Cruel Summer by James Dawson

[Michelle]

'He'd assumed Janey's death was the finale. Turned out, it was just the beginning...'

 

A year after the suicide of one of their friends, the rest of the group decide to spend the summer together in a holiday villa in the Mediterranean. They're hoping to get over the terrible events of the previous year, but then a new guest arrives - claiming to have evidence that the suicide was actually murder. When she is found dead, it becomes clear that the killer must be one of them - but who is it? And will they strike again?

 

I've had this one for a while, but kept putting it off.. but when I did pick it up, I devoured it in a day! Cruel Summer starts off as an idyllic holiday in a stunning villa, but as soon it's mentioned that it's far from anyone, and there's no mobile signal, you just know there's going to be problems!

 

The opening introduces the characters, and let's us get to know them, but the perfect calm soons disappears. This group of friends are trying to reunite after one of their friends killed herself a year ago, but it's soon obvious that the story hasn't ended.

 

The story is told from differing points of view, and instead of chapters, there are scenes.. this is because Ryan, one of the main narrators, sees his world in the form of an ongoing TV show. To me, this worked well, because James Dawson's vivid writing makes you feel you are watching a film in your head!

 

I'm not going to go into details, but James doesn't shy away from a bit of violence and murder, and I would recommend this to older teens and up. This is definitely a 'cross-over' book, which I suspect many adults will enjoy just as much! I saw aspects of Scream, which I loved, and I found it impossible to put down until I'd finished every detail. If there's one book I've read this year which needs to be a film, this is it!