback

Published: 22^nd September 2011

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review*

Genre: Murder Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Action-Adventure, Supernatural, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Violence, Murder, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Gregg Olsen

Series Site: Empty Coffin Series

It happened so fast, the way awful things almost always do.  The mattress sagged under the weight of another person kneeling on the bed.  The first cut wasn’t the deepest.  It was tentative, a slight jab. 

Her manicured fingertips found her abdomen.  She barely had time to process the fact that her hand was wet.

The blade of a knife flew at her, burying itself in her throat.  It came with speed and fury.  Only her killer knew the irony of her last words.  That bloody hurts.

                                                                   Review:

“’I'm not going to die here, am I?’ she thought, though the answer seemed all too clear.  ‘Am I?’”

Olivia Grant didn't come to America for this.  She didn't leave England to die.

But that's what happens.  Olivia is drugged and stabbed to death in her friend's bed at a Halloween party. 

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan are pulled into investigating another death - both by their unique supernatural abilities and by the fact their best friend Beth Lee is the prime suspect in Olivia's murder...

But as they dig into the circumstances around her death, long hidden secrets about the bus accident that left the girls comatose twelve years ago and the mysteries surrounding their family and their abilities...

Could one of those closest to them be the worst betrayer of all?

And can they catch the killer - before they strike again...? 

I absolutely adored Envy, so when Betrayal landed on my doorstep, I actually did a happy dance.  And from that first utterly and amazingly terrifying chapter, I just knew Betrayal would exceed all my expectations.  And it did.  Because, oh, it just got so much better from there!   Suspenseful, mysterious, thrilling and so totally addictive, Betrayal was everything I hoped it would be and more. 

The characters in this book are always so real.  The teens are totally teen and the adults totally believable.  Again, I've gotta say how much I love the twins - I loved them even more in this one actually.  Taylor and her snark really made me giggle and I loved it when she stood up for her herself.  I loved it even more when she got Hayley to do what she didn't want to by saying "You're older".  Yes, even among twins this is an argument.  She's the more creative, social loving twin, I think.  Hayley, the precision-loving twin, was awesome - I loved learning all her quirks and OCD tendencies.  She's definitely the stronger, harder twin - she's not afraid to stand up for herself or shy from confrontations like Taylor.  I think Hayley is my favourite twin - maybe because she's the quirkier twin.  Or maybe because sometimes she kind of reminded me of me.  So yes, I adore Hay-Tay and I loved watching them grow in Betrayal.  I love their dad too.  And I loved that lots of this book was through other characters POVs.  We revisited some from Envy and got to know new characters - I loved getting to know them, even if I didn't really love the characters themselves.  I also loved seeing how my favourites grew ad changed - the twins especially. 

I fell in love with Gregg's writing in Envy - in Betrayal, I fell even more in love.  While the twins are definitely the main characters we also have lots more POVs in this one - something I adored.  And there were these chapters written by the killer.  And my God were they terrifying!  I was literally shuddering at them!  An man do I love Gregg's plot lines!  They are so addictive it's untrue, so twisty and suspenseful.  And I never know who did it!  I must have had a million suspects.  What is it with Gregg and getting me to suspect freaking everyone?!  He really rocks at making me so totally paranoid.  And then there was all the family stuff - all the secrets surrounding the twins.  And that was just as, maybe even more, intriguing as the murder.  It was also not completely resolved - which makes me quite frankly DESPERATE for the next in the series - the LAST in the series...  I'm going to go off and have a minor breakdown now...

I do love the twins but I also loved that so much of the book was about the crime, police stuff.  I love police dramas and what not so I was over the moon at the CSI feel to the book.  And I loved the totally real, authentic feel about the whole crime side of the book.  I don't really remember the Amanda Knox case - before my time maybe? - but from what Gregg said and a quick Google showed me was enough to turn my stomach.  And all that negative media, twisting of words stuff totally came through in Betrayal.  But this is its own story, not a copycat of the case. 

The Empty Coffins Series is without a doubt one of my favourite series ever.  It's scary, gritty, suspenseful, exciting, intriguing, amazing, thrilling, dark, emotional, stunning.... and about a million more adjectives - and all very, very positive.  I honestly can't think of a single thing I don't like about this series.  I could read about the twins forever and a day, though with all the suspense, I'm not sure if my nerves would enjoy that as much as my heart and brain would!  And even though I know it will be the last about the twins, I seriously need the next book as soon as possible!  I may not want the series to end, but I need all the answers - desperately!  Anyway, if you haven't read this series yet - what are you waiting for?!  It's beyond amazing, something all YA readers simply have to read!  So what are you waiting for?!  Check it out yourself and be hooked - just like me!  You'll love it to pieces too - trust me!

Star Rating:
4½ Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Knock Down by Chris Ould

Virals by Kathy Reichs

The Medusa Project by Sophie McKenzie

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2012 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Splinter in exchange for an honest review

Envy by Gregg Olsen

Series: Empty Coffin, Book One

Publisher: Splinter

Format: Hardback

Published: 7^th September 2011

Number of Pages: 352

Book: For Review*

Genre: Murder Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, Suspense, Crime Fiction, Action-Adventure, Supernatural, YA

Recommended Age: 12+

Contains: Smoking, Swearing, Alcohol References

No Drug References

Author's Blog: Gregg Olsen

“A blast of icy air blew in from her open bedroom window.  The silver razor blade glinted, beckoning her.  Katelyn fantasized about taking control of her pitiful excuse for a life the only way she could.

“The bathtub was nearly full.  Steaming.  Just waiting. 

“Katelyn had no idea that, not far away, someone else was doing the exact same thing.  Just waiting for the right time to make a move.”

The night Katelyn died was the beginning of something that would change everything.  EVERY.  SINGLE.  THING,

Evil comes in all sorts of flavours.  Some bitter.  Some deceptively sweet.  That’s what Katelyn discovers on the day she dies.  One minute she’s a depressed teen with a loser life.  The next, she’s lying on a stainless steel slab, eyes glassy, skin frosted over, and very, very dead.  Was it:

SUICIDE?  MURDER?

WHO’S TO BLAME?

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan stumble upon the truth, which is far more disturbing than they could have ever imagined… and which sheds light on another secret, a hidden past they didn’t know about.

Inspired by a ripped-from-the-head-lines true crime about cyberbullying, Envy is the gritty first volume in a new bone-chilling series that takes you to the edge – and pushes you right over.

                                                                   Review:

It’s taken me forever to write this review.  Not because I didn’t like Envy – I absolutely loved it.  No, it was because I wasn’t sure what to say without giving away the whole plot.  I hope I did the book justice!

One evening, Sandra Berkley finds her daughter Katelyn in the bathtub.  Dead.  Also inside is an espresso machine, still plugged into the wall.  Her death is heard all over town.  No one knows how Katelyn died.  Suicide?  Murder?  Accident?  No one knows.

Twins Hayley and Taylor Ryan need to know the truth.  With their unique powers, they are determined to find out how Katelyn died.  What they don't know is that in the process, they will shed light on a hidden secret from their past...

Me, I’m a mildly twisted person who dotes of TV shows like Criminal Minds and CSI.  However, whenever I try to read a crime novel, it’s either Sherlock Holmes or waay too graphic!  But Envy was perfect and new and amazing!  Two twin sisters with paranormal abilities, solving the death of an old friend, while struggling to keep their abilities hidden?  Safe to say, I loved this book!  I was constantly on the edge of my seat, desperate to find out who the killer was.  Envy has gotta be one of my favourite crime novels ever and I really think everyone should read it!  It is an exciting and entertaining read, but it has a hidden message too: bullying hurts and even the silliest thing can make someone feel horrible about themselves.  It was strong, powerful, amazing and perfect for CSI-loving teens!

Hay-Tay, the twins were just amazing: I loved them both.  Hayley, the more practical and level headed twin, was really into forensic science and liked to have a reason for everything.  With her analytic mind, she actually sort of reminded me of Sherlock Holmes!  I loved her and really related with her because, like me, she seemed to love sharing random facts and her mind went to the strangest places.  Taylor was ruled more by her emotions and a real outspoken, feel-good kind of girl.   She was very clever too but kind of more squeamish and peace-loving.  And they were so close – they told each other everything.  I loved seeing the similarities and differences between the two girls.  Both had strong morals and the most awesome gifts!  They knew things they couldn't know, felt things, saw things.  They were like Nancy Drews with really special powers!  And their bond was really sweet and really powerful.

And, in a horrid way, I loved getting to know Katelyn. It was obvious straight away that she had been hurt – badly.  The loneliness she felt was dreadful; she felt like she had no one.  So many terrible things had happened to her, and she just cut herself off, thought she was worthless.  Words really can have absolutely dreadful consequences. And Katelyn lived through the twins - we saw into her head, her life, through the girls.

As the book went on, I must have had about a million suspects, quite literally suspecting everyone in the plot.  But a few of the characters I liked and actually didn’t suspect (yeah, I suspected loads of the characters I liked… I may be slightly paranoid) were the twins’ family.  Their dad Kevin was brilliant, with strong morals and a family orientated feel.  Also, he role played serial killer scenarios with his kids over the dinner table: he was just brilliantly odd!  Their mum Valerie was really supportive and I loved learning about her past.  The whole family love and closeness really made the whole crime thing stand out even more.  I can’t say anything else about the characters without giving the killer away, but I will say the vast range of people was brilliant, different and ever-so brilliantly described.  Just amazingly padded out and real – every single character.  Some I loved, some I hated, all were brilliant.

I loved the writing: Gregg had the suspense thing down to a fine art.  He gave us titbits about the bad guy – who was totally sadistic, btw – and I just had to know who he was!  Also, Gregg totally got teenagers, how they think, talk, act.  I loved the snark and that we also got to see everything from the adults' POV too.  It was brilliant to see how the two age groups saw everything differently.  And I just loved all the facts!  About what goes on in the pathologist, how Katelyn died (call me morbid and twisted, but I swear I was a CSI in a past life).  I also liked how everything was closed and how we got to see how everyone coped after.  And that I was still left with so many questions that left me desperate for Book 2!

I must say, normally, I'm good at guessing killers. But Envy... I had three suspects and four pages worth of notes, obsessing over movements, conversations.  Well.  I was wrong. I had an inkling at one point, then settled on a different - wrong - prime suspect. The way Olsen wrote made me completely oblivious and suspecting everyone. And left me honestly surprised at the outcome. 

Envy was amazing. I really loved it. It was exciting and new, thrilling and chilling.  I write notes as I read, and I ended up with four whole pages worth of notes.  Suspects, plotlines, theories, gushing about the twins and other characters.  That, more than anything to me, is a sign of a good book.  I mean, there really wasn't a bad word there. Well, unless you want to count a very, very bad word about a few of my least favourite characters. I just can't help being stunned by Envy. It pushes all the limitations of YA fiction, yet never actually crosses the line.  And it does all that without speaking down to the reader.  Gregg Olsen: you are amazing!  I cannot wait for Betrayal!  I may even check out some of his adult fiction! 

Afternote:

Cybercrime. While Envy's characters and paranormal sides were obviously fiction, the girls' death and the cyber bullying case was taken from a true story: The suicide of Megan Meier from Missouri in October 2006 brought about by the horribleness of cyber bullying.  It's just as dangerous as physical bullying, maybe more so.  You never know who someone is on the Internet, and cyber bullies use that to their advantage.  So please, please be careful!  And if all of you would like to know more, I'd tell you to you where Gregg told all readers to go: www.emptycoffinseries.com. 

After-Afternote:

Ok, so there are these letters in the front and back pages of my hardcopy that are meant to mean something to the readers. 

After hours of trying to solve the mysterious letters like an anagram on my scrabble board, just like the girls  did, I realised something: I.  Was.  An.  Idiot!  I am, apparently, not-so-mildly stupid.  So there you go.

Star Rating:
4 Out of 5

Read this book if you liked:

Crime Scene Investigations TV Shows

The Diviners by Libba Bray

Fracture by Megan Miranda

Anna Dressed In Blood by Kendre Blake

Challenges It's Taking Part In:

100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)

Happy Reading

Megan

* This book was received from Splinter in exchange for an honest review