Little Threats by Emily Schultz

 

Kennedy Wynn is being released from prison.  Now thirty-one, she has been there since she was seventeen, convicted of killing her best friend, Haley.  The thing is, Kennedy doesn't know if she did it.  She and Haley and her boyfriend were doing drugs that night.  She knows that Haley was also in love with her boyfriend and that he was playing them both.  But did she kill Haley in the woods or did she just find her once her drugs had worn off?

The world hasn't stopped like Kennedy did in prison.  Her twin, Carter, had been Kennedy's biggest advocate but stopped coming to see in the months prior to her release and now seems distant.  Her father, Gerry, just wants everything to be the same and for his girls to be the same as they were as teenagers.  Haley's family used the tragedy to pull themselves out of poverty.  Since Kennedy pled guilty, Haley's family filed a civil suit against the Wynn's and won a huge settlement, increasing the animosity between the two families.  Except for Carter.  She has recently started an affair with Everett, Haley's brother and neither of them are sure where that is headed.  

Now that Kennedy is out, the secrets start to emerge.  Did Kennedy kill Haley?  Or was it someone else?

Emily Schultz is known for her writing in this genre.  She explores the relationships that surround a tragedy with a deft hand, leaving the reader to wonder what really happened.  She also explores family relationships and what we owe our birth family as we mature and become adults.  Should they always be our first responsibility?  Should we stand up for them over anyone outside that family?  Who can be sacrificed and why?  This book is recommended for mystery readers.