Literature & Fiction
![Karen M. McManus - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_karen_m_mcmanus.jpg)
Nothing More to Tell
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of One of Us Is Lying comes a new page-turning mystery. Be sure to keep your friends close . . . and your secrets closer.
Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher-a story that made headlines after the teacher's body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she's determined to find out what really happened.
The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin's murder-but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp's friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn't forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.
Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything-about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.
Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.
Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher-a story that made headlines after the teacher's body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she's determined to find out what really happened.
The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin's murder-but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp's friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn't forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie.
Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything-about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot.
Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.
Editorial Reviews
★ "An edge-of-your-seat page-turner; the strongest yet from a master of the genre." -Kirkus Reviews, starred review
★ "...A serpentine read rife with convincing red herrings and ground-shifting reveals." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "McManus's latest is a win for mystery and suspense fans and has a little something for everyone." -School Library Journal, starred review
★ "No one is who they appear to be in this twisty, shocking thriller by Karen M. McManus...Riveting." -Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Karen M. McManus continues her reign as the YA thriller queen." -PopSugar
"Absolutely no one does thrillers like Karen McManus…" -Paste
"McManus never gives readers a moment to relax, drawing out suspects and secrets in rapid succession. . . . Brimming with twists and turns." -BookPage
"McManus… brings that signature blend of high-stakes high-school drama and murderous twists readers won't see coming." -Booklist
★ "...A serpentine read rife with convincing red herrings and ground-shifting reveals." -Publishers Weekly, starred review
★ "McManus's latest is a win for mystery and suspense fans and has a little something for everyone." -School Library Journal, starred review
★ "No one is who they appear to be in this twisty, shocking thriller by Karen M. McManus...Riveting." -Shelf Awareness, starred review
"Karen M. McManus continues her reign as the YA thriller queen." -PopSugar
"Absolutely no one does thrillers like Karen McManus…" -Paste
"McManus never gives readers a moment to relax, drawing out suspects and secrets in rapid succession. . . . Brimming with twists and turns." -BookPage
"McManus… brings that signature blend of high-stakes high-school drama and murderous twists readers won't see coming." -Booklist
Readers Top Reviews
Mrs J Farrellhann
Got this for my 15 yr old granddaughter, I’ve bought nearly every title in these books that she absolutely loves
kerry suttonMrs J
I bought this for my daughter as she has the rest of the series from the minute it arrived she never put it down until she finished. She said it was the best one yet and she really hopes another comes out. Gripping you from the very start you will want to keep reading to find out what happens.
tpolenkerry sutto
I’ve read several books by this author and always know I’m in for a compelling mystery that keeps me guessing. Brynn has known since middle school that she wants to be a journalist. After a juvenile prank she’s blamed for (she’s innocent), she’s fired as editor of her school newspaper. Luckily, due to her dad’s job, the family relocates back to the town they left four years ago. Brynn then takes a leap of faith, uses a clever approach, and talks her way into an internship on a true crime show. She even pitches a story to them – the unsolved murder of her favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin, four years ago. The catch? Three of her classmates, including one who’s her ex-best friend, found the body. Her assignment is to snoop around and see what she can dig up. Someone’s not talking, and once she’s focused on a story, Brynn is like a dog with a bone and refuses to give up. Even when it may endanger her life and others. Tripp, Brynn’s ex-bestie, won that title when he humiliated her in front of their gym class shortly before she moved away. He regrets what he did, although he had his reasons. Since the horrific day he, Shane, and Charlotte discovered Mr. Larkin’s body, Tripp has been hanging onto secrets that are slowly eating him alive. I thought I had this one figured out somewhere around the middle, but after previous experiences with McManus’s books I should have known my early assumptions are usually way off base. With her stories I’ve learned that my perceptions will change and new layers to the plot are waiting to be revealed just around the corner. With plenty of suspects to put on your list and lots of intriguing characters (shoutout to Brynn’s clever sister, Ellie), this mystery will keep you glued to the pages. I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Heather R.tpolenk
The last time Brynn was in Sturgis, Massachusetts, she was a thirteen year old who had just dealt with the murder of her favorite teacher, Mr. Larkin. His body had been found in the woods behind the school by three of her classmates. The story was a drifter must have killed the teacher, but that never was proven. Brynn has also landed an internship on a true-crime show where she hopes they will investigate what really happened to Larkin. She also has to deal with old friendships. Including her former best friend, Tripp, who out of nowhere told her to leave him alone and stop being so obsessed with him in front of everyone in gym class in 8th grade. Brynn tries to keep her internship a secret from her classmates so she can gather information from them. And she really wants to know what her classmates saw in the woods when they found Mr. Larkin. And since Tripp was one of the people who found the teacher Brynn will have to try to connect with him. There were parts of this story I enjoyed, but overall, I felt I was just too old for the book. I think as a YA book it's well written and the story will appeal to the age group it is meant for. Tripp and Brynn repairing their friendship was well done. I liked reading from each of their point of view as they alternated telling the story. This did feel like it will be a series or at least have a sequel because of a few loose threads left at the end of the story. It's hard to write a review without giving away spoilers for this story. If you enjoy YA books especially those with some mystery and sleuthing teens then this is one you should check out. While not all of it was my cup of tea it was still a good story. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.
Fastidious Kingdo
I’m sorry for the nebulous review, but I don’t want to give spoilers. While the Bayview series was literary crack, this is more like waterlogged pot. All the Is were dotted, all the Ts crossed, but there were simply too many of them. I found myself surfing the web after each chapter because the book didn’t hold my interest. The ending didn’t come close to rivaling One of Us is Next, but I suppose very few books would. On a plus note, I think I heard a rumor that Bayview will have another installment.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Chapter One
Brynn
"Do you have a favorite crime?"
The girl sitting beside me in the spacious reception area asks the question so brightly, with such a wide smile, that I'm positive I must have misheard her. "A favorite what?" I ask.
"Crime," she says, still smiling.
Okay. Did not mishear. "In general, or--" I start cautiously.
"From the show," she says, a note of impatience creeping into her voice. Which is fair. I should have known what she meant, considering we're sitting in the middle of temporary office space for Motive.
I try to recover. "Oh, yeah, of course. Hard to pick. They're all so . . ." What's the right word here? "Compelling."
"I'm obsessed with the Story case," she says, and bam--she's off. I'm impressed by all the rich detail she remembers from a show that aired more than a year ago. She's obviously a Motive expert, whereas I'm a more recent convert to the true-crime arm of journalism. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to land an interview for this internship. My application was . . . unconventional, to say the least.
Desperate times and all that.
Less than two months ago, in October of my senior year, my life was fully on track. I was living in Chicago, editor in chief of the school paper, applying early decision to my dream school, Northwestern. Two of my best friends planned on staying local too, so we were already dreaming about getting an apartment together. And then: one disaster after the other. I was fired from the paper, wait-listed at Northwestern, and informed by my parents that Dad's job was transferring him back to company headquarters.
Which meant returning to my hometown of Sturgis, Massachusetts, and moving into the house my parents had been renting to my uncle Nick since we'd left. "It'll be a fresh start," Mom said, conveniently forgetting the part where I'd been desperate to leave four years ago.
Since then, I've been scrambling to find some kind of internship that might make Northwestern take a second look at me. My first half dozen rejections were all short, impersonal form letters. Nobody had the guts to say what they were really thinking: Dear Ms. Gallagher, since your most-viewed article as editor of the school paper was a compilation of dick pics, you are not suitable for this position.
To be clear, I neither took nor posted the dick pics. I'm just the loser who left the newspaper office door unlocked and forgot to log out of the main laptop. It doesn't really matter, though, because my name was in the byline that got screenshotted a thousand times and eventually ended up on BuzzFeed with the headline windy city school scandal: prank or pornography?
Both, obviously. After the seventh polite rejection, it occurred to me that when something like that is your number one result in a Google search, there's no point trying to hide it. So when I applied to Motive, I took a different tack.
The girl beside me is still talking, wrapping up an impressively in-depth analysis of the Story family saga. "Where do you go to school?" she asks. She's wearing a cute moto jacket over a graphic T-shirt and black jeans, and it comforts me that we're dressed somewhat alike. "I'm a sophomore at Emerson. Majoring in media arts with a minor in journalism, but I'm thinking about flipping those."
"I'm still in high school," I say.
"Really?" Her eyes pop. "Wow, I didn't realize this internship was even open to high school students."
"I was surprised too," I say.
Motive wasn't on the list of internships I'd compiled with my former guidance counselor's help; my fourteen-year-old sister, Ellie, and I came across it when we were combing through Boston.com. Until we did a Google search on Motive, I hadn't realized that the show's host, Carly Diaz, had temporarily relocated from New York to Boston last summer to be near a sick parent. Motive isn't a household name, exactly, but it's a buzzy, upstart true-crime show. Right now the show only airs on a small cable station, but there are rumors that it might get picked up by one of the big streamers soon.
The Boston.com article was headlined carly diaz makes and breaks her own rules, accompanied by a photo of Carly in a bright pink trench coat, standing arms akimbo in the middle of Newbury Street. She didn't look like the kind of person who'd judge you for a public setback; she looked more like the kind of person who'd expect you to own it.
"So do you work for your school paper?" the girl asks.<...
Brynn
"Do you have a favorite crime?"
The girl sitting beside me in the spacious reception area asks the question so brightly, with such a wide smile, that I'm positive I must have misheard her. "A favorite what?" I ask.
"Crime," she says, still smiling.
Okay. Did not mishear. "In general, or--" I start cautiously.
"From the show," she says, a note of impatience creeping into her voice. Which is fair. I should have known what she meant, considering we're sitting in the middle of temporary office space for Motive.
I try to recover. "Oh, yeah, of course. Hard to pick. They're all so . . ." What's the right word here? "Compelling."
"I'm obsessed with the Story case," she says, and bam--she's off. I'm impressed by all the rich detail she remembers from a show that aired more than a year ago. She's obviously a Motive expert, whereas I'm a more recent convert to the true-crime arm of journalism. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting to land an interview for this internship. My application was . . . unconventional, to say the least.
Desperate times and all that.
Less than two months ago, in October of my senior year, my life was fully on track. I was living in Chicago, editor in chief of the school paper, applying early decision to my dream school, Northwestern. Two of my best friends planned on staying local too, so we were already dreaming about getting an apartment together. And then: one disaster after the other. I was fired from the paper, wait-listed at Northwestern, and informed by my parents that Dad's job was transferring him back to company headquarters.
Which meant returning to my hometown of Sturgis, Massachusetts, and moving into the house my parents had been renting to my uncle Nick since we'd left. "It'll be a fresh start," Mom said, conveniently forgetting the part where I'd been desperate to leave four years ago.
Since then, I've been scrambling to find some kind of internship that might make Northwestern take a second look at me. My first half dozen rejections were all short, impersonal form letters. Nobody had the guts to say what they were really thinking: Dear Ms. Gallagher, since your most-viewed article as editor of the school paper was a compilation of dick pics, you are not suitable for this position.
To be clear, I neither took nor posted the dick pics. I'm just the loser who left the newspaper office door unlocked and forgot to log out of the main laptop. It doesn't really matter, though, because my name was in the byline that got screenshotted a thousand times and eventually ended up on BuzzFeed with the headline windy city school scandal: prank or pornography?
Both, obviously. After the seventh polite rejection, it occurred to me that when something like that is your number one result in a Google search, there's no point trying to hide it. So when I applied to Motive, I took a different tack.
The girl beside me is still talking, wrapping up an impressively in-depth analysis of the Story family saga. "Where do you go to school?" she asks. She's wearing a cute moto jacket over a graphic T-shirt and black jeans, and it comforts me that we're dressed somewhat alike. "I'm a sophomore at Emerson. Majoring in media arts with a minor in journalism, but I'm thinking about flipping those."
"I'm still in high school," I say.
"Really?" Her eyes pop. "Wow, I didn't realize this internship was even open to high school students."
"I was surprised too," I say.
Motive wasn't on the list of internships I'd compiled with my former guidance counselor's help; my fourteen-year-old sister, Ellie, and I came across it when we were combing through Boston.com. Until we did a Google search on Motive, I hadn't realized that the show's host, Carly Diaz, had temporarily relocated from New York to Boston last summer to be near a sick parent. Motive isn't a household name, exactly, but it's a buzzy, upstart true-crime show. Right now the show only airs on a small cable station, but there are rumors that it might get picked up by one of the big streamers soon.
The Boston.com article was headlined carly diaz makes and breaks her own rules, accompanied by a photo of Carly in a bright pink trench coat, standing arms akimbo in the middle of Newbury Street. She didn't look like the kind of person who'd judge you for a public setback; she looked more like the kind of person who'd expect you to own it.
"So do you work for your school paper?" the girl asks.<...
