This was one of those reads where I found myself sneaking in pages whenever I could, reading on my kindle app while waiting in line at the grocery store or while stirring dinner on the stove. It's a solid piece of storytelling, with just enough of a tie to real people to add a rather delicious dimension to some of the characters, though obviously the events are fictional. Very compelling. 
 The reveal of the whodunit (and the identity of whodunit) didn't quite work for me, unfortunately. (view spoiler)[I didn't like the interview at the prison with the back and forth between Sylvie and Lynch. It felt very contrived to me, each holding out on each other, doling out little pieces of the truth, then time running out. And then, the fact that it was Rose's girlfriend, a character introduced very, very late. And the reason they sent her away was because she was a lesbian? Eh. Disappointing. I know they were very religious, but somehow the groundwork for that wasn't strong enough for me in the parents' characters. (hide spoiler)] 
 Despite that, I really enjoyed the book and look forward to more from Searles. I wouldn't say his style is particularly like Stephen King's, but reading this reminded me of those delicious summer days when I was a teenager, sitting poolside with a horror novel in hand, losing track of time. Good stuff.