Eileen Cook is an author of novels published in eight languages. Cook regularly speaks at many writing conferences throughout the USA and Canada. She has written multiple YA books and is an instructor for The Writing Institute at Simon Fraser University. Her newest book, WITH MALICE, is a young adult mystery/thriller.
 
Eighteen-year-old Jill Charron wakes up in a hospital room, leg in a cast, stitches in her face and a big blank canvas where the last six weeks should be. She comes to discover she was involved in a fatal accident while on a school trip in Italy three days earlier, but was jetted home by her affluent father in order to receive quality care --- care that includes a lawyer and a press team. Because maybe the accident...wasn’t an accident. Wondering not just what happened but what she did, Jill tries to piece together the events of the past six weeks before she loses her thin hold on her once-perfect life. Two friends, an exotic foreign location, the potential for revenge and jealousy and an accident that looks like it might have been murder. It didn’t matter what the truth was --- what mattered was that it was fun to talk about.

“[WITH MALICE is] an intriguing mystery that will make you want to read it in one sitting.”

I will start of by saying I really enjoyed WITH MALICE. It was an intriguing mystery that will make you want to read it in one sitting. It had alternating chapters where every other chapter would be about Jill and the other’s would be evidence for the case. I loved how it alternated perspectives and let you slowly put the pieces together. The whole mystery part didn’t seem that unique for me and I guessed the twist from the beginning, but that didn’t ruin the book for me. I still thought it was good. I can see how a lot of people might not like the ending as it was a little convenient, but I actually did. I think that WITH MALICE achieved exactly what it needed to in order to make it a worthwhile read. The book was not very long, which I think worked with the story, because I wouldn’t be in suspense any longer.

I would recommend this to people who haven’t read a ton of mystery books, because if you have, you will probably guess the twist. WITH MALICE is perfect for people who maybe want to try out the mystery genre and are not sure if they like it. Overall, this was an entertaining story that I enjoyed reading and would pick up again!