Review - Ten

by Gretchen McNeil
publisher: Balzer + Bray
date of publication: September 18, 2012
format: ARC
pages: 304
source: from the author

From Goodreads:

And their doom comes swiftly.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

I don't make a habit of reading many murder mysteries.  They usually just don't manage to grab my attention all that much, as I like my books both fanciful and thrilling.  When I found out that Gretchen McNeil had written Ten, however, I knew I had to give it a go.  She successfully scared the crap out of me with Possess, so I was confident she would write a mean murder mystery.  As it turns out, my assumptions were correct and I was treated to one heck of a thrill ride.  Ten brought on the mystery plot with a whole lot of ominous tone.  From the first page, I knew I was in for it.

When it comes to Meg and her best friend, Minnie, the description above does not do justice to the true nature of the relationship between these two.  To say that Minnie is codependent and Meg is an enabler is an understatement.  From the start, you know that what you're reading isn't a typical friendship.  Instead, it's based on something more akin to baby-sitting and walking on egg shells.  Meg starts out as such a push-over that you have to wonder just how the story is going to play out in regard to her.  However, as she begins to realize more and more the consequences of her enabling behavior, she becomes a bit stronger and a more sympathetic character.  I wanted someone to put a gag in Minnie's mouth half the time, but I can't deny that she added a lot of edge to the story's undercurrents.

I simply loved the setting for Ten.  It doesn't get much spookier than a heavily forested, storm-ravaged island along the Pacific Northwest coast.  It added so much more urgency to the teens' plight and made for a heck of an atmosphere.  Between that and the enigma that is the identity of the killer, you'll be kept on the edge of your seat.  I truly could not deduce the killer's identity until they revealed it themselves.  Consider my mind blown.  When a book comes along that takes me completely by surprise like that, I'm a happy reader, indeed.

It's safe to say that Ten left me very satisfied in the thrills and chills department.  Though I would have liked to see some more depth to Minnie's character (I honestly couldn't define what Meg saw in her), the variety in the cast worked out very well.  With a foreboding setting, character conflict, and a tight lid on the killer's identity, Ten makes for a pretty great mystery.  If you're a fan of the genre or want to try it out for yourself, Ten would definitely be a good place to start.

Buy Ten at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository

This advance review copy was provided to me by the author as part of a contest.  No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.