Dig Two Graves
By Lucinda Dyer,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Dark, twisty thriller picks up after slow start.
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What's the Story?
DIG TWO GRAVES is all about lies, betrayal, and murder. Seventeen-year-old Neve Lanier has a passion for black-and-white film noir and dresses like a character from the 1940s and 50s. Which has made it hard for her to make friends at her high school in a snobby San Diego, California, suburb. When Yasmin Attar transfers in and also has a hard time fitting in, they become best friends. But Yasmin has her eyes set on becoming part of the popular crowd. Something she achieves by betraying Neve and making her even more of an outcast. Neve's parents think attending a Girls Leadership and Mentorship camp is just the thing to build up her confidence before her senior year. At GLAM, Neve is surprised and grateful when she's befriended by the blond and beautiful Diane Russell. Despite being warned by her roommate, Inara Escobar, that Diane is "trouble" and shouldn't be trusted, Neve's desire to have a new best friend (who she also has a crush on) means she ignores the warning. After Diane shares that she's been sexually assaulted by her stepbrother, Javier, Neve tells Diane about Yasmin's betrayal. What if, suggests Diane, I kill Yasmin and you kill Javier? Playing along, Neve agrees, thinking Diane can't be serious. But when Neve returns to school in the Fall, she learns Yasmin has been murdered. Not only is Neve a suspect, Diane is trying to blackmail her into killing Javier.
Is It Any Good?
After an agonizingly slow start, the story picks up speed and then hurtles toward an often confusing, head-spinning conclusion. For readers who are movie fans, Dig Two Graves will likely introduce them to a series of classic dark mysteries and thrillers (film noir) from the 1940s and '50s.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how friendship and betrayal are portrayed in Dig Two Graves. Have you ever been betrayed by a friend? Was the friendship ever mended?
What makes a better thriller, a book or a movie?
How did you feel about the way Neve dealt with her father's struggles with his mental health issues?
Book Details
- Author: Gretchen McNeil
- Genre: Mystery
- Topics: Friendship, High School
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
- Publication date: April 26, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 18
- Number of pages: 342
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: May 31, 2022
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