Holly Jackson Does It Again

Not Quite Dead Yet by Holly Jackson

Pages: 380 Genre: mystery

Rating: 5 Star

Jet Mason is going to be dead in a week. She's 27 years old, the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Woodstock, Vermont, and she's waiting for her life to begin. Until she's attacked on Halloween night, leaving her with a brain injury that is a ticking time bomb. But for now, she still has a week. And she's going to spend it solving her own murder.

Was this book perfect? No, but I'm not in the business of being a hater where Holly Jackson is concerned. I loved reading this book, despite its (rather minimal) flaws.

I'll get my complaints out of the way quickly. First, everyone was sniffling all the time. And I get it. I spent all of November sniffling, too. But it was pretty constant, to the point that it was distracting. Second, I was able to figure out the murderer pretty quickly (more on that in a second). Third, it got a bit corny sometimes. The primary offender was Billy, Jet's childhood friend that she recruits to help her.

So, yes, I did figure out the murderer. Not to brag, but I'm usually pretty good at doing that in mystery books with a clear suspect pool, so it's not something that ruins the reading experience for me. And while I did know who it was, I didn't know the full motive, which is really where we get the story from. I really enjoyed unpacking everything and seeing how everyone's secrets played into the story.

But honestly, the main reason I didn't mind knowing the murderer is because that was not my primary concern. I wanted Jet to solve the murder really badly, but I also didn't want her to die. This was an incredibly effective narrative device, as far as I'm concerned, because I was hooked on her specifically.

The characters were also all very good. I liked Jet enough, although sometimes she felt a little too YA to be 27. I loved Billy. Sometimes I find the Holly Jackson Lover Boys to be a bit heavy-handed, and he was, but it worked for him. And all the side characters really held their weight. In a mystery where you're unpacking small town secrets, it's important that the side characters feel like actual people, and I did care about their issues.

Overall, I just thought the book was good. I liked reading it. And I really liked the idea of someone solving her own murder as she's dying. It's a clever concept that's very ambitious, but it was executed in a way that was super creative and engaging. I continue to be a Holly Jackson fan, and I'm excited to read whatever her next horrifying novel concept is.