A review by olga_naden
This Is How We End Things by R.J. Jacobs

dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

 
A twisty psychological thriller with multiple POV

‘Riley Sager meets If We Were Villains in a compelling new psychological thriller by R. J. Jacobs, following a tight-knit group of graduate students studying the psychology of lying. When one of them is discovered dead after an experiment, everything the group thought they knew about deception crumbles . . . Campus is empty, a winter storm is blowing in, and someone is lurking in the shadows, waiting for their chance to kill again. Forest, North Carolina. Under the instruction of enigmatic Professor Joe Lyons, five graduate students are studying the tedious science behind the acts of lying. But discovering the secrets of deception isn't making any of the students more honest though. Instead, it's making it easier for them to guard their own secrets—and they all have something to hide. When a test goes awry and one of them is found dead, the students find themselves trapped by a snowstorm on an abandoned campus with a local detective on the case. As harboured secrets begin to break the surface, the graduates must find out who's lying, who isn't, and who may have been capable of committing murder. It turns out deception is even more dangerous than they thought . . .’ 

This book offers an exhilarating mystery and keeps you guessing throughout. I especially loved multiple points of view. With its brisk and riveting narrative, a pervasive sense of confinement and unease, and an array of ingenious mind games, it will continuously challenge you to decipher the killer's identity, holding you in suspense until the very conclusion. Notably, the final third of the story was exceptionally breathless and pulse-pounding. Although I had a hunch about the perpetrator's identity as I neared the end, I relished the gradual unravelling of the mystery and the meticulous arrangement of puzzle pieces, leaving no room for loopholes. 

Was it the best thriller I have ever read? No. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely. If you are looking for a fast read with multiple points of view and many characters with secrets, this is the book for you. 

Tags: thriller, mystery, whodunit, crime, adult, suspense, psychological thriller