Unfortunately, this book didn’t work for me. It was slow and I found one timeline to be much stronger than the other.

Dang! This how you write a Debut novel that bangs! Becky brilliantly delivers a fast-paced, unputdownable police procedural/whodunnit mystery with a glimpse into the influencer lifestyle.

I Found A Body had such an intriguing premise. I mean, detective teams up with an influencer to solve a cold murder case? Color me sold!

Darting between two timelines - 2019, when teen influencer Kylie May stumbles upon a corpse live on stream, and 2028, when Detective Sergeant Mona Hendricks and Kylie May team up to solve the now cold case.

The mixed media format is always a hit for me, and I loved how the author did it here. livestream transcripts, comments, forum threads. It felt like reading a real-time true crime case play out online. It was spot on!

I absolutely loved the dynamic between Mona and Kylie. Mona is refreshingly real, flawed, overwhelmed, and juggling a chaotic personal life while trying to solve a high-stakes case. Kylie, on the other hand, is maddeningly sharp, image obsessed, and laser focused on staying relevant. Their dynamic crackles with tension: part clash, part uneasy alliance, and completely captivating to watch unfold.

And those two big reveals towards to the end? Absolutely brilliant. I definitely didn’t see that coming.

If you love twisty thrillers with mixed media format a dose of internet chaos,I Found a Body needs ticks all those boxes. It’s gritty, clever, and I’m already dying to see what Becky C. Brynolf next.

🕵️‍♀️ Clicks, Clues, and Cold Cases: An Influencer-Augmented Whodunit 📲

1. Old School Meets New Media: The Detective and The Influencer Duo 🎥
"I Found a Body" by Becky C. Brynolf offers a unique narrative collision between Detective Sergeant Mona Hendricks and influencer Kylie May. When Mona's daughter's idol Kylie livestreams a chilling discovery, it drags Mona into a cross-generational and cross-platform conundrum.

2. Reality Bites: A Cold Case Hope with Hot Leads 🔍
Nine years later, with her career and personal life unraveled, Mona is wistfully out of the force until the inciting memory resurfaces with a lucrative offer she can’t refuse. Mona’s comeback journey is both a personal and professional unearthing of truths long buried.

3. Dual Timelines, Double the Suspense: 2019 Flashbacks Intertwined with 2028 📚
Brynolf skillfully balances dual timelines, anchoring the reader in both the initial shocking event and its present repercussions—complete with humor-tinged Reddit threads and influencer drama, adding layers of authenticity and levity to the heart-pounding suspense.

4. Complex Characters, Compelling Caper: Mona and Kylie’s Collide 🌟
Where Mona embodies hard-earned wisdom, Kylie reflects the ambitious, sometimes myopic drive of the digital age. Their contrasting methods and clashing personalities infuse the narrative with tension that keeps pages turning.

5. Mysteries Untangled: Secrets of the Eco-Village 🌲
The distinct setting, a small UK eco-village, renders the investigation rich in atmosphere—a backdrop that contrasts with Bristol’s urban intricacies where Mona now resides. Each chapter hints at tantalizing truths, renewed with fresh turns that, in the final reckoning, satisfy.

Final Thoughts 🗝️
"I Found a Body" successfully aligns classic detective work with modern digital intrigue. It's an enthralling narrative of how our lives are interwoven with technology, sometimes uncomfortably so, and the implications that arise. With its smart plot and engaging dual protagonists, this novel will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers that keep you on the edge. 📺

For a riveting blend of suspense and satire, this twisty thriller promises to hook readers from the first click to the last revelation. 📖

Wow! 10/10 No notes. What an amazing debut. I will read this writer’s shopping lists (and also a follow up book with more from the Hendricks and daughter agency please!)

This is a superb, unique crime story that follows two different people-Kylie: an ambitious, self obsessed influencer who discovers a dead body on a live stream and films it, and the other: Mona, a hard working single mum detective trying to solve the murder. The contrast between the two women couldn’t have been more stark and I really enjoyed hating Kylie the influencer and rooting for Mona, the detective.
I loved how the story cut between the murder and then 9 years in the future when Mona is disabled, estranged from her daughter and not in the police force anymore-it gave the present day story a real sense of foreboding. I was so invested in what had happened.
I also really enjoyed the slices of Reddit style threads with conspiracy theorists and ‘influencers’ weighing in on the case. Very clever and very hilarious!
I was surprised by the culprit, but there was enough breadcrumbing for it not to be unbelievable and I thought the ending from Kylie was just superb!
Can’t wait to read whatever the author writes next!
Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the copy to review.

Kylie is an influencer who has fallen a few ranks due to scandal and is determined to get herself back on top as she takes a job spending the weekend in a small eco-farming cabin to get her viewing numbers up. She is giving a tour of her surroundings when she stumbles across a dead body. At the same time Detective Mona Hendricks is in the car driving her daughter Cass and daughter's friend when they come across Kylie's livestream. Mona is the detective assigned to the case. Things begin to go south when Kylie decides to take the investigation into her own hands. Will everyone make it out unscathed?

Told in dual timelines of 2019 and 2028 (with a brief wrap up in 2029/30 at the end) author Brynholf does a superb job of evoking the trope of the influencer both in over the top offerings and the behavior of the trolls who's comments are added into the 2019 chapters.

Taking place in the UK in both a small eco-village and the town of Bristol that the protagonist of Mona lives in the later timeline, the author lays out plenty of details that lets the reader really feel what it is like to inhabit the character's spaces. Great for readers of Lucy Foley and Alice Feeney this is a lively thriller that keeps the reader guessing throughout the many twists and turns that keep popping up. A solid four star offering.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Thank you for the arc!
I Found A Body is a mystery with a slow start and a promising premise that doesn’t quite deliver to its full extent. Detective Mona Hendricks is pulled into a murder case after her daughter’s favorite influencer finds a body. The story felt predictable with not enough character development.

I Found A Body is in the mystery and thriller genre. I found it to be more of a mystery. This book started off really slow for me, then it started to get a little better the more I read it. I felt like it had a clear premise, but it was not well executed. It centers around a Detective named Mona Hendricks. She gets divorced, then she becomes a part of a very serious and deadly murder investigation. This happens because her Daughter’s favorite influencer finds a dead body and broadcasts it to everyone! I felt like some of the characters were flat and it had a very typical detective storyline. Be sure to read the content warnings before reading this book. Overall, I rate this 2 out of 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Becky C. Brynolf and Crooked Lane Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest opinion. All thoughts and opinions are my own.