Wanting Daisy Dead

 Fiction by Sue Watson

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

It's been twenty years since Daisy Harrington died in her second year of university. Now her former housemates are being invited to celebrate what would have been her fortieth birthday by coming to a reunion at St. Luke's Campus, Exeter, and participating in a podcast called "The Killer Question."

And by "invited," I really mean "coerced;" each housemate receives a letter threatening to reveal the secret reason he or she wanted Daisy dead if they refuse to participate. And apparently, they ALL wanted Daisy dead. She was quite terrible, by all accounts.

This book was okay, but I didn't really like it. Every character was pretty unpleasant, and the convoluted plot stretched believability past its limits. But it WAS free.....

I also read recently by Amazon Prime Kindle: All the Lies

I Have Some Questions For You

 Fiction by Rebecca Makai

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

In 1995, Bodie Kane was a senior at Granby School, a posh New Hampshire academy for wealth adolescents. Bodie had always felt like an outsider at Granby, because she was not a rich kid; she was a charity case with a tragic family backstory she kept hidden as much as possible. 

Then her former roommate Thalia was murdered near the end of the school year. A suspect was caught and convicted quickly, but doubts about his guilt persisted after his incarceration, especially when Dateline did a special on the case ten years later. Online speculation about the murder persisted for many years.

Now it's 2018 and Bodie is a podcaster. She has been invited to come back to Granby and teach a two-week course, and she thinks maybe now is the time to look into Thalia's murder for real. Since she's always felt she's too close to the case to do a podcast on it herself, Bodie manipulates a student to take on the subject. Will they uncover the truth?

This book had an interesting premise and some decent characters but it was way too long and slow. It did pick up during the last third of the book.

What Happens Next

Fiction by Christina Suzann Nelson

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

Faith Byrne is a mother of two teenaged daughters who is still reeling from her unexpected divorce at the beginning of this story. A former investigative reporter, Faith does a podcast about people who recover from tragedy called “What Happens Next.” Now she has been contacted by someone from her past about featuring a cold case disappearance, and there are some surprises in store.

I really liked this book and will look for more by this author. 

The Suicide House

 Fiction by Charlie Donlea

https://www.barnesandnoble.com

There's an elite high school in Indiana called Westmont Prep, where parents who can pay for it send their high-achieving (or problem) kids. The school boasts a 100% university graduation rate, and prides itself on excellence and discipline. But there's a secret society inside the student body that the school administration pretends not to see, and one night an initiation in the nearby forest gets out of hand. Two students end up dead and a teacher is accused of murder. 

But there are many who don't think the teacher was guilty. One year later a true-crime podcaster tries to find out what really happened in the woods at Westmont Prep.

This was an exciting mystery, but just a little over-the-top in believability. I did like the characters.

I also read recently by this author: Don't Believe It

Listen for the Lie

 Fiction by Amy Tintera

https://www.audible.com

Lucy Chase doesn't know what happened the night her friend Savannah died, but she maintains that she would never have murdered her best friend. Unfortunately nobody believes that, and although there is not enough evidence to charge Lucy with murder, pretty much everyone in Plumpton, Texas, thinks she is guilty.

So Lucy fled to California and started over. But now, five years later, "Listen for the Lie" (a popular true-crime podcast) has resurrected the whole thing, and host Ben Owens says he will find the truth. But can he really? And will Lucy be able to handle the truth if it comes out?

This was a pretty good story but I didn't love the characters. There was a surprise at the end.

Tell Her Story

 Audible Original Fiction by Margot Hunt

https://www.audible.com

Paige Barrett is a disgraced journalist who starts a true-crime podcast that suddenly links up to her real life. This was a pretty good short mystery.

I also listened to recently by audible originals: The Last She