Murder of Crows

Lethal Lit #1

by K. Ancrum

Tig Torres investigates Hollow Falls' horrific history in this original novel based on the hit podcast Lethal Lit from Einhorn's Epic Productions and iHeartRadio!

Lethal Lit follows Tig Torres, a Cuban American teen detective, in her hometown of Hollow Falls. In season one of the hit podcast, Tig used her smarts and fearlessness to track down the infamous "Lit Killer," a serial killer who staged his murders after death scenes from famous books. But there's no rest for courageous, mystery-solving teens in a place like Hollow Falls, and though the Lit Killer is now behind bars, his protégé, Tig's classmate and crush Oly, has disappeared!


And that's not the only game afoot. Tig has caught the attention of the town's local armchair detective group, the Murder of Crows. They're obsessed with Hollow Falls' dark past and fixated on a dangerous search for the missing body of the town's founder. There are rumors about what's buried with the body that could be life-changing for whoever finds it, and with a mission like that underway, it's not long before a member of the Murder of Crows turns up dead.


Tig, along with her friends Max and Wyn, steps in to help, but the stakes are getting higher and the hunt more deadly. Someone's willing to kill to keep the town's secrets buried, and if Tig's not careful, she'll be the Murder of Crows' next victim.

This original Lethal Lit story takes place between Seasons 1 and 2 of the podcast, and features a brand-new, never-before-told story starring Tig Torres and her sleuthing friends!

Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, LGBT, Contemporary, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Thriller

267 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2022

About the author

K. Ancrum, is an author of award winning speculative contemporary YA notably THE WICKER KING, DARLING and most recently the critically acclaimed ICARUS. K. is a Chicago native passionate about diversity and representation in young adult fiction. She currently writes most of her work in the lush gardens of the Chicago Art Institute.

Reviews

[may ➹]

HIIII NEW K ANCRUM BOOK I AM HERE

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Star Rating: —> 4.5 Stars

I just freaking love K. Ancrum. LOVE ! Every single thing she writes is brilliant. Just facts.

This was a fantastic & FUN little detective romp & Ahhh I am SO for LGBTQIA+ rep & LETHAL LIT—killers based on literature? Um what could make a freaking true crime podcast owning MC based novel cooler?! NOTHING! Books in Books For Life ✌🏻

So excited for this new series! Way to hit the ground running with this one, too, WOO!

[Mara YA Mood Reader]

$1.99 on Kindle US 3/27/23! Have you read any K. Ancrum, yet?? If not, you are seriously missing out on pure brilliance!

[talia ♡]

i am soooo confused as of why this book is a...podcast ?...sequel???...but it IS a k. ancrum book so i am basically forced to read it by oath of loyalty.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. It's was hard to connect to the characters when I was missing so much backstory and nothing was explained. I know this is based on a podcast, but I assumed that something would be explained.

[Josie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not listened to the podcast that inspired this book so perhaps if/when I do, it will change my opinion on things, but as it stands, this was a pretty run-of-the-mill mystery. I found the characters to all be pretty intriguing, but I didn’t think they were fleshed out nearly enough for me to properly enjoy them or their dynamics with one another. Furthermore, Tig’s abuela was insufferable. I’m sorry, but I loathe adults who act like her in YA and middle grade lit. This book’s biggest crime, though, was that I was super bored. This just really did not do it for me, but, like I said, I didn’t do my homework before reading this book so this one might very well be on me.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story of teen sleuths, the gothic structures, both physical and social that populated the small town main character Tig Torres lived in, and the mysteries she and her friends applied their energies to. I went into this with no knowledge of the podcast describing Tig's first successful solved mystery, but think I now need to check it out. And I hope there are more adventures in line for this group of friends.

[Esme · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐

[Adele · Rating 2 out of 5]

In no way is this rating a criticism of Ancrum. She is still one of my favorite, most reliable authors. I read this for completeness despite the fact that it is part of the world of a podcast I have never heard and have no desire to hear. Thanks to Ancrum, it was an enjoyable read for the most part, though full of the expected references I did not understand. I was almost ready to give it three stars, but then the ending was unsatisfying, even more so than can be forgiven due to the need to set up whatever happens next in the podcast, so two stars it is.

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This feels mid lit? I think the MC is supposed to be in high school, though. Unless I'm wrong about that too. lol. Thought this was first book in a series, and it is...but also isn't. There's apparently a podcast that this book takes place in the middle of season one and two of. So I guess I recommend finding that? They fill you in on a decent bit of stuff, so you're not totally lost. But this book is definitely picking up with established characters that don't try that hard to reintroduce themselves in this book. Is Cozy YA a thing? Because this also doesn't feel like a thriller, which it was also tagged as.

Read by Rebecca Soler (reason I found this book). #booksin25

[andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

i’ll love anything k. ancrum writes and this is no exception. it was a fun twisting mystery romp that brought me back to the days of my reading boxcar children and nancy drew. multiple weird old houses, a kickass and sweet trio plus grandma, and a historical treasure hunt with literature based clues!!

[Kate]

ARE YOU SERIOUS

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t written for me but I know my kids will love this book

[sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

if it's written by K. Ancrum I'll read it. I don't make the rules.

[Avid Reader and Geek Girl · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

It was okay, but not spectacular. I much preferred The Wicker King!

[elliot]

dnf at 20%

i love kayla ancrum and my main way of thinking is ‘i’d read anything she wrote’ but i cannot bring myself to care about tig torres or whatever the mystery is i’m sorry

[Miriam Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thrilling podcast is now a book!

“Murder of Crows” by K. Ancrum is the novel based on the podcast series “Lethal Lit: A Tig Torres Mystery. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...

What better introduction to teenage investigators who solve a complex series of murder, past and present. The teens use the newspaper archives, on microfilm, explore older books and maps, and follow clues to find out just what Founders Day has to do with Murder of Crows. More they solve crimes and prevent even more murders from occurring.

A mystery for readers of all ages.

Thanks to the BookLoft of German Village (Columbus, OH) http://www.bookloft.com for an ARC to read and review.

[Елена]

Strong Scooby-Doo vibes and I'm here for it 🥴

[˳✧༚ Fasi ✿ ˙ᘧ ͜ ˙ · Rating 3 out of 5]

It wasn't bad but also not really outstanding. It just doesn't compare to the podcast, where I'd give the first season 6 out of 5 stars. At least now I can listen to the second season of the podcast, so reading the book was worth it for that.

[Abigail Murrell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't fully get into the book. It just wasn't very interesting personally.

[Merril Anil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before this book, I never had heard about the “Lethal Lit” series so naturally, a book based on the podcast or rather a book spin-off of the same would have so many references to its source. That created a problem for me in the beginning as the book sort of takes off from the middle and you can’t blame it for that. Naturally, the book would assume that the people picking up this book would be aware of the Lethal Lit podcast and its basics ( clearly I was not one of them). The book opens right after some major case has happened and since I had no clue about what and when I just rolled with it for the first couple of chapters and waited till the events of this book would happen. So yes if you ended up picking up this book without knowing its background, just like me, give it a bit of time

This book is meant for a much younger audience and I have no shame in admitting that I would gladly put myself in this bracket if it means I can get to read books with more substance and less grinding ( if you get my drift :P ), But yes since it is targeted towards a younger audience the book is not a high voltage adrenaline thriller. It is a fairly easy-to-follow and quick sleuthing journey with elements of wonder and thrills.

I would put this book in an OK-OK category because even though it wasn’t a particularly bad book, it wasn’t that amazing too. Partly maybe because I didn’t know the context and the background of the characters ( I will not blame the author for this because of course the author had meant this book for Lethal Lit fans but has tried the best to keep it as a standalone too). You can read the book without the trivia on Lethal Lit Podcast but like me, you will at times miss the references and the whole township and people dynamics where the book takes place.

In conclusion, I would say that it would be better if you are a Lethal Lit fan because you would be able to enjoy it much more or perhaps not because it is fairly simple and easy flowing, meant for a younger audience ( which in my case, is award-worthy). So this book may not be for everyone but for the sake of giving it a try, it isn’t a bad one at all.

[Dawnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was fun and i think i will go back to this after listening to the podcast (which yes i read this book before listening to any of the podcast that this book is based on, i am just not a podcast person!) and i would guess it would make this book even better because the background stuff makes more sense.

rating and reviewing it without knowing any of the podcast storylines: this was good.


it’s an entertaining and well done mystery, sometimes pretty brutal but not horrifically so.


i do find the ages of main characters and their behavior as well as the acceptance of the adults of what they are doing a bit strange (my mom sure as hell wouldn’t have let me wander of trying to solve a murder or hunt after a hidden treasure that people got killed for with a smile and a wave! especially if another case went mostly belly up (the whole killer stuff from the podcast that i am missing the background stuff off but could puzzle together well enough with the details given in this book)).

would i found this more enjoyable and believable if the characters would been 18+ or in their 20s? yes. absolutely.
but oh well.


the mystery and murder aspects of the book were okay and mostly well done and i did enjoy how it all wrapped up for the most parts.


it’s definitely Ancrum‘s writing style that carried me through this book for some parts of it, since some sections were completely and utterly unbelievable and too over the top with how a whole town tried to solve a riddle for years and years and people got killed but nobody solved and then some small group of people from the town decided enough was enough and just erased the entire thing by taken away books and maps … and people just went with it? they just talked about of people killed to get the clues and all of a sudden it didn’t matter anymore?
mhm.

so this wasn’t the best thriller/mystery nor the any way or form the most realistic one.

but overall it was fun and a pretty quick read so there is that.

as i said i am guessing the actual podcast lethal lit would have added layers (hopefully?) that might have made this a bit better.


as it stands: good and entertaining but not a must read and in my opinion not the best of ancrum‘s works by a long shot but not bad either.

take from that what you will.

[dearreader13 · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was not a fan of this book. it wasn’t so terrible that i’d give it a one star, but it was extremely underwhelming. i did like the diversity of the cast of characters, but looking back, that’s about the only thing i find i truly enjoyed about this book.

first off, the characters reactions to situations felt extremely unrealistic. they would experience something traumatic, like seeing someone die, and then instead of being shocked or upset about it, they’d immediately go home and jump into solving a mystery. it made it hard to really become immersed in the book because of the discrepancies between what would’ve likely actually happened and what occurred in the book.

additionally, the plot was very simple, and although it was supposed to be a mystery book, the culprit was extremely predictable and nothing that happened took me by surprise. to me, if you want to write a good mystery book, there needs to be a major twist. it almost felt as if the ending was being spoon fed to the readers so we could have the win of knowing we figured it out.

also, i understand that there is an accompanying podcast to this, but i went into the book initially not knowing that. it made it super hard to understand what was going on at times because events would be mentioned from the podcast with no further explanation. even in a traditional series, if an author mentions an event that happened in a previous book, they’ll at least give some background to what it entailed. i would’ve appreciated some more elaboration.

all in all, i was disappointed in this book. while not the worst thing i’ve ever read, it was most definitely not the best.

[Cora Hollenbeck · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that "Murder of Crows" was a short but impactful story. The characters weren't super dimensional, but Tig, Wyn, Abuela, and Noel were. I liked the idea of the plot line and for the most part, it was executed well, but there were multiple potential clues that could've given the plot more depth. The poems, for example, didn't really say much for the relaitonship between Noel and Sofia, except for that they were likely in a WLW relationship. I wish that it would've been looked into further as to why Noel and Sofia chose the specific poems they did. Also, Wyatt's death was incredibly uncharacteristic, even though the audience met him briefly -- it wasn't ever explained what specifically happened to him. We had the chance to get an explanation, but the chapel went up in flames along with Franklin, so we'll never know. The pacing, however, was very well suited for the plot. It kept my attention while going between the main plot and its subplots, like the romantic storyline between Wyn and Tig. The imagery and sensory detail was just enough to describe the real setting without taking away the reader's imagination, so I really appreciated that.

Overall, I give "Murder of Crows" a 3.75/5 star rating for a well thought-out plot and good characters, even though the minor details added up to a lot at the end.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

What even was this?
It’s very much a second book. Hell, maybe even a third. There is so much assumed knowledge and things it keeps referencing from ‘before’ and ‘last year’ that make zero sense when you’re reading. Apparently she and her friends stopped a serial killer somehow with a pod cast? And she just came to town last year and one of her friends used to be a mean girl (possibly) and there was a dude she crushed on who’s name comes up but he’s never in the book. Alas, you really need to have listened to the actual podcast for this book to work. There’s so much backstory that isn’t in here and it leaves you feeling very lost. A two page recap would have been very much appreciated. As a standalone first in series, it just doesn’t work. It’s a giant hectic mess where the MC just runs from one murder to the next without reacting in anyway. Like hello, you have a person impaled on a sword bleeding to death in front of you, a reaction is very normal in this circumstance. But she just treats everything as business as usual and heads off to the next location to watch someone die, and it’s just freaking weird and does not compute. It reads as middle grade except for the murders every two seconds. Like old school Enid Blyton Secret Seven, but you picked up the books halfway through the series and. If it had been a longer book I would have DNF’d.

[Manon the Malicious · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 Stars*

I was provided an ARC via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Murder of Crows is set between the first two seasons of the podcast Lethal Lit: A Tig Torres mystery. To be perfectly honest, I did not know that when I requested the book. I just saw "K. Ancrum" and thought "yes please," especially since it's a mystery and thriller.
At first, I was a bit confused and could tell there was a story that happened beforehand with these same characters but the story quickly grabbed me and I easily figured out the context.

I really liked this book. It was a quick read yet I loved the characters and found them layered and so well written.
There's just something about K. Ancrum's writing that appeals to me. I love everything she writes and this was no exception. I truly made me want to listen to the podcast, and I never have. But this was just too good and these characters were amazing, I want more from them.
I also found the plot to be compelling and very well paced. The mystery and thriller aspect was well woven too, I saw next to none of it coming.
All in all, this was simply great and I'll probably reread it after I listen to the first season of the podcast.

[Lucy Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder of Crows by K. Ancrum takes place in modern-day in a town called Hollow Falls where everyone searches for a treasure hidden by the founder. When Alan Wyatt, a former participant in the Hunt gives Tig a vital tool to solving the clues, then mysteriously dies minutes later, she takes it upon herself to find the treasure and his killer. The Hunt is treacherous and deadly and competitors will stop at nothing to succeed, but with the help of her two best friends and her secretive Abuela, Tig might just have a chance.

    I think Murder of Crows is a great book for people who don’t read many mysteries but would like to start. It’s fast-paced and easy to get pulled into the world.

    I love action and K. Ancrum makes sure that the reader is never bored during this story. I also liked the relationships between the characters.

I found some of the situations and reactions of the characters to be unrealistic and there weren’t many plot twists for a murder mystery. I also thought that some things could have been better resolved.

Other than those few things I did enjoy this book and though it might not have made an impression that I will remember a few years from now, it easily brought me out of a huge reading slump.

3.5 stars :)

[Dani Cushman, First of her name, Mother of Westies · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 ⭐️ I chose to read this for my students and I am pleased that I did. I love to read and I love to listen to podcasts so this seemed right up my alley. I had never heard of the podcast before and chose not to listen before I read the book, which I’m undecided if that was the best idea. You didn’t really have to listen first but it may have helped in some small instances. I thought it was well written for a YA mystery. The character development was ok for a few of the main characters, not so great on others but that may have helped had I listened to the podcast. Not sure. I will check out the podcast next. I enjoyed the mystery like I enjoyed the Scooby Doo crew when I was young. I am not sure why the author chose to add in a few mysterious relationship issues. Honestly the book didn’t need it. Sometimes friendship is all you need. It was a quick read while on spring break and ai feel like I can easily recommend this to my students.
I will say I am loving how books are taking a turn to digital resources like podcasts and YouTube series. It expands on the enjoyment and keeps kids interested in reading while they are also digitally linked to the world.

[Michael P · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered this book on lgbtqreads.com, in their article "Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Fiction: January-June 2022."

This book tells the story of Tig Torres, a teen sleuth who hosts the podcast "Lethal Lit," which followed the murders committed by and arrest of a serial killer who staged his killings off of famous murders from books. Tig is invited to join a group of older locals called the Murder of Crows, and is assigned to The Hunt: the search for the body of the founder of their town, which is allegedly buried with a secret treasure. As Tig and her friends dig deeper into The Hunt, they uncover truths about the town's history and their own family members, while realizing a new killer is about.

This book is based on the Lethal Lit podcast, and it reads a little bit like an advertisement. It was entertaining, to be sure, but I do not see it as being of outstanding literary merit. Students reading this book should be in at least 10th grade, in my opinion, but I would only have them read it during independent reading time, not as a focus for instruction.

[Yona · Rating 3 out of 5]

DNF @ 27%

This book is perfectly fine! I think if I were a teen who loves old school murder mysteries, this would be a fun read. It's a little campy, but in a fun way, and its inclusive cast is a welcome update on the classics.

However, it just didn't grab me, especially compared to Ancrum's other work. It feels completely different. The world and the narrator are more light-hearted and steeped in genre conventions in a way none of her others have been, not even her Peter Pan retelling. Again, there's nothing wrong with it, it's just not the kind of work I've come to expect from this author, and it's also not the type of story I'd usually read. There were no major flaws in the writing, plot, or characters that drove me away, but I wanted to read other things more and have no desire to return to this.

The high-production audiobook was fun though and I liked that an actor from the original podcast reads the text.