NYT Best Seller 2019: Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus

McManus, K. M. (2019). Two Can Keep a Secret. Random House Childrens Books.

 Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus is a New York Times Best Seller with 15 weeks on the list as of May 18th, 2019 after it being released on January 8th 2019. This is the author's second novel, One of Us Is Lying, being the debut novel and being on the NYT best sellers list for 79 weeks. I chose this book because it was brand new knowing that it would have reviews but little awards as of yet because of its recent release. I have always been a fan of mystery and thriller novels, but feel that they have always been too difficult to find in YA- normally they feel very film noir or Sherlock Holmesian, rather than realistic fiction. 

 Two Can Keep A Secret is about a set of twins, Ellery and Ezra, who have been sent to Echo Ridge a small town in the North East after their mother has been admitted into rehab after an accident that involved a jewelry store front and her car. Ellery is a huge fan of true crime novels and documentaries because of her families past. Her mother was also a twin, but her sister went missing on homecoming night over 20 years ago and her body was never found. Echo Ridge is infamous for it's missing girls and a small amusement park called Mruderland, where one of the missing girls turns up strangled 5 years ago. Ellery is determined to find the killer, and feels that there has to be some connection between Lacey (the girl murdered 5 years ago) and her aunt (20 years ago). It is only a few weeks after they move in that threats start showing up all over town that there will be another murder, and there is. Ellery, Ezra, Mia, and Malcom (the only two true friends they have found) go about trying to piece together the mystery, all having some small personal investment. Ellery is convinced that all of the murders must be tied in some way, Ezra just wants to keep his twin sister safe. Mia is the little sister of Lacey's (the homecoming queen murdered 5 years ago) best friend, Daisy, who just moved home mysteriously. Malcom, being the last person to see the most recent victim alive, and the little brother of the main suspect of Lacey's murder. 


This is a well crafted weaving tale that keeps the drama and suspense flowing through each page. McManus does a perfect job of weaving 3 mysteries together in one small town with an infinite amount of suspects. It seems that anyone could have done it, and the ending is perfectly satisfying. Ellery leaves the audience with the one secret out of the whole situation that she will never reveal to anyone else- the key to her aunt's murder. She will never tell- I hope you won't either. Arguably, in my opinion, a well written thriller/mystery does the same to the reader as fantasy does, just in a more realistic setting and characters. I love that this book can get me to suspend my disbelief and continue down Ellery's rabbit hole of suspicions until we find the killer. 

Other book you will like if you enjoyed Two Can Keep A Secret: 

  • One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (her debut novel- very well received) 
  • We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (another suspense story- not necessarily murder mystery, but just as enticing) 
  • Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart (same as previous) 
  • Girl I Used to Be by April Henry (murder mystery- great suspense) 
Source: 
Rachael Lippincott with Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, Thomas, A., Chu, C. C., Acevedo, E., Adeyemi, T., Charbonnet, J. P., . . . McManus, K. M. (n.d.). Young Adult Hardcover Books - Best Sellers - May 19, 2019. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/young-adult-hardcover/2019/05/19

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