4.5 stars! 
 I'm almost disappointed that I liked this book so much, for it's LONG, and it appears to be the first in a series of many. Which I now strongly wish to read. 
 A boy lives through a horrid event in which two of his friends were never found, though he cannot remember anything from that time or before. The boy becomes a murder detective, Rob Ryan. In Cassie Maddox he finds the perfect partner; they become best friends so close they know what the other is thinking or about to do. 
 Ryan and Maddox are assigned a murder case which might tie back to the unsolved case from Ryan's childhood, which brings Ryan to some places in his mind he tries not to visit. 
 While the whodunit aspect of the book will captivate murder mystery fans, that wasn't what sucked me in. French's writing bellows like a protester with a bullhorn at times, and often soothes like a caress from a loved one. Her range impressed me, and the character development between Cassie and Rob gripped me and left me turning pages as fast as possible, often ignoring some lovely scenery while on a boat to Catalina Island. 
 I cried at the end, in part because it was over, but mostly because (view spoiler)[ of the changes to Rob and Cassie's relationship. (hide spoiler)] I'll definitely be reading at least #2, 'cause I GOTTA KNOW what happens next!