Looking past some of my least liked tropes and narration quirks, this was intriguing despite being predictable. 

 

Energy: Impartial. Distressed. Sorrowful.  

 

🐺 Growls: The beyond the grave angle felt out of place/OTT just for heartstring tugs. 

🐕 Howls: Robotic overenunciation on audio, especially for younger characters. Everyone speaks with the same tone, even teens (almost too proper). Hand-holding style commentary after hard-hitting plot points. Obvious red herrings and over-hinting (subtle, but in that way where if you read a lot of books in this genre, it might seem like it’s loudly hinting).

🐩 Tail Wags: Steady momentum of twists and reveals. No shortage of suspects without feeling contrived. True crime style realism. Rapid but easy to follow perspective shifts. 

 

Scene: 🇺🇸 Set in rural Vermont.

Perspectives (multiple): The victim, their parent and friends, and the potential suspects along with their circle of friends/family.  An e-journal written by the victim’s friend. 

Timeline: October 2022. Linear (mostly). 

🤓 Reader Role: Fly on the wall. Knowing more than any one character, privy to private thoughts and conversations.

🗺️ World-Building: Barely there. Could be any small town/rural area. Mostly based on dialogue and thoughts. Vibes, season, and location were lacking but you can imagine them on your own without interruption if you want.  

🔥 Fuel: Relatable tragedy. Subtle withholding and red herrings. What happened to Diana and who did it? Why?

📖 Cred: Realistic with a sprinkling of paranormal

 

Hayfield. Vultures. Phone pings. Slamming doors. Ouija board wine glass. Knock on door. Living rooms. Meetings. 

 

Content Heads-Up: Corpse (discovery, description). Loss of child (teen), grief (descriptive). Potential false accusation. Sexual harassment of minors, threats. Vomit. Betrayal. Infidelity. Blackmail. Murder. Corruption (institutional). 

 

Rep: Americans. Ambiguously described characters. Cisgender. Heterosexual. 

 

📚 Format: Library Audio