Confessions of a Murder Suspect

Pages: 372

Genre: Mystery, Young Adult

Confessions Series, Book 1

My Rating:  4 / 5

A wealthy couple is found dead in their bedroom, did one of their children (all prodigies in different ways) murder them?

I'm a big James Patterson fan.  His books are entertaining and easy to read. I like that the chapters are usually short and it's easy for me to read "one more chapter" before I go to sleep without staying up an extra hour.  :)  Recently Patterson has ventured into different genres. My son and I have enjoyed the Middle School series and the I Funny series both very much. I was excited to read this new YA thriller.

Here's the Story:

Tandy Angel is awakened by sirens that stop at her building, right downstairs. The doorman buzzes up and says the police are on their way up to their apartment. Even in the prestigious Dakota building, the police can't be stopped by the doorman. When she lets the police in, they go up to her parents' bedroom and find them dead...  The doors were all locked, so the prime suspects are Tandy, her brothers Harry & Hugo and her mother's personal assistant, Samantha.

Tandy is determined to find out who the murderer is, even if it turns out to be one of her brothers, or even herself. This book is written from the point of view of Angel Tandy. In between chapters detailing the progress of the story, Tandy talks to the reader and presents information about her past. We see her progress as she tries to figure out what happened to her parents and what happened in her past that she doesn't remember.

The Angel family has many secrets and enemies. What secrets will Tandy uncover as she continues to investigate her parents' death? 

Characters:

Tandy Angel:  Brillant, focused daughter of Malcolm & Maud Angel. She has secrets in her past that she is only beginning to understand.

Harry Angel: Tandy's fraternal twin.  He is a brilliant artist & pianist.  He is emotional, unlike the other Angel children and feels like he is broken because of it.

Hugo Angel: Ten-year old son of Malcolm & Maud.  He has the strength of a full-grown man.

Matthew Angel:  The oldest Angel child.  He is a professional football player.  He has distanced himself from the family and hasn't been to the house in months.

Malcom & Maud Angel: The parents who are found dead. They were very strict and demanding of the children.

Samantha Peck:  Maud's personal assistant.  She has worked for the Angel family for years and the kids are like family to her.

Sergeant Capricorn Caputo & Detective Ryan Hayes:  The police officers trying to figure out who killed Malcolm & Maud.

My Thoughts:

This was very quick read. I enjoyed the way Tandy spoke to the reader; knowing her thoughts and inner feelings helped me feel connected to her. She admits to being an unreliable narrator and that makes it difficult to figure out what is really going on. After all, Tandy herself says not to trust anything she says. The truth is, she doesn't know what parts of her memories are real but she knows a lot of details are missing.This story is clever with many twists and turns. I know there is at least one more book in this series (and knowing Patterson, probably more). I am looking forward to learning more about Tandy and the Angel family.