Does doing one bad thing make you a bad person?
Sixteen-year-old Emily Keller, known by the media as Keller the Killer, is accused of causing the deaths of a family of four, including young children. Emily is one of the youngest females to be accused of a crime so heinous, making this the nation’s biggest trial of the year. But what really happened that fateful night—and who’s responsible—is anything but straightforward.
Living in a trailer park in Baltimore with her twin brother and alcoholic mother, Emily’s life hasn’t been easy. She’s had to grow up fast, and like any teen, has made questionable decisions in a desperate attempt to fit in with her peers. Will her mistakes amount to a guilty verdict and a life in prison? It’s up to the jury to decide.
Praise for Girl on Trial:
“Kathleen Fine has written a compassionate, thought-provoking thriller that will have readers asking themselves big questions about redemption while also turning the pages with breathless anticipation. From her opening pages, Fine grabbed my attention and didn’t let go until I closed the book, hardly twenty four hours later. Fine’s story reminds us that everyone has a backstory and that the root of empathy involves discovering the particulars of someone else’s history with an open heart and mind.”
~ Christie Tate, Author of Reese’s Book Club and NYT bestseller GROUP
“In her sharp debut Girl on Trial, Kathleen Fine deftly weaves the past with 16 year-old Emily Keller’s present-day manslaughter trial, allowing readers to put together the puzzle pieces of what really happened the day everyone says Emily killed an entire family. With her vivid characters and a well-developed setting, Fine evokes compassion for people trying their best and reminds us that there’s more to every story than meets the eye. Girl on Trial asks readers to wonder: are we more than our biggest mistake, and does everyone deserve redemption?”
~ Jessie Weaver, author of Live Your Best Lie
“Readers will be on edge as Emily’s decisions lead her to become involved in and vulnerable to dangerous situations… The epilogue brings the roller-coaster ride to a satisfying conclusion…. Gripping, tragic, but ultimately hopeful.”
~ Kirkus
“In Kathleen Fine’s Girl on Trial…interpersonal dynamics are revelatory… reality wars with public perception…a suspenseful thriller in which a maligned teenager is forced to fight for justice.”
~ Foreword Reviews
Genre: YA Contemporary Mystery/Thriller
Published by: CamCat Books
Publication Date: October 2023
Number of Pages: 336
Get Your Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | CamCat Books
This was a debut novel? WOW! A truly heart-wrenching story of a teenage girl getting caught up in a life she didn’t want and couldn’t see a way out of. Peer pressure, drinking, drugs, sexual assault, which all inevitably led her to trial as a defendant accused of manslaughter… at only 16 years old.
As a woman, this was a heavy read. As a mother, it was even harder to get through. I shed many tears. I screamed at the pages. “No, don’t do it! Someone do something!” I set the book down and heaved giant shakey breaths for all the women and children this fictional story represents in a very real way.
I loved Emily so much and really felt for her situation. The character development was so realistic for someone who had grown up with some emotional abuse and had social insecurities as a result. Even though the people in her life had some deep struggles, I really loved them too. It was clear they were all just doing the best they thought they could, but the growth they all went through by the end was really beautiful to watch.
I’m also not a big fan of legal-lingo heavy books and I found that this story had such a refreshing balance of court room scenes merged with emotional stories really allowing us to feel for Emily’s personality behind her actions.
Are we all essentially responsible for our own decisions or lack of decisions in some cases? Yes. Do we always have a safe space to make those decisions for ourselves? No.
I don’t know if a book has ever gripped my heart as tightly as this one has.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you, Partners In Crime Tours
Kathleen Fine received her Master’s in Reading Education from Towson University and Bachelor’s in Elementary Education from University of Maryland, College Park. She is a member of the Maryland Writers Association, International Thriller Writers, and Author’s Guild. When she’s not writing and selling real estate, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to the Outer Banks, and of course, reading anything she can get her hands on. She currently lives in Baltimore, Maryland with her husband, three children, and Sussex Spaniel. Her short stories have been published in Litro Magazine, Pen in Hand, The Maryland Writer’s Association Anthology, and in The Indignor Playhouse Anthology. Girl on Trial is her debut novel.
Catch Up With Our Author, Kathleen Fine:
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