Book Reviews by Ava Tanis

From Above

Another book review! Finally! Last week’s book of choice was From Above by Norah McClintock; a short and sweet mystery novel. One of the books for the upcoming March 23 Battle of the Books event, From Above tells the story of Riley Donovan, a high school student with a knack for investigation. When she witnesses a peer fall to his death from the roof of a school building, Riley is almost sure she sees another person up there with him. She knows something must be wrong when the police try to close the case as a suicide even after being told that there could have been another person involved. Riley becomes determined to get to the bottom of her acquaintance’s death and learns lots of interesting information throughout the process of piecing together the true story. 

Only 231 pages long, From Above is a quick and easy read that can be accomplished in one sitting if you want to squeeze some reading into a tight schedule. School, work, and extracurriculars can make it pretty difficult to justify reading, so this book is perfect for busy students. 

From Above is the second in Norah McClintock’s Riley Donovan Mystery series, but it can stand on its own. You don’t have to read the first book in order to understand the plot lines or get background information—though some extra character development might enrich the story a little bit more. The main plotlines of the mystery tie together nicely and you won’t be left with any questions about the murder, even though you can genuinely never guess who the killer is throughout the story. If you like a good plot twist, this book is definitely a good option for you because the real murderer will surely catch you off guard at the end. 

While it does discuss more serious subjects (death & murder, duh), the novel is not particularly emotional or deep and probably will not leave you with much of an impression other than ‘murder bad, perseverance good’. Riley’s unflinching adherence to her suspicions and relentless perseverance in the face of a highly dismissive police force is the overall theme and takeaway, which is arguably more inspiring than profound or heavy. 

Overall, From Above is a fun, simple book for anyone interested in a lighthearted, but thought-provoking mystery read.