In the psychological thriller Little Threats, the 15 years that Kennedy Wynn served in the penitentiary after pleading guilty to murdering her best friend pale in comparison to the emotional prison that engulfs her and the families involved. Guilt, grief and teen angst revolve around a perceptive plot with carefully crafted characters, all of whom are trying to rebuild their lives.
Kennedy was 16 years old when she was accused of murdering Haley Kimberson, whose body was found in the woods near an upscale Richmond, Va., suburb. Kennedy doesn't remember that night, as both girls were high on acid. Evidence was sketchy, but Kennedy was coerced by her attorney and her father, Gerry, to take the deal. Now, a 31-year-old woman, Kennedy enters a world she doesn't recognize. The murder--never far from anyone's mind--is dredged up when a true-crime show plans a feature.
Emily Schultz explores the vagaries of complicated characters in Little Threats as she did in her debut, The Blondes. Kennedy doesn't know if she can trust anyone, even herself, affecting all relationships. Guilt wracks Gerry and Carter, Kennedy's twin sister. Revenge consumes Haley's parents, who divorced after her death. Poor before Haley's death, the Kimbersons are now wealthy because of a lucrative civil suit. All of the characters' daily lives are shaded by the murder, augmented by anger and manipulation.
Little Threats avoids the cliches that trap many novels about dysfunctional families as Schultz delivers an energetic plot fueled by incisive character studies. --Oline H. Cogdill, freelance reviewer