ABOUT THE BOOK
Cassie Underwood’s life is shattered when her younger sister dies in a freak car accident. In her grief, Cassie unfairly blames her sister’s constant companion—Taggart McGill—a boy with a sketchy past and abrasive personality. As Cassie attempts to recover from the loss, she struggles to honor her late-sister’s memory by befriending the person she resents most.
Things get complicated when Cassie overhears a fellow student asking Taggart to convince the police another death in the accident had nothing to do with the crash at all. Taggart surprisingly agrees and a suspicious Cassie decides to accompany him in his snooping. She soon learns everything she knows about Taggart is wrong… and he has insight into things that link the car accident to other suspicious deaths in their close-knit community.
Is Taggart McGill the “prick” everyone says he is, or will uncovering his secrets be the key that keeps Cassie’s name off the mounting list of victims?
MY REVIEW
This book would make an excellent mystery movie where a group of high school acquaintances search for a serial killer in their small town of New Haven.
The story is told in first person from Cassie Underwood’s point of view. Cassie has lost her sister in a train accident that turns out to be more complicated which leads Cassie and friends down a rabbit hole of murder and mayhem.
Cassie’s loss has her looking differently at her life and decides to learn more about the boy her sister loved and believed in when no one else would. She envies the relationship that Becca and Taggert had, a relationship that seemed to come naturally to them. When she finally sees Taggert like her sister did, she realizes that Taggert’s trust is important to her.
Taggert is a complex individual who prefers solitude over social interaction. His aversion to others starts as a boy when he is orphaned and put in the system. Despite this, Taggert has a unique perspective on life that is both captivating and mature. Beneath layers of distrust and isolation is a boy who is kind and sweet.
In her quest to understand Taggert, Cassie gets involved in solving a string of murders with her new quirky and awkward band of friends. Taggert’s detective skills are exceptional as the group gets closer to solving their case, but danger is right around the corner and what they find out is a shocker.
The supporting characters add depth to the story. As humans, we all crave a connection with someone who understands us and accepts us for who we are and each character brings something to the table.
PRICK is an exceptional debut novel that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys suspenseful young adult mysteries with a little humor and a hint of romance. Hammons’ writing is superb as he not only keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, but also touches upon important subjects for young adults such as loss, bullying, and ADHD. If you’re looking for a book that will hold your attention until the very last page, then this is the book for you. I can’t wait to read more in this series.
Thank you to Mr. Hammons for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
DL Hammons wrote his first piece of fiction decades ago to impress a girl (he was moderately successful) and never looked back.
Growing up as a military brat, DL moved around quite a bit as a kid. After graduating from LSU and raising a family in several southern states, he now makes his home in Central Arkansas where he has spent the last dozen years perfecting his voice, splitting his writing time between YA and Adult Mystery/Suspense. Other than being an author, DL claims that the most interesting thing about him is that he lacks a sense of smell. Other passions include (but are not limited to) his family (including his mini-Australian Sheppard) music, movies, video gaming, and cool weather camping.
PRICK is his debut YA suspense / thriller novel.
Follow DL on his website, Bookbub, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, and Instagram.
