Cameron and Lewis are identical twins, fifteen years old and living a predictable life in small-town Canada with two loving parents. Until twenty minutes before Dahlin’s debut novel begins, that is. Readers first meet them fleeing the scene of a backyard barbecue in a stolen pickup truck, confused and panicking: their parents have just killed two uninvited strangers and disappeared, leaving only cryptic instructions and a backpack for each boy.

They find a second set of identification papers in their backpacks and unravel their parent’s clues sufficiently to find their way to a small bed and breakfast in Edinburgh, Scotland. They assume they will find their parents there, but instead they find Maggie, a woman who claims to have known their mother seventeen years earlier and eyes them with definite mistrust. Despite her misgivings, she allows them to stay. To survive, they pretend to be one person, only leaving the house one at a time. They are determined to believe in and find their parents, but this YA thriller takes many twists and turns before reaching its conclusion.

What worked: each chapter revealed a little more of the mystery, as new characters entered or offered historical background for Cameron and Lewis’s current predicament. The confusion of both narrators, combined with the intrigue typical of the genre, kept readers guessing as to what and who was trustworthy, right until the end. The twins themselves were imperfect and therefore more genuine. Supporting cast members were distinct and well written, from dialogue to personality. The setting was also a plus; Dahlin wove features of the city and the surrounding countryside into the plot.

Less effective was the alternating POV of the twins, both in first person, both using “he” or “my brother” to refer to the other. They were distinct enough objectively, but the constant use of first person made it impossible to really remember what characteristics belonged to each twin. Add to that they were interacting with secondary characters as a single person, and it became impossible to keep them separate. That was a distraction, as an important part of the overall story was the relationship between the two of them, and how they supported each other and grew as individuals. The ending was not as satisfying as it could have been, choosing to go with a sequel set-up rather than an emotional tie-off.

That said – it was a readable, satisfying enough and accessible thriller – there was ample suspense without anything truly terrible happening (more violent incidents were off-page) and the fact that there were two male protagonists (several well defined supporting characters were female and diverse) will appeal to many readers.

–Reviewed by Jenny Martinez Nocito, Maine State Library, Augusta