The Brutal Telling

The quiet, close-knit community made the murder feel even more unsettling. Did the setting make the mystery more intense or predictable for others?

The pacing around the reveal kept me on edge, but I wonder if it was planned that way from the start or evolved during writing. How did this choice impact the story's tension?

Their depth and authenticity really drew me in, but I'm curious about whether Penny based any characters on real people or if they came entirely from imagination.