Title: Beneath Devil’s Bridge
Author: Loreth Anne White
Genre: thriller
I gasped out loud at one point in this book. And in a good way. Anytime that happens, you know it’s a good book. I’ve been a fan of Loreth Anne White’s for awhile now. So far, I’ve read A Dark Lure, The Dark Bones, and In the Dark. I have a few others on my Kindle that I’m look forward to. She’s one of my new favorite authors. When I saw my library had this one on order, I knew I had to request it, and boy, was I pleased with this one!
From Goodreads: True crime podcaster Trinity Scott is chasing breakout success, and her brand-new serial may get her there. Her subject is Clayton Jay Pelley. More than two decades ago, the respected family man and guidance counselor confessed to the brutal murder of teenage student Leena Rai. But why he killed her has always been a mystery.
In a series of exclusive interviews from prison, Clayton discloses to Trinity the truth about what happened that night beneath Devil’s Bridge. It’s not what anyone in the Pacific Northwest town of Twin Falls expects. Clayton says he didn’t do it. Was he lying then? Or now?
As her listeners increase and ratings skyrocket, Trinity is missing a key player in the story: Rachel Walczak, the retired detective who exposed Pelley’s twisted urges and put him behind bars. She’s not interested in playing Clayton’s game – until Trinity digs deeper and the podcast’s reverb widens. Then Rachel begins to question everything she thinks she knows about the past. With each of Clayton’s teasing reveals, one thing is clear: he’s not the only one in Twin Falls with a secret.
I am a true crime podcast junkie, so this plot was right up my alley. And even though Pelley confessed to the crime, some things just didn’t add up back then, leaving Rachel always to wonder what really happened. But with a confession…..how do the police ignore that? I really loved how all this came together. The story is told in past and present timelines. The ones of the past are from Rachel’s perspective, and the present ones are from both Rachel and Trinity’s perspectives. You follow the case as it unfolded back then, but those reveals are unraveled in the present day. Alternating timelines is a hard way to write, but this book handled it perfectly. And yes, the gasp was from a plot twist/reveal that I didn’t see coming. What a great book. I’ll definitely be recommending it to fellow thriller fans.
Pleasant Nights 