Inspired by Rebecca, I Killed Zoe Spanos is a story about secrets that won’t stay buried. Alternating between Then and Now, I Killed Zoe Spanos unravels the disappearance and the way Anna bares an uncanny resemblance to Zoe. Keep reading this review of I Killed Zoe Spanos if you want a great summer thriller recommendation.
Summary
What happened to Zoe won’t stay buried…
When Anna Cicconi arrives to the small Hamptons village of Herron Mills for a summer nanny gig, she has high hopes for a fresh start. What she finds instead is a community on edge after the disappearance of Zoe Spanos, a local girl who has been missing since New Year’s Eve. Anna bears an eerie resemblance to Zoe, and her mere presence in town stirs up still-raw feelings about the unsolved case. As Anna delves deeper into the mystery, stepping further and further into Zoe’s life, she becomes increasingly convinced that she and Zoe are connected—and that she knows what happened to her.
Two months later, Zoe’s body is found in a nearby lake, and Anna is charged with manslaughter. But Anna’s confession is riddled with holes, and Martina Green, teen host of the Missing Zoe podcast, isn’t satisfied. Did Anna really kill Zoe? And if not, can Martina’s podcast uncover the truth?
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from Edelweiss. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Having only heard about Rebecca when going through a Daphne du Maurier phase, I can tell you that I Killed Zoe Spanos has all the touches I was expecting. The suspense, similar twists, and the question of reliability. You definitely don’t have to have read Rebecca, because I Killed Zoe Spanos is a thrilling contemporary. Mixing podcasts, questions of authenticity and memories, and an elite world of privilege, I Killed Zoe Spanos is a gripping read.
Anna is thrown headfirst not only into a world of privilege and country clubs, but a community that seem to all be hiding some sort of secret from her. Why do they keep giving her looks when they think she can’t see? And why do people keep calling her Zoe? I loved how I Killed Zoe Spanos combines all the things I love in a mystery – thrills, intrigue, and suspense – with the podcast episodes and readers who don’t know who to believe. The Then and Now perspective allows the readers to see how things unfolded, to dwell on memories, and have moments of the past uncovered.
Frick also allows us to see pieces of the world and both Zoe and Anna’s story from other perspectives. It heightens this sense of mystery as we realize that other characters also notice the same holes and inconsistencies as we do. I read I Killed Zoe Spanos in a day because I was so immersed in the story. I anticipated some of the twists and turns, but others totally shocked me. It’s perfect for fans of thrillers and those who want a summer read!
Find I Killed Zoe Spanos on Goodreads, Amazon, Indiebound, Bookshop.org & The Book Depository.