I Killed Zoe Spanos by Kit Frick

Anna Cicconi is going to spend her summer laying low. She's been hired as a nanny in tiny Herron Mills for the summer, which means a break from the city and a break from the hard partying she's used to. But when she arrives, the locals are a little strange. Turns out Anna resembles a girl who'd gone missing around New Year's.

Anna is curious about the girl and the case, which has been profiled by a local teen on a podcast. There's been no clue as to the whereabouts of the girl and plenty of speculation about who could have had a hand in her disappearance. Most would prefer to believe she simply ran away. But the longer Anna is in Herron Mills, the more things start to seem familiar. How could she know intimate details of the town if she's never been there? And why is she having dreams about the missing girl?

I know I've mentioned it many times, but I am a sucker for a Rebecca inspired tale! Kit Frick's latest is not only a Rebecca inspired story, but there's a house that's absolutely inspired by Grey Gardens! Bonus :)

So Anna has, as a habit, been drinking a lot and blacking out. She knows the behavior is problematic and she also knows that it's encouraged by her best friend. So a break from her hometown and a job that, at least in part, inspires her to behave better are exactly what she needs so that she can head off to college in good form.

But then she finds out about Zoe.

Zoe is a local teen who's been missing since December. And Anna apparently looks like her. Which is actually part of why she got the job in the first place! And is weird for Anna, to say the least.

It's also the reason she gets interested in the podcast about Zoe's disappearance. But, her interest goes a bit too far and, as we find out in the opening chapter of the book, she ends up being arrested after confessing to playing a part in Zoe's death.

What?!

The book alternates between then and now—Anna's arrival in Herron Mills at the beginning of the summer and Anna's confession and arrest in August. The book is race to bring those two timelines together, leading the reader down a path that begins with Anna arriving in a town she's never been to for the very first time and ends with a shocking explanation to the mystery at hand.

I read this one during the spring (ahem, winter junior in Colorado) and absolutely loved this little bit of summer vacation in the midst of the still cold and dreary weather we were having.

I really liked the mystery and the way that it unfolded. And I appreciated the fact that while it was easy to see the undertones of Rebecca, Frick actually didn't simply retell the classic at all.

I Killed Zoe Spanos is a fun outing. The pacing is great and the plot is engaging; a fun summer mystery for any time of year!

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