Deeply buried secrets make for a disturbing family reunion in bestselling author Catherine McKenzie’s tantalizing novel of psychological suspense, named one of the Hottest Books of Summer by Goodreads.What happened to Amanda Holmes?Twenty years ago, she was found bludgeoned in a rowboat at the MacAllister family’s Camp Macaw. No one was ever charged with the crime.Now, after their parents’ sudden … crime.
Now, after their parents’ sudden deaths, the MacAllister siblings return to camp to read the will and decide what to do with the prime real estate the camp occupies. Ryan needs to sell. Margaux hasn’t made up her mind. Mary believes in leaving well enough alone. Kate and Liddie—the twins—have opposing views. And Sean Booth, the groundskeeper, just hopes he still has a home when all is said and done.
But it’s more complicated than a simple vote. The will stipulates that until they unravel the mystery of what happened to Amanda, they can’t settle the estate. Any one of them could have done it, and each one is holding a piece of the puzzle. Will they work together to finally discover the truth, or will their secrets finally tear the family apart?
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I’ll Never Tell is a haunting tale of family secrets. Catherine McKenzie weaves a rich tapestry of flawed, untrustworthy characters, challenging the reader to solve the crime…a not-so-easy but spell-binding task.
Secretive, pacey, and compulsive!
I’ll Never Tell is a riveting, intricately woven, character-driven whodunit that takes us to the rugged wilderness of Camp Macaw and into the lives of the MacAllister family where tensions are high, fingers are being pointed, and a twenty-year-old tragedy will finally be solved.
The writing is seamless and precise. The characterization is spot on with a cast of characters that are secretive, driven, selfish and flawed. And the plot, told from differing points-of-view, keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish as it whips you through well-timed twists, unforeseen surprises, deception, abuse, guilt, jealousy, violence, and murder.
Once again, I’ll Never Tell has proven that when it comes to writing exceptionally clever, deftly plotted, fast-paced, domestic thrillers with exquisite character development and deliciously sinister storylines McKenzie is definitely one of the best.
You can never go wrong with a Catherine McKenzie novel. Consistently superb suspense that doesn’t disappoint. Stunning!
Wow. What a tightly woven, intricate story of family secrets and a twenty-year old, unsolved crime. I’ve read most–not all–of Catherine McKenzie’s books, and what I love is that each story is completely different. In this one, there are many moving parts and multiple POVs, but it all works seamlessly, as layers are excavated and each small piece of the puzzle is revealed. I’LL NEVER TELL is the quintessential definition of a page-turner.
Somehow Catherine McKenzie manages multiple points of view, different time periods, the threads of several stories, a great mystery, lovely language, and snappy dialogue in one great read. I never knew where she was going with the story, and I had to finish once I started. I can heartily recommend this one.
Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
I’ll Never Tell is a smart and engaging mystery that mirrors Agatha Christie’s method for presenting each developing character as a potential suspect, and with seven characters that’s quite the feat. Plentiful secrets, intriguing relationships, and an eerie atmosphere allow Catherine McKenzie to successfully reach for Christie’s masterful talent as well. I am so excited to see McKenzie’s writing evolve over the years. Check her out and put this title high on your list!
I’ll Never Tell, a psychological thriller narrated in the third person with multiple POVs, is reminiscent of an Agatha Christie whodunit murder mystery. The MacAllister family’s (five siblings) past and present lives unfold as they try to figure out what happened to seventeen-year-old Amanda twenty years ago at camp Macaw?
Margaux, Ryan, Liddie, Kate, and Mary return to camp Macaw, managed by their adopted brother Sean also real estate owned by their recently deceased parents. They’re back after twenty years for the reading of their father’s last will and testament and to honor their parent’s memory. A night they’ve all tried to leave in the past comes back to haunt them after learning of the last will and testament’s stipulation, a condition that could tear them apart or bring them closer. Long suspected by their father of killing Amanda, Ryan can’t receive a share of the property until his siblings vote for his innocence or guilt. If determined guilty, Ryan’s share of the property goes to their adopted brother Sean.
As they try to determine what happened to Amanda that summer night on the lake, family drama, sibling rivalry, and secrets, and suspicions erupt. Using a simple chart to piece together everyone’s whereabouts that night―who did what, where, and when they arrive at faulty conclusions and assumptions made years ago.
Hauntingly, the author adds Amanda, the victim’s voice to recant her unfortunate experience that night to coincide or contrast the other character’s stories. Little by little Amanda reveals what she experienced, a night that should have been memorable, her first sexual experience, turns out to be her last when the assailant takes her life with a fatal blow.
The murderer could have been any member of the MacAllister family. Although evidence suggested one person, the author keeps the reader uncertain as more information arises. The unpredictable ending caught me off guard when the real murderer was revealed.
If you’re looking for a psychological thriller plotted like a whodunit murder mystery filled with suspenseful twist and turns then check out Ms. Catherine McKenzie’s novel, I’ll Never Tell.
Catherine McKenzie has done it again — she has provided her reader’s with a roller coaster ride of a story that will keep the pages turning until the surprise ending. She is one of those rare authors that consistently tells a great story that won’t disappoint her readers.
The MacAllister family is dysfunctional at best – the parents owned a summer camp and all the children have worked there over the years. The children – Ryan, the oldest and only male and his sisters, Margo, Mary, Kate and Liddie are all grown and have their own lives. None of them have been very close with the others throughout the years. After the parents are killed in an accident they are all brought together to the family camp for the reading of the will. Several of them want to sell the land, take the money and run, while others aren’t sure what they want. When the will is read, it isn’t just straightforward. Due to the mystery surrounding Amanda, one of the camp counselors from 20 years earlier, the will is based on what really happened to her. The family realizes that they need to find out who was responsible and start investigating the 20 year old mystery. As the story unwinds, it’s apparent that all of them know a little bit of the puzzle about Amanda but only one of them knows what really happened. Will they be able to work together to solve the mystery or will their suspicions of each other finally tear the family apart? The story takes lots of twists and turns before the surprise ending.
For me, this was a perfect suspense story. While reading the book, I changed my mind over and over about who the guilty sibling was. Just when I was sure it was a certain one, new information would come to light to show me how wrong I’d been. It kept me turning the pages to find out who was responsible for what happened at the camp 20 years earlier.
My one problem with this book is that I didn’t like all of the main characters. I knew that they had secrets but I didn’t like the way that some of them interacted with the rest of the family. But even the characters that I disliked were very interesting and the secrets that they all had made this an exciting book to read.
I’LL NEVER TELL by Catherine McKenzie is a thrilling and suspenseful mystery that kept me guessing right up until the very end. Upon the sudden death of both their parents, the five MacAllister siblings, now adults, are called back to their family’s summer camp, Camp Macaw, for a reading of the will and a memorial service for their parents. When the four sisters and one brother come together, they all have different recollections of their time at camp and in particular of a tragic event that occurred 20 years prior. To resolve their parents’ estate and decide the fate of the Camp, they must unanimously agree about who committed the terrible crime all those years ago and everyone is a possible suspect. What follows is a gripping tale where long-buried secrets and lies are uncovered and ulterior motives are revealed. The story unfolds as each of the main characters reflects on their own version of what happened that fateful night. The author captures the emotions of the characters and the complex family dynamics perfectly. I enjoyed the clever plot and atmospheric setting and highly recommend this riveting book.
When it comes to psychological thrillers, lies and dark family secrets are the very best kind, and Catherine McKenzie handles them both with skill in I’ll Never Tell, a riveting story of siblings linked by long-ago tragedy. Suspicions swirl, and the truth is revealed in steady, page-turning increments that culminate in a whopper of an ending. A smart and surprising story you won’t want to miss.
With its blend of can’t-put-it-down suspense and sharp psychological insight, I’ll Never Tell compels as both whodunit and family drama. As much as I wanted to solve the mystery at the heart of the book, I was sorry to reach the end and say goodbye to the characters—a fascinating, complicated family whose heartbreak, regret, and love leap off the page. This might be my favorite of Catherine McKenzie’s books yet.