Not Quite Dead Yet

I know how this sounds – and I thought the exact same thing: Stories in which the protagonist’s death is supposedly inevitable are always tricky. If you like the protagonist, obviously you don’t want them to actually die. But if it turns out shortly before the end that everything was just a misunderstanding and the FMC is actually perfectly healthy, the disappointment can be just as bad.

At least in my opinion, there are already far too many stories that end with a happy ending. Sometimes I just need a heartbreaking book that leaves me wrapped in a blanket, staring at the wall for several minutes while questioning my life choices.

So I was very torn about what kind of ending I actually wanted for this story.

But first, back to the plot:

Jet is quickly faced with a decision: Does she undergo an operation that will most likely kill her, or does she take the final seven days the doctors have given her?

Jet doesn’t spend much time agonizing over it and ultimately chooses the seven days. Her goal: finding her own murderer.

With at least some help from the police, Jet receives bits and pieces of information, including details about the evidence left at the crime scene. The murder weapon is both unknown and nowhere to be found. Jet was discovered by her childhood friend Billy Finney, whose father Jack – a police detective – lives right next door.

Her phone is also missing. However, with Jet’s help, the police are able to determine the location where it was switched off while she is still in the hospital.

With very little evidence and even fewer leads, Jet starts investigating.

After several arguments with her mother, who naturally prefers her to undergo the surgery, Jet moves in with Billy. He also offers to help her with the investigation.

Working together – and with a whole lot of swinging force – the two eventually figure out where the killer disposed of both the murder weapon and Jet’s missing phone: in the foundation of Mason Constructions.

Jet’s brother Luke wants to take over their father’s company in the future. Conveniently, he had the foundation poured just one day after his sister’s attack.

After a round with a sledgehammer, Jet and Billy actually find the evidence trapped inside the concrete.

I have to admit: When it comes to mystery books, I am basically suspicious of every single character by default. And honestly, this wouldn’t be the first book I’ve read where the brother turns out to be the culprit in the end.

But it’s not just her brother who comes under suspicion. His wife Sophia – who also happens to be Jet’s former best friend – is on the list as well.

After taking a closer look at Sophia, however, they discover something completely different: Sophia wasn’t trying to kill Jet. She was trying to kill Jet’s father.

Well, according to her, she wasn’t exactly trying to actively murder him. She did, however, replace his liver medication with salt so that Luke could inherit the company sooner.

In my opinion, that comes pretty damn close to attempted murder. But hey, these things can get confusing.

And as the saying goes: Like attracts like. Because Luke has plenty of skeletons in his closet, too.

When Jet and Billy break into Mason Constructions to look for more answers, they discover that several employees are not officially registered and are therefore being paid under the table and working without insurance coverage.

To cover his tracks, Luke sets the company on fire – while Billy and Jet are inside the building.

Both of them barely manage to escape the flames.

While Billy and Jet continue their investigation, we as readers get increasingly more insight into Jet’s deteriorating condition.

She ends up back in the hospital when she suddenly loses the ability to move her right arm one morning.

At this point, it finally started to dawn on me: Jet’s early death really is unavoidable.

The doctor tells her that she has lost the function of her arm and will not regain it. The now clearly visible, still unruptured aneurysm has begun leaking and is putting pressure on the blood supply to her arm.

But it’s not just Jet’s worsening condition that becomes increasingly apparent. It also becomes more and more obvious that Billy’s feelings for Jet aren’t just a thing of the past.

One evening, Jet gets convinced to go watch one of Billy’s performances in the bar underneath his apartment. He sings a very emotional song about an old sweetheart.

Of course, it never occurs to Jet that the song might be about her.

We know better.

The two grow increasingly close – and I was, of course, already emotionally invested. Because apparently a ticking death clock wasn’t enough heartbreak, we obviously needed a doomed love story on top of it.

Thanks for that, Holly.

Towards the end of the story, we discover that Luke has more than one dark secret.

Throughout the book, we get little bits of information about Jet’s older sister Emily, who died several years ago. At first, her death is repeatedly described as an accident. But little by little, things come to light that make Jet question whether it really was one.

The two therefore start another investigation and try to uncover not only the truth behind Jet’s attack, but also Emily’s death.

And who knows – perhaps the two events are connected?

We discover that Emily had found out that Luke wasn’t her father’s biological son. On that day at the pool, she makes some stupid comment to him – like kids do – and his reaction is to drown his sister.

Obviously.

But how is a little boy supposed to stage something like that well enough that nobody, not even the police, notices any signs of outside interference?

Right: he can’t.

Jet therefore narrows the list of suspects down to two main possibilities. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough time left for the final reveal.

I have to say: I am absolutely obsessed with Jet.

Her story is incredibly sad, yet she still tries to face the world with humor – even if that earns her more than a few very concerned looks.

She is incredibly quick-witted right up until the very end, and I also grew deeply attached to Billy over the course of those 450 pages.

That’s why my heart briefly dropped into my stomach when Jet finds the toolbox containing the murder weapon in Billy’s apartment, and shortly before her death, he confesses that he attacked her so she could die in peace knowing that she had solved her own murder.

But of course, it wasn’t Billy.

The toolbox in question had been given to him by his father years ago, and he had never taken it out of the cupboard since.

When Jet dies in Billy’s arms that evening, he makes a firm decision: he will bring the killer to justice – as the final proof of his love for Jet.

And what can I say? Billy is a man of action.

He takes another very close look at the final clues and pieces of evidence and reaches his verdict:

Jet’s murderer is his own father – Jack Finney.

I have to admit that, at the beginning, Jack wasn’t even remotely on my radar. You trust the authorities once in a book and immediately walk straight into the trap.

Jokes aside, of course it had to be Jack.

Jack, who is Luke’s biological father and helped him cover up his sister’s death all those years ago.

Jack, who gave Billy the toolbox containing the murder weapon.

Jack, who works for the police and therefore knows exactly what he needs to do to stay under the radar.

It sounds incredibly obvious when you put it like that. I swear, though, that Jack genuinely wasn’t on my radar for a very, very long time.

In order to make sure Jack faces justice, Billy confronts him directly. After Jack confesses to his crimes, Luke suddenly bursts through the door – and, of course, he has heard everything.

And let’s just say: he is pretty pissed off.

He attacks Jack with a gun.

The story ends with Jack Finney going down. We never find out whether he actually dies. Holly Jackson presumably wanted to leave herself a little loophole for a potential sequel.

I have to say: I loved this book!

We get continuous suspense, unexpected twists, a little bit of romance, and soooo much heartbreak.

One of the best ways, in my opinion, to measure whether a book was truly good is to ask yourself how often you still think about it after finishing it.

And I would say: this story has permanently burned itself into my brain.

It was also a little wake-up call for all the “I’ll do it later” people out there – just like Jet.

Because let’s be honest: Maybe we really shouldn’t keep putting everything off until later. You never know when a piece of your skull might suddenly start pressing against an artery in your brain and you’ll have only seven days left.

In my opinion, this is definitely a recommendation – especially for all fans of the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series!