Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon

Dismantled- Jennifer McMahon

From Goodreads-

Henry, Tess, Winnie, and Suz banded together in college to form a group they called the Compassionate Dismantlers. Following the first rule of their manifesto--"To understand the nature of a thing, it must be taken apart"--these daring misfits spend the summer after graduation in a remote cabin in the Vermont woods committing acts of meaningful vandalism and plotting elaborate, often dangerous, pranks. But everything changes when one particularly twisted experiment ends in Suz's death and the others decide to cover it up.

Nearly a decade later, Henry and Tess are living just an hour's drive from the old cabin. Each is desperate to move on from the summer of the Dismantlers, but their guilt isn't ready to let them go. When a victim of their past pranks commits suicide--apparently triggered by a mysterious Dismantler-style postcard--it sets off a chain of eerie events that threatens to engulf Henry, Tess, and their inquisitive nine-year-old daughter, Emma.

Is there someone who wants to reveal their secrets? Is it possible that Suz did not really die--or has she somehow found a way back to seek revenge?

Dismantled is a book about secrets, and how damaging they can be to people's lives.  I was drawn into the world of the Compassionate Dismantler from the beginning, and as the secrets started to unravel, I was hooked.  Who doesn't like secrets?  

What really grabbed me first were the characters, they were really well written, and clear cut. The author was throrough in describing them, and giving them voices, making sure we understood who they were.  Suz, by far left the strongest impression on my.  In the beginning I was indifferent to her, but as the book progressed, I really started to dislike her.  We learn about Suz through flashbacks, because at the start of the book she is already dead.  Tess, and Henry's memories, and flashbacks of her make her seem larger than life, and later very manipulative.  Another strong character was Emma, who is Tess, and Henry's daughter, she plays a big part in this book, and she helps move the story along.

The pacing of the book is great.  The suspense just kept on building up as you turned each page.  At times I found the book scary, it would give me chills.  Danner, Emma's imaginary friend, is very creepy, but I wished she was explained more. Dismantlers  will definitely keep you reading until late in the day.  The ending is impressive, and creative. 

Dismantled is a well written thriller with great memorable characters.  If you are looking for a wonderful suspense/thriller book, I would suggest picking this one up.

Rating: 4.5/5