Deadly

by Sarah N. Harvey

Amy and Eric are the perfect couple. Popular, good-looking, happy. But after they are seen quarreling at a party, Amy disappears and Eric is the number-one suspect. Amy wakes up alone in a windowless, all-white room. She has no idea how she got there, or who put her there. All she knows is that she has to get out. Eric wakes up to news of Amy's disappearance--and a visit from the police. All he knows is that he didn't do it, and that he has to find Amy.

As Amy tries to figure out a way to escape, she must also follow the instructions in a bizarre letter from her kidnapper. And as Eric tries to figure out where Amy is and who took her, he discovers that the past has a way of coming back and biting you in the butt.

Told in alternating voices--first Amy's, then Eric's-- Deadly is a fast-paced story about love, hate, courage, tenacity, forgiveness--and the many uses of a toilet rod.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[unknown_reads (sherlock's version) · Rating 2 out of 5]

*Rating: 1.5*

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

If gritty crime drama with a dash of mystery appeals to you, Deadly might be of interest. Amy's world of fun and popularity shrinks to the size of a tiny white apartment, locked from the outside, the morning after she and her boyfriend Eric attend a wild party with other teens from their high school. Amy parted ways with Eric for the night because he wanted to ditch the party and she didn't, and Amy remembers little after that. She drank too much and got tipsy after dancing with Shawna, a girl she barely knows. Hours later she wakes up prisoner in a windowless room, with no idea how she ended up there. The only communication from her anonymous abductor is a typewritten note promising that Amy will be released in one week if she cooperates. Her task in the meantime? To compose an essay on each of the Seven Deadly Sins, one per day. With no apparent means of escape and nothing else to do, Amy complies with the demand.

Eric has a bad feeling when he doesn't hear from Amy that morning. They argued the previous night, but Amy isn't one to go silent when upset. The fact that she hasn't reached out to Eric is a red flag. Upon finding out that she never came home, he starts asking questions, beginning at the house where the party happened, but solid leads are slow to develop. The police have their eye on Eric as the prime suspect in light of his spat with Amy at the party, and they focus on him even more when Nicki, Eric's ex-girlfriend he left for Amy, feeds the authorities misinformation linking him to the abduction. Eric needs to find Amy before this craziness degenerates into a formal accusation that he's harmed her. Considering Nicki's false claims against him, he knows where to start.

Amy tries to quell her panic as days pass, but it's overwhelming. At least the room isn't windowless after all: a couple of skylights let in natural light, so Amy can keep track of the passage of time. With this knowledge she concocts an escape plan, one that might work since her kidnapper has yet to stop in and check on her. She doesn't know if the person who took her is dangerous, but she's not sticking around to find out. Her life may depend on escaping before her captor comes calling. As Amy and Eric close in on solving their puzzles, time runs short for this nightmare scenario to end without violence. But who has Amy, and will they let their plot be subverted so easily?

Deadly is short and simplistic, but author Sarah N. Harvey writes well. The best parts are Amy's essays on the Seven Deadly Sins, which she pushes through a tiny slot in the front door to be retrieved, presumably, by the kidnapper. Her essays are thoughtful, and having something to focus on besides her debilitating fear helps Amy survive. That's often what we need in the midst of crisis: a timeout to gather ourselves and think. It gives us perspective on our stressful situation. Deadly is standard fare for the crime genre, but I think it's worth two stars. It's not a masterpiece, but I liked it.

[Gena Lambert · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really did enjoy this book. I liked how it switched between Amy and Eric and how it ended up coming together at the end when Eric found Amy. At first I was super into it, but then the wrap and mystery were resolved WAY too quickly. I feel like this book was very rushed. The author made statements without reasoning or any explanations. It lacks depth. However, I still really like this short read and I wish it was way longer. If it was longer, I feel like it would become a better book. Maybe the author could rewrite it and add more emotion, suspense, and more descriptions. Overall, this was a fun read!

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author and I really liked this book.

[Li · Rating 2 out of 5]

Giving it 2 stars only because it made me laugh form cringe.

[Cheyenne Finchum · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like how it was so much like scary movie but better

[Bethany · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the blurb of this book online so was very excited when requesting it from my local library. Utter disappointment. This book had so much potential and I was excited by the plot, but I read it in less than an hour and was totally unsatisfied afterwards. I felt that because of the length the ideas were rushed and if it had been developed more, could've gained a 4 star from me.
SPOILER ALERT
I just felt overall it was rushed, Amy didn't even get to finish writing all 7 essays, because she tried to make her escape and how did Eric just happen to find her the same time she was trying to escape? And Jason made her write those essays because he "saw it in a movie and thought it would be cool" I think anyone would agree that while it probably is a very plausible thing for Jason's character to do, it was an utter disappointment that left readers wondering why on earth the author would add that in. Why not just make Amy do it to pass the time?
END OF SPOILER ALERT
I felt that this book had so much potential and if it was developed into a book that was 100-200 pages longer, it could've been a hit..
However i would recommend this to a teen who doesn't enjoy reading or struggles to give bigger books a chance

[Serena Xiong · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about Amy disappearing. Amy and Eric are the perfect couples, popular, good-looking, happy. But after they are seen at a crazy party, Amy has gone missing and Eric is the number one suspect. Amy wakes up in an all-white room alone. She has no idea how she got here or who put her there. She knows is she has to get out. When Eric goes to the police station telling the police all he knows he didn't do it and has to find Amy. Later in the story, Eric finds that the past has a way of coming back and biting you in the butt.
I read a book that was similar to this I don't remember what the book was called but a guy got kidnapped and was in a cave-like room. He was lost and drugged and experimented on.
This book is told in alternating voice, Amy’s, then Eric’s. This book is a very fast paced story about love, hate, courage, forgiveness and many more. I would not recommend this book because I personally thought the story and plot were very boring. If you read it you have to hear the kidnappers reason… it's funny.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book didn't do it for me, I'm afraid. I read in during a recent flight. The book seemed incredibly short (not sure how many pages as I was using an eReader), and the characterization was off. No one seemed well-developed and the plot went by so quickly that you couldn't really appreciate anything that was happening. The ending is where the book really lost me (I mean, this guy kidnaps her, manages to lock her in a seemingly inescapable room, and when questioned by her about it says that he saw it on TV and it looked cool? Really?).

It is a shame since I thought the book was based on a really good idea.

[Linda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wouldn't really call this a book... Short story maybe. Finished it in an hour.(Its hard to tell how long a book is when starting an e-book.) Not nearly as good as the description would lead you to believe. Derivative of a million other stories like this. Teens would probably rate it much higher though.

[Sherilyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed and would recommend this book. It's definitely not the best book ever, but it's entertaining if you're looking for something quick. I liked that it was written from two different perspectives. It was a little predictable, but still enjoyable to read. I plan on reading more books by this author.

[Trisha · Rating 1 out of 5]

This took me under an hour to read. I did not.enjoy this book at all. the description of this made the book sound good but it fell very short. very rushed, no emotions with the characters, no story build up..

[Petra Willemse · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty silly characters who make poor decisions that result in a weak plot.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly by Sarah N. Harvey is a mystery / crime novel about the perfect high school couple. The story revolves around two main characters Amy and Eric who are the couples in the book. Amy is a fun popular girl who is energetic Eric the generous boyfriend who is calm and chill about everything. The story begins with Amy waking up in a bright white room and notice that she is trapped her. Eric and Amy had just had an argument the night before she went missing. Eric desperately trying to find answers how this could happen tracking down anyone if they knew anything.
There were some characters in this book but the author doesn’t choose to focus on the main characters. This isn't a bad thing but in my opinion more characters in a mystery crime novels its key because you want to guess who did the crime for what motivated them.
I think if the book was made into a film i think it would be pretty good with a couple changes. One, the content of the book could be longer. If the author could out more information about character I feel like the book could be better in character development. Secondly, I wish the author could of been a little slow on how the story unfolds. What i'm trying to say things moved too quickly but again that's what you get from a 120 page book. Sarah Harvey could easily make another 100 pages for this. I think this is a really good book overall if you want a short mystery crime drama this is perfect for you.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

In deadly, by Sarah H. Harvey, the two main characters are Amy and Eric. Amy, a highschool girl, gets kidnapped at a party. Eric, amy’s boyfriend, grows up in a rich family but has a violent past. The major conflict in this story is Amy getting kidnapped and Eric following the clues to find her. This all starts at a party, Amy and Eric get into a fight and then eric leaves and that is when amy gets kidnapped.

This conflict reminds me of many stories in the media about young girls being kidnapped all around the world. I understand how her body felt during all of this because she said she was sore from trying to escape. I can relate to this from sports after a long, tiring practice in the weight room.

I liked how quick of a read it was and how easy it was to follow along but i did not like how predictable the book ended up being throughout. I think the author could have made the plot line more complex. I would not recommend this book to a friend because it was too easy of read and was not that interesting.

[Jake S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was very descriptive and had a good background story. My favorite part was when the main character Amy was trying to break out of the room she was locked in. I also thought that the author did a great job with the rising action and the suspense that lingered through most of the book. One thing I would change is the ending of the book because it was very confusing and seemed very rushed. There was little description and wasn't very interesting. But, overall I thought it was a great book with a lot of action.

[Allie Mayeux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great 2 point novel that will keep you on your toes the whole way through. This was a great short novel that will keep you on your toes the whole way through. Amy is kidnapped after a party and has no memory after the party the night before. She wakes up to a note from her kidnapper saying the only way out is to follow his instructions over the next 7 days. Her boyfriend Eric does everything he can do find her.

[Trista · Rating 3 out of 5]

I REALLY wish this was a full-length novel instead of just a quick Orca hi-lo. It has the potential to make a truly suspenseful book. As it stands it's still decent, but definitely would've benefited from being fully fleshed out. I did like the alternating narrators as it let me see what was going on in the room with Amy and on the outside as Eric scrambled to find her. And I'm always interested in anything taking a contemporary look at the 7 deadly sins.

[Vrivera1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite two points of view novels that kept me on my feet for the whole book. Amy gets kidnapped after a party and has no memory after the party. She later wakes up to a note left from her kidnapper saying the only way she could get out is to follow the instructions listed for the next seven days. Eric -her boyfriend- does everything to get her out of this situation.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story. Quickly resolved, good hi-lo read.

[Matilda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very suspense-building and hard to put down. I was always curious to see what happened next, however I was disappointed with the end as it all seemed to end so fast, without a clear climax.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

A super quick read that is handy in helping me meet my 2021 Reading Challenge goal! Easy to read and suspenseful, but otherwise forgettable.

[Beth Krupitzer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book a lot such a good quick read! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Ashlyn Lopez]

Eric and Amy go to a party at a friends house one night but then get into an argument. Eric wants to leave but Any wants to stay, so Eric goes home and leaves Amy. But the next morning Amy didn't return home and no one can find her. Amy wakes up in a hotel like room with paper, food, and enough clothing to last for a week. Each day Amy has to write a paragraph about each one of the seven deadly sins. At the end Eric decides to go find Eric and ends up finding her in a "friends" basement. It was Amy's ex-boyfriend and Eric's ex-girlfriend who kidnapped Amy because Amy's ex wanted to go back out with her and same with Eric's ex-girlfriend. Both Eric's ex and Amy's ex get arrested for kidnapping Amy. And then Amy returns home and continues to date Eric.

[Ashari Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly by Sarah Harvey was a very mysterious book. It was not like most mysterious books that involve some type of supernatural or ghost stories. This book was a more literal mysterious book about a kidnapping. I liked how the chapters would change perspective every other one by shifting from Amy to Eric. Having the book include the seven deadly sins made the book more interesting and intriguing. This book is an easy read and a very fast read. It makes you not want to stop reading it. Overall, I did like the book, but I felt like the ending could have been thought out more and that it could have used a little more detail.

[Chevy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly is a easy book to read. I like that it is a short story, It talks about the seven sins and it does not leave you with a cliff hanger. I dont like that it is not a book for kids under fourteen cause it goes way to far with the details for the sex scenes. Other than that it is a good book to read on long car trips or where ever.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was really short. More for young teens. I read it in less then an hour but it was a good short read. I liked this story and I liked that it was in both Eric's and Amy's side. Over all good book.

[Maddie · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.7 stars

"Deadly" is extremely short and lacks depth. Much of the writing includes statements without explanations or reasons. I wish it had more character and plot development, though it's a good start.

[Liz R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This author wrote a really well written novel. She captured the ideas of mystery and romance all into one. She made me want to keep reading. I never wanted to set the book down, and I always wanted to know what happened next. It is a great book for teens to read.

[Leah Nolan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wouldn't really call this a book, more of a short story. I finished it in two day. I like the story though. I liked enjoyed reading about the relationship between Eric and Amy because I am a nosey person.
This book had no depth, and was mostly thoughts. Not much emotion in the text.