Megan Miranda
Fiction 2025/ 338 pages
(The first part of this review is borrowed from Jayme on Goodreads. An excellent summary ... I can do no better!)
"Wyatt college is nestled in a picturesque small town in Virginia’s Blue Ridge mountains. But, it has an ugly history - a HAZING tradition called “The Howling”, which went horribly wrong one year. When the wind whistles, the undergraduates must run from home base through the dense woods and back to campus without getting “caught” by any Seniors wearing masks.
Beckett Bowery was a senior at the college the year that tragedy struck. Two local men dead, and her roommate, Adalyn Vale, on the run, never to be seen again, after being suspected of starting the fire which claimed their lives. Beckett was accused of being her accomplice and though never proven, she was asked to finish her senior year at a “sister college” in London.
For the last two decades, Beckett has stayed away from Wyatt, despite both of her parents being Professors at the college. Then her daughter, Delilah, applies to Wyatt College secretly and accepts the full scholarship she is offered. Beckett is worried that the town will still remember the accusations.
TURNS OUT, SHE WAS RIGHT
Not less than a week later, Beckett is awoken by her cell phone in the middle of the night. Her daughter’s name is illuminated, but all she hears is a gasp before the call is dropped."
(Andrea's voice now). The book takes off from there. Beckett gets to the campus to try and find her daughter Delilah, who is not receiving her texts and not replying to email. After Delilah is found, the story is all about who is trying to intimidate her or hurt her. There is considerable evidence that someone is. Lots of action occurs at Beckett's parent's house, which is near to the campus. Beckett and Delilah kind of take it over, as Beckett's parents are traveling internationally. Eventually, someone else is killed ... someone who looks like Delilah ... and the tale becomes more complex.
This is not my favorite book. There is too much unnecessary information (is it important that Beckett's dad is selling antiques?) And the characters are shallow and caricatures. Beckett is an anxious mother. Delilah is a near-perfect daughter. And there are too many cops, so the relationships with them gets muddy and confusing. I just don't care for Miranda's style. It is a bit sophomoric, to me.
So, read this if you want something fun and light with some mystery. I never considered putting it down ... it is rather engaging. It is a "Book of the Month Club" book for July.
October 2025