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Tell And You Die: A page-turning crime mystery for young adults
A tragedy tore her family apart. What is her sister hiding?
Sixteen-year-old Rose’s world is ripped apart when her brother’s life is cut tragically short. Her family makes a fresh start in a new area, where she longs to grow closer to her secretive sister, Lily. But then a mysterious man from the past tracks them down, and Rose must confront her deepest fears. Why is her sister so terrified, and what does she know about their brother’s death?
Desperate to find out the truth, Rose follows Lily’s trail to a dark and dangerous place. But someone is watching. How far will they go to keep their secrets hidden?
Tell and You Die is a gripping crime mystery with a hint of the paranormal, from the prize-winning author of The Time Crystals and The Mystery of Acorn Academy. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Sophie McKenzie.
What readers are
***** ‘This is an amazingly atmospheric mystery set in the English countryside … You will definitely get sucked into the mystery and there are some twists you will not see coming!’
***** ‘One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. From start to finish, this captivating novel had me completely engrossed. I was behind the brave and likeable Rose all the way.’
***** ‘A great page-turner. A gripping novel with a great plot and truly believable characters. The suspense carried right through to the end and I finished it in two sittings!’
***** ‘Brilliant read. Even though this book is for young adults, being of the older generation l thoroughly enjoyed it.’
***** ‘A wonderfully gripping tale from the first paragraph.’
Praise for Teresa Bassett's debut novel The Time Crystals:
"A thrilling time travel page-turner ... a series of hair-raising, edge-of-your-seat events culminating in a delightful story that packs a powerful values punch relevant to both young and not-so-young adults." - Publishers Weekly.
Sixteen-year-old Rose’s world is ripped apart when her brother’s life is cut tragically short. Her family makes a fresh start in a new area, where she longs to grow closer to her secretive sister, Lily. But then a mysterious man from the past tracks them down, and Rose must confront her deepest fears. Why is her sister so terrified, and what does she know about their brother’s death?
Desperate to find out the truth, Rose follows Lily’s trail to a dark and dangerous place. But someone is watching. How far will they go to keep their secrets hidden?
Tell and You Die is a gripping crime mystery with a hint of the paranormal, from the prize-winning author of The Time Crystals and The Mystery of Acorn Academy. Perfect for fans of Holly Jackson, Karen McManus and Sophie McKenzie.
What readers are
***** ‘This is an amazingly atmospheric mystery set in the English countryside … You will definitely get sucked into the mystery and there are some twists you will not see coming!’
***** ‘One of the best books I’ve read so far this year. From start to finish, this captivating novel had me completely engrossed. I was behind the brave and likeable Rose all the way.’
***** ‘A great page-turner. A gripping novel with a great plot and truly believable characters. The suspense carried right through to the end and I finished it in two sittings!’
***** ‘Brilliant read. Even though this book is for young adults, being of the older generation l thoroughly enjoyed it.’
***** ‘A wonderfully gripping tale from the first paragraph.’
Praise for Teresa Bassett's debut novel The Time Crystals:
"A thrilling time travel page-turner ... a series of hair-raising, edge-of-your-seat events culminating in a delightful story that packs a powerful values punch relevant to both young and not-so-young adults." - Publishers Weekly.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 15, 2023
28 people are currently reading
56 people want to read
About the author
Teresa Bassett
20 books10 followersHi there! I write mysteries and adventure stories for young and young-at-heart adults, mostly set in my home county of Cornwall, UK. A graduate of the University of Bath, I formerly worked as a foreign languages teacher, magazine writer and translator. I also spent eleven years with educational charity The Eden Project, where I learned all kinds of wonderful things about plants and people.
In 2013 I was over the moon when my debut mystery adventure The Time Crystals reached the final five Young Adult titles in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award, going on to win international contest The Next Novelist.
There are now two novels in The Time Crystals series - The Time Crystals and Flight of the Bluebird. I have also written two standalone novels (The Mystery of Acorn Academy and Tell and You Die) and Ten Twisty Tales, a collection of contemporary suspense stories.
I have also had a variety of short stories published in anthologies.
In recent years I've helped to build my own house in Cornwall, learning unaccustomed new skills such as slating roofs and fitting insulation!
Find out more about me and my books at: https://www.teresabassett.co.uk and https://treeandleafblog.com/
In 2013 I was over the moon when my debut mystery adventure The Time Crystals reached the final five Young Adult titles in Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award, going on to win international contest The Next Novelist.
There are now two novels in The Time Crystals series - The Time Crystals and Flight of the Bluebird. I have also written two standalone novels (The Mystery of Acorn Academy and Tell and You Die) and Ten Twisty Tales, a collection of contemporary suspense stories.
I have also had a variety of short stories published in anthologies.
In recent years I've helped to build my own house in Cornwall, learning unaccustomed new skills such as slating roofs and fitting insulation!
Find out more about me and my books at: https://www.teresabassett.co.uk and https://treeandleafblog.com/
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 25, 2023
“After all, none of us can be certain we’ll wake up in the morning, can we?”
Two sisters, Lily and Rose, move with their parents to Molennys in Cornwall after the death of their older brother, Will. The sister’s relationship has always been a difficult one but Rose starts to suspect Lily may know more about her brother’s death than she wants to admit.
With the appearance of a suspicious man, Rose begins to question Lily and look for answers herself, despite Lily’s fearful pleads to stay out of it. Believing her sister to be in danger, Rose sets out alone to find her and finally learn the truth, even if it means putting her own life at risk.
This YA suspense thriller was a very captivating read with interesting depictions of sibling tensions, secrets and forgiveness. With a dark theme running throughout, Basset built up the fear and threat the sisters experience perfectly by revealing snippets of details at a smooth pace. There was never a stand still in this novel, which made it easy to read and very enjoyable.
There’s a touch of spiritualism present with the appearance of the sister’s dead brother Will, although this is only perceived by the emotional characters and never defined as an absolute. Even if this particular theme may not be to your taste, it read to me as part of the family’s grief and how desperate they are to feel Will’s presence. Basset’s ambiguity surrounding this leaves it free for reader’s own interpretations.
The suspense and mystery may seem lighter that in other novels (although it does get quite dark towards the end) but this is a perfect level of tension for a YA thriller and a brilliant way to introduce younger people to the genre.
This book is definitely worth a read.
Two sisters, Lily and Rose, move with their parents to Molennys in Cornwall after the death of their older brother, Will. The sister’s relationship has always been a difficult one but Rose starts to suspect Lily may know more about her brother’s death than she wants to admit.
With the appearance of a suspicious man, Rose begins to question Lily and look for answers herself, despite Lily’s fearful pleads to stay out of it. Believing her sister to be in danger, Rose sets out alone to find her and finally learn the truth, even if it means putting her own life at risk.
This YA suspense thriller was a very captivating read with interesting depictions of sibling tensions, secrets and forgiveness. With a dark theme running throughout, Basset built up the fear and threat the sisters experience perfectly by revealing snippets of details at a smooth pace. There was never a stand still in this novel, which made it easy to read and very enjoyable.
There’s a touch of spiritualism present with the appearance of the sister’s dead brother Will, although this is only perceived by the emotional characters and never defined as an absolute. Even if this particular theme may not be to your taste, it read to me as part of the family’s grief and how desperate they are to feel Will’s presence. Basset’s ambiguity surrounding this leaves it free for reader’s own interpretations.
The suspense and mystery may seem lighter that in other novels (although it does get quite dark towards the end) but this is a perfect level of tension for a YA thriller and a brilliant way to introduce younger people to the genre.
This book is definitely worth a read.
June 9, 2023
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Okay, let's go. Tell and You Die is a YA suspense/thriller about a family that moves to their father's hometown after their older brother passes away. The relationship of the two sisters, Lily and Rose (middle sister and younger sister respectively) was not very good and was even more shaken after Will's death, but things get worse when Rose begins to suspect that Lily knows much more about Will's accident than it seems and that her sister could be in great danger if she doesn't find out about it soon.
The writing is very fluid and nice. I read it in two days, but I could have read it in one. It's very YA, the characters aren't that mature and responsible, they prefer to take matters into their own hands rather than involving the police (even when they're being threatened and in danger), but it's nice a nice book.
The only thing I didn't really like was the spirit part. I understood that it was meant to give an emotional touch and give hope to the sisters, but I found it quite pointless, as the book is not a supernatural fantasy.
Overall, it's a nice book. It's even a little darker than I thought it would be for a +13 book. If you like YA suspense/thriller books, you will definitely like this one.
Okay, let's go. Tell and You Die is a YA suspense/thriller about a family that moves to their father's hometown after their older brother passes away. The relationship of the two sisters, Lily and Rose (middle sister and younger sister respectively) was not very good and was even more shaken after Will's death, but things get worse when Rose begins to suspect that Lily knows much more about Will's accident than it seems and that her sister could be in great danger if she doesn't find out about it soon.
The writing is very fluid and nice. I read it in two days, but I could have read it in one. It's very YA, the characters aren't that mature and responsible, they prefer to take matters into their own hands rather than involving the police (even when they're being threatened and in danger), but it's nice a nice book.
The only thing I didn't really like was the spirit part. I understood that it was meant to give an emotional touch and give hope to the sisters, but I found it quite pointless, as the book is not a supernatural fantasy.
Overall, it's a nice book. It's even a little darker than I thought it would be for a +13 book. If you like YA suspense/thriller books, you will definitely like this one.
June 8, 2023
I was approved to get this book free as an advance review copy and this review is all my own.
Wow, that is what I say from this. This book was such a roller coaster, I kept thinking is it Lily, is it all in Rose's head, is it just some weird dream, and a few times I was like it has to be this or this. It was truly fun to see where it went and how fast it escalated towards the end of the novel. Man, there were a few times where I just really wanted to smack their parents but I get the grief of it all but they way they hopped blame to and from the girls it made me shake my head and wonder how much of the story could have been prevented if they actually listened to them. I also love that this was all seen through Rose's eyes and didn't jump around another perspective. And because of that, I feel it was able to keep some of the secrets just that until Rose figured things out. If you like suspenseful stories, you could enjoy this one. I say give it a shot, at least once. I was able to read it in two days and I did not want to put it down.
Wow, that is what I say from this. This book was such a roller coaster, I kept thinking is it Lily, is it all in Rose's head, is it just some weird dream, and a few times I was like it has to be this or this. It was truly fun to see where it went and how fast it escalated towards the end of the novel. Man, there were a few times where I just really wanted to smack their parents but I get the grief of it all but they way they hopped blame to and from the girls it made me shake my head and wonder how much of the story could have been prevented if they actually listened to them. I also love that this was all seen through Rose's eyes and didn't jump around another perspective. And because of that, I feel it was able to keep some of the secrets just that until Rose figured things out. If you like suspenseful stories, you could enjoy this one. I say give it a shot, at least once. I was able to read it in two days and I did not want to put it down.
June 9, 2023
This is an amazingly atmospheric mystery set in the English countryside. Our intrepid heroine, Rose, is attempting to unravel the many secrets her sister Lily is keeping. They've moved to her father's childhood town for a "fresh start" after the tragic death of her brother William in a boat explosion. Rose suspects Lily knows more about the explosion than she is letting on, and her sister's secretive behavior is not helping. Dorian, someone from her sister's prior band, mysteriously pops back into her life and seems to be bringing a whole host of trouble. When Lily mysteriously goes missing, Rose will stop at nothing to figure out what's going on and save her sister. You will definitely get sucked into the mystery and there are some twists you will not see coming! I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
June 19, 2023
I was privileged to read this before it was published. Really really impressed. A definite recommended read for those who like YA mysteries and thrillers.
November 21, 2023
I did enjoy a lot of aspects in this book but the supernatural parts spoilt it entirely..
May 25, 2024
OMGGGGGGGGGG. This was so good I finished it in under 2 hours!!!! DEFO RECOMMEND!!
October 13, 2024
Slow to start but a good read overall
May 14, 2024
This was an okay read. I did find it interesting as more about the music group was revealed. However, I couldn’t get past the character stupidity that was happening. I didn’t particularly care for the characters but I still got through the book quite quickly. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend and I do not think I would read more from this author.
December 22, 2023
Book Review - Tell and You Die by Teresa Bassett
A dark mystery for #youngadults
Sisters Lily and Rose recently lost their brother Will and have moved to Cornwall. Lily is withdrawn and Rose must tease information out of her to keep the creepy Dorian at bay.
The story is told from Rose’s pov, as she negotiates her way around her sister and her parents, who are not getting on.
The complexities of coercive relationships and grieving families, form the backdrop to this story which is a gripping page turner.
A dark mystery for #youngadults
Sisters Lily and Rose recently lost their brother Will and have moved to Cornwall. Lily is withdrawn and Rose must tease information out of her to keep the creepy Dorian at bay.
The story is told from Rose’s pov, as she negotiates her way around her sister and her parents, who are not getting on.
The complexities of coercive relationships and grieving families, form the backdrop to this story which is a gripping page turner.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews