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Most Likely to Die
"New York Times" bestselling authors Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton, and Wendy Corsi Staub join forces to create a thrilling novel about love, revenge, and the dark secrets three women hold to a terrifying murder. . .
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once. . .
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. . .
Finds It Easier To Kill Again. . .
A 20-year reunion has been scheduled for St. Elizabeth's. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line. . .
And Again. . .And Again. . .
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once. . .
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. . .
Finds It Easier To Kill Again. . .
A 20-year reunion has been scheduled for St. Elizabeth's. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line. . .
And Again. . .And Again. . .
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
927 people are currently reading
3241 people want to read
About the author
Lisa Jackson
271 books9,542 followersLisa Jackson is the number-one New York Times bestselling author of over ninety-five novels, including the Rick Bentz and Reuben Montoya Series, the Pescoli and Alvarez Series, the Savannah series, and numerous stand alone novels. She also is the co-author of One Last Breath, Last Girl Standing, and the Colony Series, written with her sister and bestselling author Nancy Bush, as well as the collaborative novels Sinister and Ominous, written with Nancy Bush and Rosalind Noonan. There are over thirty million copies of her novels in print and her writing has been translated into twenty languages.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
Before she became a nationally bestselling author, she was a mother struggling to keep food on the table by writing novels, hoping against hope that someone would pay her for them. Today, neck deep in murder, her books appear on The New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly national bestseller lists.
With dozens of bestsellers to her name, Lisa Jackson is a master of taking readers to the edge of sanity—and back—in novels that buzz with dangerous secrets and deadly passions. She continues to be fascinated by the minds and motives of both her killers and their pursuers—the personal, the professional, and the downright twisted. As she builds the puzzle of relationships, actions, clues, lies, and personal histories that haunt her protagonists, she must also confront the fear and terror faced by her victims and the harsh and enduring truth that, in the real world, terror and madness touch far too many lives and families.
Visit http://www.LisaJackson.com where you can find a Media Kit with photos and more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 265 reviews
November 17, 2025
2.5 stars - A very, very "meh" and quite dated (written 20 years ago), a super over-wrought and really trite thriller about a teen's murder in the mid-80's and now there's an upcoming 20 year reunion (dum-da-dum-dum!!🎶) Can't recommend it & I only read this title to finish two challenges and didn't have a lot to choose from to do so. Some parts were also labeled as written by other authors - hopefully they all got better with time...
September 4, 2012
I found this book in the airport and picked it up because I'd forgotten a book of my own to read. It immediately became apparent why the previous reader had left it on the bench. Wow, was it bad! From the improbable setting of a convent in Portland, Oregon, to the blatant, almost racist, tokenism of the characters (including a fat Mexican girl who loves jalapenos on her pizza), this book was an example of everything a good writer should not do. I laughed out loud when the killer -- yes, that's how the antagonist is referred to until the very end -- smiles to herself when the lights go out on the subway, only to have "her face carefully masked in neutrality" when the lights return. It would only have been cheesier had she laughed diabolically. Oh wait, she does that later in the book.
The best part? At the end of the novel, [spoiler alert] the main characters all end up with every girl's dream: a hot, rich husband and a kid. I guess that's their prize for not letting the serial killer trick them with her sneaky phone calls! I agree with one thing: according to the cover, this book was the scariest novel of the year. Both the editing and the fact that this was supposedly written by "three New York Times bestselling authors" are pretty terrifying to behold.
The best part? At the end of the novel, [spoiler alert] the main characters all end up with every girl's dream: a hot, rich husband and a kid. I guess that's their prize for not letting the serial killer trick them with her sneaky phone calls! I agree with one thing: according to the cover, this book was the scariest novel of the year. Both the editing and the fact that this was supposedly written by "three New York Times bestselling authors" are pretty terrifying to behold.
July 28, 2017
I enjoyed this book, but the thing that kept me from a 5 star review was the style of writing. The book is told through a number of POVs, including the killer's. While the three main POV's were easily distinguished as they each had their own section of the book, the killer's POV was integrated into each chapter, and it would change POV's in the middle of a page, with no warning. It was often confusing and I'd have to re-read sentences to remember who was speaking, so that got frustrating sometimes.
I worked out the killer really early on, but I really liked the way everything came together in the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable thriller.
I worked out the killer really early on, but I really liked the way everything came together in the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable thriller.
May 21, 2025
4.5 🌟's! I have always enjoyed Lisa Jackson's books! This one had 2 other authors as well. I'm not familiar with the other 2, though. This was a great mystery-thriller! I liked the contrast between when they were all in high school to the present day when they're all adults. All of the characters had their fair share of life stuff they were dealing with separately and together. It was pretty cool how some of them were able to come together to figure out who did it and the who presently doing it. I always enjoy books that contain cold cases being worked on. This was entertaining and suspenseful! I recommend it!
November 9, 2008
Most Likely To Die contains three connected stories by three different authors. Part One: Kristen, by Lisa Jackson, was my least favorite of the three, and I would only rate it three stars. To be fair, it may have been my least favorite because of the way it had use so much space to introduce most of the characters and set up the story. I did find Kristen and Ross Delmonico, the main characters in this part of the story, to be likeable, but I felt that their story together wasn't given enough depth. Part Two: Lindsay, by Wendy Corsi Staub was more enjoyable for me. I enjoyed the intereaction between the main characters, Lindsay Farrell and Wyatt Goddard, and I would give it four stars. Beverly Barton's contribution, Part Three: Rachel, was my favorite part of the book, and I would give it 4.5 stars. I enjoyed the story of Rachel Alsace and Dean McMichaels, but what I liked best was the closure that Barton gave to the previous stories, as well as her own.
A dance at St. Elizabeth's Catholic School in Portland turns into a nightmare for a group of girls as a boy, Jake Marcott, that they all love and admire is murdered. The killer is not identified, and the tight friendship between three of the girls is tested by the murder. When their tragic senior year of high school ends, the three all but lose touch. Twenty years later, St. Elizabeth's is closing, and this group of former students who have never had a reuinion due to the tragedy decides to finally get together. As a committee begins to meet to plan the reunion, some of the members begin to receive disturbing messages. Committee members begin dying as Jake's killer seeks vengeance on the group of women who were in Jake's circle as girls. Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel are all targeted by Jake's killer. As they come to terms with the past, they each find love.
The way that all of the novellas in this book were connected was interesting. I enjoyed having the same characters appear in each of the stories. I liked the book as a whole, but some parts were better than others. Barton's part of the book was my favorite because of the resolutions offered to all of the stories, but the couple I enjoyed reading about most was from Staub's novella - Lindsay and Wyatt. The storyline that was woven through all of the novellas was interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the romances of the three friends.
A dance at St. Elizabeth's Catholic School in Portland turns into a nightmare for a group of girls as a boy, Jake Marcott, that they all love and admire is murdered. The killer is not identified, and the tight friendship between three of the girls is tested by the murder. When their tragic senior year of high school ends, the three all but lose touch. Twenty years later, St. Elizabeth's is closing, and this group of former students who have never had a reuinion due to the tragedy decides to finally get together. As a committee begins to meet to plan the reunion, some of the members begin to receive disturbing messages. Committee members begin dying as Jake's killer seeks vengeance on the group of women who were in Jake's circle as girls. Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel are all targeted by Jake's killer. As they come to terms with the past, they each find love.
The way that all of the novellas in this book were connected was interesting. I enjoyed having the same characters appear in each of the stories. I liked the book as a whole, but some parts were better than others. Barton's part of the book was my favorite because of the resolutions offered to all of the stories, but the couple I enjoyed reading about most was from Staub's novella - Lindsay and Wyatt. The storyline that was woven through all of the novellas was interesting, and I enjoyed reading about the romances of the three friends.
August 17, 2007
Plot was given away about 1/2 way through the book with little surprises left once you figure out who is wrecking the havoc on the high school classmates. Too many predictable reunions. Only redeeming entertainment value was that book was written in 3 sections by 3 different authors, so there's some fun to be had in trying to find inconsistencies and differences in style throughout.
June 4, 2016
Please don't waste your time. I only forced myself to finish it so hopefully others won't have to. This doesn't even fall into an "okay beach read" category.
The three separate sections, told from three characters' points of view, are unnecessary. Characters are flat and idiotic and the plot is predictable. I guessed the murderer about a quarter of the way into the book. There were also a few instances of sentences being repeated, so I'm not sure an editor even looked at it.
The three separate sections, told from three characters' points of view, are unnecessary. Characters are flat and idiotic and the plot is predictable. I guessed the murderer about a quarter of the way into the book. There were also a few instances of sentences being repeated, so I'm not sure an editor even looked at it.
December 9, 2019
3++ stars. I really liked the collaboration of these authors. The mystery was exciting but became predictable a little sooner than I would normally like. The way the authors tied the story to certain characters in other series they had written pulled me in even more. I love recognizing former favorite characters that I haven’t thought of in a long time. Overall this was a really great mystery.
July 11, 2009
This book did not keep my interest, i dont know if it was the combined writing styles or maybe I was not in the mood for a murder mistery?, I will probally try reading this again.
February 3, 2022
I found a used paperback copy of this book, and because I have a weakness for reunion stories, I was all in. What makes this tale unique is that it’s told in three different parts by three different authors, about three different couples. All parts intersect, and all characters (including secondary) carry from section to section with a complete tie-up at the end.
Twenty odd years ago, Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel were besties. All three were connected to Jake Marcott, who was murdered at St. Elizabeth’s school the night of the Valentine’s Day dance. At the time, Kristen was dating Jake, Lindsay was his previous girlfriend, and Rachel had a huge crush on him. A number of other friends also factored into their circle, but Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel carry this story (along with the guys they’re connected to).
Because of Jake’s murder, there’s never been a high school reunion at St. Elizabeth’s. Now the place is going to be torn down so it’s decided that despite that fateful day, the graduating class should get together for one last goodbye. A reunion committee is formed with Kristen chosen to head it up.
It isn’t long after the first committee meeting that things begin to go downhill. Several women receive doctored invitations with violent red slashes through their senior pictures. They feel as if they’re being followed, a few even think someone has broken into their homes. Then the killings start—first appearing random or accidental—but eventually it’s clear someone is targeting the women on the committee.
I liked how each part of the story focused primarily on a different lead. Of the three, I enjoyed Lindsay and Wyatt’s section the most, though all were intriguing. The suspense is steady and keeps the reader flipping pages to find out what will happen next. There is a slight romantic angle to each section as well, and I found all the primary characters likeable.
I wish there had been a way to keep the killer’s identity under wraps a bit longer, as well as the motive for the killings (both in the past and present). I had things pretty much figured out by the start of the third section. Then it was just a matter of watching events unfold.
In addition to the three leads, there is POV from the killer throughout the book. Quite a lot. That grew a bit tiresome, plus it contributed to deciphering the killer AND motive earlier than I would have chosen. I was hoping for more of a surprise, but overall, this was an entertaining read. The scenes flow easily, the dialogue is natural, and the plot points stack like dominoes for a tight finish.
Twenty odd years ago, Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel were besties. All three were connected to Jake Marcott, who was murdered at St. Elizabeth’s school the night of the Valentine’s Day dance. At the time, Kristen was dating Jake, Lindsay was his previous girlfriend, and Rachel had a huge crush on him. A number of other friends also factored into their circle, but Kristen, Lindsay, and Rachel carry this story (along with the guys they’re connected to).
Because of Jake’s murder, there’s never been a high school reunion at St. Elizabeth’s. Now the place is going to be torn down so it’s decided that despite that fateful day, the graduating class should get together for one last goodbye. A reunion committee is formed with Kristen chosen to head it up.
It isn’t long after the first committee meeting that things begin to go downhill. Several women receive doctored invitations with violent red slashes through their senior pictures. They feel as if they’re being followed, a few even think someone has broken into their homes. Then the killings start—first appearing random or accidental—but eventually it’s clear someone is targeting the women on the committee.
I liked how each part of the story focused primarily on a different lead. Of the three, I enjoyed Lindsay and Wyatt’s section the most, though all were intriguing. The suspense is steady and keeps the reader flipping pages to find out what will happen next. There is a slight romantic angle to each section as well, and I found all the primary characters likeable.
I wish there had been a way to keep the killer’s identity under wraps a bit longer, as well as the motive for the killings (both in the past and present). I had things pretty much figured out by the start of the third section. Then it was just a matter of watching events unfold.
In addition to the three leads, there is POV from the killer throughout the book. Quite a lot. That grew a bit tiresome, plus it contributed to deciphering the killer AND motive earlier than I would have chosen. I was hoping for more of a surprise, but overall, this was an entertaining read. The scenes flow easily, the dialogue is natural, and the plot points stack like dominoes for a tight finish.
May 27, 2013
I have read books by Lisa Jackson and Wendy Corsi Staub but none by Beverly Barton and after this book written by this trio, I doubt if I would ever read anything by Beverly Barton.
This books is about a group of women in 2006 who are having a 20 year reunion- their first ever- of their graduation from a girls' Catholic school in 1986. They had not kept in touch over the years and the reason why is that so many of them were infatuated with bad boy and supercreep Jake Marcott who was murdered at the Valentine's Day ball out in the maze behind the school by a female who killed him by shooting him in the heart with a high powered bow and arrow. The crime had never been solved. Now they all will gather again in Oregon but some will die before it can start. It appears the Cupid Arrow killer has come out to kill the girls who were closest to Jake.
This was supposed to be a mystery/suspense novel and frankly, I expected the usual Lisa Jackson and Wendy Corsi Staub type of mystery but this is like having such a mystery infected with some gunky Harlequin gooey romance. Barton was the worst. Each writer took one character and featured her story while carrying on the general storyline. The icky romantic goo oozed into the story in a most unwelcome way. Jackson had character Kristen who was separated from her husband raising daughter Lissa, a teen slut. When the beginning of the threat to the women who had been close to Jake (Kristen was his date the night he was killed) , instantly there is Kristen's soon to be ex husband there and of course hot sex and romance erupts. Uh huh. Isn't that just what always happens when people can't stand each other and are getting divorced but one is threatened with death (usually by the ex). Oh romance! Oh yes, my bosom is heaving as I gaze upon the sexiest man in the world, oh oh. Oh PLEASE! What is this crap doing in my mystery?
Wendy Corsi Staub got into the act by having this soap opera situation The killer thought Lindsay had been pregnant by Jake when he was killed and isn't she surprised when she gets to New York and lets the kid Lindsay had long ago and put up for adoption know who she is only to find that the father was Jake's friend Wyatt who had always been in love with Lindsay and now he gets to find out he's a daddy but he has never been able to have a real relationship because of course he has spent his life pining for Lindsay. Oh glory be, of course they must land in bed together now for some huffing and puffing since they did it once before on New Year's 1986 and who could possibly go on with life without his or her first sexual partner or crush? I mean, how OLD are these people? They are supposed to be 38 but somehow locked in time and can't go on without someone they haven't seen in 20 years. Someone else gets bumped off (literally) and the killer somehow just puts on a wig and outfit and no knows her. In fact, in another unreal situation, she is able to walk right past someone's secretary, go into Lindsay's office, steal her keys which are conveniently there, go out and make copies and return the originals with no one noticing. Uh huh. Maybe I'll try that some time in an office and see how it goes. Likewise her getting in the secure building Lindsay lives in by pretending to the door man that she has a crush on a 20 something musician who lives there. Does anyone honestly think that a doorman is going go let you in any building because you tell them you are hot for a music star who lives there? They get paid to keep those very people out. And what was she being let in to do? Stand at his door?
The worst was Beverly Barton's section about police officer Rachel who was once in love with Jake and is now reunited with Dean who was in love with her at that time and she never gave the time of day to. She is trying to find out who is killing the women and Barton has what is basically just a sex novel going on. This is when the first "I wanted to fuck her night and day", "I want to screw you all night" popped up and of course, instant romance between a woman who didn't like the guy years ago but hey, he's a cop like her and they are trying to solve this together so from the second they see each other, they are wanting to get together forever. Barton was so intent on getting this going, she made careless errors. Here's an example- when her uncle is telling her she will be working with the person handling cold homicides, he specifically says "He was a friend of Jake's" and Rachel wonders if it was one of the girls she went to the all-girls school with or a guy who went to their "brother" school for Catholic boys.What? Since when do you get told you will work with a "he" who was Jake's male friend from his all boys school and you ponder if this person is one of the girls from your all girls school? Some detective! All they do is sit and think of sex with each other and frankly this ruins the mystery by interfering with it. I was hoping someone would kill the damned author! She also had numerous instances of the killer "giggling hysterically" and twirling like a ballerina. Huh? In the entire book the killer had been very serious and quiet, very sinister and secretive and intense and now she's some laughing hyena and giggling looney tune? Beverly Barton needed to get her shit together.
I was interested in the storyline and actually figured who it was in the first section due to one thought the killer had that identified her relationship to Jake (and showed what a sicko he really was). I was put off by the Harlequin romance elements that were trite and basically felt forced as if each of these couples had to be thrown together and people immediately began having sex and declaring undying love after 20 years of not even seeing each other and never going together in the first place. Come on! That was just stupid and cloying and interrupted the flow of the mystery.
In the end, it turned out Jake got exactly what he deserved. And of course there are all of these Harlequin syrupy sappy love stories with one of those Harlequin epilogues where everyone is soooo in love, married, and knocked up. Needs to come with a warning label.
This books is about a group of women in 2006 who are having a 20 year reunion- their first ever- of their graduation from a girls' Catholic school in 1986. They had not kept in touch over the years and the reason why is that so many of them were infatuated with bad boy and supercreep Jake Marcott who was murdered at the Valentine's Day ball out in the maze behind the school by a female who killed him by shooting him in the heart with a high powered bow and arrow. The crime had never been solved. Now they all will gather again in Oregon but some will die before it can start. It appears the Cupid Arrow killer has come out to kill the girls who were closest to Jake.
This was supposed to be a mystery/suspense novel and frankly, I expected the usual Lisa Jackson and Wendy Corsi Staub type of mystery but this is like having such a mystery infected with some gunky Harlequin gooey romance. Barton was the worst. Each writer took one character and featured her story while carrying on the general storyline. The icky romantic goo oozed into the story in a most unwelcome way. Jackson had character Kristen who was separated from her husband raising daughter Lissa, a teen slut. When the beginning of the threat to the women who had been close to Jake (Kristen was his date the night he was killed) , instantly there is Kristen's soon to be ex husband there and of course hot sex and romance erupts. Uh huh. Isn't that just what always happens when people can't stand each other and are getting divorced but one is threatened with death (usually by the ex). Oh romance! Oh yes, my bosom is heaving as I gaze upon the sexiest man in the world, oh oh. Oh PLEASE! What is this crap doing in my mystery?
Wendy Corsi Staub got into the act by having this soap opera situation The killer thought Lindsay had been pregnant by Jake when he was killed and isn't she surprised when she gets to New York and lets the kid Lindsay had long ago and put up for adoption know who she is only to find that the father was Jake's friend Wyatt who had always been in love with Lindsay and now he gets to find out he's a daddy but he has never been able to have a real relationship because of course he has spent his life pining for Lindsay. Oh glory be, of course they must land in bed together now for some huffing and puffing since they did it once before on New Year's 1986 and who could possibly go on with life without his or her first sexual partner or crush? I mean, how OLD are these people? They are supposed to be 38 but somehow locked in time and can't go on without someone they haven't seen in 20 years. Someone else gets bumped off (literally) and the killer somehow just puts on a wig and outfit and no knows her. In fact, in another unreal situation, she is able to walk right past someone's secretary, go into Lindsay's office, steal her keys which are conveniently there, go out and make copies and return the originals with no one noticing. Uh huh. Maybe I'll try that some time in an office and see how it goes. Likewise her getting in the secure building Lindsay lives in by pretending to the door man that she has a crush on a 20 something musician who lives there. Does anyone honestly think that a doorman is going go let you in any building because you tell them you are hot for a music star who lives there? They get paid to keep those very people out. And what was she being let in to do? Stand at his door?
The worst was Beverly Barton's section about police officer Rachel who was once in love with Jake and is now reunited with Dean who was in love with her at that time and she never gave the time of day to. She is trying to find out who is killing the women and Barton has what is basically just a sex novel going on. This is when the first "I wanted to fuck her night and day", "I want to screw you all night" popped up and of course, instant romance between a woman who didn't like the guy years ago but hey, he's a cop like her and they are trying to solve this together so from the second they see each other, they are wanting to get together forever. Barton was so intent on getting this going, she made careless errors. Here's an example- when her uncle is telling her she will be working with the person handling cold homicides, he specifically says "He was a friend of Jake's" and Rachel wonders if it was one of the girls she went to the all-girls school with or a guy who went to their "brother" school for Catholic boys.What? Since when do you get told you will work with a "he" who was Jake's male friend from his all boys school and you ponder if this person is one of the girls from your all girls school? Some detective! All they do is sit and think of sex with each other and frankly this ruins the mystery by interfering with it. I was hoping someone would kill the damned author! She also had numerous instances of the killer "giggling hysterically" and twirling like a ballerina. Huh? In the entire book the killer had been very serious and quiet, very sinister and secretive and intense and now she's some laughing hyena and giggling looney tune? Beverly Barton needed to get her shit together.
I was interested in the storyline and actually figured who it was in the first section due to one thought the killer had that identified her relationship to Jake (and showed what a sicko he really was). I was put off by the Harlequin romance elements that were trite and basically felt forced as if each of these couples had to be thrown together and people immediately began having sex and declaring undying love after 20 years of not even seeing each other and never going together in the first place. Come on! That was just stupid and cloying and interrupted the flow of the mystery.
In the end, it turned out Jake got exactly what he deserved. And of course there are all of these Harlequin syrupy sappy love stories with one of those Harlequin epilogues where everyone is soooo in love, married, and knocked up. Needs to come with a warning label.
January 7, 2017
This was never on any of my I want to read list. In fact, I stumbled over it at our local library’s annual fall book sale. The first thing I noticed was that the book was 10 years old, but as I read the cover, I decided I did want to read the book. Always remember, just because a book may be older, does not mean that it isn’t a good book!
The first thing I need to point out about this book is that there are three different authors; Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton, and Wendy Corsi Staub. While each of these women have similar writing techniques, their styles are not identical. The novel is one story, each of the women wrote one part of the book. Now with the styles being slightly different, it took a chapter or two for the book to seem to run smoothly after the change of each author.
The novel: Twenty years ago, at the St. Elizabeth School’s Valentine Day dance, Jake Marcott, a sexy teenager who always had one of the elite from St. Elizabeth’s on his arm, was found dead, an arrow shot into his heart, pinning him to an old Oak tree which stood in the middle of a hedge maze on the school property. The class of 1986 learned to move forward, with the exception of a few girls, all in Jake’s exclusive little circle; his death had held each of them back in one way or another.
The girls each took a different path after graduation, never looking back, never keeping in touch with the girls who had been family throughout their school years. They also never held a class reunion, but now, twenty years later, with St. Elizabeth’s about to be closed and meet her match with a wrecking ball, a reunion is finally planned, and the horror that the girls thought they left behind is about to reclaim them, up close and personal.
This is a thriller that lacks just a little, I would still highly recommend it. Maybe another reader can make it more than half way through before they decipher who the killer was & is!
The first thing I need to point out about this book is that there are three different authors; Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton, and Wendy Corsi Staub. While each of these women have similar writing techniques, their styles are not identical. The novel is one story, each of the women wrote one part of the book. Now with the styles being slightly different, it took a chapter or two for the book to seem to run smoothly after the change of each author.
The novel: Twenty years ago, at the St. Elizabeth School’s Valentine Day dance, Jake Marcott, a sexy teenager who always had one of the elite from St. Elizabeth’s on his arm, was found dead, an arrow shot into his heart, pinning him to an old Oak tree which stood in the middle of a hedge maze on the school property. The class of 1986 learned to move forward, with the exception of a few girls, all in Jake’s exclusive little circle; his death had held each of them back in one way or another.
The girls each took a different path after graduation, never looking back, never keeping in touch with the girls who had been family throughout their school years. They also never held a class reunion, but now, twenty years later, with St. Elizabeth’s about to be closed and meet her match with a wrecking ball, a reunion is finally planned, and the horror that the girls thought they left behind is about to reclaim them, up close and personal.
This is a thriller that lacks just a little, I would still highly recommend it. Maybe another reader can make it more than half way through before they decipher who the killer was & is!
July 25, 2011
I'll admit from the start, I'm not a huge murder mystery fan. On the whole, this wasn't a bad book. Well built suspense kept me reading. I had some difficulty with becoming attached to most of the characters. In part, because I had trouble grasping how one shady young man, however handsome, could have ended up idealized in the minds of that many teenage girls...to the point of contributing to failing areas of their lives even two decades after being devastated by his death.
They gave away the murderer earlier on than I would have liked. Although, the fact that I was able to accurately guess who it was before then wasn't so much a reflection on the story as it was on how desensitized I've become. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't.
The biggest thing I had trouble with was the differences between the authors. Lets face it, it's hard to get three different people on the same page...if you'll excuse the pun. The flow of the story between them managed to carry on pretty well. To the point where I didn't have a real preference between them. But the huge variant was in the voice and behavior of the killer from one author to the next. Rather than building onto the character, it felt more like the depictions were contradicting each other. The killer was obviously mentally unstable, yet this fact alone didn't quite justify how they came across. At least, in my mind.
They gave away the murderer earlier on than I would have liked. Although, the fact that I was able to accurately guess who it was before then wasn't so much a reflection on the story as it was on how desensitized I've become. I should have been surprised, but I wasn't.
The biggest thing I had trouble with was the differences between the authors. Lets face it, it's hard to get three different people on the same page...if you'll excuse the pun. The flow of the story between them managed to carry on pretty well. To the point where I didn't have a real preference between them. But the huge variant was in the voice and behavior of the killer from one author to the next. Rather than building onto the character, it felt more like the depictions were contradicting each other. The killer was obviously mentally unstable, yet this fact alone didn't quite justify how they came across. At least, in my mind.
August 10, 2016
I have to compliment the 3 authors for writing a nearly seamless tale. Each author took a character and told her story. Lisa Jackson went first with the story of Kristen. Kristen is separated from her husband Ross and irked about being forced to head up the committee for her High School Reunion from St. Elizabeth's. She is still haunted by the murder of her date (Jake) at the Valentine's Day Dance. When Kristen is stalked Ross's protective instincts kick in and he insist on protecting her which leads to them eventually reuniting.
The death of Jake, Lindsay's long time High School boyfriend complicated her life. Giving up the baby she was pregnant with in High School leaves a hole in her heart, so she is thrilled when her son contacts her. Too bad the mysterious person who emailed Leo (her son) with the way to contact his birth mother plans to kill her. Will her new found love Wyatt be able to save her?
Rachel's father was unable to find Jake's killer. Will his daughter and her partner Dean have better luck in finding the killer before Kristen, Lindsay and Rachel are killed.
The death of Jake, Lindsay's long time High School boyfriend complicated her life. Giving up the baby she was pregnant with in High School leaves a hole in her heart, so she is thrilled when her son contacts her. Too bad the mysterious person who emailed Leo (her son) with the way to contact his birth mother plans to kill her. Will her new found love Wyatt be able to save her?
Rachel's father was unable to find Jake's killer. Will his daughter and her partner Dean have better luck in finding the killer before Kristen, Lindsay and Rachel are killed.
August 4, 2009
the way Lisa Jackson tells story of three main characters in this novel is quite entertaining. it's like we're taken to travel to three places where each of it containing one woman who have suffered from horrible high school moment. unfortunately, i couldn't find this book thrilling. the story about each main character's romance life is taking this novel way too far out of the theme. predictability in this novel is caused by the usual 'the most unlikely murderer is the murderer' type. Lisa Jackson feeds too little information for the readers to logically guess the murderer. Instead of making the novel interesting, this cliche makes me disappointed. i read barely half the novel, guessed the murderer, see the last pages and found that i was right. i hardly read the third part of the story and never picked up the novel again since then.
February 8, 2017
good read but drawn out
April 10, 2012
I didn’t mind that I figured out who the killer was fairly quickly into this book. What I didn’t care for was all the repetitive inner dialogue about how the killer was going to make the women pay. It just seemed excessive and over the top. I also thought it odd that the three main women characters would so easily fall into the arms of the three men, the first being with her husband who she was on the verge of divorcing, the other two being men they hadn’t seen since high school. I don’t doubt that things like this happen in real life, but it just seemed far-fetched that all of them would follow the same route.
July 7, 2009
Dikarang oleh 3 pengarang thriller-romance yang berbeda membuat buku ini menarik untuk dibaca. Menceritakan kehidupan 3 orang wanita, masing2 dikisahkan oleh pengarang yang berbeda dan di bagian terakhir diceritakan pertemuan dalam acara reuni dan pengungkapan siapa pembunuh yang sebenarnya.
Sebenarnya menebak pembunuh yang dicari2 tidak sukar, sekitar separuh buku sudah dapat ditebak tetapi kisah mengenai romance dari ketiga wanita tersebut membuat buku ini tetap sangat menarik untuk dibaca.
Sebenarnya menebak pembunuh yang dicari2 tidak sukar, sekitar separuh buku sudah dapat ditebak tetapi kisah mengenai romance dari ketiga wanita tersebut membuat buku ini tetap sangat menarik untuk dibaca.
May 5, 2016
This was the most predictably awful book. It is a story we have read or watched on the big screen over and over again. In the midst of all of the main characters friends dying they all still managed to find love. Puke fest.
September 11, 2016
I felt like I was reading a script from an after school special! Predicable and ridiculous. Every character is too good to be true .... But I read the whole thing, which is why I gave t 2 stars instead of 1.
March 2, 2009
aku cuma suka bagian Beverlynya doang..
yg lain agak kurang ngena hahah
yg lain agak kurang ngena hahah
July 27, 2017
Too many and too gruesome were the murders; loaded with weak female characters who needed men to protect them from everything. Just not my cup of tea.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2025
I wish I had paid more attention to the reviews!
I read the reviews for this book and chose to read it anyway. About halfway through it, I regretted ignoring the warnings.
First of all, this book is hard to follow in a lot of places as other reviews have stated. After every paragraph is a hard return, leaving at least a line of space in between. It certainly wastes a lot of space and makes the book seems longer. I read this on my kindle app but if I'd paid for the paperback, I think I'd be more irritated over this because it's just a waste of paper. Also, there are lots of sections in the book where the POV changes and no demarcation of that except for the spaces in between paragraphs. Since there's already spaces, it makes it harder on the reader to see that the POV changed. A decorative line or something would be helpful instead of the spaces.
I was also disappointed because it seems like the three main characters follow the old fashioned trope of every women needs a man. Even the female cop was not allowed to take care of herself-- no, the authors had to hook her up with a man pretty quickly into her section of the book. That man also condescendingly called her "honey" excessively. I'm pretty disappointed in the three female authors for this, a more modern take would have been nice. I also felt like I was reading a romance novel more so than a mystery at times due to all the moping over their men and the sex.
Lastly, I felt as if there was a lot of repetition in this book. Maybe because three different people wrote it, they felt the need to rehash certain details from one secton to another, I don't know but it was a little insulting to my intelligence and boring! And like many others, I also correctly guessed the culprit not far into the book. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone and I certainly would never read it again.
I read the reviews for this book and chose to read it anyway. About halfway through it, I regretted ignoring the warnings.
First of all, this book is hard to follow in a lot of places as other reviews have stated. After every paragraph is a hard return, leaving at least a line of space in between. It certainly wastes a lot of space and makes the book seems longer. I read this on my kindle app but if I'd paid for the paperback, I think I'd be more irritated over this because it's just a waste of paper. Also, there are lots of sections in the book where the POV changes and no demarcation of that except for the spaces in between paragraphs. Since there's already spaces, it makes it harder on the reader to see that the POV changed. A decorative line or something would be helpful instead of the spaces.
I was also disappointed because it seems like the three main characters follow the old fashioned trope of every women needs a man. Even the female cop was not allowed to take care of herself-- no, the authors had to hook her up with a man pretty quickly into her section of the book. That man also condescendingly called her "honey" excessively. I'm pretty disappointed in the three female authors for this, a more modern take would have been nice. I also felt like I was reading a romance novel more so than a mystery at times due to all the moping over their men and the sex.
Lastly, I felt as if there was a lot of repetition in this book. Maybe because three different people wrote it, they felt the need to rehash certain details from one secton to another, I don't know but it was a little insulting to my intelligence and boring! And like many others, I also correctly guessed the culprit not far into the book. I would NOT recommend this book to anyone and I certainly would never read it again.
January 11, 2019
3.5 ⭐ to Most Likely to Die by Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton & Wendy Corsi Staub
Malam pesta dansa valentine di SMA Katolik St.Elizabeth berubah menjadi malam yg mengerikan ketika Jake Marcott, sang cowok idola mati terbunuh. Sang pembunuh yg dijuluki The Cupid Killer tdk tertangkap.
20 thn kemudian, para mantan murid St.Elizabeth berkumpul kembali utk merencanakan reuni. Dan kali ini, The Cupid Killer beraksi kembali. Setelah membunuh 3 orang panitia reuni, dia mengincar para wanita yg pernah dekat dgn Jake, terutama 3 orang wanita yg pernah mencintai Jake yaitu Kristen, Lindsay dan Rachel. Menyadari bahaya yg mengancam, Kristen, Lindsay dan Rachel bekerjasama utk mengungkap siapakah sebenarnya The Cupid Killer. Berhasilkah mereka mengungkapkan jati diri sang pembunuh? Dan apa motif The Cupid Killer sehingga dia ingin menghabisi Jake dan para wanita yg dekat dengannya?
Baru kali ini membaca buku yg ditulis oleh 3 orang sekaligus, apalagi dgn genre romantic suspense. Terbagi dlm 3 part dan ditulis dr sudut pandang Kristen, Lindsay kemudian Rachel plus sang pembunuh. Tdk begitu nyaman membaca novel suspense dgn 3 pov dan ditulis 3 org yg berbeda, kesannya jadi "nanggung". Apalagi pov sang pembunuh juga suka nyempil di tengah2 tanpa peringatan. Uniknya, walaupun tiap part terdiri dari tiap pov secara terpisah, tapi dari awal sampai akhir tetap nyambung. Tapi jujur, buku ini lumayan berantakan editannya. Kalimat kadang ngga nyambung, nama tokoh suka ketuker-tuker, jadi bikin bingung. Tapi overall, ceritanya bagus dan memang suka dgn jenis cerita yg harus menebak2 sampai akhir begini (dan yeay!! bener tebakannya 😁✌).
Recommended utk para penggemar genre romantic suspense.
Malam pesta dansa valentine di SMA Katolik St.Elizabeth berubah menjadi malam yg mengerikan ketika Jake Marcott, sang cowok idola mati terbunuh. Sang pembunuh yg dijuluki The Cupid Killer tdk tertangkap.
20 thn kemudian, para mantan murid St.Elizabeth berkumpul kembali utk merencanakan reuni. Dan kali ini, The Cupid Killer beraksi kembali. Setelah membunuh 3 orang panitia reuni, dia mengincar para wanita yg pernah dekat dgn Jake, terutama 3 orang wanita yg pernah mencintai Jake yaitu Kristen, Lindsay dan Rachel. Menyadari bahaya yg mengancam, Kristen, Lindsay dan Rachel bekerjasama utk mengungkap siapakah sebenarnya The Cupid Killer. Berhasilkah mereka mengungkapkan jati diri sang pembunuh? Dan apa motif The Cupid Killer sehingga dia ingin menghabisi Jake dan para wanita yg dekat dengannya?
Baru kali ini membaca buku yg ditulis oleh 3 orang sekaligus, apalagi dgn genre romantic suspense. Terbagi dlm 3 part dan ditulis dr sudut pandang Kristen, Lindsay kemudian Rachel plus sang pembunuh. Tdk begitu nyaman membaca novel suspense dgn 3 pov dan ditulis 3 org yg berbeda, kesannya jadi "nanggung". Apalagi pov sang pembunuh juga suka nyempil di tengah2 tanpa peringatan. Uniknya, walaupun tiap part terdiri dari tiap pov secara terpisah, tapi dari awal sampai akhir tetap nyambung. Tapi jujur, buku ini lumayan berantakan editannya. Kalimat kadang ngga nyambung, nama tokoh suka ketuker-tuker, jadi bikin bingung. Tapi overall, ceritanya bagus dan memang suka dgn jenis cerita yg harus menebak2 sampai akhir begini (dan yeay!! bener tebakannya 😁✌).
Recommended utk para penggemar genre romantic suspense.
May 29, 2023
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once. . .
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line.
Jake's abused his sister Bella and she became pregnant while at St. Elizabeth's. Jake arranges for her to have an abortion which stops her from having children later on in life. Filled with hate and desire for her brothers love no one else can have Jake. She learns to use a bow from a married man she became involved with and shoots and kills her brother, pinning him to a tree. Lindsay / Kirsten and Rachel all were once in love, they thought with Jake. In Bella's warped mind only she can love her brother and these others must die. Two alumni die one who recognizes Bella following her while in costume (Hailey - knifed in her home) and the other who visits Lindsay in New York is pushed to her death on the train tracks.
Bella has a shrine in lockers in the basement of the school which is slated for demolition after the reunion. Each of the 3 women find love again Lindsay who Bella assumed had a child after school by Jake but really it was with a one night stand, the local bad boy now turned exotic car mogul, Kirsten reunites with her husband and Rachel who is now a cop in another city who comes to town for the reunion and following up on the cold case of Jake Marcott. Rachel's is partnered with her old pesky neighbour who has always loved her.
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line.
Jake's abused his sister Bella and she became pregnant while at St. Elizabeth's. Jake arranges for her to have an abortion which stops her from having children later on in life. Filled with hate and desire for her brothers love no one else can have Jake. She learns to use a bow from a married man she became involved with and shoots and kills her brother, pinning him to a tree. Lindsay / Kirsten and Rachel all were once in love, they thought with Jake. In Bella's warped mind only she can love her brother and these others must die. Two alumni die one who recognizes Bella following her while in costume (Hailey - knifed in her home) and the other who visits Lindsay in New York is pushed to her death on the train tracks.
Bella has a shrine in lockers in the basement of the school which is slated for demolition after the reunion. Each of the 3 women find love again Lindsay who Bella assumed had a child after school by Jake but really it was with a one night stand, the local bad boy now turned exotic car mogul, Kirsten reunites with her husband and Rachel who is now a cop in another city who comes to town for the reunion and following up on the cold case of Jake Marcott. Rachel's is partnered with her old pesky neighbour who has always loved her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 8, 2018
Ugh.
I am writing this review now because this book is so forgettable, I may forget certain plot points that I want to rant about by morning (and that might not be such a bad thing).
So a group of women who were longtime friends since high school are stalked and murdered one by one. The connection? They’d all been in some way infatuated with this “hunky” guy who’d been killed when they were teens at a dance.
I am a big slasher fan and when I first read the back of this novel, I thought “sure, I’ll give it a try, I’ve seen Lisa Jackson’s name everywhere, what’s the harm?”
This book is tired, predictable, the characters flat and boring, the mystery lacking any depth or logic. I’m mean, I literally had an issue keeping the three main ladies separate because they were so bland, they were similar.
I’m not knocking Lisa Jackson or the other two authors. I’m not big on the “romantic suspense” genre, so maybe I’m missing a key element of the sort of style these books are supposed to have. I guess I’m just pissed that I really wasted my time on a 400+ page book that honestly didn’t amount to much in the end.
I am writing this review now because this book is so forgettable, I may forget certain plot points that I want to rant about by morning (and that might not be such a bad thing).
So a group of women who were longtime friends since high school are stalked and murdered one by one. The connection? They’d all been in some way infatuated with this “hunky” guy who’d been killed when they were teens at a dance.
I am a big slasher fan and when I first read the back of this novel, I thought “sure, I’ll give it a try, I’ve seen Lisa Jackson’s name everywhere, what’s the harm?”
This book is tired, predictable, the characters flat and boring, the mystery lacking any depth or logic. I’m mean, I literally had an issue keeping the three main ladies separate because they were so bland, they were similar.
I’m not knocking Lisa Jackson or the other two authors. I’m not big on the “romantic suspense” genre, so maybe I’m missing a key element of the sort of style these books are supposed to have. I guess I’m just pissed that I really wasted my time on a 400+ page book that honestly didn’t amount to much in the end.
March 31, 2020
One night changed the lives of many at St. Elizabeth High School, including the lives of Kirsten, Lindsay and Rachel. Jake Marcott is killed during a school dance and his murderer escaped to haunt and torment a group of friends 20 years later as their 20-year reunion grows closer.
The beginning was a bit confusing for me as names and characters were tossed left and right and I had a hard time who I should latch onto.
The love stories were so-close but didn't grab me. Rachel, Kristen and Lindsay never felt real to me and their love interests were good on paper, but lacked a little oomph.
The mystery felt rambling.
The villain was supposed to be sympathetic in a way, but I felt like we could have had a better connection to them.
The reason for Jake's murder almost felt slapped together.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read at all. I just thought it could be better. The premise is great. There were moments when I did feel for some of the characters. It just could have been better IMO.
The beginning was a bit confusing for me as names and characters were tossed left and right and I had a hard time who I should latch onto.
The love stories were so-close but didn't grab me. Rachel, Kristen and Lindsay never felt real to me and their love interests were good on paper, but lacked a little oomph.
The mystery felt rambling.
The villain was supposed to be sympathetic in a way, but I felt like we could have had a better connection to them.
The reason for Jake's murder almost felt slapped together.
Overall, it wasn't a bad read at all. I just thought it could be better. The premise is great. There were moments when I did feel for some of the characters. It just could have been better IMO.
Read
November 1, 2020"New York Times" bestselling authors Lisa Jackson, Beverly Barton, and Wendy Corsi Staub join forces to create a thrilling novel about love, revenge, and the dark secrets three women hold to a terrifying murder. . .
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once. . .
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. . .
Finds It Easier To Kill Again. . .
A 20-year reunion has been scheduled for St. Elizabeth's. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line. . .
Jake's sister, Bella, who Jake abused, is the killer.
Fair
A Killer Who Gets Away With Murder Once. . .
It's been twenty years since the night Jake Marcott was brutally murdered at St. Elizabeth High School. It's a night that shattered the lives of Lindsay Farrell, Kirsten Daniels, and Rachel Alsace. It's a night they'll never forget. A killer will make sure of that. . .
Finds It Easier To Kill Again. . .
A 20-year reunion has been scheduled for St. Elizabeth's. For some alumni, very special invitations have been sent: their smiling senior pictures slashed by an angry red line. . .
Jake's sister, Bella, who Jake abused, is the killer.
Fair
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2022
I almost don't want to waste my time writing a review for this book but feel compelled to deter anyone that may think about picking this up in the future. Considering this is written by THREE bestselling authors, I cannot understand how the writing could have been this bad. I mean three brains surely trumps one, right?! It felt so repetitive at times; the amount of times different characters were asking the same fricking question...I almost threw the book against the wall in annoyance! The killer (the writers were so imaginative that that's how they chose to address the killer throughout the book) is written like she's in a pantomime; not menacing, disturbing ot threatening at all. The ending is anti-climactic and predictable. This was a novel of unrelenting boredom and cringe, rather than suspense. Avoid at all costs if you value your time.
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