Publisher's Weekly Review
Studious, driven Emma Danelski, the moral center of this unconvincing psychological thriller from Noonan (Domestic Secrets), has pledged Theta Pi sorority at Oregon's Merriwether University largely to fill the void left by the deaths of her sister and mother in a car accident years earlier. Aside from Emma's quirky suitemates-clearly made up of the Theta Pi outcast pile-the rest of the house could have been lifted from any novel or film featuring college life. When Lydia Drakos, a Greek tycoon's granddaughter who belongs to Theta Pi, is found dead in a ravine below one of Merriwether's numerous but treacherous bridges, everyone assumes she jumped. Over the past two years there have been 12 suicides on campus. But conflicting evidence soon mounts in Lydia's case: another person was seen on the bridge, and Lydia, though depressed, wasn't necessarily suicidal. Two high-level administrators, rather robotic Sydney Cho and overly passionate Scott Finnegan, are at odds as to how to address the school's suicide problem. Emma, who knows more than the police do about what really went on in the Theta Pi house, must decide what, if anything, to do with this knowledge. Unfortunately, Emma isn't developed enough to gain much reader sympathy. Mystery fans will find little that they haven't already seen before. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Noonan's previous novels, including Domestic Secrets (2016), are suspenseful, and now she steps all the way into the crime fiction stream. Emma Danelski joined the Theta Pi sorority in search of friendship, family, and a place to belong on the Merrywether College campus. But after the initial glow of being a new initiate fades, Emma realizes that not all of her house sisters are as pretty and perfect as they seem. Determined to avoid the wrath of the vicious seniors, Emma sticks with the younger girls. But when Lydia Drakos unexpectedly takes her own life, the sorority is thrown into the chaos of a police investigation, with Emma somehow at the center. Torn between her vows to Theta Pi, Lydia's legacy, and her own dark secrets, she sifts through evidence in the hopes of getting the police off her back. But when she uncovers a world of blackmail, bullying, and lies, it is clear that her choices have the power to impact many lives. This quick read will keep readers guessing and is especially suited to NA readers.--Smith, Patricia Copyright 2017 Booklist
