The Amateurs

Written by Sara Shepard

Narrated by Renée Chambliss

As soon as Seneca Frazier sees the post on the Case Not Closed website about Helena Kelly, she's hooked. Helena's high-profile disappearance five years earlier is the one that originally got Seneca addicted to true crime. It's the reason she's a member of the site in the first place. So when Maddy Wright, her best friend from the CNC site, invites Seneca to spend spring break in Connecticut looking into the cold case, she immediately packs her bag. But the moment she steps off the train in trendy, glamorous Dexby, things begin to go wrong. Maddy is nothing like she expected, and Helena's sister, Aerin Kelly, seems completely hostile and totally uninterested in helping with their murder investigation. But when Brett, another super user from the site, joins Seneca and Maddy in Dexby, Aerin starts to come around. The police must have missed something, and someone in Dexby definitely has information they've been keeping quiet. As Seneca, Brett, Maddy, and Aerin begin to unravel dark secrets and shocking betrayals about the people closest to them, they seem to be on the murderer's trail at last. But somewhere nearby the killer is watching . . . ready to do whatever it takes to make sure the truth stays buried. First in a new series by the #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Pretty Little Liars series, Sara Shepard, The Amateurs is packed with the twists and turns, steamy romance, and stunning revelations that her fans have been waiting for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Nov 1, 2016
• ISBN: 9781501936685

Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the series The Perfectionists. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA from Brooklyn College.

Reviews for The Amateurs

[d-fbuser-344869691 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m Shook at the ending of this book right now

[thursbest · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really commend the author for the organizational writing throughout the book, not once have I felt lost or questioned what was going on. Fast paced read since you really just want to move on and find out what happens next. Cliffhangers at the end of each chapter galore.Definitely a favorite twist. All I can say is I can't wait to read part 2 of the series!

[jhullie-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Totally didn't see that coming! It started off a bit slow but as the sleuthing evolved I got drawn in. And the ending is phenomenal...hanging out for the next book now.

[donnamariemerritt · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I couldn't stop reading this and finished in one day. I'm not normally a mystery book person, but this book was fascinating. I could have done without the casual references to sex and sexting, but the characters definitely had a teen voice. Can't wait to read the next in the series.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I've become a little wary of Sara Shepard's books. I started and got hooked on both her previous series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, only to give up on them a few books in when they got too outlandish for my tastes or simply lost my interest.But from the minute I heard about her new book, The Amateurs, I knew I had to give it a try. It's centered around a website where online amateur sleuths attempt to solve cold cases, something I am fascinated by the idea of. A group from the website gets together in real life to try to solve one of the most famous and perplexing cold cases, that of a missing and then murdered teenage girl, but find things reach far further than they had ever anticipated.This is a good read, and a quick one. I definitely found myself drawn in and wanting to know what happened next. The characters are compelling, as are the friendships and relationships forming between them. A few of the more minor characters verge on stereotypes that can feel overused, such as a crazed possible stalker female, but on the whole the characters are well-developedAnd that ending! It is an amazing ending that left me gasping, and absolutely having to read the next book in the series. Shepard did an amazing job of hiding the truth right under her readers' noses, and it plays out brilliantly.

[susan.macura · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Seneca Frazier is an 18-year-old follower of a site called Case Not Closed. One night she sees a post from the sister of another teenager who was abducted and killer several years ago. However, her killer was never brought to justice. With the help of other followers of the site, Seneca seeks to find the killer and solve this mystery, which of course, she does. Unfortunately, I have read other authors of this type of book who were much better. It is very doubtful that I will read any others in this series.

[shellypya · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Five years after the murder of Dexby teen Helena Kelly, her killer is still at large and her younger sister, Aerin, is consumed by grief and lack of closure. Seeking help in solving the crime, Aerin posts to Case Not Closed (CNC), an online forum that specializes in solving cold cases. Eighteen-year-old Seneca Frazier and 19-year-old Maddy Wright, two amateur sleuths who frequent the board, are among those who answer the call. The ragtag duo, joined by Maddy's stepsister Madison and fellow CNC member Brett, show up on Aerin's doorstep ready to start the investigations anew. As the skilled group begin to make headway, explosive relationship dynamics threaten their efforts. The teens must also deal with increasingly physical attacks as they chase down clues.

[readinggrrl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

You know what sucks about getting advanced copies of books? Having to wait longer for sequels! This book was great with a heart dropping doozey of an ending. Sara Shepard hit this one out of the park for me. Great characters with well developed backgrounds, and they are teenagers so they are grumpy, take things way too personally and get mad at the stupidest things. As Seneca unravels clues you start to wonder how you missed some of them along the way. This book really draws you in and leads you down twists and turns that bring you joy then drop you like a roller coaster. There is no lag time in this book but the pacing is not quick enough to give you pause as to how these kids were able to unearth all this new information. Each of them plays a pivotal role in discovering the clues and unearthing major leads but Seneca seems to be the leader. Something about this book brought me back to the books that helped me fall in love with mystery novels to begin with, the Encyclopedia Brown series, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, something about a group of teens solving crime just makes me happy.

[leahlo89 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sara Shepard does it again. Every time you think you have it figured it out... BAM! She throws in more twists and turns. I can't wait to see where this series goes.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This quick read finds Maddy and Seneca meeting up for spring break to work on a cold case. Trying to determine the murderer of Helena Kelly five years earlier. They are quickly joined by Aerin, Helena's younger sister, and Madison, Maddy's stepsister, as well as Brett, another guy from the cold case website. There are threats to stop the investigation, there is smooth talking to gain access, cell phone hacking, and lots of running down leads. An engaging, though far-fetched thriller.