And Then There Were Four

Do yourself a favor and DON'T read the synopsis.

4.5 Stars. So interesting and twisty-- took a while for me to get used to Saralinda's voice in her chapters, but once I did, I was HOOKED. I'm adding it to my YA Mystery recommendation list.

When I first started this book I wasn't sure-- I mean, it's over 400 pages and getting used to the voice the characters narrate in didn't come natural. BUT-- I flew through this book. Once I got used to the way Saralinda thinks inside her head, it was smooth sailing.

So, Saralinda-- she's our main character. The one you root for. But the girl doesn't like commas. Her sentences just run and run and run, and sometimes it was hard for me to figure out what the heck she was getting at. She definitely show more blabbers-- a lot. It took some getting used to, but once I did, I was fine, and she grew on me.

Next we have Caleb. He narrates the other half of the book and does it in second person, so it also takes getting used to because of the change. Caleb was interesting because he didn't trust himself, therefor, I didn't trust him-- and you have to have untrustworthy people in a mystery!!

I think the reason I clicked with this book so much was that I didn't read the synopsis very closely, so I didn't know where the story was headed. I don't know why they decided to tell the first big twist in the summary, and I think had I known that twist, I wouldn't have been so intrigued. You see, the first big twist was what made this book interesting. And not knowing it was coming was what hooked me.

There is a little bit of a drop-off in the middle of the book-- but then it picks right back up-- and there is a little bit of teenage romance that I didn't think was necessary (I mean, do we need everyone to have a romantic interest??), but I still super recommend this book to mystery-lovers out there, because the mystery was twisty and fun to unravel!!

OVERALL: After I got used to the narration, I was INTO this book. I'm a slow reader and I finished this FAST. I totally recommend it-- but don't read the Goodreads or jacket summary (it's sort of spoilery). Just know it's about 5 kids who are being targeted for an unknown reason.

My Blog:
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And Then There Were Four is the story of a group of 5 teenagers trying to figure out who tried to kill them. Before long, the group is down to four, and the need to figure out who is out to get them drives them to do things they never would have under normal circumstances. Some parts of the plot are pretty contrived, but the climax makes the contrivances negligible. The characters are fleshed out and complex. Their backgrounds are presented in way that doesn’t disrupt the flow of the story, and their development is well-done. The narrative is told from the first person point of view of Saralinda, and the 2nd person of Caleb. While the 2nd person POV was a bit of a struggle for me, reading Saralinda’s parts was frustrating at times. show more Apparently she thinks without the benefit of punctuation. I understand the author was trying to make her “sound” contemporary, but I feel anyone who reads this book a year or more from now will be confused by her language patterns.
Technical stuff aside, I enjoyed this book on a very basic level. Given the opportunity, I probably would have read it in one sitting. It’s the kind of book I would have sought out and loved as an early teenager.
I would recommend this book to teenagers 14 and older who enjoy books with action and kids who solve their own problems. show less

I have to agree, this was indeed a page turner. It started off with a bang and it was one event after another until our four characters started putting the pieces together. It got really thrilling at certain moments of the book and even you are left wondering what the heck is going on and you’re feeling just as lost and confused as the characters.

The plot itself in general was all right. Be prepared for some predictable scenes. It didn’t bother me as much as it was expected but there were plenty of moments in the book where you were blindsided with surprise which makes up for some of the predictability.

The characters were well done and complimented each other as a group despite each one having their differences. The narration done show more throughout the novel is by Caleb and Saralinda. Both characters are likable to an extent. I prefer reading Caleb’s side of the story instead of Saralinda only because she got annoying towards the second half of the novel. I thought she was trying too hard to be the happy nerdy girl with the forceful jokes. (You certainly CANNOT be thinking of first kisses and romance while you have the police and your murderous parents after you...seriously now?)

The read was all right. Some thrilling moments here and there and an ending that’s enough to close the story. Would I recommend this? Not really. I’d say more along the lines of: take it or leave it. show less

And Then There Were Four is the story of a group of 5 teenagers trying to figure out who tried to kill them. Before long, the group is down to four, and the need to figure out who is out to get them drives them to do things they never would have under normal circumstances. Some parts of the plot are pretty contrived, but the climax makes the contrivances negligible. The characters are fleshed out and complex. Their backgrounds are presented in way that doesn’t disrupt the flow of the story, and their development is well-done. The narrative is told from the first person point of view of Saralinda, and the 2nd person of Caleb. While the 2nd person POV was a bit of a struggle for me, reading Saralinda’s parts was frustrating at times. show more Apparently she thinks without the benefit of punctuation. I understand the author was trying to make her “sound” contemporary, but I feel anyone who reads this book a year or more from now will be confused by her language patterns.
Technical stuff aside, I enjoyed this book on a very basic level. Given the opportunity, I probably would have read it in one sitting. It’s the kind of book I would have sought out and loved as an early teenager.
I would recommend this book to teenagers 14 and older who enjoy books with action and kids who solve their own problems. show less

AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR by Nancy Werlin
Five misfit teens at a private school find each other at a “Leaders Meetings”. When one of them dies, the fun begins. Are their parents really trying to kill them all??? Why??? Who can they trust? Who is behind all the mysterious happenings? Not a lot of character development except for the two characters that narrate, but the premise is intriguing. The action, after a somewhat slow start, is fast paced and for the most part the plot hangs together well.
The author shows a good understanding of teens. The tension builds to a good climax. Altogether a quick, fast, engaging read teens will love and adults will also find interesting.
4 of 5 stars

Five teens receive an email to meet in an abandoned carriage house. It is a dark and stormy night (sorry, couldn't resist) and the ceiling collapses on them. Luckily, one of the boys, Caleb, is in an area that isn't impacted and helps the others escape. As they catch their breath later they wonder about who had sent the text and whether the collapse was an accident.

This was a spin on the old movie Strangers on a Train, where a number of parents/guardians collude to bump off their kids. Will they be able to stay alive? Who is ultimately behind the plan?

I didn't finish this novel; I got about half way through. I love Nancy Werlin's books, so I think I just wasn't in the mood for this novel. I think a lot of tweens and teens will like it because of the suspense.