Welcome to a Teen Tuesdays Book Talk! Today's featured book: "#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil.
In the near future, the criminal justice system is bought out by a reality TV mogul known as The Postman. The Postman brings in convicted felons to live in a quaint neighborhood on an island known as Alcatraz 2.0. These felons have jobs, homes, and social lives, but there is a twist:
Cameras watch their every move.
And they could be killed, live on television, at any given moment.
The serial killers in charge of killing these inmates are all unique in their own ways: Barbaric Barista, Gucci Hangman, DIYnona, Chef Hannah Ball, etc, and their killings are all elaborately themed according to their name and style. And the fans love it.
Alcatraz 2.0 has a huge fan following, and ratings drive the show. Social media comments fill the sidebar, and fans even gamble on who will be taken out by a particular killer.
When Dee Guerrera wakes up in Prince Slycer's maze on Alcatraz 2.0, she knows she didn't kill her sister. The trial went way too quickly to even be considered legal. What is she doing here?
Dee's past comes back to haunt her as she and some allies team up to stop The Postman and fight to stay alive. Maybe Dee can even solve her sister's murder.
Callie's Opinion: This book had an interesting concept of the "future" of criminal justice system. People were so quick to justify the killings just because they felt the inmates deserved it...but not all of the inmates were even guilty! If you take it at face value, even with its silly parts (Barbaric Barista had a man bun and killed by throwing exploding frisbee golf discs, for example), it is an enjoyable read. Some scenes were gruesome, while others were just ridiculous and unreal. This book was similar to The Hunger Games, The Running Man, and The Purge, mixed with Big Brother and the Saw franchise.
#MurderTrending by Gretchen McNeil is available in our library's catalog and is also available on the free OverDrive app!