I liked going back and forth between different timelines which give enough clues about characters’ motives and perspectives. Jess’ character is a mash-up of unbridled ambition and perfectionism coupled with an undercurrent of insecurity and fear of failure. He has been obsessed with investigating his sister's murder and also the secrets of the past group of friends and their contacts. The characters were so well-developed, their heart’s desires and flaws were laid bare for all to see. When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night—and the years’ worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

sᴛᴀʀᴛs ᴀs ᴀ ʀᴇᴜɴɪᴏɴ, ǫᴜɪᴄᴋʟʏ ʙᴇᴄᴏᴍᴇs ᴀ ᴡʜᴏᴅᴜɴɴɪᴛ, ᴡʜᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪᴄᴛɪᴍs ʙʀᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴀʟsᴏ ʀᴇᴛᴜʀɴs ʜᴇʟʟ ʙᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ғɪɢᴜʀɪɴɢ ᴏᴜᴛ ᴡʜᴏ ᴋɪʟʟᴇᴅ ʜɪs sɪsᴛᴇʀ. I’m telling you this is great, unputdownable, entertaining read while you’re lying on your couch, filling your mouth with greasy pop corn and enjoying each chapter. Glory days, unbreakable friendships, all-night parties and a belief that the best in life is ahead of you. Now, a decade later, it’s time for the big ten-year class reunion, but only five of the seven will be attending. What has this toxic enneagram 3 motherf*cker ever done in her life to make someone think she's got emotional depth?When the six friends are reunited, they will be forced to confront what happened that night―and the years' worth of secrets each of them would do anything to keep hidden.

This is definitely a character driven story, but don't let that convince you that it's slow or boring.Not the girl she was when she left campus, back when Heather Shelby's murder fractured everything, including the tight bond linking the six friends she'd been closest to since freshman year. Told over two timelines – one in the present and one in the past – it’s brilliant to see the build-up to the reunion and to gradually find out what happened to Heather. I’m so honored to be able to reveal the cover for Vanessa Lillie’s buzz-worthy new mystery here on CBTB today! The pacing is quick, but still gives the reader plenty of insights into the insecurities of the characters and how those same insecurities still haunt them, as their carefully hidden secrets, are brutally exposed one by one. Praise “Ashley Winstead’s mordant debut novel, In My Dreams I Hold a Knife, is the latest entry in the budding subgenre of 'dark academia,' where the crime narrative takes place on a college campus.