Little Pretty Things

April 20, 2015
Former high school runner Juliet Townsend, the narrator of Rader-Day’s disturbing second novel (after 2014’s The Black Hour), is stuck in a job at the seedy Mid-Night Inn in her Indiana hometown when a friend she hasn’t seen in 10 years, Maddy Bell, checks in at the motel, sporting a diamond ring and other trappings of a glamorous urban lifestyle. Juliet, still smarting from playing second fiddle to Maddy on the track, fails to process indications of disquiet beneath the glittering facade until she finds Maddy’s body hanging from a balcony railing the next day. Juliet begins to sift through her memories and accounts of those who knew Maddy—including high school classmates and staff—to reconcile her old friend’s past and present and to uncover the killer. Although alert mystery fans may spot the perpetrator before the denouement, the musings on roads taken and not taken will resonate with anyone wishing they could rewrite their youth. Agent: Sharon Bowers, Miller Bowers Griffin Literary Management.

May 1, 2015
An investigation into a childhood friend's death leads a small-town girl to discover that her own early years may not have been as they seemed. Juliet Townsend never expected to be condemned to an indefinite stint as one of two employees of the Mid-Night Inn, a one-star venue that specializes in serving the "Bargains and Desperates" who wander in. Though she'd counted on a track scholarship as her ticket out of town, Juliet was consistently beaten by her rival, Madeleine Bell. Now stuck in a never-ending series of rooms she pretends to clean, Juliet couldn't be more surprised to see Maddy walk through the Mid-Night entrance. Maddy's had nothing but success since leaving school. She's living in Chicago and sports an engagement ring the size of a small planet. For whatever reason, Maddy is determined to have a drink with Juliet; she spends her time at the bar trying to get Juliet to admit that their rivalry stemmed from their close friendship. Juliet wants no part of whatever Maddy's motives are, but soon she doesn't have a choice. Shortly after Maddy's body is found the next day, Patrol Officer Courtney Howard becomes convinced that Juliet's involved in her death. Now Juliet's only opportunity to apologize may be to find the real killer. Though the plot is straightforward and predictable despite the obligatory twists, Rader-Day (The Black Hour, 2014) writes absorbingly enough to make you look forward to a sequel.

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Starred review from May 1, 2015
The last thing Juliet Townsend expects to see as she checks her road-weary family into the budget-friendly Mid-Night Inn is Madeleine Bell, her high-school best friend. OK, her only best friend throughout her life. They haven't spoken in 10 years, since star runner Madeleine's last-minute withdrawal from the state track meet ruined Juliet's chance to win a scholarship that would have meant a different life. Juliet is still bitter, and it doesn't help that Maddy looks fantastic and is clearly wealthy, while Juliet lives at home caring for her depressed mother and working at a dumpy motel. She meets Maddy's bid for forgiveness stonily but regrets it and hopes to reconnect before Maddy checks out. But the next morning she's horrified to find Maddy hanging from the motel's balcony, and, as the last person to see her alive and the first to find her body, Juliet becomes the default primary suspect. Juliet begins a quest to find the killer who can exonerate her, and stirs up unresolved questions from high school that have taken on a sinister new light. Rader-Day again proves herself (after The Black Hour, 2014) a deft manipulator of dark atmosphere, witty dialogue, and complex, charismatic characters. Highly recommended for psychological-thriller groupies, especially those who walk on the literary side of the genre and favor books like Tana French's Faithful Place (2010) and Cornelia Read's Madeline Dare series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)