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Cover of MURDERLAND
3.86

Based on 4,913 Goodreads ratings

MURDERLAND

by the Guggenheim family), tragic incidents on a precarious floating bridge connecting Seattle and Mercer Island, and Fraser’s own recollections of growing up in a time and place when young women were inordinately targeted and killed. She depicts a lot of death\u003B Fraser is determined to make the reader see the worst of the killers’ actions, in vivid but unsensationalistic detail, to underscore the ever\u002Descalating crises that mining and smelting businesses tried to underplay, pay off, or ignore. By the ’90s, as bans on leaded gasoline took effect, smelters closed, and the EPA set stricter pollution standards, the number of serial killers dissipated. Fraser’s book is an engrossing and disturbing portrait of decades of carnage that required decades to confront."

Book Details

Publisher:From the
Published:1940-01-01
Pages:497
Format:paperback
Language:English
ISBN:9780593657

Reading Info

Age Range:12-18

About This Book

A chilling and atmospheric thriller that plunges readers into a small town where a series of gruesome murders exposes the dark secrets festering beneath a seemingly placid surface. The narrative mast...

Our Review

A chilling and atmospheric thriller that plunges readers into a small town where a series of gruesome murders exposes the dark secrets festering beneath a seemingly placid surface. The narrative masterfully builds suspense as the protagonist, an outsider or a local with a haunted past, is drawn into the investigation, uncovering connections more personal and terrifying than they could have imagined. This young adult mystery weaves a complex web of suspicion and paranoia, keeping the pages turning with its relentless pacing and shocking revelations.

What sets this story apart is its deep psychological exploration of its characters, making the emotional stakes as compelling as the central whodunit. The town itself becomes a character—a "murderland" where every resident is a potential suspect and trust is the most dangerous currency. Teen readers who devour dark, character-driven suspense will find this an utterly absorbing read, one that grapples with themes of truth, betrayal, and the monsters that can lurk in plain sight. The final, gut-punch resolution will linger long after the last page is turned.

Themes

Criminal investigation

Subjects

Criminal investigation