#MurderTrending is set in the very near future where reality television has been taken to a whole new level. The Postman is an anonymous television mogul who developed the idea for Alcatraz 2.0, an island in the San Francisco Bay, and the Postman App. People convicted of the most heinous crimes are sent to the prison island, Alcatraz 2.0 and then hunted down by government sanctioned serial killers. All of which is recorded on video and available for the public through the Postman App. This new “show” has become so popular that almost everyone in the country has a favourite serial killer that they follow and know everything about

The story begins with the main character, Dee Guerrera, as she wakes up on Alcatraz 2.0. She is dressed as a princess and immediately has to fight for her life because the executioner, Prince Slycer, is slated to kill her while America watches. But things don’t go as planned and Dee meets up with a group of fellow inmates that become known as the Death Row Breakfast Club.

The story follows them as they all try to survive on the island they were meant to die on. As they get to know each other better, they start to realise that things might be even more sinister and strange because none of them actually committed the crimes they were convicted of.

We see the story unfold on Alcatraz 2.0, but between chapters we also get glimpses of the forums where fans are discussing what they watch on the app. Some are brutal, disappointed when the deaths don’t go as planned and others are hinting at a conspiracy theory. This makes the story such a unique experience as we get to see the perspective from inside the prison as well as a glimpse of what is happening outside.

Throughout we get Dee’s flashbacks from when she was 11 years old and kidnapped as well. She was held captive for a period of time and has a lot of unresolved feelings from that time. So with all of this going on, you can imagine the number of twists and turns this story takes.

This book was such an interesting concept as it really highlights the excessiveness that we’ve come to expect from reality television as well as the way we interact online. It’s a near future that doesn’t really seem that far off. And some of the scenes even seem a bit over the top while still maintaining an excellent storyline.

Though it’s twisty and super interesting, it is also has some gore. Each time a murder takes place on the island it is described on the page and the characters are forced to watch it repeatedly on the TV screens throughout the island. So if you’re squeamish, know going in there may be scenes you need to skim.

Overall, this was a super interesting look at society and where we’re headed and I’ll definitely be picking up the sequel.

#MurderTrending is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers.

Have you read #MurderTrending? Or will you be checking it out? Tell us in the comments below!

Synopsis | Goodreads

WELCOME TO THE NEAR FUTURE, where good and honest 8/18 citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0.

When eighteen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realizes she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Knowing hardened criminals are getting a taste of their own medicine in this place is one thing, but Dee refuses to roll over and die for a heinous crime she didn’t commit. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one?

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Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you will be checking any of them out!

Toil & Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft by Tessa Sharpe, Jessica Spotswood, Emery Lord, Nova Ren Suma, and more
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A young adult fiction anthology of 15 stories featuring contemporary, historical, and futuristic stories featuring witchy heroines who are diverse in race, class, sexuality, religion, geography, and era. From good witches to bad witches, to witches who are a bit of both, this is an anthology of diverse witchy tales from a collection of diverse, feminist authors. The collective strength of women working together—magically or mundanely—has long frightened society, to the point that women’s rights are challenged, legislated against, and denied all over the world. Toil & Trouble delves deep into the truly diverse mythology of witchcraft from many cultures and feminist points of view, to create modern and unique tales of witchery that have yet to be explored.

Seafire by Natalie C. Parker
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After her family is killed by corrupt warlord Aric Athair and his bloodthirsty army of Bullets, Caledonia Styx is left to chart her own course on the dangerous and deadly seas. She captains her ship, the Mors Navis, with a crew of girls and women just like her, whose lives have been turned upside down by Aric and his men. The crew has one misson: stay alive, and take down Aric’s armed and armored fleet. But when Caledonia’s best friend and second-in-command just barely survives an attack thanks to help from a Bullet looking to defect, Caledonia finds herself questioning whether or not to let him join their crew. Is this boy the key to taking down Aric Athair once and for all…or will he threaten everything the women of the Mors Navis have worked for?

The Raging Ones by Krista Ritchie and Becca Ritchie
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In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds. Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen and dreams of dying in opulence. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday. Until the day she does. Court Icecastle knows wealth and prison. Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny. With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space.

#Murdertrending by Gretchen McNeil
Goodreads | Amazon | Book Depository

Welcome to the near future, where good and honest 8/18 citizens can enjoy watching the executions of society’s most infamous convicted felons, streaming live on The Postman app from the suburbanized prison island Alcatraz 2.0. When eighteen-year-old Dee Guerrera wakes up in a haze, lying on the ground of a dimly lit warehouse, she realises she’s about to be the next victim of the app. Can Dee and her newly formed posse, the Death Row Breakfast Club, prove she’s innocent before she ends up wrongfully murdered for the world to see? Or will The Postman’s cast of executioners kill them off one by one?

The Second Life of Ava Rivers by Faith Gardner
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Ava’s disappearance was the crack in the Rivers family glacier. When Vera’s twin sister, Ava, disappeared one Halloween night, her childhood became a blur of theories, tips, and leads, but never any answers. Now, at eighteen, Vera is counting down the days until she starts her new life at college in Portland, Oregon, far away from the dark cloud she and family have lived under for twelve years. But all that changes when a girl shows up at the local hospital. Her name is Ava Rivers and she wants to go home. But the questions remain: Where was Ava all these years? And who is she now?

The Dark Beneath The Ice by Amelinda Bérubé
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Something is wrong with Marianne. It’s not just that her parents have split up, or that life hasn’t been the same since she quit dancing. Or even that her mother has checked herself into the hospital. She’s losing time. Doing things she would never do. And objects around her seem to break whenever she comes close. Something is after her. But a first attempt at an exorcism calls down the full force of the thing’s rage. It demands Marianne give back what she stole. And Marianne must uncover the truth that lies beneath it all before the nightmare can take what it think it’s owed, leaving Marianne trapped in the darkness of the other side.

Giant Days by Non Pratt
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Based on the hit graphic-novel series from BOOM! Studios, the publisher behind Lumberjanes, Giant Days follows the hilarious and heartfelt misadventures of three university first-years: Daisy, the innocent home-schooled girl; Susan, the sardonic wit; and Esther, the vivacious drama queen. While the girls seem very different, they become fast friends during their first week of university.

How To Breathe Underwater by Vicky Skinner
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Kate’s father has been pressuring her to be perfect for her whole life, pushing her to be the best swimmer she can be. But when Kate finds her dad cheating on her mom, Kate’s perfect world comes crashing down, and Kate is forced to leave home and the swim team she’s been a part of her whole life. Now in a new home, new school, and faced with the prospect of starting over, Kate isn’t so sure that swimming is what she wants anymore. But when she decides to quit, her whole world seems to fall apart. But when Kate gets to know Michael, the cute boy that lives across the hall, she starts to think that starting over might not be so bad. There’s only one problem: Michael has a girlfriend.

To Be Honest by Maggie Ann Martin
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Savannah is dreading being home alone with her overbearing mother after her sister goes off to college. But if she can just get through senior year, she’ll be able to escape to college, too. What she doesn’t count on is that her mother’s obsession with weight has only grown deeper since her appearance on an extreme weight-loss show, and now Savvy’s mom is pressuring her even harder to be constantly mindful of what she eats. Then she meets George, the cute new kid at school who has insecurities of his own. As Savvy and George grow closer, they help each other discover how to live in the moment and enjoy the here and now before it disappears.

The Crescent Stone by Matt Mikalatos
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Madeline Oliver has never wanted for anything, but now she would give anything just to breathe. Jason Wu skates through life on jokes, but when a tragedy leaves him guilt-stricken, he promises to tell only the truth, no matter the price. When a mysterious stranger name Hanali appears to Madeline and offers to heal her in exchange for one year of service to his people, Madeline and Jason are swept into a strange land where they don’t know the rules and where their decisions carry consequences that reach farther than they could ever guess.

Girl At The Grave by Teri Bailey Black
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Valentine has spent years trying to outrun her mother’s legacy. But small towns have long memories, and when a new string of murders occurs, all signs point to the daughter of a murderer. Only one person believes Valentine is innocent—Rowan Blackshaw, the son of the man her mother killed all those years ago. Valentine vows to find the real killer, but when she finally uncovers the horrifying truth, she must choose to face her own dark secrets, even if it means losing Rowan in the end.

The Looking Glass by Janet McNally
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Girls In Trouble. That’s what Sylvie Blake’s older sister Julia renamed their favourite fairy tale book, way back when they were just girls themselves. Now, Julia has disappeared—and no one knows if she’s in trouble. Sylvie is trying to carry on Julia’s impressive legacy at the prestigious National Ballet Theatre Academy, but Julia, ever the star of the show, can’t stay hidden forever. And when she sends Sylvie a copy of their old storybook with a mysterious list inside, Sylvie begins to see signs of her sister everywhere she goes. She may be losing her grip on reality, but Sylvie has to find out if the strange, almost magical things she’s been seeing have anything to do with Julia’s whereabouts.

Check out our other August book picks on our Goodreads list!

Any other releases you’re excited to read this month? Tell us in the comments below!

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Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco

Plot (from Goodreads): “Seventeen-year-old Audrey Rose Wadsworth was born a lord’s daughter, with a life of wealth and privilege stretched out before her. But between the social teas and silk dress fittings, she leads a forbidden secret life. Against her stern father’s wishes and society’s expectations, Audrey often slips away to her uncle’s laboratory to study the gruesome practice of forensic medicine. When her work on a string of savagely killed corpses drags Audrey into the investigation of a serial murderer, her search for answers brings her close to her own sheltered world.”

Victorian London? Murder? Jack the Ripper? Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco is a book to enjoy during the crisp Autumn months while you are sitting by the fire. The descriptions are horrifyingly graphic and the mystery so tangible, which makes you feel as if you are right alongside Audrey as she attempts to figure out the ripper’s true identity.

Lockwood & Co. The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud

Plot (from Goodreads): “When the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in. For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions. Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career. Instead she finds herself joining the smallest, most ramshackle agency in the city, run by the charismatic Anthony Lockwood. When one of their cases goes horribly wrong, Lockwood & Co. have one last chance of redemption. Unfortunately this involves spending the night in one of the most haunted houses in England, and trying to escape alive.”

Though this series is geared more towards younger audiences as it is categorised as a Middle Grade, it can still be enjoyed by everyone (I for one am not in the younger audiences category). It is a perfect Halloween read for those looking for a creepy ghost story with elements of humour to lighten the mood.

One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus

Plot (from Goodreads): “One of Us Is Lying is the story of what happens when five strangers walk into detention and only four walk out alive. Everyone’s a suspect, and everyone has something to hide. Pay close attention and you might solve this. On Monday afternoon, five students at Bayview High walk into detention.  Bronwyn, the brain, is Yale-bound and never breaks a rule. Addy, the beauty, is the picture-perfect homecoming princess. Nate, the criminal, is already on probation for dealing. Cooper, the athlete, is the all-star baseball pitcher. And Simon, the outcast, is the creator of Bayview High’s notorious gossip app. Only, Simon never makes it out of that classroom. Before the end of detention Simon’s dead. And according to investigators, his death wasn’t an accident. On Monday, he died. But on Tuesday, he’d planned to post juicy reveals about all four of his high-profile classmates, which makes all four of them suspects in his murder. Or are they the perfect patsies for a killer who’s still on the loose? Everyone has secrets, right? What really matters is how far you would go to protect them.”

A recent release, One of Us is Lying is more of a mystery than a thriller. This is a book that is made for you to race through in order for you to figure out who the culprit is and why they did it. It will leave you wondering until the very end, “Who killed Simon?”

Ten by Gretchen McNeil

Plot (from Goodreads): “Shhhh! Don’t spread the word! Three-day weekend. Party at White Rock House on Henry Island. You do not want to miss it. It was supposed to be the weekend of their lives—an exclusive house party on Henry Island. Best friends Meg and Minnie each have their reasons for being there (which involve T.J., the school’s most eligible bachelor) and look forward to three glorious days of boys, booze and fun-filled luxury. But what they expect is definitely not what they get, and what starts out as fun turns dark and twisted after the discovery of a DVD with a sinister message: Vengeance is mine. Suddenly people are dying, and with a storm raging, the teens are cut off from the outside world. No electricity, no phones, no internet, and a ferry that isn’t scheduled to return for two days. As the deaths become more violent and the teens turn on each other, can Meg find the killer before more people die? Or is the killer closer to her than she could ever imagine?”

Ten teenagers are invited to a lake house party where they are supposed to have the weekend of their lives. But what they get instead is a storm cutting them off from the outside world and teens getting killed, one-by-one. Filled with suspense and intrigue, this book is a perfect read for the Halloween season.

A Drop of Night by Stefan Bachman

Plot (from Goodreads): “Seventeen-year-old Anouk has finally caught the break she’s been looking for—she’s been selected out of hundreds of other candidates to fly to France and help with the excavation of a vast, underground palace buried a hundred feet below the suburbs of Paris. Built in the 1780’s to hide an aristocratic family and a mad duke during the French Revolution, the palace has lain hidden and forgotten ever since. Anouk, along with several other gifted teenagers, will be the first to set foot in it in over two centuries.  Or so she thought. But nothing is as it seems, and the teens soon find themselves embroiled in a game far more sinister, and dangerous, than they could possibly have imagined. An evil spanning centuries is waiting for them in the depths.”

This is another thriller that left me breathless and desperately wanting more. Set in modern-day, a group of teenagers are chosen to help with the excavation of an underground palace, but the mission turns out to be a lot different from they thought. Twists and turns make up this creepy thriller that will leave you gasping for breath.

Which one of these have you read or want to read this Halloween season? Tell us in the comments below!

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