Boy on Hold by J.D. Spero

☆☆☆☆
Kindle Edition, 312 pages
Published August 13th 2019 by Immortal Works
About the Book:
Cabbage Night, 1991. The traditional night of pranks takes a disturbing turn when a violent crime rocks a small Adirondack town. Even more so when the only witness is a seven-year-old boy. Hen Trout, who had hoped to catch a pet hedgehog that night, instead sees his beloved Miss Sally become a victim. Single mom Marcella Trout is blindsided when Tyler, her seventeen-year-old, is arrested for the very crime Hen witnessed. Now Tyler’s eerie mood swings seem dark and frightening and rooted in a family history Marcella has desperately tried to bury. As the criminal investigation churns on, the tenuous fabric of the Trout family begins to unravel…and even Hen begins to question the truth.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book from the beginning. This is a tough book to review without giving too much away, and I would hate to offer spoilers, but I will give it a try. The mystery part of the story was handled well. I didn't know who killed Miss Sally until the end of the book. You can figure it out if you pay attention to the clues, but it's well done.

The story is told through multiple viewpoints and it's a testament to the author's writing ability that I was easily able to distinguish the different characters from chapter to chapter. I found the main characters well-developed and some very unlikable, so I anxiously looked forward to the conclusion to find out who the killer was and why Miss sally was killed.

What makes a novel work, in my opinion, is mystery. Spero's novel is full of mystery and intrigue. It grabs tight and doesn't let go until the end. There's a lot going on here. Johannah's prose is quick and vibrant. She gives you enough details to sketch the scene, but allows your mind to fill in the spaces. That's the sign of a great writer. Someone who sets the scene but doesn't overwhelm the mind with minute details. It makes for a fast-moving, thrilling story. This book was very engrossing. I only stopped reading it because I was too tired to continue...so I ended up reading it in two sittings. There were multiple times throughout the novel that I was convinced I knew who the guilty party was. I was wrong every time. I loved the reveal. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

This was an interesting mystery, with an uncomplicated style I really enjoyed. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley, J.D. Spero and Immortal Works for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

#BoyOnHold #NetGalley