Title: The Truth
Author: Jeffry W. Johnston
Pages: 240
Genre: YA Thriller/Suspense
Release Date: 02 February 2016
From Goodreads: "When Chris wakes up tied to a chair in a dark basement, he knows that he's trapped—and why. He shot and killed Derek's little brother. He had his reasons, but no matter how far Derek goes to uncover the truth about that night, Chris's story won't change. It can't. There is far too much at stake. Derek is desperate to prove his brother didn't deserve to die. And if kidnapping his brother's killer is the only way to the truth, than he'll go to extremes. But Chris's truth is far more dangerous than Derek could have imagined, and knowing could cost both their lives."
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Wow, this book.
I was able to start and finish this book in just a few hours. Once I picked it up, I could not put it back down! The opening was very strong and drew me in immediately. It made me want to learn more about why Chris was tied up in a basement. What happened to get him there? Thankfully, it didn't take long for this book to get into the good stuff, and I was hooked from the first few sentences.
Derek has Chris tied up in a basement because he wants to learn why Chris killed his little brother. Chris knows what he has to say in order to make it out of this alive, and he refuses to deviate from the story he knows. Derek wants nothing but the truth, but Chris can't tell him everything without losing everything in return. Chris killed Derek's little brother because he had broken into their house in the middle of the night, and that's the story he plans to stick to.
He can't tell Derek about the planted gun by a police officer friend of the family.
Or about where Chris' little brother was that night.
He can tell him anything but the real truth.
I can't say enough good things about this book without giving too much away. I really enjoyed that the main character was a male, because I generally read books with female main characters. It was a very refreshing change to read from the perspective of Chris and I would love to see more YA writers have male main characters!
The pacing of the book was perfect and I was able to immerse myself into the world very easily. As I was reading, I found myself genuinely interested in what really happened, and it kept me turning the pages until I reached the end. I sympathized with both Chris and Derek and even both of their younger brothers. While there were not many characters in the book, I really felt like the author developed them all quite while as the story progressed and it allowed me to really learn more about each of their motivations.
I was really put on the edge of my seat during the last few chapters. The twist at the end literally caused my jaw to drop! I was not expecting it and I won't spoil it for anyone who decides to pick up this title. I will throw out a small warning to anyone who is sensitive to reading about abuse, there is a small part towards the end with a bit that you may want to be cautious of.
All in all, I loved this book, and am very glad that I stumbled upon it. I would highly recommend this title to any fans of thriller/suspense novels!
