Two Sides to Every Murder

March 25, 2024
In this jam-packed thriller by Valentine (How to Survive Your Murder), two teens arrive at a defunct camp—finally reopening following a series of brutal murders—to unravel complex family histories. Sixteen years ago, Camp Lost Lake was beset by a murderous masked witch, who killed several camp attendees with a bow and arrow. After learning that her father, the former camp director, is not her biological parent, 16-year-old Olivia arrives at Camp Lost Lakein search of clues regarding her parentage. Teenage Reagan similarly arrives for insight into her family’s past; she and her mother have been on the lam for 16 years, ever since Reagan’s mother was accused of disguising herself as a masked witch to kill her husband and the counselor with whom he presumably cheated. Now, Reagan intends to clear her mother’s name. Valentine juggles myriad convoluted story lines via Olivia and Reagan’s dual POVs as well as alternating timelines depicting the 2008 Camp Lost Lake murders and present day. Gruesome depictions of the witch’s vicious bow and arrow kills crank up the tension. A concluding final twist might leave readers with more questions than answers. Major characters read as white. Ages 12–up.