You Can Die by Rebecca Zanetti


 This is turning into one of my favorite series. I love that the author Rebecca Zanetti has made a character that is neurodivergent but is thriving professionally as well as personally. 

FBI Special Agent Laurel Snow is very much aware of how lucky she is. Her half-sister is, after all, psychotic. However, Laurel is having difficulty proving it. During a grueling winter in the Pacific Northwest, men are being murdered, their bodies naked inside tents and with Valentine’s Day candy stuffed down their throats. Laurel and her Fish and Wildlife Captain boyfriend, Huck Rivers, are in the middle of discovering these individuals’ pasts when Laurel’s shows up on her mother’s doorstep. Laurel’s estranged rapist father, Pastor Zeke Caine, has emerged from nowhere after being missing for 5 years. 

Normally, thrillers like this begin to become repetitive (Hello, James Patterson!). However, I have found Zanetti’s plots to enhance the character developments of all her characters and not just the primary ones. For example, Laurel and Huck’s decision to date and work on their communication. There is also Walter and his healing and friendships. Each of these characters brings a new spark to the novel. They are much more than supporting characters, they amplify the parts of the main characters that drew readers in to begin with.

The plot was all consuming. I really wanted this to be the One, where Laurel caught Abigail, but even I know it won’t be that simple. I do hope it doesn’t drag out to long, because sometimes that can cause those same repetitive issues. I suspected a different character that who was actually the murderer, because I wasn’t really expecting the connection, or the motive. I didn’t fully understand the reasoning, but I guess people have committed crimes for much more far-fetched reasons.

Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars, and can’t wait for the next book.

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