Ten by Gretchen McNeil

September 30th, 2012 Kimberly Review 79 Comments

30th Sep
Ten by Gretchen McNeil
Ten
by Gretchen McNeil
Genres: Horror
Source: Author
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

And their doom comes swiftly. 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?

I love a good mystery and when I heard Ten was a thriller adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel And Then There Were None I immediately preordered it. McNeil delivered a suspenseful, gripping and entertaining thriller that kept me guessing until the end. I consumed this in a single day and loved it.

Ten is a fantastic thriller that takes place on Henry Island located off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Meg and Minnie two high school seniors are heading by ferry to the island for the hottest, hippest party of the year. When they arrive on the island, they find only eight other people have been invited. Stranger still, they don’t all know each other and attend different schools. The host has been delayed and won’t arrive until morning. They make themselves at home and kick back a few beers as storm rages outside. They gather round to watch a movie and pop in a DVD. It contains an eerie, sinister message that declares, “Vengeance is mine”. The tale that unfolds is suspenseful, creepy and kept me captivated to the last page.

I loved the “Breakfast Club” mix of personalities invited to the island. The protagonist Meg, is pretty grounded and plans to be a writer. She looks out for her friends and often puts their needs first. She tends to be an observer and a bit awkward, but I liked her. Minnie is loud, crass and has serious mental health issues. While I felt sorry for her, I also loathed her. TJ is a very handsome, a polite boy that Minnie has crushed on forever. The rest of the teens have all different personalities. From the jock to the know-it-all bitch. McNeil cleverly portrayed them so that some you liked and others you did not. The romance that develops was sweet and genuine. I loved watching it develop and it created a nice diversion from the killings!

While the tale is told in the third person, Meg drives most of the tale. McNeil did a fantastic job of letting this tale unfold. There is a fine art to revealing clues to the reader, and hers were quite ingenious. Midway through the book, we knew the connection between the teens, but not the why or how. McNeil, kept me guessing as to who the killer was. I did solve it but had to wait to find out the how and why. I loved every tantalizing moment of it. The entire book was well paced, as the suspense kept building. The last quarter of the book moved at a blindingly delicious speed that had my heart racing. The climatic ending was epic and had me gripping my nook as the scene unfolded. As the final details were revealed, all the puzzle pieces McNeil had subtlety provided fell into place. I love that moment; that feeling when you see the whole picture and believe. It was incredibly done, and I loved every spine-chilling moment.

Ten will delight fans of mystery and suspense. This thriller kept me completely entertained and is the perfect fall read. Gretchen McNeil weaves a fine tale and I look forward to reading more of her work.

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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79 Responses to “Ten by Gretchen McNeil”

  4. DeAnna

    This sounds like a delicious mystery/suspense/thriller! Wonderful detailed review! All the book-bloggers that I followed that have read and reviewed this book loved it. I hope soon I’ll get a chance to read it myself.
    DeAnna Schultz

  7. Jennifer

    I can’t wait to read this book. I haven’t read And Then There Were None so I’m looking forward to seeing what all of the mystery is about!

  10. Sharon - Obsession with Books

    Oh my gosh Kimba! I loved your review & I’m all the more anxious to break my book buying ban just to order this, it’s been on my ‘most anticipated’ list since I first saw it, it sounds amazing.

    Thank you for sharing! I’m so pleased you enjoyed it (and even more so to read it has romance) 😉

    PS.. I hope you have had the most wonderful birthday xx

  12. Keely

    Great review! I can’t wait to read this book!!! Love the trailer (have you seen it? Freakish!) It’s got a “The Ring/I Know What You Did Last Summer” feel…

  15. Christa Seeley

    I really loved the cast of characters as well! Great variety. And it totally had me guessing right up until the end who the killer was. I read a borrowed copy of this, but loved it so much it would be great to win my own copy so I can read it again!

  21. Liz

    You mentioned this book before, and I was totally ready to read it. It sounds SO good. Your review is superb, it definitely makes me think I need to read it very soon! Thanks so much!

  23. frodosco

    Squee! A chance to win Ten! I’ve heard so much wonderful buzz about it on the blogosphere and would love to win it, thanks so much for the giveaway!

  28. Kristin Clifton

    WOW!! So it delivered!! That’s why you joined the army!! Sounds like a very worthy book and team!! I’m not huge on mysteries (I have no clue why, all UF’s have them, I’d don’t just go for a basic mystery) but this one I really want NOW! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!!!!!!! Happy “Bumpy” month!!! YAY!

  33. Christina K.

    This sounds so so awesome! The different personalities and the creepiness sound perfect:)

    Thank you:)

  35. Nikki M.

    I can’t wait to read this book! I’m a big fan of Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None” so I’m pretty sure I’ll love this book

  37. Heidi

    Wow! no idea this was set in the Pacific Northwest! I can’t wait to read it! I am trying to work it in for October!

  39. Cayce

    Oh, I loved And Then There Were None!! I need to get Ten asap!
    Thanks for the great review!
    🙂

  44. Kimberly

    Great review. This one sounds so friggin good I can’t wait for the library to get my copy in! I’ve had my eye on it for months and your review has me so stoked to read it. Thanks to you and Gretchen for the giveaway!

  45. Candace's Book Blog

    I really enjoyed Possess but the author did such a good job with the creepy that I figured this one would be too scary for me. As I read more good reviews of it I’m almost tempted to give it a shot though!

  49. Sandy

    I already wanted to read this one, but your review sold me on it. It’s a must read one way or the other. And sooner rather than later. I’d love to have it for Fraterfest.

    Sandy @ Somewhere Only We Know

  53. A Belle's Tales

    I’ve had my eye on this one, but your awesome review just convinced me! Thank you for sharing and for the fabulous giveaway! <3

  55. Pabkins

    Breakfast club type mix huh? Awesome I already wanted to read this – but I adore the Breakfast club one of my fav 80’s movies!

  57. Quixotic Magpie

    I have heard so many great things about this book! I really want to read it, it sounds like it would be super creepy, and I am ready to be scared!

  66. J.J. Bonds

    5 cups? I think I just found my next read! I’ve been eyeing Ten for a few weeks now and every time I see the description I can’t help but think of all the 80’s/90’s horror movies I’ve watched– and I mean that in a really good way! Loved the Breakfast Club reference! Great review!

  68. Kristilyn Robertson

    This book looks SO GOOD! I’ve been wanting to read it since I saw the cover — I’ve never read Agatha Christie’s book, but I’ve always been intrigued by ‘And Then There Were None.’ Great review!!

  69. Jenea Whittington

    This really sounds like something I would enjoy. Mystery and suspense, sign me up. Great review. 🙂

    Jenea @ Books Live Forever

  70. READioactive Aditi

    I totally need to read this book NOW. Thank you for the Giveaway!

  71. Michelle

    This book looks so fricken good! I need a copy now. It kind of just sprung up a few months ago for me and I can’t get it out of my head. I want to read it so bad!

    I’m so glad you loved it, thanks for the great review Kimba. This event rocks!!

  72. readingdiva

    This sounds really good, I like a good mystery. It sounds like it has similaraties to the movie The Cabin in the Woods.

  73. Darlene's Book Nook

    This one has been on my Wishlist since I first heard about it! I’m glad to see that you loved it as much as I think that I will!! Nice review, and thanks for the giveaway!

  74. Donna

    I usually don’t read Thrillers without a paranormal element but between your review and the deliciously creepy book trailer, I really don’t have much of a choice! At least if I don’t like the characters, I can look forward to someone killing them off one by one 🙂 Awesome review, as always Kimba!

  75. Erin F

    thanks for the great review! I’ve been reading such great things about this book it was already on my want list 🙂

  76. Michelle

    I really enjoyed Agatha Christie’s book, so this one automatically sounds pretty cool. I’m glad you enjoyed it and great review.

  77. SweetMarie83

    Ooh, this book sounds so good! There aren’t many YA horror/thrillers out there, so I’m definitely intrigued. Great review, Kimberly! 🙂

  78. Tammy Sparks

    Dying to read Ten!! I’ve been waiting for this forever, it seems. So glad you loved it! Thanks so much for the giveaway.

  79. Jill Marie

    I just got to meet Gretchen! She is so awesome and really funny 😀
    I still haven’t gotten to read Ten and I REALLY want to.
    Thanks for the great giveaway!
    Great review too! If I hadn’t already had my eye on this book I definitely would after reading your review!