ARC Review: The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan

The Sorority Murder
Author: Allison Brennan
Publication: MIRA; Original edition (December 28, 2021)

Description: A popular sorority girl. An unsolved murder. A campus podcast with chilling repercussions.

Lucas Vega is obsessed with the death of Candace Swain, who left a sorority party one night and never came back. Her body was found after two weeks, but the case has grown cold. Three years later while interning at the medical examiner's, Lucas discovers new information, but the police are not interested.

Lucas knows he has several credible pieces of the puzzle. He just isn't sure how they fit together. So he creates a podcast to revisit Candace's last hours. Then he encourages listeners to crowdsource what they remember and invites guest lecturer Regan Merritt, a former US marshal, to come on and share her expertise.

New tips come in that convince Lucas and Regan they are onto something. Then shockingly one of the podcast callers turns up dead. Another hints at Candace's secret life, a much darker picture than Lucas imagined—and one that implicates other sorority sisters. Regan uses her own resources to bolster their theory and learns that Lucas is hiding his own secret. The pressure is on to solve the murder, but first Lucas must come clean about his real motives in pursuing this podcast—before the killer silences him forever.

My Thoughts: This was a very entertaining thriller. Lucas Vega has chosen to look into the murder of fellow student Candace Swain for his capstone project. He has recruited Lizzy Choi to be his producer. And his advisor introduces him to former US Marshal Regan Merritt who's on campus doing a guest lecture who might be willing to be a guest on his podcast. 

Lucas knew Candace Swain. She was his writing tutor when he was a freshman and she a senior. As a forensics major, he had interned at the coroner's office and read the autopsy reports which raise interesting questions. Sure, Candace disappeared after her sorority's Spring Fling, but she didn't die for nine days after that. What was she doing during those nine days?

Regan, who is back in Flagstaff dealing with her grief at the death of her ten-year-old son and the end of her marriage, becomes intrigued with what Lucas has found. Besides, helping him with help take her mind off her loss and give her some purpose while she tries to come up with a plan for the rest of her life. 

The story shifts in time from three years earlier at the time of Candace's death and the present. It includes excerpts from Candace's secret diary which gradually relay why she was so troubled in the days leading up to her death. 

Meanwhile in the present, old witnesses are interviewed again for Lucas's podcast and new witnesses are discovered. And the killer is killing again to keep the events of three years ago secret.

This was an excellent story with engaging characters and a fast-paced and twisty plot. 

Favorite Quote:

He never told his advisor his real motivation behind the podcast but justified that omission by knowing it was for the right reason. To find the truth.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.