I read a book called Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen M. McManus this month. This book is a 352-page YA murder mystery novel. It takes place in Echo Ridge a typical small town but that town has secrets no one knows. Two twins, Ellery and Ezra, are just beginning to learn about their past. Soon they’ll be in for a trip down memory lane faster than anyone would want. Ellery and Ezra have never been to Echo Ridge, the only reason their here is because their mom has been put in rehab and their aunt was murdered five years ago. So the only person who can have them come live with her is their grandmother whom they barely know. Before even school is in session for Ellery and Ezra, the same person who killed Sarah, Ellery’s mom’s sister five years ago is back and ready to strike again. This killer promises to make it as deadly as five years ago’s death. Then to prove he’s not fooling he takes another girl and another girl goes missing. Ellery and Ezra both know all about secrets. they know their mother has some, and even their grandmother does too. So the longer they’re in Echo Ridge, the more apparent it is that everyone in their small town is hiding something, anything. All the twins know is that everyone in their new life has something to hide. The thing about secrets though is that some can be dangerous, and most people aren’t good at keeping them. In Echo Ridge, it’s the safest thing to keep all your secrets to yourself.
I really enjoyed this book because it wasn’t like any normal murder mystery that I’ve ever read, it had the experience of going from the different characters’ points of view because it switched each chapter. I also really enjoyed it because it was a murder mystery and it’s kind of like the book series A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder because they reopen and try to solve a murder case from five years ago. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes that book series and also murder and crime and mystery and chemistry between characters.
My favorite character is Malcolm because he’s caring and nice, and he tries so hard to be his own person. One quote to prove that he tries hard to be his own person is “I became Declan Kelly’s brother before I got a chance to be anything else, and sometimes it feels like that’s all I’ll ever be.” (pg.31). This proves that he tries hard to be his own person because it shows how he knows that he lives in the shadow of his brother Declan so everyone thinks that he’ll turn out just as bad as his brother. This quote shows that even with him trying so hard to be his own person he knows he’ll probably never grow out of his brother’s shadow. But he tries so hard to be his own person, but it’s hard to change your reputation when your brother was the prime suspect in the death of Sarah five years ago.
One of my favorite quotes is “I’m sick to death of watching lies pile up on top of one another like the world’s worst Jenga game.” (pg.262). This is one of my favorite quotes because it reminds everyone of how each little lie no matter how big keeps building up until there’s a pile of all the lies you’ve ever told and it just keeps building up which is why we should all strive to try our hardest not to lie anytime. My second favorite quote is “…some secrets shouldn’t be told.” (pg.323). This is my other favorite quote because it goes to show that the secrets that anyone tells another and asks not to be shared aren’t meant to be shared. This reminds everyone that if someone is telling you not to tell their secret to someone else it’s probably for a good reason.
