The Art of Secrets

by James Klise

A Fire Destroys . . .
A Treasure Appears . . .
A Crime Unfolds . . .

When Saba Khan’s apartment burns in a mysterious fire, possibly a hate crime, her Chicago high school rallies around her. Her family moves rent-free into a luxury apartment, Saba’s Facebook page explodes, and she starts (secretly) dating a popular boy. Then a quirky piece of art donated to a school fund-raising effort for the Khans is revealed to be an unknown work by a famous artist, worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Saba’s life turns upside down again. Should Saba’s family have all that money? Or should it go to the students who found the art? Or to the school? And just what caused that fire? Greed, jealousy, and suspicion create an increasingly tangled web as students and teachers alike debate who should get the money and begin to point fingers and make accusations. The true story of the fire that sets events in motion and what happens afterward gradually comes together in an innovative narrative made up of journal entries, interviews, articles, letters, text messages, and other documents.

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Art, Teen

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2014

Reviews

[E. Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve never read a book quite like THE ART OF SECRETS by James Klise. Told in multiple perspectives, almost entirely in the form of discourse and conversation (with the occasional journal entry from protagonist, Saba Kahn), THE ART OF SECRETS is part mystery, part drama, and so very fun to read.

In the wake of a fire that destroyed her family’s home and all of their belongings, Saba Kahn has gone from almost invisible at her Chicago prep school (where she is a scholarship student) to borderline notorious, with a basketball star as a sort-of boyfriend and school do-gooders organizing a charity auction to help her family.

She’s got a lot to deal with, though. Saba’s family is getting too much attention at school, and from the police. Authorities can’t seem to decide if her family are victims or culprits, which means the rumors are flying at school. And then there’s the whole art thing — an item in the auction, which new girl cum auction organizer and her brother found in an alley, has turned out to be some seriously valuable paintings by a famed but reclusive Chicago outsider artist. When the art goes missing, Saba has another mystery plaguing her and her family. And more rumors to try and ignore.

With points of view ranging from Saba’s father, to Saba’s boyfriend, to the school principal, to her classmates running the auction, THE ART OF SECRETS is a unique mystery, as well-designed as it is well-written. Klise‘s characters are wry and witty, and even with so many narrators, the voices are compelling and distinct. I’m still excited about the book. I can’t stop being excited about it. And while it’s a rare book that I think is a contender for the Printz, the National Book Award, and the Edgar, I fully expect to see these and other accolades for James Klise in the near future.

[Forever Young Adult]

Graded By: Brian
Cover Story: Working Cover
Drinking Buddy: In a Smokey Bar, a Package Changes Hands Under a Table
Testosterone Level: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
Talky Talk: Whodunnit?
Bonus Factors: Diversity, Teachers Have Feelings Too
Bromance Status: I'm Going to Keep My Eye On You

Read the full book report here.

[Elle (ellexamines on TT & Substack) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. Easy to read, but not exactly what I was looking for.

Mainly, this book was just completely forgettable. With a premise about racism and discrimination, that seems surprising. You'd think that with such an incredible premise, no one could ever forget this book. But the issues end up seeming superficial because 1) it's not written that well, and 2) none of the characters are developed in any way.

The second point is kind of a major issue. There's no reason to feel emotion for this story because there are no characters to care about. The main protagonist, Saba, isn't a bad character. She's not weak, and she had a TON of potential. But she's also not developed beyond being The Person Who Solved The Mystery.

You might be thinking “okay, wait. But what about the racism issue promised in the blurb?” I wish I could add points for tackling racism in a good way, but the author didn't tackle these issues with enough dimension. There's a bare-bones attempt at talking about racism, but there's nothing more. The issues needed to be developed more.

Overall, this was just too flat. Not recommended.
My Blog | My GR Account

[Kym Brunner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved so many things about this book:

1) the fact that it doesn't use quotation marks because the dialogue is summed up and one-sided––very unique!
2) the mystery kept me guessing and re-guessing "whodunit"
3) I met the author and he's a delightful person
4) tons of Chicago references that I could picture
5) it's multi-cultural and felt authentic

Awesome job, James!

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating whodunnit. Kept me guessing until the very end of the book. There are about a dozen character POVs, and they are all distinct. Well worth the wait for Klise fans.

[Kamillah · Rating 2 out of 5]

*I received an advanced reader copy through the Goodreads First Reads program! This is my honest review.

A mysterious fire begets mysterious abandoned artwork, which begets an equally mysterious art theft. In The Art of Secrets, puzzles within puzzles are revealed with rotating perspectives conveyed through journal entries, text messages, interviews and newspaper articles. It unfolds as an investigation, without a reliable narrator, which armchair detectives may enjoy, but the slow unraveling coupled with many shallow narrators and an abrupt, confusing conclusion frustrated me. Still, it's a creative approach to a mystery, and the book is not without positive aspects.

Saba Khan attends a prestigious private high school on scholarship in Chicago, and one day her family returns home to find their modest apartment in flames. They lose everything, and an investigation determines the fire was limited to their unit, the cause: arson. In the midst of disaster, Saba's wealthy classmates join together to support her family, offering food, clothing, and even shelter in a multi-million dollar condo. As one if her friends puts it, in 24 hours, "Saba stock goes through the roof!" With the drama and notoriety of the fire, she goes from an unknown oddity as a Pakistani-American of modest upbringing among her wealthier, White classmates, to almost-popular. Suddenly, a popular basketball player is calling her "my girl," and her effervescent classmates, Kevin and Kendra Spoon, begin organizing a fundraising auction to benefit her family. In their search for items to donate to the auction, Kevin and Kendra discover a book of paintings in an abandoned alley credited to the artist, Henry Darger. With the book valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars, Saba's life stands to change drastically again, but this time for the better.

Questions arise as news of the find spreads around the school and throughout the city--who abandoned the paintings and who deserves the money? Beyond that, who was the arsonist who set fire to the Khan's home? Can a fractured community altruistically come together for the aid of one family? Amid all the controversy, someone steals the paintings.

Ultimately for me the book raised many questions but gave few (if any) satisfying resolutions. The jacket description (and one of the characters) raises the specter of a hate crime, in reference to the fire, but strangely the book does not address this at all. I appreciated the creative format, but in the absence of a definitive storyline, the texts and emails felt gimmicky at times. I also grew impatient with the abundance of unreliable, self-absorbed narrators, often posturing for the journalist covering the story. Frequently (but not exclusively), the narration is directed to the journalist, who serves as a stand-in for the reader. I never felt fully comfortable with this, and I found the many self-involved characters (even Saba) annoying. Altogether, this left me frustrated, confused, and disappointed, especially because the buildup to the various mysteries' conclusions falls so abruptly flat. I'm not even clear on what actually happened in the end. I identified most with the Spanish exchange student, Javier. Fed up after enduring the selfishness and cluelessness of the community, he ultimately packs his bags and returns to Spain in frustration. That pretty much sums up what I felt like doing as I continued on with the book. Javier is a positive addition as a character to serve as a "moral compass," and I liked the creative premise and format. It's definitely different. Plus, I appreciated how the story highlights authentic and lesser known aspects of Chicago! (I was pleased to see my old neighborhood featured, and I'm familiar with Darger!) It raised good questions, but I felt the book suffered from juggling so many moving parts and leaving many loose ends dangling.

[Miss Amelia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, that was uneventful.



The Art of Secrets is okay, but just barely okay. It had a twist ending, for sure, but (and here's my problem with the mystery genre specifically) I tend to think that if the twist ending comes right out of nowhere, with little to no explanation why this twist is happening, then I feel like I've been cheated just a little bit. I'm just speculating, but maybe the author wanted us to feel as confused and shocked as our main character, but I just didn't. Aggravated, annoyed, and hungry - more like.

The main character, Saba, was likeable enough. There's nothing particularly special or endearing about her. She's one of those main characters I feel compelled to like because...the author likes her? Maybe? She definitely had promise. A teen girl, American by birth but with immigrant parents, trying to balance her (typically more traditional) culture with the demands and desires of being a modern teenager in this current generation, typically makes for a highly engaging story. This is one of the most classic tropes in literature. However, except for the occasional reference here or there, Saba acts and speaks like any typical teenager, and...well, that's just a little bit on the boring side. She's not exactly special or memorable. The POV doesn't stay on her long enough, though; instead it bounces around to all sorts of (should be) secondary characters - fellow students at this supposedly elite Chicago private school -along with teachers, principals, and parents too. I was kind of disappointed the partridge in the pear tree didn't get a POV chapter, to be honest. And here's what's downright maddening - nearly every adult in this little book (clocking in at about 250 pages) is a walking, talking stereotype. The snobby principal. The privileged jock. The angry, bitter old PE teacher. The snobby, highbrow art teacher. The airhead mother who's also an independent, working woman. The sweet but completely sappy goodie-two-shoes. The way in which all these totally clueless buffoons expressed every thought, opinion, and judgment to the reporters/photographers/detectives was downright maddening - people do not talk like this in real life! Nobody is this one-dimensional. NOBODY. The structure of the novel is something I can't figure out, either: namely, I can't figure out if the author intended for the non-Saba chapters to read like uninterrupted monologues, but that's what they are. Picture the character perched on a stool addressing an audience of about 50 or so. You, the audience, are the empty body to whom the characters direct their monologues, but you are never a part of the action. Nor are you a part of the conversation. It was completely one-sided. If this were a play, I'd think the style was really clever. But in a novel, it just didn't work. It felt hollow and superficial. The only character I utterly loved and enjoyed was Saba's long-suffering but eternally optimistic father, Farooq Khan. THIS GUY should have been the subject of the book. Forget the materialistic daughter. Forget the multiple POV. Give me a a first-person or 3rd limited narrative of this guy and his ordinary but oh so marvelously, beautifully American story. Yet all we get are about 3 chapters from his POV. Too bad.

[Maddie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a really unique book in the way the author wrote it but i was confused about the ending.... overall pretty good

[Veronica of V's Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this book has, roughly, seven narrators. As noted in the blurb, the story itself is a collection of interviews, journal entries, newspaper articles, texts and emails. It's bedlam, in the best way.

Saba's family is from Pakistan. She was born and raised here, but her parents are traditional. They are, perhaps, more indulgent than other immigrant families allowing Saba to dress in modest Western clothing and compete on the school tennis team as long as her body is covered. We learn through Saba's journal that her apartment is destroyed one day while she and her family are out at one of her tennis matches.

Her father reveals that he fears the fire was set by Saba's 6 y/o brother, who has recently discovered matches. In the meantime, Saba's high school community, most of which are affluent families, pitch in to stage an auction fundraiser headed up by Kendra and Kevin Spoon--two newcomers to the school. In fact, it is Kevin who discovers an undiscovered work of art from an "outsider" Chicago artist which he donates to the cause. The appraised value is $500,000, and Saba's family is overwhelmed with the possible windfall.

In fact, people start to question if Saba's family should benefit from this tragedy. Especially as the cause of the fire is suspicious. The high school principal, Dr. Stickman, thinks the money should go to the school which is in need of repairs.

The whole argument becomes moot, however, when the artwork goes missing two weeks before the auction. Then it's a foot race to find the art. Teachers turn on teachers, accusing one another of theft. Was it Mr. Delacroix, the gay art teacher who needs capital to finance his fiber art projects? Or, Coach P, the retiring basketball/tennis coach who had easy access to the art as it was locked in her office? Students start accosting other students. Saba's distraught that her family's fortunes keep plummeting. Dr. Stickman was my choice for the thief, but, in the end I was completely, artfully, misdirected.

All I'm gonna say is: Best. Grift. Ever.

I wasn't sure I'd like the story--I usually go for first-person traditional narratives in my YA. This is the exact opposite. There is (virtually) no romance. Surprisingly, the emotions shine through these third-person accounts. Humor is wry and abundant, with irreverent speech from Saba, incongruent speech from a Spanish exchange student ("in the kitchen, not the chicken" *snorts*) and the contrast between the humble laborer life of Saba's father and the privileged pomposity of Dr. Stickman.

The story clips along, with devious reveals and backhanded breadcrumbs. I love being led on a merry chase, and enjoyed each moment of red herrings--once I finally saw them for what they were. Bravo.

[Javier · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. Me ha gustado mucho la narración, con estos personajes que son entrevistados pero que cuentan mucho más de lo que diríamos en apariencia, como si la entrevista fuera una excusa para decir todo lo que están pensando. He disfrutado con que sea tan coral. También me gusta la crítica que se hace de una manera tan indirecta, dejando al lector toda la interpretación de lo que el escritor muestra. La trama ha sido bastante sencilla, pues el misterio no tenía demasiado, pero me ha parecido una manera original de llevarlo a cabo.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book, but I found it confusing at times. This book is about a family who loses their apartment and everything in it due to a house fire. Later, it was determined that it was arson and may have been a hate crime due to their race. The Khan's are Pakistani. Their daughter, Saba Khan, is a sophomore at a private high school called Highsmith. The part that was confusing for me was when every chapter was narrated by a new person. Not only that, there was also the occasional newspaper article or journal entry. I liked the mystery element in this book. It was fun for me trying to predict what would happen next or who was behind all of it. Another thing I disliked was the book kept jumping around. It would talk about events that already happened or will happen. Despite that, I would recommend it to someone who enjoys mystery.

[Sophia Schuster · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was very mysterious and I really liked the characters. The character that stood out to me the most was Kendra, who is very generous and loyal to her friends. Kendra organized a fundraiser for her friend Saba, who's family lost their home in a horrible fire. She gave a lot of the money they earned to Saba's family, which I thought was very generous of her. She is very trustworthy and she was there for her friend when she needed her the most. Kendra and her brother, Kevin, found a box full of valuable paintings in an alley and plan to sell them at the fundraiser. Somebody steals the paintings and the mystery of who took the paintings keeps going throughout the story. The only bad thing I can say about this book is that I found it very confusing in the beginning to figure out what was going on. Overall, this was a really good book.

[bronte :) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please don't waste your time reading this book. It was written very weird it was like clippings of some stuff happening and it was just overall confusing. Also at the end it has a mystery that's in like the last five pages and it gets brushed off like nothing so that made me very angry, and none of the characters had any growth, they were all flat. "If I could give you a zero I would, but that's not possible so, I give you a one." That quote sums up how I feel about the book.

[Mahie Panjwani · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has no plot! Half the characters are useless and have no purpose. There’s no ending and it can’t even be considered a mystery. This book should be taken out of school curriculums! It has no purpose teaching students anything.

[Mel Raschke · Rating 4 out of 5]

A community comes together to help a family. Quirky enjoyable novel.

[N · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book begins with an insightful definition of the term “outsider art,” which, according to Chicago’s Center for Intuitive & Outsider Art, is: “work of artists who demonstrate little influence from the mainstream art world and who instead are motivated by their unique personal vision.”

It didn’t just set the perfect tone for the rest of the story, but it also perfectly described this book.

Klise’s ability to piece together such a fascinating story with journal entries, texts, emails, newspaper clippings and interviews was not only inspiring but very refreshing. He tells about how the life of a young girl, Saba Khan, drastically changed after her home was burnt in a fire. Many assume that it was hate crime, and others even start to believe that The Khans may have done it to gain some extra sympathy. But while the police try to investigate the crime, Saba’s family is fortunate enough to stay in a luxury apartment for free until they get back on their feet.

Meanwhile, two students at Saba’s school, Kevin and Kendra Spoon, agree help the Khans out by starting a school fundraiser. But in the process the two find and donate a piece of ‘outsider’ art that turns out to be worth over half a million dollars. This leads to huge publicity for the school and more chaos ensues as everyone considers what should be done with all the money. However, to make matters even more complicated, the artwork is soon stolen from the school. Both the faculty and the students begin to point fingers, and no one is sure of whom they can trust.

Could it be the same person who decided to burn down Saba’s home? Did a member of the faculty steal it because they needed the money? Was it a student who simply refused to see the Khans flourish because of where they’re from? What could be the motive?

The mystery of this story had me dangling at the edge of my seat, and that fact that every character was suspect to these crimes made the situation even more intriguing. Each character’s take on these turn of events not only led me to think about what their motives might be, but it also made me reflect on my own ideas about human nature. For instance, are people ever completely altruistic? Or are they all motivated to do nice things because they expect a reward in return? Do people really care to empathize with those who are suffering, or do they just do it because it seems like the right thing to do? And can a human being be genuinely happy for someone else’s success without feeling the slightest but of jealousy? I really love that this story challenged me to think about things like greed, envy, kindness, and human behavior.

Another factor that makes this book so brilliant is its structure. From the documents and emails to the monologues and private entries, they all made the story come to life because they helped me to understand and identify with many of the characters. In fact, the structure of the novel made me feel like I was being included in the story. For example, when Steve trailed off in his speech during that Highsmith Campus tour, I could imagine myself staring up at him from among the crowd and trying to avoid that sacred “H.” When Regina had her private meetings with the reporter, I felt like I was sitting right beside them and listening in. And when Saba wrote each of her journal entries, my connection with her felt so intimate.

See, the funny thing is, this outsider novel made me feel like an insider. Because for first time ever, I was reading a book that made me feel like a character in the story, rather than an outsider looking in. And books like this are very rare.

On top of the great structure, the story was also beautifully written and very clear to follow. I love how Klise was able to switch between several points of view and maintain each character’s vernacular—especially since they all had such different backgrounds. Within just a few pages I would read the interviews and monologues of a popular jock, an uptight school principal, a shy, quiet girl and a foreign exchange student. But despite the variety, the story was always easy to follow.

On the whole, this book is truly a gem. It’s like that first breath of fresh air you get after you’ve been stuck in a stuffy old room for way too long. And now, even as I write this, I can’t help but think about the way that the story ended. It’s one of those endings that tend to linger with you for several hours—maybe even days—after you’ve completed a book. You continue replay the entire story in your head, over and over and over again, and then you get that satisfying click as everything ties together. You marvel at how the events played out, and you continue to wonder about what happens to the characters after the end of the story.

Now, that’s the mark of a truly phenomenal book.

[PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps · Rating 4 out of 5]

When fourteen-year-old Saba Kahn's Pakistani family loses everything in a fire, her classmates at a prestigious private school, spearheaded by the enthusiastic Spoon siblings, decide to have an auction to benefit the Kahns. While dumpster diving, the Spoons find previously unowned works of art by a great, reclusive painter, sure to bring hundreds of thousands or dollars auction. The kids who found the work want to give the proceeds to the family, sparking some jealously among the students, adult parents and school personnel. Then the paintings go missing and fingers begin pointing.

The chapters are written from different perspectives, students and adults, and they include newspaper articles, letters, messages and narratives. The voices include Saba, Kevin and Kendra Spoon, Saba's superficial boyfriend, a foreign exchange student, the Kahn parents, 3 teachers, the headmistress, several parents, and an art appraiser. I didn't think the ART OF SECRETS was as much a mystery, because I didn't really care who took the paintings. I cared about why and the motivations of the characters in helping and accepting help. Billed as a YA novel. THE ART OF SECRETS will probably appeal to adults more than teens. YA age readers might be bored or uninterested in the politics between teachers and adult jealousies. As an adult I was.

James Klise has penned a thought provoking novel about generosity and jealousy, helping others and benefitting, selflessness and selfishness, what we deserve and what we'll do to get that. I love how the Kahns' Muslim faith are just a small part of their characters, like the exchange student's Spanish heritage is a small part of who he is. Any of characters could have been from any country, faith or have any color skin. That's diversity done right.

[grieshaber.reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a fun, quick mystery - whodunnit style. While Saba Khan is competing in a tennis match with her Pakistani family cheering her on, an arsonist is destroying their Chicago apartment. A pair of do-gooder classmates decide to gather items in order to hold an auction to benefit the Khan family. While the classmates are cruising around the city, looking for reusable junk in alleys for the auction, they discover what turns out to be a valuable piece of artwork. These do-gooders are perfectly happy to give whatever money the artwork brings at auction to the Khans. How sweet! It's a huge story around the city - the artwork, the auction, the do-gooders. So imagine the shock and despair when the artwork disappears. Who took the artwork? Who set the fire? Everyone is a suspect in The Art of Secrets. I didn't figure it out until the end (and I felt like a freaking genius, even though I'm pretty sure I figured it out at the exact point the author intended for me to figure it out so, yeah). Told from many POVs, which really adds to the "everyone's a suspect" vibe. I listened to this one and I had high hopes because it was a full-cast performance. The audio was fine but not great. I wasn't impressed with the production value. I did like all the different voices, though, and would still recommend it. As for Gateway, it should be considered. There's always a place for a quick mystery - that go-to book for the reluctant reader. Also appropriate for middle school (in fact, it might be more appropos for MD and the Truman list - I need other opinions!).

[Medeia Sharif · Rating 5 out of 5]

Saba Khan is at a tennis match, with her entire family there cheering her on, when her apartment goes up in flames. Nothing is left and investigators announce that an arsonist is behind the destruction. It’s also possibly a hate crime since the family is Pakistani. Due to the kindness of strangers, Saba’s family gets to stay in a high-rise condo, rent-free, until they can get back on their feet.

The kindness doesn’t stop there. Everyone wants to know Saba. The most popular boy in high school notices her and wants to be her boyfriend. Her Facebook friends go from the double digits into the hundreds. Reporters are at the school all the time. Saba’s classmates decide to hold an auction to raise money for the family. First they find regular things to auction, but when the Spoons, a brother and sister new to the school, find a valuable work of art by a famous artist, things become even crazier. Who should benefit from such an expensive item? The work of art is for the auction, nowhere else, but people have their eyes on it.

THE ART OF SECRETS is deftly told in multiple points of view. It was interesting how everyone viewed the Khans, their situation, and auction-related circumstances. The fire and unknown work of art added a wonderful touch of mystery. This is a unique YA story, one that will make the reader think about class, race, religion, altruism, and so much more. I read this via NetGalley,courtesy of the publisher.

[Cecily Black · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed the ending of this book but overall it was a little dull. I like how it is written in journal entries and emails and such. the biggest problem is that it is a bit forgettable...

[Paige Hettinger · Rating 3 out of 5]

full review: http://yadaily.tumblr.com/post/129548...
[ACTUAL 3.5]
this was really intriguing to me but i was slightly disappointed by it. i LOVED that it was told completely through interviews, articles, texts, reports, etc. because that REALLY set the tone of the novel. i liked the way different elements combined into one larger plot and how that all tied together at the end, but i felt like there was no actual closure which (to me) is important in a crime novel. but at the same time, i like that the reader is left with the ability to create their own theory or to accept Saba's. the characters were really hard to connecy to and felt flat which is one of the reasons i'm having such a hard time reviewing this. it just felt a little bit underdeveloped to me, and i wish it had been deeper. i loved that it was so diverse, and i loved how each character had different views, but idk something just.....didn't click for me. i wish i had loved this more, but oh well.

[Cloud G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non- Spoiler Review:
I enjoyed this book. The plot twist at the end was something that I definitely did not expect and I liked the originality of the story. When the book ended I just couldn't help but think of how much a slap to the face the plot twist was. The way it was told from different points of views made the story that much more intriguing. Mr. Klise made it seem as if I were actually experiencing what the characters in the story were, the way he made different formats throughout the story kept it interesting and fresh.
This is a fun, mysterious read which I will for sure re-read again and fully review when it comes out next month.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable and quick read. A family of Pakistani heritage loses everything in a fire caused by an unknown arsonist. Then two students at the teenage daughter's high school decide to hold an auction to raise money for the family to help them. Priceless artwork by an outsider artist, Henry Darger, is discovered and with a value of $550,000 it will change the family's life when auctioned off. But then the artwork disappears. The story is told through a series of interviews, journal entries and newspaper clippings from the perspectives of each of the main characters (some of whom I found pretty likable but several of whom I strongly disliked). I was surprised by the ending.

[Kate Alleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved how this book showed how different perspectives can cloud the truth. Klise did a good job of raising the question of authentic altruism. Many characters appeared to be helpful, but their motives were selfish or disingenuous. I've seen this style of presenting stories in varied forms of communication (texts, emails, ims, phone calls, etc.) more and more recently. This style is perfect for mysteries. This was an interesting quick read.

[Molly Klodor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this mystery novel. It plays a lot like Avi's Nothing But The Truth in both the format of writing and the style of storytelling. I wish Klise had fleshed out a few more of the characters to add depth, like Salman, her brother, or Steve, her sort of boyfriend. I had a great time reading this book.

[Johnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting plot and I like how the story was written through journal entries, interviews, articles, etc. However, some characters and entries were a little unnecessary and annoying. I liked the ending i was shocked (but also not really). Overall, I thought it was an interesting and short read.

[Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really unique; the format is different than anything I've ever read. It's really cool how many diverse perspectives can be included in a single book, and I absolutely loved the way everything came together in the ending.

[Marilyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book - too much going on and I got lost at times about who was who and what was going on. I listened to it which may have been a mistake. By the end, I didn't care who had burned the apartment or taken the artist's notebook.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple perspectives and formats tell the story. Not exactly a happy ending, but it seemed realistic. More like 3.5 stars.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great quick read. Really liked the style in which this was written and I was intrigued until the very last page.