This book had it ALL.  The thrills, the action, mystery, murder – even love. 

Jeremy Stroeb is the quintessential “rich kid”.  His parents are hard workers who got where they are through determination and love of what they do.  Jeremy doesn’t know what he wants to do.  On the outside he seems to be a slacker living off his parent’s money.  On the inside – he’s still just a confused kid whose last wish is to be his parents.  He wants to be his own person.

Jeremy’s parents are brutally murdered, leaving him and his younger sister behind.  He is forced to grow up when it seems that either his sister and his parent’s legacy ends up in his greedy uncle’s hands or his sister ends up with him.  In conjunction with this, he wants to know what happened to his parents.  To figure this out, he decides to get an internship at his mother’s company and enroll at the college where his father taught.

He thinks he knows his parents, but does he really?  Jeremy has no idea that his grown-up decision to be a man and find out who killed his parents will put his own life in danger.   No one is who they seem to be.  Everyone has a secret.  Someone has a secret that ended in his parent’s death.  Jeremy learns about himself in this book.  Who is he?  What does he want out of life?  Does he even HAVE a life? 

This is finding oneself to the extreme.  I was surprised by this book.  It wasn’t what I thought it would be at all.  There were twists and turns I never saw coming.  There were plots going on that the author sprung on the reader at the last possible moment.  I had to keep reading to see what or who was around that corner.  I enjoyed it, and I think you will, too.

Reviewed on 01/21/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Bethany Showell

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Rachael, a partner in an accounting firm and Daniel Stroeb, a college professor, are murdered in their Miami Beach home leaving their two children, Jeremy and Elise, alone. Jeremy is a college dropout roaming around Europe and Elise is a teenager who has been severely traumatized by finding her parents after their murder. Now, Jeremy must return home to take care of his sister but finds it difficult to change his self centered ways. Jeremy soon decides to try to find out who his parents really were and who would want to kill them. But as he discovers, there are many possibilities and he has no idea who he can trust.

Ms. Potts has woven a very readable murder mystery that will keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat till the very end with this tale of a family in crisis and a young man who must grow up quickly. The story is told from Jeremy’s point of view so his character is developed along with his parents as he searches for the truth. After reading Ms. Potts’ biography, I feel the author has accomplished her goal of writing the story that has been brewing with a lifetime of family stories, mysteries and childhood fears while growing up in New York. And on a personal note, I am always fascinated to find how the title of books ties in to the story. I found that this title is actually a little deceptive but you will have to read the book to find out what I mean.

I would recommend this book for high school age and above readers that love a good mystery. This book is not a hard core murder-horror story, but an enjoyable mystery with an excellent rhythm and good character development that will appeal to all ages.

Reviewed on 08/09/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Rebecca Cox