If I Tell

If I Tell

For teen and adult fans of A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO MURDER who want to discover something new! My name is Jenna. I'm sixteen years old. And I think my dad is a serial killer. On a muggy summer afternoon in Upstate New York, sixteen-year-old Jenna Cooper is swimming in a lake when a murdered girl is found nearby, pulled from that very same lake. The next day, the body of another girl is discovered a couple of miles away. Soon, more bodies are found. All are girls in their teens or early twenties, and they were all killed in the same distinctive manner. As police race to solve these horrible crimes, Jenna finds clues that make her wonder if her father might be the killer. Although she is terrified to believe her dad could be a murderer, she is determined to find out the truth, no matter what it is. But her quest for the truth is about to land her in a makeshift prison, at the mercy of a serial killer. Will she find a way to escape or will she be the next to die? If you like suspenseful murder mystery thrillers with a dash of clean romance and JAW-DROPPING twists and turns, you'll love this absolutely riveting standalone read! What readers are saying about IF I TELL by J.W. Lynne: "Amazing! Hooked from beginning and read it in one sitting. Did not see the ending coming. Great writing. In depth characters. Would 10000% recommend." - Anabel, Goodreads ★★★★★ "Interesting plot twists and turns. Keeps you intrigued the whole time. I recommend this book for anybody who likes suspenseful books with a LOT of mystery." - Hayleigh, Goodreads ★★★★★ "Amazing book. I could not put it down. The reveal shocked me but made sense. Satisfying ending. One of the best books I've read in a while." - Sara, Amazon ★★★★★ "I love the plot twist! WOAHHH!" - Lily, Goodreads ★★★★★ An excerpt from IF I TELL: PROLOGUE My eyes are wide open, but I see nothing but darkness. My heart races and my breaths come fast as I try to understand what just happened. But I am trying to make sense of something incomprehensible. All I know is that this is no accident. Someone has trapped me here. They have locked me in a place where no one can hear me scream. I am now at the mercy of a serial killer. TWENTY-SIX DAYS EARLIER ... CHAPTER ONE "Have you ever seen a dead person?" I am swimming in a lake near our campground when Darren, a nineteen-year-old guy from my neighborhood, comes running up and asks me that question. My older sister, Skye, is way out deep in the lake along with our good friends, Noah and John. I'm closer to the shoreline, with the boys' twelve-year-old sister Ruthie. The hot and muggy air made the cool water feel soothing until Darren's words pulled away that pleasure. "No," I say to Darren. "Have you?" "Yes," he says, almost triumphantly. "He's lying," Ruthie says to me. "I am not," Darren retorts. "If you ask nicely, I'll show you." He directs that last part to me. I shake my head. "I don't want to see a dead person." Ruthie narrows her eyes. "It's a trick. He's trying to make us look stupid." She's probably right. Darren doesn't seem to know how to interact well with others. He doesn't have any friends. When he's in the mood to be around other people, which he rarely seems to be, he tends to approach Skye and me, since we live next door to him, and John and Noah, since they live just one block away. Darren is a bit older than us. John is eighteen, Skye is seventeen, and Noah and I are sixteen. The four of us have become Darren's targets probably because we don't tell him to go away, the way most people do. Darren's dad died when he was only seven years old, and his mom is a nice lady, so the four of us try to be decent to Darren. "It's not a trick," Darren says, tilting his chin to the side, his longish sandy-brown hair falling into his eyes. That's when I notice the police cars. Four of them. I don't think I've ever seen a police car in this park, even though my family and I come here for camping trips all the time. I guess the park rangers handle most of the problems that come up. "Skye, John, Noah," I call out, then I point to the flashing red lights. "The police are here." Skye and the boys immediately swim to shore. "Do you know what's going on?" Noah asks. His shaggy blond hair is dripping wet, and the water drizzles down his muscled chest. "It must be serious if they called the cops," John says. His blond buzz cut looks almost dry even though he just left the water. Darren points toward the woods. "There's a dead body over there." "No way," Skye says, narrowing her eyes suspiciously. Darren's face flushes a little. He's always had a crush on Skye. A lot of guys do. She's slim, tall, and really pretty. And her long straight brown hair always looks gorgeous, even right now, when it's sopping wet. "Come on," Darren says. "I'll show it to you." I'm not exactly sure why we all follow Darren into the woods. I guess it's curiosity. Darren is probably joking about there being a dead person.