76. Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson

listened on Libby

384 pgs.

2024
YA Mystery
Finished 10/21/24
Goodreads rating: 3.78
My rating: 3
Setting: 1932 AND contemporary island on the St. Lawrence River

My comments: The story flip-flops back-and-forth between 1932 and current day.  The star of the story is a magnificent house on an island on the St. Lawrence River - in America, but close to Canada.  Six friends are going to spend the summer there giving tours and telling the tragic story of what happened n 1932 to a rich family of six adopted kids, all the same age and the deaths that happened there that summer.  Interesting story, but there was something amiss for me.  All 12 of the main characters are teenagers.  But there's something about the way the characters were developed that didn't work for me.  At least I think that's my problem - because unfortunately I do have a problem with the story, but I can't put my finger right on it.

Goodreads synopsis:  

Goodreads Choice Award

Nominee for Readers' Favorite Young Adult Fiction (2024)   From the bestselling author of the Truly Devious books, Maureen Johnson, comes a new stand-alone YA about a teen who uncovers a mystery while working as a tour guide on an island and must solve it before history repeats itself.

The fire wasn’t Marlowe Wexler’s fault. Dates should be hot, but not hot enough to warrant literal firefighters. Akilah, the girl Marlowe has been in love with for years, will never go out with her again. No one dates an accidental arsonist.

With her house-sitting career up in flames, it seems the universe owes Marlowe a new summer job, and that’s how she ends up at Morning House, a mansion built on an island in the 1920s and abandoned shortly thereafter. It’s easy enough, giving tours. Low risk of fire. High chance of getting bored talking about stained glass and nut cutlets and Prohibition.

Oh, and the deaths. Did anyone mention the deaths?