Small town girl and two friends give out exposition on a missing girl as they hand out flyers and then join the search, finding the body soon enough.
I mention exposition because in this case it was well done, unlike most ham-fisted attempts in such short stories. There’s a Twin Peaks feel throughout, making me wonder if maybe the victim wasn’t as goodie-two-shoes as she let on.
For such a short novel, there sure were a lot of suspects; just when the cops and Riley think they know who done it, someone else pops up. It’s a little exasperating, as the author doesn’t throw breadcrumbs for the reader to play along and have a chance at solving it. But despite that it’s still worth the read, as the writing and characters are where this short is strong.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5

Summary

Personal Blurb
This third novel in the Riley Donovan series can be read as a standalone full of mystery, thrills, and small-town angst. If you’re in the mood for a quick read, this will be sure to delight you.

Characters
Riley is a high school student known for solving cases.

Charlie is Riley’s best friend and had a crush on Alicia. He’s also been accused of murder before.

Ashleigh is another of Riley’s best friends, and she does not like Carrie or Alicia for that matter.

Alicia just got into a coveted music program, one Carrie also applied for, the day before Alicia went missing.

Ginny is Riley’s aunt who is working on the case and wants Riley to stay out of it.
Tina & Desiree are Carrie’s best friends.

Carrie is the girl accused of having something to do with Alicia’s disappearance. She accused Alicia of getting into the program because she was the teacher’s pet, not because she was the best. When Carrie asks Alicia to relinquish the spot so she can have it, they fight.

Conflict
When Alicia goes missing, everyone is quick to blame Carrie. Carrie doesn’t think the police believe her story, so she asks Riley to prove her innocence. However, Ashleigh does think she’s guilty. Riley must decide if getting involved is worth the risk of endangering herself, disappointing Aunt Ginny, and losing her best friend.

Cons
• One of the red herrings seemed thrown in a bit late. (Around 80%.)
• It was easy to guess who the bad guy was. (I knew the first time the person was introduced.)
• The motive of the bad guy wasn’t clear. (Or I missed something.)

Potentially Offensive Content
Mild Language

Pros
• Likeable characters.
• Fast-paced.
• Easy read. I think I read this in one sitting. It’s super short.

Quality
Did it have adequate representation?
Ashleigh is adopted and one character lives with his uncle. Riley lives with her aunt.

Did it make me think?
This thriller did have an air of mystery. I found it simple, but also developed for such a short book. I guessed the bad guy right away, but I was wrong about the motive.

What was the writing style like?
Fast and easy to read.

Are the characters now my all-time favorites?
I loved Riley, but I also feel like it won’t take long to forget her.

Was the plot cleverly written?
Not as clever as it could have been. It was too easy to solve the mystery, but it was a fun read with enough unexpected reveals to be surprising.

Did I enjoy reading it?
Definitely. If you’ve been reading dense books and need a break, this is perfect.

Triggers?
Murder

Format?
e-arc

Out of Tune

A Riley Donovan Mystery



by Norah McClintock

Orca Book Publishers

Mystery & Thrillers , Teens & YA

Pub Date 24 Oct 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Out of Tune through Orca Book Publishers and Netgalley:

Alicia is a talented violinist at Riley Donovan High-school is found murdered, bludgeoned to  death.  Her body found in a field located on the outskirts of town.  Her musical rival Carrie immediately becomes a suspect. Riley is not convinced that Carrie is the murderer though.

Despite the fact that Riley’s police officer aunt tells her to stay out of it, Riley goes searching for the truth anyway, not wanting someone innocent to get in trouble for a crime they did not commit.

I give Out of Tune five out of five stars!

Happy Reading!

I really enjoyed this book! While the pacing is just a little slow in the beginning but I found that once I got a few chapters in I didn't want to stop.
When a classmate goes missing and turns up dead Riley Donovan solves the case and finds the killer.
The ending was actually quite unexpected, especially for me. The writing was okay, the plot was awesome, and the ending was mind blowing. I recommend for ages 10 & up
4 stars

Riley Donovan's back and it's a lot of fun! A mystery with a couple twists and turns.

This is a cute book. A good middle school read with fun and quick dialogue!

When a school mate is found dead Riley takes on the role of detective to clear the name of the accused. In doing so she uncovers a number of secrets being kept in their town. 

Out of Tune works as a murder mystery. It's got a grisly murder and a fair number of secrets and suspects. There is enough suspense and interest to keep a reader moving to the end. 

The characters are in high school suggesting that the target audience is middle and high school but the book lacks the edginess that teen audiences tend to prefer. 
In addition, we don't learn enough about the main character Riley to truly connect with her. She lives with her aunt and we learn that they've recently moved to town. The author alludes to a previous murder solved by Riley and so I presume there was a previous book in which the questions of Riley's living situation were addressed but  those questions were  unanswered in this book and it left me feeling detached from the main character. 
Finally, the accused made an appearance in a few chapters but did not participate in the investigation of the crime, which was fine, but since Riley didn't really have a connection to the accused, it was hard as a reader to become emotionally invested in Riley's quest. 
In summary, a quick read with some interesting aspects but it may not appeal to the intended audience.

This was just a fun little mystery. I didn't know it was part of a series, but I feel like I followed along just as well. It definitely could've been longer, but I still think there was a solid story there. Would definitely recommend to older kids/younger teens who like mystery!

When a high-school violin player, Alicia, has been missing for two days, Riley is pulled into the search by one of her best friends, Charlie, who’s had a crush on Alicia for years.
The next day, an organized search has them founding Alicia’s body…
A couple days later, Carrie, the main suspect since she was Alicia’s violinist rival (and other stuff), finds Riley to ask her to prove her innocence…

This is part of the Riley Donovan series. I can’t find which book this is exactly. This author Goodreads page is kind of a mess and even if, as a librarian, I could sort everything out, I wouldn’t know how…

ANYWAY. I could tell at some point that this was part of a series, for example, when Carrie asks Riley for help, she mentions the cases she solved before, etc.
But it wasn’t essential in the intrigue. the main intrigue of the book was the case, Alicia’s murder. It was well told and I felt like a genius since I figured out before the reveal. I didn’t mind figuring it out, I was looking for a short but interesting mystery & thriller book, and that was exactly what I got.

I liked Riley, even though we didn’t find out much about her. She was the main character but seemed on the background compared to the other characters, like she was just a medium to the murder solving.

Still, a nice, simple, effective mystery....

This was a cute little book, perfect for middle schoolers and some high schoolers, which I didn't realize when I requested it. It was short, clean, and had a good, thought-out mystery. I'd definitely recommend it for young teenagers who enjoy mysteries.

This was well thought-out and quite smartly done, if a little short. I'd say it is aimed at slighty younger readers tban me too, maybe early teens (no 'unsuitable' scenes if you get me). Tried to do some investigating because there seemed to be some hints towards previous books but nothing that leads to confusion, but I came up a little short. There is a LOT of Norah McClintock books on Goodreads apparently, and a few Riley Donavan mystery ones but they didn't seem to have descriptions etc so who knows. I've just read One of Us Is Lying which was AMAZING, so this kind of paled in comparison.

I couldn't get through the first few chapters of this book. There were clearly holes in the plot, as I didn't understand it. The characters were annoying, and after a few chapters, the story wasn't really going anywhere, even though it was a short read. It didn't have very much excitement and wasn't very gripping.

Music and murder merge together as one in this thrilling novel that will captivate readers.

Nice young mystery solved by a very resourceful young sleuth