This book is not in my wheelhouse for several reasons. I’m very hit or miss with YA; for every one I like, there’s ten I can’t finish. I ordinarily don’t do detective books and I definitely don’t do paranormal detective YA books. So, I should have just skipped this one, right?
The first time I read this book was because the author hired me to do sensitivity reading for it. Which is exactly why I picked it up again when the author let me know it was out in the wild. (I am so bad at keeping up with releases.) The writing had been done so well and was so engaging. The storyline was a bit different than what I had encountered before in this general field and so I found myself engrossed in finding out what was going on. Also? Pig farms. Fun, random fact, but you’ll always get me with pig farms. From the moment I read it the first time, I knew I’d be reading anything Samantha put out without hesitation. (Also, for the record, the editing and formatting were great.)
So, this book. Normally, when it comes to most paranormal detective books that I’ve run into, the MC with the paranormal ability is usually either speaking to ghosts or having visions. And when I say visions, I mean visions like they’re on the outside looking in. Yawn. (I’m sorry. I’m certain there are books out there that would make me eat that yawn. By all means, please recommend then. I enjoy being proven wrong when it comes to horror/thriller books.)
Anyway. Delilah is a bit different. She has visions, sure, but she’s not on the outside when she has them–she’s living it. It is 100% like she is the victim who is there, going through their horrible last moments. I find this manner to be far more impactful and, uh, yeah, Delilah just came home from a stay at the mental hospital. I think most of us would after a while of experiencing things like that.
Back at home, Delilah is supposed to start a new leaf. It’s what everyone wants. It’s what she wants. No more investigations. No more destroying herself bit by bit. I mean, sure, she helped a lot of people get justice, but at the end of the day you have to think of yourself first and I really, really loved that Delilah was trying her best to do that. Thankfully, she had a great support system in the form of two brothers. There’s also a dad but he has always been distant and both Delilah and I have mixed feelings about him. The brothers are precious, though. It is so obvious that they care for their sister but they don’t want to treat her like she’s delicate and thus possibly alienate her.
Of course, there’s usually no kind of therapy or medication that is going to make one stop having experiences like these in fiction. I mean, if it had stopped, would we be here? At first, Delilah really does try to just ignore things and go on with her life, but here’s the problem–Delilah is a good kid. She’s never going to be the sort of person who is able to turn away someone in need of help no matter how many vows she makes.
Delilah quickly becomes aware that there are a string of young girls that are going missing in the area. Tough, tough, but when the (ex?) boyfriend of one of the missing girls shows up and plays right into Delilah’s ‘caring about other people’ card…
Despite the pleas of her brothers and the outright demand of her father, Delilah is on the case. How can she not help sad-eyed Dylan? I was worried about how her brothers would react when they realized she could not be stopped, but their continued support was a welcome change from the usual ‘girl against the world’ idea. The detective was now a trio and they all complimented each other beautifully and offered moments of genuine humour. (The bar scene, anyone?)
It’s so hard to write these reviews because I don’t want to spoil important plot points or twists for anyone, but on the other hand how can you talk about certain things if you don’t?
I will say this – Logan was very well-written. His actions are thoroughly believable. His sincerity is believable. The last scene with him in it? Yeah, that tracks. I was very happy that Delilah was able to help Logan in the question of his missing girlfriend and that he got the answers he needed.
And then I will say, which is entirely unrelated, pig farms. Do you know how much I love when pig farms are used? You couldn’t get me twenty miles near a pig farm. No, thank you.
The ending of the book is left open and I like that, because it means that hopefully we will see the trio at work again. I still have mixed feelings on the father, who seemed like perhaps he realized how distant and cold he’d been after having to put Delilah in the hospital, but it might be a case of too little, too late. We’ll see. I could just be bitter.
Overall, I highly recommend this book for people who are looking for something a little different. Read this book if you want some good twists, supportive sibling and a very likable and relatable MC. Also, pig farms. Did I say pig farms yet?
