Killing Time

by Brenna Ehrlich

David Curtis (Illustrator) and Kathleen Oudit (Cover Designer)

After that summer, Natalie Temple would forever associate the smell of ketchup with death

Summer in Ferry, Connecticut, has always meant long, lazy days at the beach and wild nights partying in the abandoned mansions on the edge of town. Until now, that is.

Natalie Temple, who's never been one for beaches or parties in the first place, is reeling from the murder of her favorite teacher, and there's no way this true-crime-obsessed girl is going to sit back and let the rumor mill churn out lie after lie. Not if she has anything to say about it--even if she has to hide her investigation from her disapproving mom and team up with the new boy in town with a mysterious smile and a talent for making fake ID's...

But the more Natalie uncovers, the more she realizes some secrets were never meant to be told.

With two interwoven mysteries, Killing Time is a deathly warning to a generation of murderinos: What happens when the stories we're chasing finally catch up with us?

• ISBN13: 9781335418678
• Publish Date: 8 March 2022
• Publish Status: Forthcoming
• Imprint: Inkyard Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Killing Time is the first novel I've read by Brenna Ehrlich, but the title and description made me so curious that I knew I would have to give it a try. This novel blends many familiar genres, including mystery and thriller elements and some young adult themes.

Natalie Temple should be enjoying her summer break by spending time at the beach. But that's never really been Natalie's thing. This year she's even less likely to indulge in partying since she's reeling from the shocking murder of one of her favorite teachers.

So, rather than taking the summer to have a relaxing vacation, Natalie will dig into the mystery. How can she not, when the rest of the town seems inclined to look the other way? Only, the more Natalie digs, the more secrets she seems to find.

Do you know how sometimes a pretty cover will suck you in? That's what happened to me with Killing Time. Right away, I knew that it would be a book I read. The description simply sealed the deal. I confess that I have a weak spot for novels that promise a character too stubborn to look away from a crime.

Killing Time is a book that's easy to get into. We have a brutal murder, a conflicted teen, and many hidden secrets. So naturally, there's a lot to get caught up in. Overall, I liked Natalie's perspective on the story. It was a unique take on the matter, having a teenage girl look into the murder of her favorite teacher and all that. I know it's probably been done before, but not in anything I've read (I think).

The pacing was solid, keeping the story flowing from one event to another. However, some scenes could probably have used another working over. For example, a scene had a certain lack of consent that bugged me. I would have loved to see the author either rework that scene or revisit it later in the novel to help explain the context and problematic nature.

If you enjoy young adult mystery/thrillers with many teenage complications and emotions, then I think you'll enjoy Killing Time.

Thanks to Inkyard Press and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Jeff Sexton]

Workable Debut. This is one of those debuts where the author clearly shows quite a bit of promise - even if trying to wrap in as many tropes as remotely plausible within the story - yet could clearly still use some polish. The mystery (ies!) is actually quite compelling, and the reader finds themselves *wanting* to know who the murderer (s!) is. That noted, using third person to tell the stories of both timelines makes them a bit harder to distinguish - particularly without any kind of time reference at the beginning of the chapters. Ultimately, this is absolutely an author whose sophomore effort I would love to read, and I look forward to seeing her growth. Very much recommended.