Picture the Dead by Adele Griffin & Lisa Brown

Title: Picture the Dead

Author: Adele Griffin & Lisa Brown

Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire

Release Date: February 1, 2012

Source: Finished Copy from Publisher

Buy the Book: Amazon / Book Depository

Jennie feels the tingling presence of something unnatural in the house now that Will is dead. 

Her heart aches without him, and she still doesn't know how he really died. It seems that everywhere she turns, someone is hiding yet another clue. As Jennie seeks the truth, she finds herself drawn ever deeper into a series of tricks and lies, secrets and betrayals, and begins to wonder if she had ever really know Will at all. 

Before being contacted by the publisher, I hadn't rally heard anything about Picture the Dead, but it  sounded like a really interesting read. In the end, it wasn't what I originally thought it was going to be, but it was still a very enjoyable read. 

After the death of their parents, Jennie and her twin brother were forced to go live with their aunt and uncle at Pritchett House. But then her brother and cousins left to go fight for the Union, leaving Jennie alone. Now alone with her aunt and uncle, Jennie is eagerly awaiting the return of her cousins Will and Quinn, because their return mean she can be married to Will. But when only a wounded Quinn comes home from the war, Jennie is devastated and wants nothing more than to find out what happened to Will. Except that Quinn, the only person who really knows the truth, won't tell her what really happened. So Jennie sets off, attempting to find whatever clues she can, hoping they may lead her to the truth about Will's death. Except that the truth Jennie finds may not be the one she wants.

I don't read as much historical fiction as I would like to, so I was happy to have the opportunity to read Picture the Dead. It was also something different, the story being supplemented by illustrations and photographs. The story itself was interesting and captivating, though at times I found it to be moving a little slow. But regardless of that, I found myself continuing to read because I wanted to find out the truth about Will's death as much as Jennie did. As for the illustrations, they definitely added to the story and helped me better picture some parts of the story. In the end, Picture the Dead ended up being a very interesting story.

It's hard to talk about any characters other than Jennie. The story is told from her point of view, so I fell like I got to know her really well. But with the other characters, it feels like I only got to know them superficially and I wish I could have found out more about them. But that isn't to say that I didn't like Jennie. At first, I really liked her and loved how determined she was to find out the truth about what had happened to Will. I wanted nothing more than for her to find out the truth so she could finally have some closure and move on. But then she did something that seemed completely out of character and caused me to sort of question everything I thought about her. But at the end of the book, everything was made clear and Jennie stood up for herself and I once again found myself really liking her.

Overall, Picture the Dead was a really interesting read. If you are in the mood for something a little different, then I recommend you pick this one up and see what it's all about for yourself.