While sitting on my couch reading \u201cOne of Us is Back\u201d by Karen M. McManus, I suddenly found myself turning the last few pages of the book. I was surprised and incredibly saddened by how quickly I came to the end of both the novel itself and the entire trilogy. It was not long ago that I experienced the same captivation from reading the first and most popular installment of the series, \u201cOne of Us is Lying.\u201d<\/p>\n
McManus released the compelling final installment July 25, 2023 for the trilogy that began in 2017. The third novel created the perfectly fulfilling close to the cycle of suspense that McManus artfully crafted over the years.<\/p>\n
The author presents readers with a world of alluring chaos with the mystery novel \u201cOne of Us is Back.\u201d Throughout the trilogy, groups of students attending Bayview High School are dragged into new high school drama in every book, but not the average kind that you would expect. Despite the distinctive storylines of each installment, McManus finds a way to interconnect the books to form one consolidated storyline.<\/p>\n
In the first installment of the trilogy, the four main characters of the story \u2014 Bronwyn Rojas, Cooper Clay, Adelaide Prentiss and Nate Macauley \u2014 are introduced. Though the characters are living completely separate lives at first, they\u2019re brought together in detention at Bayview High School. Soon after, they are brought into the police station as suspects for the murder of fellow student Simon Kelleher, the creator of a school gossip app who died during that very detention session. The four students stick together, slowly but surely figuring out the truth that could save them from the blame for his death.<\/p>\n
In the second installment, Knox Myers, Phoebe Lawton and Bronwyn\u2019s sister Maeve Rojas are introduced, but their lives are not any easier. An anonymous rogue starts a game of Truth or Dare through text messages to continue the legacy of Simon\u2019s gossip app. Thus, the three students are the first to be dragged into the game, enduring the lethal risks and hazards that come their way as they attempt to reveal the culprit who started it.<\/p>\n
Despite the distinctive storylines of each installment, McManus finds a way to interconnect the books to form one consolidated storyline.<\/p>\n