The Bakersville Dozen by Kristina McBride

To be published on July 4, 2017 by Sky Pony Press

Source: eARC for review from publisher

Plot Summary of The Bakersville Dozen by Kristina McBride

Back in September, the town of Bakersville, Ohio made national news when a video went viral featuring thirteen of the high school’s elite in compromising positions. 

Now it’s May, and every month since the “Bakersville Dozen” made their infamous appearance on the national stage, one girl has gone missing. Officials are no closer to identifying the criminal. 

Bailey “Like a Virgin” Holzman is getting really fed up with the scrutiny. She just wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year and have an epic summer before heading off to college. 

So when she discovers a note in her locker on the last day of school inviting her on a scavenger hunt, she thinks it’s just a sweet surprise from her boyfriend trying to cheer her up. 

But following the clue leads her, instead, to the first official casualty. And another sinister envelope. The killer is close, and it could be anyone. 

Even the people Bailey’s always trusted most—her best friend, her perfect boyfriend, or the boy-next-door she’s always pined for. 

With the clock ticking, she faces a terrifying choice: play the game by the killer’s rules—follow the clues, tell no one, and no cops—for a chance to save the rest of the missing girls, or risk becoming the next grisly victim.

Review of The Bakersville Dozen by Kristina McBride

I love mysteries and thrillers and there was definitely a lot to like about The Bakersville Dozen. It was fast-paced and twisty in the vein of Pretty Little Liars, and also reminded me of the scary movies (Scream, etc.) that I used to watch back in the day.

On the less positive side, there wasn't much character development (not unusual for a book like this). There was also a triangle (Bailey is dating one guy but clearly pining for another).

But overall I thought for a YA thriller, this did the job really well. It was gruesome, it was suspenseful, it was surprising (I guessed one element of the solution but not all), it managed to squeeze in a credible romance, and it really kept me reading to figure out what was going to happen. 

It definitely felt like watching a good horror movie, and I could totally see this adapted to a TV movie or miniseries.

P.S. I think there was also a cover change. At the time I posted this, Goodreads shows the cover on the right, while Amazon the cover on the left. What are your thoughts? I'd love to see more of a combination of the two - the red envelopes are a huge part of the story, and I wish they were featured in the new (I think) cover.


If you love suspenseful, twisty books, definitely check this one out!