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4 out of 4 stars
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You Say Goodbye is a novel written by Keith Steinbaum about a musician by the name of Sean Hightower, whose musical career has been going nowhere. The only thing he had to look forward to was time with his girlfriend. After a temper tantrum at one of his gigs one night, Sean went to her apartment and found her dead. There were two signs on her headboard, one saying hello and the other saying goodbye. She had been raped and murdered by a serial killer, who has been called “The Beatles' Song Murderer”. This is because he leaves messages from Beatles' songs at his murder scenes.
Now, Sean has just found out that he probably has cancer. Thinking he has nothing to live for, he plans his suicide. Unexpectedly, he has a chance meeting with a little girl with cancer, Kayleigh, who lives next door. She has such an indomitable spirit and is struggling so hard to survive that he forgets about plans for suicide.
A police officer from the LAPD calls and asks for his help in finding the serial killer. The officer believes the murderer is someone that Sean and his girlfriend knew. Because he is getting close to putting the pieces of the puzzle together, his own life will become endangered.
Keith Steinbaum, the author, is very good at drawing the reader in and holding his attention until the story is over. You think you have figured out who the murderer is until the next clue throws suspicion at someone else. He gives you one twist after another until the surprise, intense ending occurs. The dialogue between characters is believable and written in everyday language. Occasionally, there is some vulgar language mixed in.
I love the character development in Sean and Kayleigh, and they are my favorite part of the book. Sean is someone who thinks mainly about himself at the beginning of this novel, but he evolves into someone who cares about and goes out of his way to protect and bring happiness to someone else. We get to know Kayleigh as well, and we grow to love her and want what’s best for her. Their interactions are a big part of this story. They are both very likable and relatable. The other minor characters, who are mostly the suspects, are developed as well. We get to learn more and more about them as time goes on, although I didn’t really feel the close attachment that I did with Sean and Kayleigh. Also, the descriptions of the characters were skillfully done.
I really didn’t find much to not like about this story, but, if I had to choose something, it would be the five errors that I found. These are simple things that would be easy to fix, such as a lot trouble instead of a lot of trouble and That’s is why instead of That is why.
Because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and there were very few flaws, I gladly give it 4 out of 4 stars. I think it would be appreciated by readers who like crime dramas and suspense. The occasional vulgar language and the rape at the beginning might make some readers want to avoid it. I don’t think it is suitable for children.
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You Say Goodbye
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