To be honest, this is more of a 3.5 stars rounded up because I liked the premise so much.

That said, I expected to like it a lot more... there was just something about this book that felt a bit unfinished, like it could have profited from another round of editing or even another draft.
The characters were great, the setting felt realistic and rounded as well, but I thought the backstory could have done with a bit of tinkering. Or a whole lot of tinkering. Or a complete overhaul. I mean, everything revolves around this mysterious serial killer from decades ago, but those killings felt just... kind of vague? And I mean, a serial killer that goes by the moniker of The Janitor? Because *he sprays his victims with cleaning fluid*??
If this were an episode of Scooby Doo, great! But this is supposed to be a novel for grown-ups, unless I'm very much mistaken, and I think in Grown-Up Land any serial killer worth his salt would feel royally pissed off by that kind of name. And that whole cleaning fluid business was just so absurd I could not take it seriously. If you write a novel about a killer, he has to be scary; some dude going around squirting Mr Clean from his little bottle strikes me as pathetic more than anything else, even if it's dead bodies he sprays it on. So that aspect could have used a little work, IMO.
Then, the Famous Sleuthing Twins. Cool concept, but again, it felt a tad underdeveloped; I never really got a sense of what exactly constituted that fame. So they busted some kind of drug operation at their high school, super! Aaand... um... I think that's kind of about it? It's just very late in the game (at the 98% mark!) that some character deigns to elaborate on the twins' youthful successes ("You were solving all those dinky little cases. Pot dealers. Stolen bikes. Puppy mills. You were hired by that old woman to prove that she wasn't being haunted."), but up until then none of this is ever mentioned. Which I found... weird. If I'm supposed to accept that these two middle-aged chicks once were fantabulous teen detectives, I need to know what exactly they were up to back then. I don't know why the author decided not to work this into the narrative in a more convincing kind of way.
Also, the motivation. Much is made of the tragic outcome of the teens' final outing, but the reasoning behind why the girls decided what to do and when/how to do it never really felt convincing to me. It was all a bit oookaaaayyyy, *that's* your motivation? Really??

As for the perp, I dare you not to see that one coming from miles away. There's lotsa plot twists too (sigh), in fact I could have done without one or four of them, because it gets a bit crazytown towards the end. At the same time, everything is just, you know, a bit... tame? There were a couple of subplots that IMO would have profited from a bit more finality and consequence, but instead everything gets resolved in such a nice, bland way; I could have done with a bit more grit.

So this is what I would have liked: more backstory, to give me a better sense of the present; a stronger, more ominous antagonist (none of that Janitor stuff please); and less reliance on gimmicky plot twists. But, well, I'm not the editor here, and the editing team as well as the author decided that this baby was good to go, so here I am. Just my opinion, but I really believe this book could have been A WHOLE lot better. It's still fun, of course... but it had so. Much. Potential, most of which went to waste.
But I still kind of liked it. Because, honestly, it's just a really cool premise.

This thriller was a breath of fresh air. Every time I thought I guessed what happened, I was wrong! I love when mysteries surprise me and red herrings work. I cared about all of the characters. Thoroughly enjoyed.

I loved Tom’s first book, so I was primed to love this one too but this book managed to exceed even my sky high expectations. This could have very easily been a gimmicky book that lost steam when the gimmick wore out. But not only is the plotting inventive and fun, the characters are deep and real and got to me emotionally. This is a fun book, but it also has a heart that makes it even better.

I was fully obsessed with this one from the first page. I usually hate when books try to market themselves as X Property meets Y Property, but I just so happened to be in the middle of my Yellowjackets binge when I saw the listing for this and I am not ashamed to say that I am weak and was easily influenced when I saw it described as Yellowjackets meets Nancy Drew.

Reader, it delivered.

I was hooked from the first second and it held my attention all the way to the end. The narrative is fun and evoked so many feelings of Nancy Drew and Veronica Mars that there was never going to be a universe where I didn't completely love this book. If I had one complaint it would be that the book is written in third person present tense which is usually my least favorite form of writing but it stopped bothering me after a few chapters.

The mystery is fun, and the twists that one would expect from this kind of book are shockingly well done. I'm a veteran of these types of books and TV shows and usually pride myself on being able to see things coming from a mile away, but it was wonderful to actually be surprised by this book a time or two.

Suffice to say, I loved this. The setting, the characters, the plot, the twists, the fun. It has everything I like in this kind of book and I highly recommend it.

I was super interested in this book because it was described as Nancy Drew meets Yellowjackets.

Teenage twin sisters Alice and Samantha become famous after helping their father, the town's sheriff, bust a drug smuggling ring. When a series of murders take place in their small town of Edgar Mills, Massachusetts, the teen detectives try to capture the killer, who is known as The Janitor because the douses his victims in cleaning fluid. Things go badly, resulting in the deaths of both the girls' father and Alice's boyfriend.

25 years later, a murders matching The Janitor's MO start occurring once again in Edgar Mills, and the police ask Alice and Samantha for help.

This book fell short for me. The idea of teen detectives in a small town becoming famous nationwide because they helped their father solve a case is pretty far-fetched. And a murderer called The Janitor who douses his victims in cleaning fluid sounds like a Scooby Do villain. I like a good plot twist, but this seemed a too twisty and turny, and the characters were a little too melodramatic for my tastes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atlantic Crime for the ARC.

Exactly the e excellent mystery full of twists I expect from Tom Ryan! Absolute banger and I can’t wait to see what our sleuths do next!

Never been super into detective mysteries but I dabble on occasion. Idk I thought this one was fun, very Nancy Drew-esque which had the 10-year old me somewhere in my head jumping for joy.

Tom Ryan's writing is incredible, very vivid with descriptions and great with character dialogue. The characters were really entertaining and engaging to read. The different POV chapters kept things interesting. Some of the twists were a little predictable, but I wouldn't say that it ruined the experience for me. I feel like the biggest pull of this novel is the nostalgia factor surrounding it.

A very campy, nostalgic ride that I would recommend if you love mysteries or if you were a Nancy Drew kid yourself growing up.

An instant fav! Just don’t read before bed if you’re prone to frightful nights - his writing feels so real it vividly comes to life in your mind.

The story starts with three teenagers that play detective in a small town and a serial killer targets their community - then jumps forward 25 years, when it seems a copycat begins to target the town again.

I loved the amount of characters in the book, not so many that you needed a chart to remember whos who, and not so few that you felt isolated. Each character was brought to life with unique personalities.

Just like other books by Tom Ryan, I couldn’t put it down and raced to the end, which shocked me (even when I was ready for a shock). Coming to the end of a book like this is typical bittersweet - satisfying to know the ending and sad to not have the company of these characters.

📖 My brain consumed this book via my eyes… so ebook! I can't wait for this one to be released, definitely picking up a physical copy for my wife to read too. :)


Note:
Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of We Had a Hunch.

** Spoiler at the end **

The premise drew me in, naturally, as a huge fan of Nancy Drew growing up.

The nostalgia, the friends working together vibe, the small town setting all sparked my interest and I dove into this with eagerness.

I liked the Van Dyne twins, always a plus when women lead the charge and the investigation and work together despite their mild estrangement.

I loved how their former friends all joined in to help solve the case, never letting anyone do anything on their own.

There is a lot of information, minor and supporting characters and clues that led in multiple directions as the twins and Joey chase down on their own.

At the same time, the twins and Joey need to confront the trauma of their past and break free from the guilt that continues to bind them in the present day.

The writing was good and most of the characters likable but my biggest caveat was the ending.

Even though I guessed whodunit correctly, it was TOO hard to suspend disbelief for. I mean, seriously?

And what are the odds there are two serial killers in the same small town?

OK, that's maybe more believable than whodunit.

When I got approved for “We Had a Hunch” I didn’t know how to react. I think I cried. “The Treasure Hunter’s Club” was one of my favorite books of 2024, so give me all the Tom Ryan.

I absolutely devoured this book - I’m talking 2 and a half hours on the treadmill cover to cover. I was hooked from the first page. The characters are so well-written and relatable. The pacing was perfect, I couldn’t stop turning the pages. The twists, I never saw coming and THAT ENDING?! Perfection.

If you’ve never read Tom Ryan, consider this your sign to. Hands down, 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Crime for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was engrossed from page one. I hadn't heard of this author before, but now I want to read all that I can find from him. The characters were vivid and took me into that magical imagination space that good books often do. It's a place where the book becomes the world as you read it. I will be writing a haiku and publishing it on instagram.

Tom’s New mystery novel absolutely delivers: sharp writing, layered characters, and a twisty plot that kept me flipping pages late into the night! With a full cast of characters, I thought I had parts figured out, and was kept guessing right to the end! The characters were great and I enjoyed the two timelines of murders and how they connected with each other!
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If you love small-town secrets, strong friendships, and characters with big hearts (and sharp minds), mark this one for your TBR!

Tom Ryan does it again!! I had so much fun reading this book. The twists and turns kept me guessing right up until the very end, and I'm not even joking, I read it in an afternoon. I could NOT put it down.

Thank you Atlantic Crime and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Twisty! Then: the Van Dyne twins have gained some notoriety from help their Chief or Police father solve crimes. Joey O’Day also’s gained some for the crimes he’s solved, though detectiving was never his intention. Now the two sisters, Sam and Alice, believe they know who the killer that has been rocking their small town of Edgar Mills is. They plan to confront him, Joey knows that they’ve made an error. Soon the three have made a disaster that’s resulted in more death this time closer to home. Now: It’s been 25 years since the night that changed Joey, Sam, and Alice’s life. Joey’s happily married and working a tech job he finds painfully boring. Oh and his husband is ready for kids but Joey’s not sure he is. Alice is an unhappy homemaker whose kid seems to hate her. And Sam is a former reality tv star just running away from her past. When death comes back to Edgar Mills with a familiar mo and a convicted killer who swears he knows who the killer is but will only talk to the teen detectives, the three are forced to reunite. They’ve all moved on and want nothing to do with this case, but really they’re all intrigued. As more people die they’ll have to figure out who is doing this and why there are so many similarities to a killer that’s been in prison for 25 years. What really happened 25 years ago? Can they stop a killer before it’s too late? Or is it time for them to meet their fate? Tom Ryan kept me second guessing myself with this one! A total page turner that had me hooked! I loved Sam, Alice, and Joey! I also loved the mix of mystery, adult drama, and intrigue! The regret and possible miscalculations of the past made this an exciting read! Highly recommend!

This book hit me with a wave of nostalgia and then twisted it into something darker and more unsettling—in the best way. I loved the premise of once-famous teenage detectives now navigating adult life and old wounds. The characters felt layered and real, especially the tension between holding onto the past and facing present dangers. The mystery itself kept me hooked, with just enough red herrings and emotional stakes to make the ending satisfying.

There were a couple of slower moments in the middle, but overall it was a compelling, moody thriller. I'd recommend it to reqders who want something a little more grown-up and introspective.

This was a lot of fun! I read it in one sitting. The different points of view definitely help keep the pace up, making it very readable! With the type of mystery this is, you might need to suspend your disbelief at times, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable. The pull for me is in the nostalgia factor.

I also really liked the three main characters and the journey they're on. The twins, Alice and Sam are both dealing with what happened in their past in their own ways. Joey wasn't affected, but he's facing challenges of his own in his present life.

All in all, a great, fun read. 4.5 stars rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my review!

A clever premise with a nostalgic hook, We Had a Hunch sets up a strong return-to-hometown mystery, but leans a little too heavily on exposition and backstory. The pacing lags in places, and while the characters are compelling, the emotional payoff doesn’t fully land.

We Had a Hunch by Tom Ryan is a wild, twisty ride that will definitely keep you on your toes. While I struggled to fully connect with the story, I can see why fans of the "grown-up teen detective" trope would find it compelling. The concept of revisiting these once-famous sleuths from their teenage years is intriguing, especially with the dark past of these characters.

The suspense is definitely there, and I’ll admit that the final twist had me gasping—it’s a good one! But for me, the story felt a little too over-the-top and I found myself not fully invested in the characters’ journeys. However, if you’re in the mood for a campy, suspense-filled mystery with lots of twists and some "did that really just happen?" moments, this one delivers.

Rating 2.5/5 (rounded up)

Perfect book for those like me who read (and was obsessed with) Nancy Drew as a kid. Super fun mystery with fun characters and a twist I didn’t see coming, which is exactly how I like my books. Catnip for true crime podcast loving readers.

I love an amateur sleuth story!
With that disclosure, I was pretty sure I had it all figured out with my first hunch by chapter 6. Obviously, I didn't, or I wouldn't be giving this one 5 stars.
I really enjoyed the pace of this book, and by chapter 19, that pace jumped up, and I just couldn't put it down. There were twists and turns, and I was obsessed with getting to the bottom of it. The multiple POVs adds so much to the story.
Think Nancy Drew all grown up, and one of her old cases forces her back into her old, sleuthing ways!