Little do these cousins know, money isn’t the only thing their grandmother is hiding, and their family secrets are much darker than anything they thought was possible.Įach character develops uniquely from one another, being able to speak on the revelations occurring throughout the plot from a fresh perspective that one could not get from a singular point of view.

None of the teenagers thinks this is a good idea, but their parents believe this is an opportunity to get a chunk of their inheritance money back. But when the trio is invited to stay with Mildred at her island resort for the summer, their parents are all able to agree that not going is not an option. In this book, Aubrey, Milly and Jonah Story are from the same family, but they don’t interact with one another much because of family drama and their parents estrangement from their elusive grandmother Mildred. Despite the trio's synonymous themes of lies and betrayal, 'The Cousins' takes the cake. “The Cousins” comes as a standalone in McManus’ plethora of published mystery works, including the popular book “One of Us is Lying” and its sequel “One of Us is Next.' But, 'The Cousins' is definitely on a completely different plane in terms of its darkness in comparison to the aforementioned pair of Breakfast Club-esque stories. McManus, “The Cousins,' is no exception to this idea. So combining those two is often a recipe for success. I don’t think anyone can be too old for a young adult book, let alone a good mystery.

Karen mcmanus