REVIEW #128: Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Title: Ten
Author: Gretchen McNeil
Publisher: Balzer & Bray
Release Date: September 18th 2012
Pages: Hardcover, 304 pages
Source: Library

Summary from Goodreads:
SHHHH!
Don't spread the word!
Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island.
You do NOT want to miss it.

It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury.

But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine.

Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?

Ten was a crazy fun, thrilling read. The suspense and mystery had me flying through the pages. Even the cover is creepy and sets the mood!

Things I thought I disliked: the predictability of the story. The whole time I was leaning towards one or two people and thought for sure I had it. In my opinion, predictability in a mystery thriller is a bad thing. But then, out of nowhere, the ending changed my mind. So there really wasn’t anything I strongly disliked, the only thing that bugged me was the stereotypical  high school roles each person had.

Things I loved: the suspense and the mystery. There is no shortage of murders. The ending just blew my mind. I wasn’t expecting that! McNeil also takes the time to resolve and explain the cause and method to all the murders. She also adds humor to the situations; the characters verbally acknowledge the things I was thinking. For example: when someone suggests that the group split up, a comment is made “that is what people in horror movies do, and die!”

I definitely recommend Ten if you are in the mood for a murder mystery thriller. Ten reminds me a bit of the older TV show Harper’s Island.  I will say if you are not ok with murder mysteries and not a fan of scary books/movies I would stay away from Ten.