Trigger warnings: Murder

4/10, this was the first crime novel that I read, and wow did it disappoint so where do I begin with this? The main character, Rose, was not enjoyable to read at all because she was just so annoying and kept shouting all of the time and she did this so much that I nearly wanted to put this book down and give it a DNF but I pushed on hoping that it would get better. It didn't. There were two mysteries that sounded intriguing but they both let me down, the first one was Rose's parents' disappearance and that mystery didn't get anywhere and the second one was when two students were murdered, Rose eventually found the killer but she ruined the evidence by touching it so now no one knows who had the evidence of the murders, how dumb of a move is that. All the other characters weren't that really fleshed out either so I couldn't even care for any of them even if some of them died. This is just book one of a four book series but my library does not have the other three books in the series and I'm doubting that they'll even get them considering how old and obscure this series is. If you like crime novels try The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes instead of this novel. ( )

When Rose was twelve, her mother and stepfather went out for dinner and never came back. Now seventeen, she lives with her grandmother and goes to school in London. She’s always wondered about her stepbrother, Joshua, whom she only lived with briefly and who was also relocated after their parents’ disappearance. When Rose and Joshua meet again, they find they have much in common, including a desire to uncover the mystery surrounding their parents’ disappearance . . . and a mutual attraction to each other. But when Rose witnesses the murders of not one but two of her classmates, she must uncover who is behind these violent crimes. And when she and Joshua discover that a much larger conspiracy is underway, both of their lives will be in danger. ( )

Author: Anne Cassidy
Published By: Walker and Company
Age Recommend: YA
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 4

Review:

"Dead Time" by Anne Cassidy was a good YA mystery series 'The Murder Notebooks #1 .....setting in London that was during the common law marriages...bringing to life... the siblings.... Rose who was 12 and her step brother Joshua was 14. Rose's mother and Joshua's father went out to dinner and simply never returned. What happened to them? Rose and Joshua separate and then later after Joshua attends the university where Rose now 17 lives with her grandmother. They are now trying to form a relationship that proves to have become complicated. Roses has excepted what the officials had said of her mothers death but Joshua hasn't and continues to investigate which causes problems for Rose. On top of this Rose witness another murder and she takes off to find the killer her her classmate not knowing that there would be a lick to the disappearance of her parents. Now this mystery takes off and this is where I say You must pick up "Dead Time" to see how this will all turn out. I found it quite interesting read and I did like the third person narrative that helped keep things quite a mystery. The characters were all really interesting... especially Henry and Skeggsie.

If you are looking for some mystery, intrigue and danger you have come to the right place..."Dead Time" will give you all of this and I would recommend this novel to you as a good YA read. ( )

Book One of a new young adult mystery series, Dead Time is set in London featuring common law step siblings Rose and Joshua. Five years ago, Rose’s mother and Josh’s went out to dinner and never returned. Separated, Rose and Joshua have had little contact in that time but now Josh is in London attending university where Rose lives with her grandmother and attends college but renewing their relationship is proving complicated. While Rose accepted the official explanation for her mothers death, Josh has never stopped trying to trace their last movements and his continued investigation opens old wounds for Rose. When Rose unknowingly witnesses the murder of a college classmate she becomes embroiled in a mystery that only deepens when another murder occurs. Lacking confidence in the police after her own experiences Rose is determined to find the killer of her classmates, only to discover a link to the mystery of her own parents disappearance.

Tagged The Murder Notebooks, Dead Time features two murders in which Rose becomes involved first as a witness and then as an amateur sleuth as she grows frustrated with the lack of progress by police. I really liked how Cassidy handled these two separate but related cases, there are interesting misdirects and twists that are credible and they resolve satisfactorily. With the help of Joshua and his flat mate Skeggsie, Rose slowly puts the pieces together to solve the murder of Emma but not without making some foolish mistakes that may allow the murderer to get away with it.
The fate of Kathy, Rose’s mother, and Brendan, Joshua’s father will obviously be the mystery that runs through the series. It’s an interesting one and some progress is made throughout the book but its clear there won’t be answers any time soon.
While I thought the plot of Dead Time strong and intriguing, I am not very fond of Rose and it impacted on my enjoyment of the novel. Her history affords he some leeway but her manner is abrupt, she is antagonist towards everyone and I had to keep reminding myself she is seventeen because her behaviour is more like a petulant and spoiled fourteen year old. I wasn’t entirely convinced that Rose would care enough to involve herself in Emma’s murder and her choice to not share major evidence with the police was frustrating. Though Rose does suffer some consequences for her decision, which I was glad of, when she chose to do the same thing a second time I lost patience with her.
Luckily I found Joshua much more likeable, he is far more easygoing than Rose, despite his obsession with his fathers disappearance. I hope that he has a larger role in upcoming sequels. Josh’s flatmate Skeggsie also is a surprisingly strong character. I liked that he refused to put up with Rose’s attitude and that he has a practical and supportive role throughout the story rather than be relegated to a convenience.

Apart from the likes of Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew, I don’t remember any young adult mysteries being available when I was a teenager so I appreciate that the mystery genre is finding a place in today’s market. While I didn’t enjoy Dead Time as much as I hoped, mainly because of Rose’s abrasive character, the series does have potential and I hope Anne Cassidy builds it successfully. ( )

GoodReads Synopsis: When Rose was twelve, her mother and stepfather went out for dinner and never came back. Now seventeen, she lives with her grandmother and goes to school in London. She’s always wondered about her stepbrother, Joshua, whom she only lived with briefly and who was also relocated after their parents’ disappearance. When Rose and Joshua meet again, they find they have much in common, including a desire to uncover the mystery surrounding their parents’ disappearance . . . and a mutual attraction to each other. But when Rose witnesses the murders of not one but two of her classmates, she must uncover who is behind these violent crimes. And when she and Joshua discover that a much larger conspiracy is underway, both of their lives will be in danger. From international bestseller Anne Cassidy, this first in a fastpaced and romantic new mystery series will keep readers guessing.

My Thoughts: This book was different…not quite sure how to describe it.

Rose is stuck dealing with the murders of two classmates. Because she is the seemingly common denominator in both cases, she feels reluctantly forced into finding answers. At the same time her “step-brother” Joshua enters the picture.

Joshua’s Dad and Rose’s Mom were never married even though all four of them lived together as a family. Joshua’s Dad, Brendan, and Rose’s Mom, Kathy, disappeared one night five years earlier leaving no trace. While Rose has moved on, Joshua has not. Joshua has and is doing anything and everything to find any hint of what happened to Brendan and Kathy.

So, we, the reader, are stuck in the midst of 3 mysteries. One is solved and closed by the police, one is not, and there are clues pointing toward the trail of the third. This book has a lot going on, least of which is romance! But the references, above, to romance are a bit misleading. We get the feeling like Rose might be attracted to Joshua but that’s about all we get. Plus the seeming interest of a couple of other characters in Rose.

We learn so little about Rose and Joshua. They don’t seem to be fully formed. We see tiny glimpses of them before the parents disappeared, but really don’t know anything about them. We know they were miserable while they were apart, but why didn’t they keep in touch? Joshua was able to contact Rose when he moved to London, why not sooner? It was the little things about this book that bothered me.

There is a rather large cliffhanger that will bring me back for more…I’m just hoping that story will be a bit more concise and the characters will be more developed. ( )