Posted on by Jacquie Biggar

#BookReview- Beneath Devil’s Bridge by Loreth Anne White #Suspense @Loreth


Blurb from Amazon.com

A true crime podcast yields new revelations about a shocking murder in a riveting novel of suspense by Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author Loreth Anne White.

True crime podcaster Trinity Scott is chasing breakout success, and her brand-new serial may get her there. Her subject is Clayton Jay Pelley. More than two decades ago, the respected family man and guidance counselor confessed to the brutal murder of teenage student Leena Rai. But why he killed her has always been a mystery.

In a series of exclusive interviews from prison, Clayton discloses to Trinity the truth about what happened that night beneath Devil’s Bridge. It’s not what anyone in the Pacific Northwest town of Twin Falls expects. Clayton says he didn’t do it. Was he lying then? Or now?

As her listeners increase and ratings skyrocket, Trinity is missing a key player in the story: Rachel Walczak, the retired detective who exposed Pelley’s twisted urges and put him behind bars. She’s not interested in playing Clayton’s game—until Trinity digs deeper and the podcast’s reverb widens. Then Rachel begins to question everything she thinks she knows about the past.

With each of Clayton’s teasing reveals, one thing is clear: he’s not the only one in Twin Falls with a secret.

Biography

Loreth Anne White is an Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of thrillers, mysteries, and suspense. With well over 2 million books sold around the world, she is a three-time RITA finalist, an overall Daphne du Maurier Award winner, Arthur Ellis finalist, and winner of multiple industry awards.

A recovering journalist who has worked in both South Africa and Canada, she now calls Canada home. She resides in the Pacific Northwest, dividing time between Victoria on Vancouver Island, the ski resort of Whistler in the Coast Mountains, and a rustic lakeside cabin in the Cariboo. When she’s not writing or dreaming up plots, you will find her on the lakes, in the ocean, or on the trails with her dog where she tries—unsuccessfully—to avoid bears. For more information on her books please visit her website at lorethannewhite.com

Connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Loreth.Anne.White
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/Loreth
Or via Instagram: lorethannewhite
Or Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/150272.Loreth_Anne_White

Photo by Jou00e3o Cabral on Pexels.com

My Review

The Lies that bind…

When true crime podcaster Trinity Scott shows up at retired detective Rachel Walczak’s hide-away-from-the-world hobby farm, she sets into motion a series of events that will flip Twin Falls on its back- baring the town’s carefully hidden secrets.

Twenty-four years earlier, fourteen-year-old Leena Rai was brutally beaten and murdered under Devil’s Bridge. Detective Walczak and RCMP Detective Luke O’Leary investigate. They find enough to bring in guidance counsellor Clayton Jay Pelley, who then admits to the crime. Signed, sealed, delivered, except there are elements to the case that go unexplained.

Trinity has managed to score the interview of the decade with the murderer, who now says he didn’t commit the crime. In a series of podcast episodes, Scott reveals new information that reopens old wounds and throws the small town into turmoil.

This story is based on a true story that took place only blocks from my home. It is horrendous, sad, and unacceptable. We need to work harder to connect with our teens and learn when they are in trouble. I feel like this is an issue with working parents; children are left to raise themselves at a time when they need the most guidance.

Loreth tackled a tough subject matter with her signature journalistic style, shedding a light on diversity and bullying- a must read!

“I voluntarily read an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.”

bookworm

29 Replies to “#BookReview- Beneath Devil’s Bridge by Loreth Anne White #Suspense @Loreth”

  1. Thank you for introducing into a very interesting book, Jacquie! Now, with a new lockdown – We are in a pandemic 2.0, as our chancellor has said yesterday evening – we got much more time to read. 😉 Have a nice day! Michael

    Liked by 1 person

  3. Jacquie, an fantastic and intense review – I have shivers reading this! It is sad how this is based on true events but I am impressed how the author has broached the topic and what an original and modern way through podcasts. I’m definitely intrigued to read this book – on a warm summers day outside in the safety of the garden! I love Loreth’s closeness to the lake and ocean – not so much the bear though!

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Great review, Jacquie. It is so unnerving when these horrible crimes happen so close to home. You are right about teens needing their parents just as much as when they were younger.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. I noticed it even in our own family, Denise. I worked outside of home, as did my husband, leaving our daughter with Grandma, who lived in the basement (not as bad as it sounds! lol). I’d get home in time to start supper, tired, edgy, and unwilling to put up with her teenage angst. Lots of bitter words were flung around.
      I’m lucky she came out all right- many do not.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Lol…grandma in the basement.
        Raising teens isn’t easy, I preferred them hanging out here, it was loud but I knew where they were. I drove them crazy with my questions. I guess I still do…lol

        Liked by 2 people

  11. I’m late on chiming in (I was offline yesterday). This definitely sounds like an intense read. Knowing that it’s based on an actual case, however, I don’t think I could read it. This is so sad, and knowing it happened close by to where you live makes it even more horrific.

    Liked by 2 people

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