Going to a class reunion can be intimidating for someone who was not among the popular clique at school and who has not fulfilled his or her ambitions: Not married, no children, no fabulous career.
Aspiring mystery writer Jennifer Marsh reluctantly agreed to go to her high school reunion, twelve years after her graduation. A couple of days earlier, she received a note from Danny Buckner, her date from their senior prom (who abandoned her in a car in the parking lot when one of his buddies knocked at the window) saying he heard she knew a private detective and wanted to talk with her about something at the reunion. Just as they began talking (and she did not want to have whatever discussion he wanted), he was called away by the same person who had interrupted their prom date.
Not only did Danny not return, his body was found in a car in the parking lot. His death was ruled suicide caused by carbon monoxide pouring into the closed vehicle. Danny’s wife, Sheena, who had caused quite a stir at the prom and during their high school years because she was extremely jealous of Jennifer and possessive of Danny, was convinced he had been murdered.
Jennifer suspected Danny’s death was related to the sudden disappearance of Jimmy Mitchell, another student who disappeared Prom night. Jennifer hoped he had just taken off and was living somewhere else but no one, including his family and friends, ever heard from him again.
Jennifer, her journalist boyfriend Sam Culpepper, and her writing group friends all get involved in trying to find out what happened to Danny, especially when other classmates also are threatened or disappear.
Interesting comment: “Jennifer’s mother had always told her, ‘When you see someone mistreating someone else, don’t think you’re immune. You have that person as a friend and they’ll get around to you eventually.’”
An obscure reference by Leigh Ann, one of the writing group members, reads, “‘You can do it.’ As though she were Bela Karolyi coaching Kerri Strug through that last great vault at the summer Olympics in Atlanta. Kerri had done it and done it perfectly, but at a price.” I had to look that one up and it’s appropriate.
DYING TO REMEMBER was a quick, mostly satisfying read. Much of it is predictable. The story flowed well with very little mental repetition. The characters have individual and identifiable personalities. I found the chapters to be too short but many authors seem to be doing that more frequently lately. All in all, a good summer read. ( )