A page-turning mystery... Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson (Review) #newbooks #bookx #yalit #yabooks #mystery #thriller @maureenjohnson @mbeatie @epicreads

Welcome! I'm sharing this YA mystery with you today. Read my review below...

Death at Morning House

By Maureen Johnson

YA Mystery, Thriller, LGBTQ+

Audiobook, Hardcover, Paperback & eBook, 384 Pages

August 6, 2024 by HarperTeen

Summary

An instant New York Times and Indie bestseller!

From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?

Maybe this job isn’t such a gift after all. Morning House has a horrific secret that’s been buried for decades, and now the person who brought her here is missing.

All it takes is one clue to set off a catastrophic chain of events. One small detail, just like a spark, could burn it all down—if someone doesn’t bury Marlowe first.

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My Review

DEATH AT MORNING HOUSE is a page-turning mystery set on an island during the summer tour season. Two stories, one in the past and one present, simultaneously unfold as they're linked together by an old house on an island where the stories take place, giving this book a very Gothic feel. There is a consistent underlying feeling of suspense and unique characters. Fans of the genre and of the author will find their usual thrills in this book.

I've had this author's books on my list to read for a long time, so I was thrilled to find her new release was a standalone and have the opportunity to read and review it. I feel like the author is definitely a master of mystery and suspense as there was that underlying feeling of eeriness through the whole book. She also doesn't give much away, so the villain could have been any of the characters and she made you question them all. The characters were well drawn, each with their own unique personalities. This made it easy to keep them all apart which can be difficult to do when there are so many of them. I liked the dual timeline as that had a very Gothic feel and was its own mystery that unfolds at the same time the present story unfolds. It was a bit blood chilling in places too. The story itself was engaging from beginning to end, making this a book that would be easy to be engrossed in for a single-sitting reading. Maybe keep the lights on at night. 😉

I had a few frustrations with the story. I felt like a lot of things that happened were glossed over by the characters and not shared or actually investigated. I also felt like the lesbian romance was more at the forefront than it should have been with someone having just died and the girls not knowing what was going on. I didn't love the main character, which always makes it a bit harder to then love the story.

In the end, was it what I wished for? This definitely was a suspensefully thrilling read! A Gothic, secluded setting and an engaging, eerie plot gave some good chills for suspense fans.

Content: Some swearing (s and f words), some suggestive details, murder (not overly gruesome or descriptive).
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Megan Beatie Communications, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.

About the Author

Maureen Johnson is the #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of several YA novels, including 13 Little Blue Envelopes, Suite Scarlett, The Name of the Star, and Truly Devious. She has also done collaborative works, such as Let It Snow with John Green and Lauren Myracle (now on Netflix), and several works in the Shadowhunter universe with Cassandra Clare. Her work has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and The Guardian, and she has also served as a scriptwriter for EA Games. She has an MFA in Writing from Columbia University and lives in New York City.

You can find the author here.

Are you a fan of this author or YA mysteries? Have you ever visited an old house with Gothic vibes?