All Unquiet Things by Anna Jarzab

A year ago, Carly was murdered, and even though they’ve put someone in jail, no one can forget, least of all Neily, Carly’s ex-boyfriend, and Audrey, Carly’s best friend. Neily blames himself for not answering Carly’s call the day she died; maybe he could’ve saved her. Audrey blames herself too, because her relationship with popular golden boy Cass is what got Carly involved with bad boy Adam Murray. Now, Audrey is convinced that the wrong man was put in jail and that Carly’s killer is still free, and she wants Neily to help her prove this. This unlikely pair will investigate the shady dealings of Brighton Day and their own relationships with Carly to bring the truth to light.

All Unquiet Things is a teen murder mystery that didn’t quite do it for me. Firstly, all the characters are poorly developed and not very realistic. At first, Neily’s character showed promise, but this fell flat when he and Audrey became obsessed with finding Carly’s killer. During the investigation, which took up the grand majority of the story, the back-and-forth accusations and theories regarding Carly’s death made Neily and Audrey seem less like people than just instruments of the investigation, if that makes any sense. The lines between who each was became blurred, and I even started to get confused when the narrations shifted between them. I wouldn’t mind the flat characters if the actual mystery was very satisfying. Unfortunately, Jarzab disappoints on this account as well. I found it difficult to follow Neily’s and Audrey’s logic when they determine Carly’s murderer. To be perfectly honest, All Unquiet Things would make a better movie than book, because on the screen, the action is often more important than everything else.

Though I was very disappointed, All Unquiet Things may still be enjoyed by fans of Death at Deacon Pond by E.M. Alexander and The Sight by Judy Blundell.

Rating: 2.5

Review copy from Amazon Vine