Dead Time by Anne Cassidy

Release Date: Out now!

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Pages: 344pgs

The Story

Rose and Joshua first met when Joshua and his dad came to live with Rose and her mum. Then their world turns upside down when their mother and father go out for dinner one evening and never return. With police inquiries going nowhere, Rose is dispatched to live with her chilly, unfriendly grandmother and Joshua is sent to live with his uncle. Then Joshua comes to London to study and Rose is witness to not one, but two murders. Why is this happening to Rose? Can it be anything to do with the investigations Joshua has been doing into the disappearance of their parents? A taunt and pacy thriller that is the start of a stylish new serieis from an acclaimed writer for teens.

The Review

A big thanks to Bloomsbury for sending me a review copy of this book!

Anne Cassidy's new book, DEAD TIME, follows a girl named Rose, a sometimes lonely and quiet young teenage girl, whom had experienced a past tragedy where her mother and her 'sort-of' stepfather disappeared five years ago. So when Rose witnesses two other murders of kids from her local high school, she is more than determined to find out who did it - which is easier said than done. But when she starts to reconnect with her estranged stepbrother and friend, Joshua, he is even more concerned and yet far more eager to find out what happened to their parents and as a result they begin investigating . . . leading to all sorts of trouble.

My feelings towards this book are mixed. There are parts where I really enjoyed the plot and its main characters, and then there were other parts too, where I found myself a little overwhelmed by the book's events and was sometimes confused by them as well. While the whole mystery side to the storyline was mostly easy to follow and at times contained pretty exciting stuff, but what the story lacked was oomph from the main character, Rose, who had blindly followed Joshua's every action and move when it came to finding out what happened to their disappearing parents. I understand the connection they shared and why Rose would allow Joshua to lead the way, but for some reason I wanted more character depth from her and more strength to built up into her character, you know? But regardless of that, I still liked the book and their characters, and assuming that this book is apart of a series, I really hope there will be more improvement in the next installment!

Overall, I would highly recommend DEAD TIME for all you mystery and thriller lovers out there. With lot's of questions that are eventually answered along the way, and with many surprising twists added into the mix, readers will definitely enjoy reading this book!

The Rating

3/5 stars