The Water Tower by Amy Young Book Review

About the Book:

Josie Ashbury was a successful Hollywood actress with a booming career—until an on-set breakdown sends her back to her small Ohio hometown to recover. Taking a job teaching at her old high school, Josie is beginning to put the pieces of her life back together when one of her students dies under suspicious circumstances. The police close the case quickly, without any real answers. Josie is determined to find the truth behind the girl's death.

At the same time, Josie is battling demons of her own. As she faces debilitating insomnia that leaves her with gaps in her memory, she dives into the tangled secrets surrounding the investigation. When she finally unravels the web, she discovers that the truth lies much closer to home than she could have ever imagined. 

My Review:

This is a pretty good mystery that combines elements of a regular mystery plot with some mental issues. I like that Josie has to become an amateur sleuth after the police department succumbs to pressure and closes the case prematurely. It is typical small town politics.

The characters were drawn rather well. We get a good sense of Josie's troubles and the reason she left a successful acting career. The villain was no surprise as I had anticipated the individual early on. As for the plot, the tension builds slowly and methodically yet I was surprised at the suspense near the end.

This is a good debut effort and I enjoyed it so I will be looking for the next one from Young.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

Amy Young is an author, comedian, and actor based in Cleveland. After spending a decade in Los Angeles working in the entertainment industry and writing her debut novel, The Water Tower, she returned to Ohio to be closer to family.

Amy is working on her second book, a thriller, and in her free time she enjoys going to the theatre, bingeing reality TV, and spending time with her husband and many, many cats. She has a B.A. in English from Kenyon College. You can find out more at https://authoramyyoung.com/. 

Level Best Books, 250 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)