When a childhood tragedy results in years of guilt and suffering, how does a family survive and move forward with the scars that follow them? When Gracen’s little sister, Douggy, is attacked by a dog on his watch, he cannot quite live with the aftermath of her disfigurement and death a few years later. He channels his theory that her death was a suicide into his podcast, but can digging up old wounds lead to further trauma in WHO KNEW THE RIDPATH GIRL by Stacy Johns?

Douggy's childhood friend, Quinn DeCelles, returns to the town of Meander to deal with her own family situation when she hears Gracen’s podcast and his theory about Douggy’s suicide. She wonders if she failed her best friend all those years ago. As Gracen’s podcast continues, people with ties to Douggy’s early life are being viciously murdered in town. Is someone exacting their own revenge for Douggy’s death? Did all the taunting, bullying, and isolation cause Douggy to take her own life? Or did someone else end it for her? As the local detectives investigate the recent murders, Gracen and Quinn find themselves dealing with a maniacal killer and running out of time.

WHO KNEW THE RIDPATH GIRL is a character-driven family drama/thriller that delves into the lives of the people affected by a childhood tragedy. Stacy Johns does a good job developing and showcasing the mental struggles of the characters and how they’re coping with a tragedy with so many loose ends. The mystery really lies in uncovering how Douggy really died at age eleven. Was it self-inflicted, or did someone else harm her? Gracen and Quinn are both complex characters, not always doing the right thing, but with good intentions. Detective Kirsten is also an interesting study in work stress and its relation to a disintegrating marriage. There is much to like in this novel, including its characters, its town, and its vivid exploration of how trauma changes people. However, the novel’s pace falters in the middle, and the villain at the end is a little unexpected, given how the mystery had been progressing. Yet, the profound tragedy pulls you in from the start, and the explosive ending leaves readers with much to think about and remember.