Author Court Stevens writes small-town suspense imbued with empathy. To date, she’s penned eight acclaimed YA novels. Now, she’s stepping into the adult scene with a “coming-of-truth” narrative about the lengths we’re willing to go to protect our people. In Tell Me Something Good, a woman on a desperate mission to save her mother’s life accidentally uncovers a devastating family secret, unleashing a chain of revelations and retributions in her close-knit Southern community. Here’s everything you need to know before the book hits shelves on June 3!
Trigger Warning: This article contains mentions of gun violence and school shootings. In addition to these topics, Tell Me Something Good contains graphic imagery and discussions of cancer, as well as brief mentions of suicide, rape, sex trafficking, and bullying. Please exercise personal care while reading.
Synopsis
Over 20 years ago, tragedy befell a small town in rural Kentucky. Nine women were found murdered on the shore of Mayfield Creek, their bodies arranged in a grotesque display of cruelty. Unnerved by the sudden attention to their intimate community, locals were eager to move on from the grisly event. When news of a similar case in Texas emerged, so did a convenient narrative: The murderer must be an outsider without any ties to the town. And with that, the case was quietly put to rest.
Now, years after the townsfolk have seemingly put the murders behind them, a man’s accidental death brings everything back to light. Piece by piece, a conspiracy unfolds, revealing a chain of lies linking several local families to that fateful morning. In a race to save her ailing mother, one woman finds herself at the center of it all. As the world she thought she knew crumbles around her, she’ll lay her life on the line to unearth the brutal truth.
A Soul-Stirring Southern Gothic Thriller
Dried blood. Everywhere.
Not that Anna can identify the dark substance at first glance. The paneled walls are stained with splatters that seem more like the set of a horror film than where a horror actually occurred. The once-white leather interior wears a blackened burgundy crust. The sitting area and the kitchen are splattered as well. There’s a smear on the walkway where someone has been dragged.
She hasn’t spoken. Can’t. The truth registers.
Someone died down here.
Court Stevens, Tell Me Something Good
Tell Me Something Good by Court Stevens is a gripping mystery centered around family secrets, inherited trauma, and a convoluted web of crime. The implications of the central conflict are far-reaching and deadly, ratcheting up the stakes to rousing levels. Yet, despite its sweeping scope, Stevens still manages to make the narrative feel focused and personal. For anyone in pursuit of a fast-paced thriller that’ll have you compulsively flipping the pages, this is one to look out for.
A Candid Look at Class Disparity
Nearly free is actually very expensive.
So, as the nurse rattles off upcoming appointment dates and treatment schedules, Anna maths Starr’s survival.
126 miles round trip
divided by an old, unreliable truck
times $4 a gallon
times a minimum of 25 appointments
plus “nearly free” co-payments that start after a $10,000 deductible
plus vitamins not covered by insurance
equals
bad news
Court Stevens, Tell Me Something Good
On the border of Illinois and Kentucky, the Ohio River separates two towns: Luxor and Bent Tree. What bridges them is a decades-old tragedy entangling generations of lovers, enemies, and friends. What divides them is almost everything else.
These two towns exemplify the stark wealth disparity at play among the main cast of characters in Tell Me Something Good. Anna, born and raised in Luxor, knows the value of money; when you don’t have much, you learn to make a little go a long way. After being laid off from her job due to financial cutbacks, Anna’s problems stack up. The most pressing being how to stretch the sole $20 she has to her name as far as it will go. It’ll never be far enough, not with the looming cost of her mother’s cancer treatments. Opportunities are scarce in Luxor, so against her better judgment, Anna ventures across the river, hoping to find what her hometown can’t offer in Bent Tree.
Meanwhile, the Bent Tree elite have no problem burning cash on expensive booze, private planes, and first-class hunting excursions at the Lodges, a premier destination for hunters across the globe. The $10K minimum buy-in for each event at the Lodges’ prestigious annual hunting experience, the Royale, is nothing to bat an eye at. Not for them. Anna, on the other hand, could pay a year’s worth of expenses with that kind of capital. When she gets wrapped up in the shady goings-on at the Lodges, she learns just how much money can buy: silence, status, freedom, absolution — even survival.
Here, Court Stevens depicts the harrowing struggle to escape poverty and how those at the top work to keep everyone else perpetually at the bottom.
An Unconventional but Affecting Perspective
Here is a name from a potential future: Corey William Turrent.
In one arrangement of time, Corey will take an assault rifle from his father’s gun case. He will hide the weapon under his jacket. He will walk the three sweltering blocks from his home in Buckman, New Jersey, to Roseville Elementary. Once he’s through the lobby doors, he will open fire.
Court Stevens, Tell Me Something Good
This story begins with the end. That is to say, it tells you from the jump how one fatal conclusion might play out — whether it comes true or not depends on the characters. Tension is constructed not around finding out what will happen but whether the eventuality presaged by our omniscient narrator will unfold as described. We watch, helpless, as the future unfurls before our protagonists, who unknowingly play into the hands of destiny. All hope depends on whether their actions can turn the tide of fate to prevent a catastrophe none of them see coming. The effect is electrifying.
A Tender Testament to the Power of Love
We don’t live to see all the ripples we make, but we must make them all the same.
Court Stevens, Tell Me Something Good
This story tackles many tough topics and themes, but its ultimate message is one of compassion: Love can change the trajectory of our lives in unthinkable, important ways. If you take a single imperative from this story (and if you’re anything like me, you’ll take many), it should be this: Make your love for others known. The impact of your actions may not be visible to you, but it’ll be felt deeply by the people you cherish — and, perhaps, by those they cherish as well.
These three small words, I love you, can alter the course of innumerable futures. All we must do is gather the courage and care to share them.
Final Thoughts
Court Stevens’ Tell Me Something Good captures the complexities of human nature — the latent light and darkness that live within us all. Built on a deft understanding of human psychology, Stevens’ characters step off the page and into readers’ hearts. This is a story that lingers with you long after the final word, a story that manages to mine a hopeful message from a narrative so steeped in suffering. For anyone whose world-weary soul needs a little lightening, Tell Me Something Good will help lessen the load.
You’ll love Tell Me Something Good if you enjoyed these books:
- At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen
- Beartown by Fredrik Backman
- Every Moment Since by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen
- The Opposite of Everyone by Joshilyn Jackson
- Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor
Bookstr’s Tell Me Something Good Dream Cast:
- Eiza González as Anna Ryder, a devoted daughter trying to make ends meet
- Salma Hayek as Starr Ryder, Anna’s strong-willed mother
- Erin Moriarty as Foster Portage, a former foster kid who married into wealth
- Aaron Pierre as Jack Higgins, a big-hearted dog trainer and Anna’s ex-fiancé
- James McAvoy as Murray Orlov, Jack’s best friend and heir to the Lodges
- Ewan McGregor as Waylon Collins, Starr’s former forbidden lover
Final Score: 5/5
If you want to add Tell Me Something Good to your TBR, you can preorder it on Bookshop, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and Amazon. Thank you to Harper Muse for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
To read another starred review, click here!
To browse more books like this, check out Bookstr’s Mystery/Thriller shelf on Bookshop!
