Bury the Lead

This book will go over well with fans of the Good Girls Guide to Murder series. In it, we have aspiring investigative reporter Kennedy, a high school student, and her best friend Ravi, who helps with photography. Together, they launched a news website within the last year for their small town, which actually has some traffic and covers news stories of all types. But they want a BIG story. Something exciting. And exciting just doesn't happen in their small town. Or does it? As a long-term project for their journalism class, they decide to cover the urban myth of the curse that follows the senior class in their high school. It seems that over the years, one senior has gone missing each year. Last year there was a suicide. But when Kennedy's rival ends up dead, she isn't willing to write it off as a suicide like the police do. Kennedy is convinced that this was murder. And she sets out to proe it.

4/5 stars! I have read many mystery books and this one stood out to me. Kennedy was a different character than I feel like you'd see in other mysteries because she's not as likeable as others. although she's not an outcast she has one true friend, Ravi, and I felt that he was always a voice of reason. the story was very gripping and had many twists along the way and was overall really great!

This was an interesting mystery with compelling characters! While I might be a little tired of the hot brown best friend trope, I really really loved Ravi so I'm not complaining. It was a little funky to hear Kennedy explain that Ravi is basically her brother and then listen to her spend literal paragraphs talking about how nice his ... hands are? But still, it was sweet, and they get along really well.
There weren't too many characters in the story and almost everyone except Ravi, Kennedy, and maybe Kennedy's younger sister felt like shadows of real people. This made it really easy to suspect literally anyone of being the murderer. Kennedy barely has four actual suspects throughout the book, and she struggles to find motives for anyone. When she thinks she's solved the mystery, her solution doesn't even make sense. The mystery itself was hooking, but it moved rather slowly until the very end where everything happened all at once. The pacing was a little problematic, but it still worked out decently well.

I wasn't expecting the asexual representation and it was really well written and a great surprise! Usually we don't get ace protagonists in mistery young adult books, I loved it.
The mistery was also well done and it kept me guessing.
I'm going to be reading more books from this author for sure.

First thing first, I have to point out how perfect this title is! The main character is a journalist, there's a murder mystery. I love it. As for the actual story, I thought it was really good. A big thing for me with mysteries is that I find I figure the big things out halfway through the book and then the rest of the book I'm just waiting to confirm what I already know. That didn't happen with this one. I honestly did not piece together the big reveal until right before it happened so that made it all that more enjoyable.

As for the characters, I liked our M.C Kennedy's passion and drive, even though it could be a little much at times and she made some decisions that frustrated me. But then there was Ravi. He was the heart of this duo and a great balance to Kennedy. He really was the Watson to her Sherlock. I was also a big fan of Cassidy even though she wasn't around much I enjoyed the scenes with her in it.

Overall, I thought this was a good book! It was well written with interesting characters. The plot was engaging and kept me guessing until the end.

This was a unique and interesting story. I did not see the ending coming. Loveable characters. Definitely recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book.

I love a good murder mystery. I love a good YA novel. This was both of those things, and I am very happy to have gotten to read it.

While Kennedy is our leading lady, she is flanked almost always by her best friend, Ravi. Together, they are a twenty-first century Holmes and Watson — they benefit by being modern and much more diverse. I think they are more likeable than the originals, as well, especially Ravi. I would love to have a best friend like him.

I really, really liked this book. There was a moment midway through I was worried about the pacing of the book. It felt a little slow, like it was a little bit dragging, and I can’t tell you the moment when, but I kept reading and all my worries were forgotten. The twist and the red herrings! I was thrilled. It was a good mystery and I didn’t see the end coming! (Although, playing the littlest bit of the devil’s advocate, I never see a twist coming unless it’s plainly clear and obvious).

I think this book presents exactly what it offers in the summary: a girl who idolises Sherlock Holmes, and her best friend as Watson beside her. They fall into their mystery and they do their best to solve it. There was nothing extremely profound to find, and I will say I’m not sure there will be anything that sticks with me for too long, but I did enjoy reading this and I would suggest it.

I would definitely read another book by Thrace.

3.25 stars / 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick fun YA mystery. Content warning-mention of suicide and drug use.

I feel there was a good amount of diverse rep in this book also. The main character, Kennedy, is asexual. Her best friend- The Watson to her Sherlock if you will- is mentioned as having brown skin and hints at being nervous to make the police mad when they go to speak to them at one point in the story. Kennedy's younger sister had an accident and is now a paraplegic. The disability rep was awesome. I almost forgot she was paraplegic until it would be mentioned in passing- talking about her wheelchair being removed from the car or something like that.

The actual story was mainly told in Kennedy's point of view but a few chapters were told from the perspective of the killer. That formatting can be annoying sometimes but with this book it really helped me become invested in the mystery. Every time I read a chapter about the killer I would make new guesses about who it was. Let me tell you- I was way off. I was kept guessing until the very end which is always impressive for a thriller.

The reason this is four stars is because the end seemed rushed and a little to convenient. I'm mot disappointed in it persay but I just think it was lacking something.

Overall though I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend to fans of Kara Thomas or just YA thrillers of any kind really.

Bury the Lead is thrilling and gripping ride that promises to keep you up all night, with and ending that has you holding your breath for answers! Kennedy is an aspiring journalist and, together with her best friend Ravi, has the mission of uncovering the truth about her small town's senior curse. Through the objectivity of an investigative journalist, Kennedy realizes that, sometimes, the danger is closer than you think.

Mischa Thrace's writing style is easy to read, but compelling at the same time. Kennedy's determination and passion for journalism is clearly demonstrated throughout the book and the book dives into important issues such as suicide, love and journalistic objectivity and sensationalism. Being a Communications student myself, with a few journalism classes, it was interesting to see the journalistic part of it all, particularly the part about objectivity and immortalizing the moment in spite of other people's pain. It is an amazing book, with well developed characters and a rich plot. Even though I did figure out the *whodunnit* a little before the end, I don't think it is predictable and it has you guessing almost until the end. Overall, this was a 5/5 star reading for me and I will definitely check out more of Thrace's books!

*This is an ARC. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a copy of this title. All opinions are honest and my own.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Bury the Lead by Mischa Thrace is one of those mystery books where every chapter ends on a cliffhanger and once you start reading, it’s almost impossible to stop. There were a ton of twists and turns in the plot, and Thrace’s dual narratives between our main character, Kennedy Carter, and the antagonist was a powerful way to set the scene and introduce the reader to the origin story of the killer. There were definitely some false trails, and I will say that Thrace kept me guessing up until the end as to who the bad guy was and what his or her motives were for committing the murders.

I also want to draw attention to all of the Sherlock Holmes references this book has, as well as the diverse cast of characters. Kennedy outright states that she is asexual, and her best friend Ravi is alluded to being pansexual. It’s wonderful to see this type of representation in a YA book, and Kennedy and Ravi’s unwavering friendship will endear them to any reader who’s ever had a best friend growing up.

I will say that there was one or two kisses shared in this book, as well as the utterance of several swear words, but nothing worse than what you would see or hear in an actual high school setting.

The stakes were high and the game was afoot. Bury the Lead by Mischa Thrace is a book that I throughly enjoyed and one that readers won’t want to miss.

I received an electronic copy of this book via Netgalley and the publisher, opinions are my own.

The wonderful duo composed of Kennedy Carter and Ravi Burman will be your favorite mystery duo after the iconic Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Their banter and their overall dynamic made the reading experience extremely fun. It will remind you of your favorite mystery partnership. I wasn't honestly expecting a romantic development between the two. But I enjoyed seeing the slight conversations between the two about possible romantic struggles with Kennedy being ace. The way they were both mature about it was really refreshing to see since not many authors do asexual people justice.

Bringing the sights to the actual mystery aspect, I loved how Kennedy would try to use typical Sherlock Holmes techniques to solve the crime. I'm a huge Sherlock Holmes fan so any homage I see definitely makes me smile. The mystery plotline was fun to follow and the conclusion made sense. I will have to say that I did predict who was the murderer before the ending. But the reasoning for the killings was a nice twist. I was not expecting that story.

Overall, this story has two great protagonists, many Sherlock Holmes references, and a solid mystery plot.

Thank you Netgalley, BHC Press, and Mischa Trace for the arc.

CW: suicide, reference to teen corpses, murder

Thank you to NetGalley and BHC Press for an advanced electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Kennedy is a budding journalist, and she is determined to tell important stories. Alongside her best friend Ravi, she creates a project for her journalism class to memorialize the entire school, and also do some research on the curse that plagues her school. So, when a popular classmate goes missing, people are left questioning, has the curse struck yet again? But there may be more hiding than an urban legend....

Kennedy and Ravi are a great duo, and I loved the asexual rep. I also found it to be similar to "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" by Holly Jackson, which was great! The twist was a bit surprising, and I have some feelings about it that I can't share without giving spoilers, so read this book and get back to me! It publishes on June 10th, 2021!

I really enjoyed this book - I was on the edge of my seat as I got closer & closer to the finish. I loved the interactions between Kennedy & Ravi - I thought they were a good pairing in their friendship & journalistic relationships. I was guessing all the way to the end!

This book had me at “Sherlock Holmes” and “urban legend” and I raced to request an arc. I love thrillers in general but I think that I’ll always be a sucker for YA murder mysteries with badass female leads in particular! When the author started out the book by dedicating it to “all the Sherlockians who dream of having their own mystery to solve” I knew that I was going to be in for a FUN ride.

No lull or slow start here; this book dives straight in with mention of a town curse within the first ten percent of the book. What I also loved was that this book got into the head of the killer every couple chapters with the “making of a monster” chapters, which are italicized chapters diving into the head of the killer before we even know their identity. I was racing through this book because I just HAD to know how it ended.


“It’s the story about a little boy, one who grew up in a world that ground him down. It’s the origin story of a monster.”


This book gets straight to the point without taking 100 extra unnecessary pages to set up the story (my biggest book pet peeve) which my short attention span and tendency to get easily bored REALLY APPRECIATED! This book jumps right into the action with just enough setup for you to be satisfied, no unnecessary filler pages in the first half like a good majority of books I read seem to be filled with.

I absolutely loved the main character Kennedy; she has a fighting spirit and tongue in cheek attitude that reminds me a lot of Cammie from Ally Carter’s Gallagher Girls series (another favorite of mine). Kennedy reminded me of a mix of Nancy Drew and Cammie Morgan and I’m here for it! This book takes off running and I was never bored once (and this is coming from someone with a short attention span). I recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers and murder mysteries, especially if you’re looking to be pulled out of a reading slump. Also, this book talks about doughnuts a lot and will make you want a doughnut really bad, so make sure you have some on hand before starting this or else you’ll be laying in bed at 10:30 at night reading this on your kindle app, sad because you don’t have any doughnuts. Pro tip.

Thank you to Netgalley and BHC press for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.

Looking for a YA mystery read? Look no further and read this bad boy!
WoW I haven't read a book as fast as I just did this one! Awesome!
Literally everything about it was amazing. Writing, characters, setting, plot the ending!
My favorite though has to be the way this was written. I absolutely loved it!
This was my first time reading from this author and sure isn't going to be my last!
Thank You NetGalley, BHC Press & Author for this gifted advanced e~arc.

I loved this! I have difficulty a lot of time with YA because the dialogue doesn't feel natural, but Thrace really embodied the teen voice. I easily fell into the friendship between the main character and her best friend, nothing about it felt forced. The reveal didn't feel forced, we knew a lot of the information already and there wasn't the long, drawn-out repetitive explanation (much appreciated). Will definitely be looking for more of Thrace!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC of this book.

This book was so endearing. The end was very predictable, but the first 75% was fun and cute and I breezed through. It took me multiple days to get through the first 10% of the book, which I found slow-moving, but once I did, I finished the rest of the book in a day. It was so darn cute and reminds me of the Saturday Morning Cartoon Filmore--they solved crimes around the school too-- though these characters are a bit more mature. I fully recommend this and would potentially read it again too!

A gripping and well written story, full of twists and turns.
Well thought characters, an interesting plot full of twists and turns. The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I loved this book so much. It was so interesting and I really liked Kennedy and Ravi being modern day, high school Sherlock Holmes and Watson respectively. Such a great mystery.

Run, don't walk to grab a copy of Bury the Lead. This young adult mystery/thriller follows two friends (Kennedy and Ravi) and they work to uncover information about their town's urban legend and a recent murder. This is one of the best young adult books that I've read so far this year! Looking forward to reading more books by Mischa Thrace.

I loved the diversity in this one. An asexual main character as well as a well rounded disabled character. Her disability wasnt her character, she actually had a personality. I think this book will definitely be a hit and this will be a new crime duo that everyone will want more of!

Happy publication week! Kennedy Carter, a high-schooler aspiring to be an investigative reporter, considers herself to be the modern-day Sherlock Holmes. She is determined to win a journalism scholarship to escape her her small town and explore the world. Paired with her best friend, Kennedy sets on a quest to solve a local curse that quickly turns into a murder investigation.

This is the kind of representation that I now expect to see in books. There was a diverse set of characters experiencing a broad arrange of emotion about teenage life. It was realistic and I loved it! YA mysteries can be hit or miss but I really enjoyed this one. I was actually shocked by the ending and did not see it coming. I think this book is definitely for readers of Good Girls Guide to Murder and The Nightswim.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC!

This was a cute, fast read. The denouement was a little implausible, but that's just fine. Overall, it was a fun book.

Oh my god I loved this so much. It is reminiscent of one of my favourite series (Good Girl's Guide to Murder), but it has an asexual main character!! This book has a great mystery, characters I adored, and such lovely rep for both asexuality and disabilities. I loved this book. Also!! I love Sherlock Holmes, but I rarely encounter books where the Sherlock and Watson are done right. This one did it great, and bonus- you never find books with a female Sherlock type, and the ones you do are not that good (excluding Enola Holmes but that's a little different), so I really appreciated this one. Overall I just can't get over how much I loved this.

This is the first book I read from this author and it was a very interesting read. It’s un unconventional murder mystery with very unique Characters. It’s was also really well written and kept me guessing until the end. I’d recommend this book for Sherlock Holmes fans.

I enjoyed this tremendously!
So growing up my grandfather would share a Sherlock Holmes radio show as well as read me snippets about it so I am now a Sherlock Holmes fan so this was right up my alley!
Now that the main character is obsessed with Sherlock Holmes that was like icing on the cake for me lol. The story follows Kennedy who is an ace detective and she is using the Sherlocks techniques to try and solve a trend of teens that were dead and missing dating back to her high school. Other than some of the characters could have been more brought out like explained more of a background and such I think the author did a spectacular job with this story! It was well written and while I dont think Kennedy is on par with Sherlock she knew how to get the information that she needed. Although Kennedy was the narrator and main character I seriously loved Ravi! Kennedy's inner monologue about Ravi was kinda weird like she was trying to convince herself she didn't like him more lol but overall I think that this book was pretty good. Mysteries can be a hit or a miss and this one was more on the hit side! I enjoyed it a lot! Now if you are a diehard Sherlock fan then this probably isn't for you but if you do love a good mystery then this one should be your next read! I am excited to see what the author will come up with next!

Perfect. Amazing. Just utterly wonderful. I love Sherlock Holmes retellings, and this was no exception. The banter, and fun dynamic of our Sherlock/Watson duo was amazing.
I loved the ace representation.
I just all around loved this book!

This was an interesting mystery with enjoyable characters. Interesting and well paced. Would recommend to those who love a fun mystery novel.