The Underwood Tapes - by Amanda DeWitt

Book Synopsis

A captivating and profoundly moving novel with hints of supernatural intrigue, blending We Were Liars and Your Name into a can't-miss read for fans of You've Reached Sam.

Thirty years ago, Grace's mom left her hometown of Hermitage, Florida and never looked back--which is exactly why Grace thinks it's the safest place to spend her summer now. Since her mom died in a car crash, Grace has been desperate to get away from the memories and reminders of her loss. Spending the summer transcribing cassette tapes for the Hermitage Historical Society might be boring, but boring is just what Grace needs.

Until she hears the voice of Jake Underwood--the boy who first recorded the cassette tapes back in 1992. When Grace realizes he can hear anything she records, despite thirty years of time between them, they strike up an impossible conversation through the tapes.

But the past isn't any simpler than the present, and a mystery has haunted Hermitage through the generations. In the 1970's, a hurricane made landfall and resulted in the tragic death of Jake's uncle Charley. In a town as suffocatingly small as Hermitage, it's impossible not to notice how no one talks about that storm, or Charley, and as the mystery unfurls, Grace can't help but realize a worse truth: No one talks about Jake either.

A beautifully written exploration of grief and what happens when untreated wounds bleed into future generations, The Underwood Tapes is the perfect read for anyone in need of a good, cathartic cry.

Review Quotes

A time-bending, twisted tale that will intrigue readers needing reassurance in grief while unraveling a mystery.
--School Library Journal

DeWitt shines with a character-driven, emotional mystery that tests the veil between past and present. Intriguingly supernatural, this moving novel on grief and healing features supportive, platonic friendships and a protagonist worth rooting for.
--Booklist

DeWitt successfully juggles a fair number of moving pieces here, unspooling the mystery with just the right amount of tension and keeping her characters' motivations authentic to themselves and not the whim of the plot.
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Through Grace's assuredly written voice, DeWitt deftly balances an examination of grief and healing with a gradually unfolding small-town mystery.
--Publishers Weekly

[An] engaging mystery.
--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Amanda DeWitt is an author and librarian, ensuring that she spends as much time around books as possible. She also enjoys Star Wars, Dungeons & Dragon-ing, and even more writing--just not whatever it is she really should be writing. She graduated from the University of South Florida with a master's in information and library science. She lives in Denver, Colorado, with her two dogs and a very small cat.