BRIGHT AND TENDER DARK

Narrator Mara Wilson uses an urgent and precise tone as a middle-aged millennial looks back at the murder of Karlie Richards, a North Carolina college student. Pearson uses the framework of the standard whodunit to explore a variety of colorful characters. Joy Brunner, Karlie's former roommate, finds a letter in a book that may exonerate the mentally challenged young man who is serving time for the murder. Wilson ramps up the tension as Joy investigates the crime, falling through "true-crime" Internet rabbit holes. Wilson matches Pearson's juxtaposition of Joy as a student and Joy as a middle-aged woman. Wilson also projects Joy's bittersweet nostalgia for her friendship with Karlie when the real killer is revealed. R.O. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2024]