Review: "Here Lies Daniel Tate," by Cristin Terrill

A young, street-savvy runaway looking for a place to call home realizes he might have conned his way into the wrong family in this fast-paced and thrilling novel from award-winning author Cristin Terrill. When ten-year-old Daniel Tate went missing from one of California's most elite communities, he left no trace. He simply vanished. Six years later, when he resurfaces on a snowy street in Vancouver, he's no longer the same boy. His sandy hair is darker, the freckles are gone, and he's initially too traumatized to speak, but he's alive. His overjoyed family brings him home to a world of luxury and comfort he can barely remember. In time, they assure him, he'll recover his memories; all that matters now is they're together again.

It's perfect. A miracle. Except for one thing. He isn't Daniel Tate. He's a petty con artist who accidentally stumbled into the scam of a lifetime, and he soon learns he's not the only one in the Tate household with something to hide. The family has as many secrets as they have millions in the bank, and one of them might be ready to kill to keep the worst one buried.

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Oh. My. God. This book literally left me mindblown! The writing was superb, the characters were each so significant and unique, the plot was so twisted - each turn was unpredictable.

I love this book a LOT, however, the ending didn't leave me feeling as happy or accomplished as I wanted it to be.

Daniel Tate is such a cunning character (well not really Daniel because he's just a con artist). I felt sorry for him after being abandoned by his parents - especially when his mother didn't give a crap for him. He's actually a sweet kid and he has a conscience which is why he feels horrible for deceiving the Tate family. The rest of the characters were just as complex and intriguing to learn about.

The plot itself was extraordinary! It was suspenseful and dark and a total thrill ride. I was always a bit scared for "Danny" because you could never tell when he'd be caught in the act.

The book structure was so unlike other books. There were no chapters or line break or anything. I actually enjoyed that because rather than seeming that the story happened section by section, it was all in one long timeline. And thus, there was so much more connectivity!

I love how the author wrote in little tidbits in the second person because it made me feel as if Daniel was talking to me, himself. He'd joke around with you and it felt as if he was sitting next to you and narrating his story. And that is one of the main reasons the ending left me stumped.

One thing that also made this such a wonderful book was that its support of LGBTQ. Nicholas, one of Daniel's brothers, has a boyfriend and he isn't ridiculed at all for that. It's written as if it's such a normal thing and I loved how accepting everyone was. His relationship with his boyfriend didn't affect anyone and in fact inspired Daniel a bit.

All in all, I think this book is one of the few mystery novels that truly captured my full attention. It's heartwarming and has just the right amount of intrigue, thrill, romance, sorrow, and happiness. Literally, I would like to throw a celebration with fireworks and all for the author. I'd recommend this to anyone and everyone who likes YA.

Overall Rating: 5 stars