The Slumber Party
Shannon Hollinger
301 pages
Bookouture
published March 22, 2023
About the Book:
Fifteen years ago: On a warm summer’s evening, four childhood friends gather at a slumber party… Before dawn breaks, the nightmare begins. One of them dies. One of them is a killer.
Liz was the bubbly girl-next-door. She could never have imagined how everything would fall apart.
Sami was the clever one, quieter than the others. She was meant to keep all their secrets…
Amy had the voice of an angel, destined for Hollywood. She would never make it there.
Mo was leader of the group, charismatic and protective. But she was not who she appeared to be…
They were childhood friends, on the cusp of the rest of their lives. They’d shared everything with each other. Or so they thought… Until one of them died.
Today: Liz tries not to think about the night that destroyed their lives. She focuses on her beloved husband and their sweet-eyed daughter. But when she receives a note, there’s no more running away: “I’m back. Did you miss me?”
A wave of dizziness crashes over her. Her best friend can’t be back. She’s dead. So who sent the note? What do they know? And, most terrifying of all, are they planning to make her pay for what happened…?
A totally gripping, heart-stopping thriller about twisted friendships, dark pasts, and secrets to die for… If you love The Night She Disappeared, Girl A and The Housemaid, you’ll love The Slumber Party.
My Review
Oh my this started out like such a laid back easy read and then turned into a wild ride with twists and turns. They were the best of childhood friends and now are estranged and a body is found. I always love a good book about friends with a secret. This was fast paced, and I did not want to put it down and was totally annoyed when life got in the way and made me.
I love when a thriller is written in a style that is easy to read. While maybe it was me, but I did find myself confusing the characters a little if I had to put the book down in the middle of the chapter, so I would pay a little extra attention to this as you read. I did not have best friends quite like this but did have a group of great girlfriends and this reminded me of those days. Which was a nice bonus since those days are very far behind me.
I did predict a few of the twists, but I am a little good at that and by no means all of them. Told in the present and while the girls were in high school and told at times from all of their points of view, you get a good look into what occurred to lead them to today’s body.
If you are a fan of best of bud friendship that has gone awry, you should pick this one up.
About the author
With degrees in Crime Scene Technology & Physical Anthropology, Florida author Shannon Hollinger hasn’t just seen the dark side of humanity – she’s been elbow deep inside of it! She finds writing to be a much cleaner way to spend her time than the autopsy suite. Most days it smells better, too.
Her debut novel, the psychological thriller Best Friends Forever, is the first of a five-book deal with publisher Bookouture.
Her short fiction has appeared in Suspense Magazine, Mystery Weekly, and The Saturday Evening Post, among a number of other magazines and anthologies, and her story Lady Killer was a finalist for the 2021 Al Blanchard Award sponsored by the New England Crime Bake.
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