Review of Why Did You Die, Mrs Adams?

[Erin Dydek]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Why Did You Die, Mrs Adams?" by Gail L Howell.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Samantha Donnelly runs into an unfamiliar man at Mrs. Adams’ house while returning the 82-year-old woman’s lost dog. While the event seems strange, Sam’s curiosity isn’t piqued until she discovers that the older woman is dead. Who was that mystery man, and what was he after? Sam can’t explain her gut instincts; she knows that Mrs. Adams’ death was not an accident despite what the police report claims. With her long-time friend, Josh, and her new acquaintance, Lois, Sam sets off on a mission to discover what happened to Mrs. Adams. While her search for answers helps her avoid the emotional turmoil at home, she can’t escape the truth her reluctant uncle tries to share with her forever, can she?

Discover the answers in Why Did You Die, Mrs. Adams? by Gail L. Howell, a 233-page young adult novel. I enjoyed the book’s concept, which involved teen detectives investigating the death of a reclusive neighbor. I also appreciated that the author attempted to add a healthy dose of suspense and a few family issues to add some coming-of-age drama. Unfortunately, these efforts fell short of their potential. I had a hard time believing that an apathetic teen, as Samantha describes herself in the first chapters, would be so motivated to investigate a “crime” that looked like an accident. Her suspicions turn her to the man at Mrs. Adams’ house, who she says is evil and dangerous, but it is hard to sense any real threat. By the end, the reader still doesn’t know what actually happened, which results in a less satisfying conclusion. Another disappointing aspect involves the lack of a genuine connection between Samantha and Mrs. Adams, which makes it hard for the reader to believe the outcome of Sam’s story in the final chapters. Finally, even with the family issues for Sam and her friend Lois, I felt like the author only included them to try to add complexity to the story without giving them time to fully show the girls’ growth through the domestic issues they had to deal with.

The other major issue I had with this book was the poor editing. While the book starts in Samantha’s first person point of view in the present tense, the author soon loses all sense of consistency in her writing. By the fourth chapter, she freely switched from present to past tense, and it only got worse. The further you read, not only does the verb tense change without warning, the point of view does, too, going from first-person to third-person and sometimes from character to character by paragraph or even every other sentence. It became distracting, and I had to pause to figure out who the “I” was as the narration switched from one person to another. In addition to these editing issues, numerous comma splices made the sentences feel long and cumbersome throughout the book.

While the story has the potential to be a great young adult novel, it needs professional editing and development to get there. I enjoyed the glimpse of suspense when Lois felt like she was being followed. I also loved the emotional outbursts that revealed Sam’s turmoil as she discovered the truth about her mother and father and dealt with the transition from child to adult. Still, I could not ignore the issues and reduced my rating to two out of four stars.

This novel is a good read for those looking for a teen novel with light suspense and mystery. While there are a few scenes with mild swearing, there is no erotic content. The book also has a conclusive ending, so it would be good for readers who want a standalone story that is not part of a series.

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Why Did You Die, Mrs Adams?
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[Cwaganagwa Dorothy]

An unsolved mysttery only brings up one question. Could this be the first book in the series? It is sad that the book was not professionally edited and at a point it lost its way. Thank for the review because it really showed that the story is interesting, despite the flaws the story has.

[Oluoma Chukwu]

I'm with Sam on this , the death sure doesn't seem ordinary. However for his safety and for the good of all I think it's best he reported to the police. We should not encourage citizens to delve into places they shouldn't. However, I will look forward to reading this book.

[Mercy Sos Christopher]

I haven't read this book but I'm already at the edge of my seat by just reading your review, I enjoyed it. I would love to find out if Sam is right about the murder not being an accident. Thanks for the review.

[R_becca]

THIS BOOK IS PACKED WITH SO MANY SUSPENSIONS THAT IT'S QUITE CAPTIVATING; I'D LIKE TO KNOW HOW SAM FOUND THE TRUTH. WHAT IS THE TRUTH THAT HER UNCLE TRYS TO SHARE WITH HER?

[kuchnahi76]

actually followed his Facebook page and noticed that his recent videos didn't feature him and that he was getting weaker (even after beating sepsis).

I had a feeling he wasn't long for this world. RIP