Reviews
 

Reviews for WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE

Richie's Picks

From Richie's Picks:
“With WHAT HAPPENED TO CASS MCBRIDE Gail Giles has penned the most powerful book of her career. A suspenseful, psychological thriller. . .that’d kept me up until the early hours the night before.
“With the pinpoint accuracy of a brain surgeon, Gail Giles deftly probes the lives and minds of Cass and Kyle along with that of the four parents who have so much to do with the places that Cass, Kyle, and David have ended up.

“. . .for me, it’s a dark thrill of a read that may not be topped for a long time to come.


PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY (Starred review)

...the dialogue between Cass and Kyle, and
their thoughts, make for compelling reading. The two teens must 
confront some unpleasant truths about themselves and the events that
 led to David's suicide, and they also come to a better understanding of
 each other. Giles does a terrific job of creating two well-rounded 
characters, and of withholding the outcome of Cass's fate until the very
 end. Readers will be riveted.


VOYA  5Q5P
...the grisly subject matter compels, and the need to know Cass's destiny-life or death-will keep readers turning pages. Over and above plot, however, and intertwined with Cass's fate, are complex issues of responsibility and scapegoating that even the most black-and-white thinkers will ponder long after they close the book. Did just one factor cause David's death? Were there others? If so, how should they be weighted and how, if appropriate, should punishment be meted out? To whom? By whom? Often brutal, this outstanding psychological thriller is recommended for older teens.


KLIATT Starred Review
...The setting is claustrophobic, the characters are complex and the story will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The novel culminates in an ending that is both realistic and ambiguous in a Robert Cormier kind of way.



KIRKUS
...If the plot alone isn't disturbing enough to yank readers up by their bootstraps and catapult them headfirst into the horrors that are about to befall the two, Giles's jagged, terse, just-the-facts narrative only amplifies their claustrophobically dire situation.  ...in true Giles form, nothing ties up neatly. It's just plain chilling, and that's what makes it brilliant. A damn scary read.