Title: Murder Land
Author: Carlyn Greenwald
Publication: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire
Genre: Teen, YA Fiction, LGBTQ
Pages: 336

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SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)

Seventeen-year-old Billie feels like she is on top of the world. She gets to spend the summer with her best friend, sparks are flying with her crush, and she has received a promotion to ride operator for one of the most buzzworthy new attractions in the theme park she works at. But the first night on the new job takes a dark turn when her creepy coworker mysteriously dies…on her ride, when she isn’t authorized to be running it.

At first, it seems like he died by heart attack, but by the time she returns to the body with help, it looks like a broken neck. Had she just imagined him sitting upright a few minutes ago? It’s as if someone is trying to pin his death on her, and she has one night to figure out who is really responsible before she is blamed.

Billie recruits the help of her friends to sneak around the park after-hours and search for the truth. But as the night stretches on and more people wind up dead, Billie realizes she may not make it out of Murder Land alive. And her friends may know more than they’re letting on.

REVIEW:

**A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**

I am a sucker for Teen/YA fiction novels and if you add in a murder mystery, I’m hooked! Murder Land sounded right up my alley! I don’t know what it is about teenagers trying to solve a murder that gets me so hyped. Probably something to do with the fact that in their quest to solve the case, they usually cause some really good drama and chaos. Greenwald delivered spectacularly!

The story followed Billie as someone dies on her ride and she has to try to fight for her innocence. Meanwhile everyone is acting suspicious and weird stuff keeps happening. Greenwald did not leave us hanging at any moment. There was always high suspense, a lot of tense moments, and a lot of slap your head moments as well. I really enjoyed all the characters and felt they really added to the story. The friend dynamic and the romance dynamic really added layers and more suspects!

My only complaint, and this is not anything detrimental to my enjoyment, is that it was a little unrealistic. While these kids are running amuck, I kept wondering where all the adults were. I understand they employ a lot of teenagers, but I just felt there should have been more adults around. Seems crazy there wasn’t.

Otherwise this book was a fun read guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. While I kind of guessed the ending, Greenwald had me questioning my logic through the entire story! I look forward to reading more by her! Pick up a copy and tell me what you think!