TEASER TUESDAY: CARTWHEEL BY JENNIFER DUBOIS

Like millions of others, I’ve heard of the Amanda Knox case, though I can’t say I’ve kept up with it greatly. The book I’ve chosen for this week’s teaser is loosely linked to this case; Cartwheel by Jennifer Dubois (RRP $29.95 Scribe Publications) is set in Buenos Aires rather than Italy, but explores what happens when a young woman is accused of her room mate’s murder. I’ve just started it and I’m somewhat frustrated that I have other things to do than read right now! Here’s the teaser:

‘What’s more worrying for our case, actually, are the reports from the initial interrogation of your daughter’s rather … subdued … reaction to Katy’s death. And in conjunction with the cartwheel, of course, that looks a little strange.’

Andrew felt his tongue freeze momentarily in his mouth. ‘What cartwheel?’ he said. (p27)

The cartwheel … there’s something about this action, the timing and the connotations of the cartwheel that keeps the characters – and readers like me – walking on the knife-edge of doubt. Here’s the blurb:

An American foreign-exchange student arrested for murder. A desperate father determined to win her freedom. The brilliant lawyer tasked with her prosecution. And the sphinx-like young man who happens to be her only alibi. When Lily Hayes arrives in Buenos Aires for her semester abroad, she is enchanted by everything she encounters: the colourful buildings, the street food, the elusive guy next door. Her studious roommate, Katy, is a bit of a bore, but Lily hasn’t come to Argentina to hang out with other Americans. Five weeks later, Katy is found brutally murdered in their shared home, and Lily is the prime suspect. But who is Lily Hayes? It depends on who’s asking. As the case takes shape — revealing deceptions, secrets, and suspicious DNA — Lily appears alternately sinister and guileless through the eyes of those around her. Cartwheel will keep you guessing until the final page, and its questions about how well we really know one another — and ourselves — will linger well beyond.

Sound like something you’d read?

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Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!