Welcome to the final discussion for I’ll Never Tell by Catherine McKenzie! Did you enjoy the ending? Were you surprised by the killer? Note that this discussion covers the full book, so if you haven’t finished reading yet you may want to go back to the I’ll Never Tell Book Club Summary Page for the previous discussions.
Kevin’s Thoughts
Overall, I enjoyed this book as a fun, fast-paced read. I rated it 4-stars but think part of that was the added enjoyment from this book club! If I’d read it on my own without the discussions, I think I’d have settled on 3-stars. Although it’s a fun story, the main thing I didn’t like is that I didn’t get much of a takeaway from it. Obviously, the major theme is lies and how solving Amanda’s murder would have been much easier if the siblings had been honest with each other. However, in the end, the family decides to keep lying, although maybe not as much to each other, and seem to be rewarded with a profitable camp and happy family.
While Mary and Amanda didn’t get happy endings, it seems the rest of the camp and family have moved on perfectly just 1 year later. Maybe I interpreted it too upbeat, but I find it hard to believe that the family was suddenly able to get along so well, agree to sell shares in the camp, and seemingly settle into happy, normal life. Just because Mary struck the actual blow doesn’t absolve the others from their bad decisions that probably played a large part in Amanda’s coma and ultimate death. To me, Margaux is the only truly innocent one with the others all having an opportunity to help Amanda sooner and keeping key secrets from the case.
Favorite Quote:
“Ryan had made so many mistakes. Mostly, they were about other people. Assumptions he’d made about how they’d feel, what they’d want. He’d done it with all the women in his life. Margaux. Mary. The twins. Kerry. Amanda. Stacey. He’d projected something he was feeling onto them and assumed they felt the same.”
– Catherine McKenzie, I’ll Never Tell
Brooke’s Thoughts
I read this book super-fast and I didn’t want to stop and wait for discussions. I really enjoy mysteries like this. You learn a little more each chapter and it leaves you on a cliff hanger to want to keep reading more. Overall, I give this book 4 stars. I liked it but it’s no The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo which is my favorite mystery book. For this book to be 5 stars it would have needed to be more intricate and have a surprise ending I wouldn’t have been able to guess. Even though this wasn’t my first pick for book club, I thought it was a great first read and really had fun discussing it with everyone!
Favorite Quote:
Three simple words. Her family’s motto, I’ll never tell.
– Catherine McKenzie, I’ll Never Tell
Surprised by the Killer?
Last Week’s Poll
Brooke and several of you had it right!
Kevin’s Prediction
I predicted the killer would be Sean but am not too surprised by Mary. She was my second choice with everyone else ruled out, barring a curve-ball like it being an accident or someone outside the family. Given a few more chapters before the last vote, I would have switched to Mary with Sean being made too obvious, too soon. I still think Sean’s character fits the crime better, as I never really got the vibe that Mary could kill someone in cold blood and live with it for 20 years without much effect. Sure, she was a bit of a loner and preferred animals to humans but I feel like her character would have reflected the crime more.
Brooke’s Prediction
I suspected it was Mary from the very beginning. The author almost convinced me it was Sean at one point. I was going to be very disappointed if it was him though. I would have felt let down that there wasn’t more of a twist.
Mary’s jealousy toward Amanda, her being on the island at the time, and her looking similar to Margaux are the main things that tipped me off. She is also the middle child and the middle child is always overlooked. (I would know, Kevin would not.) Also, I am super happy that I guessed correctly and Kevin did not. I read a lot more mysteries than he does and I know it’s never who you first think.
Discussion Prompts / Questions
Feel free to comment whatever thoughts and questions you have! But if you aren’t sure where to start, consider some of the prompts / questions below:
- Were you surprised by the ending?
- Mary being the killer, Sean being their half-brother, Mary’s suicide, Amanda’s coma, etc.?
- Do you have a favorite character? What do you like about them?
- Have any favorite quotes to share?
- Do you think keeping the camp and selling shares was the right decision? Would they have actually been able to come to an agreement?
- Did you attend a summer camp growing up? Was it a good or bad experience for you?
- Any questions for the author, Catherine McKenzie?
- No promises she’ll join the discussion, but she saw one of our Instagram posts about the book club and reached out! Hearing from her was pretty cool, so a big thanks either way!
We can’t wait to hear from you in the comments! Be aware, some comments may be held for our review to reduce spam and won’t appear on the site right away, but we’ll do our best to review quickly. If you have any trouble commenting, please let us know on social media or via email to hello@quillquotes.com so we can try to help.
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We hope you enjoyed reading I’ll Never Tell with us and are excited for the next Quill Quotes Book Club session! Be sure to vote for our next read if you haven’t yet.
Amanda spent 20+ years in a coma, while her mind replayed the worst event of her life over and over. At best this is torture. At worst this is what it means to be in a living hell. I believe at the end of the day the McAllister family added insult to injury by deciding to keep how Amanda ended up in that state a secret. I understand the necessity to protect your family. Many people would probably make the same choice. However, Margaux going to visit her consistently at the end and being there when she died and talking about the sense of closure just seemed hypocritical. This made her my least favorite character. My favorite character is Swift. I know he’s not fleshed out and he’s very seedy but he reminds me of Saul Goodman and he seems like he can get things done. You need that in a lawyer.
The qualm I had with the book was the lack of a definitive explanation on why their father was following them around. They call him a sick and perverted man but was that the only reason? Or was it because he’d messed up as a father so much that spying was the only way to feel close to his family? Or was he really only looking for Amanda’s murderer the whole time?
Ive been a summer camp counselor before and really the main concept you can take away from this book, which is a truth anyone who is a childcare professional will attest to, never leave hormone filled teenagers unattended. It will always end in disaster.
Maybe Margaux should have visited Amanda sooner but I actually felt she was the most innocent of any of them. She was the only one to not see Amanda that night after her injury while the others all had a chance to get her help sooner and withheld key info from the investigation.
Keeping Mary’s crime a secret to protect the family and camp is definitely a realistic decision, but it seems to go against the theme from earlier in the book that lying made everything more complicated (at least for Ryan, who I think has this exact thought partway through). Swift certainly had a hand in keeping everything a secret and transferring Mary’s share to Sean, but I agree he’s an interesting character. I’d love to know more about him and why he’s so loyal to the MacCallister family.
I think their father’s spying was more of a perverted personality trait than anything else. I believe this mostly because of the files he had on other campers that are completely unrelated to his family or Amanda, like the first file Liddie and Kate discuss on the camper that got kicked out for sleeping around. There’s also a part where Sean asks him why he doesn’t just ask his kids what they’re up to rather than spying on them and he replies something like “where’s the fun in that?”
Yea, the camp definitely seems poorly run with a pretty big age range. I hadn’t really thought about it until your comment but if the parents were out of town the night Amanda was injured, that leaves Ryan and the other counselors (age 18 – 22 or so) as the “adult” supervision. It’s true that camp counselors are usually pretty young, but there are usually older administrative staff and professionals around like a nurse or staff director that are never mentioned. A recipe for disaster, for sure!
Not telling what happened to Amanda goes along with their family motto of I’ll Never Tell. I also liked that the other used the title multiple times throughout the book.
Swift is an interesting side character. He always seemed to be around and know the family’s secrets. I don’t think I would compare him to Saul Goodman but maybe Slippin Jimmy. You’re right, he does seem to make things go away and get things done so I would like to know a little more about his character.
I would also like to know if the father actually thought Ryan had done it. That’s a pretty messed up and cowardly way to accuse someone. If he didn’t think Ryan had hurt Amanda then that’s even more messed up.
I never went to a summer camp as a child but I was a counselor for a few years. You are absolutely right teenagers are the worst. Sometimes the other counselors caused more problems than the children!
Really enjoyed this book. I agree with Sheila. It would make a good movie except now we know who done it. Amanda in a coma was a surprise. Sean as a half sibling was a surprise. Mary actually swinging the oar was really a surprise.
Glad you enjoyed the book! I would still enjoy watching it! Sean being a half-sibling surprised me too! Do you think the mom knew about sean?
No. I don’t think she wanted to know. She was in her own world. Probably knew about her husband frolics.
I really want to know what the parents thought. Like did the dad really think it was Ryan?
I really thought until the last chapters that it was an accident and she was just allowed to die. Well of course I was surprised she was in a coma. I figured Sesn was a sibling because of being a part of the group. The parents didnt strike me as the kind who would provide a non family member with the attention they gave him. I gave some thought about the parents. I was a little disappointed with how quickly the author wrapped up ending. All in all I probably wouldnt try another book by the author. I have enjoyed reading the comments and look forward to hearing what the new book will be
I also thought it might have been an accident. With the way Amanda was never mentioned as being killed/murdered, just “what happened that night”, I wasn’t too surprised by her being in a coma. I didn’t pick up on Sean being related though until Liddie gave him his birth certificate and called attention to the possibility.
I was also a bit disappointed with the ending. One year doesn’t seem like long enough for the characters to have processed all that happened and got on so well with camp and each other. In my opinion, a big opportunity was missed to have a final Amanda chapter with her hearing from Margaux that they’d finally figured it out and then being able to move on.
I think another Amanda chapter at the end would have been cool too. Her passing away after they spoke though might have been a little too cliche for me. It probably depends on how it was written.
I was shocked that Sean was a sibling. But looking back it makes sense. I think you are right that the parents wouldn’t have given him a chance in the will otherwise. Do you think the mom knew about Sean?
I am glad you are enjoying the book club! I also can’t wait for the new book!
I do think mom knew, wasnt there somewhere it was mentioned that the mom warned Mary away from him. I also think mom knew who did it, as she had Mary clean up before police were called, but not much communication between parents in any case.
I think she warned Sean away from Margaux too but I wasn’t sure if it was because she knew they were related or because she didn’t want this older man hanging around her daughters. I don’t think it was ever mentioned if the mom knew the dad was spying on all the children either. Definitely a lot of secrets in the family.
I really enjoyed this book! I picked Mary both times as the killer. I was second guessing myself the more I read because the author did a great job in keeping it a mystery on who hurt Amanda. I loved the twist that Amanda was still alive. I do wonder if Mary would have confessed to her whole family instead of killing herself would her family had turned her in to police. I’m glad the family can maybe heal a little after the truth came out and realize they all had each other’s backs besides Mary she didn’t care if someone else was blamed.
My favorite quote
What happened in a life that made the difference between being recognizable or a stranger at forty to your childhood companions.
Catherine McKenzie I’ll Never Tell
I’m glad the family sold shares and kept it as a camp and let Kate run it that seemed the best way to settle the inheritance.
I think this book would make a good movie or even limited series because if the different time periods and the great way it keeps you guessing who did it.
I am glad you enjoyed the book! There were a few times I wondered if she was still alive. I kept waiting for a time of death or a police report so I wasn’t too surprised about that.
It would have been interesting to see what the family would have done if Mary hadn’t died. I think they would have been split again and probably wouldn’t have healed as a family in the end.
I enjoyed that quote too! I thought it was very interesting, even though I haven’t reached forty yet, just how much some people can change over time while others stay the same. I also wonder how that happens too. Is it because they keep the same hair and clothing style? Did something happen that made them age more rapidly or something completely different altogether? Is it a good thing to change and look different?
I could see it being a good mini-series similar to Sharp Objects.
I also liked that quote and thought about putting it as my favorite! Keeping the camp and selling shares was definitely the best solution. I’m just not sure I believe the siblings would have been able to agree to it so quickly, one year seems like a short amount of time to sort out all the details even in a functional family.
I do think mom knew, wasnt there somewhere it was mentioned that the mom warned Mary away from him. I also think mom knew who did it, as she had Mary clean up before police were called, but not much communication between parents in any case.
Kevin, this was a dysfunctional family, so my guess is they just picked up and went on, with little to no discussion. It will pop up once in awhile, but never will be dealt with as that would take work and honesty and I didnt see alot of that with any of them.
True, that could be, but from the “one year later” description it seemed like they’d magically become a functional family to me. The camp was profitable now with Kate and Margaux working there together, the twins were finally open about their dating life and sexuality, Ryan (presumably) had his money problems solved by selling shares in the camp and his daughters got to start attending camp, and Sean got included in the family with Mary’s share of camp going to him. A bit too “happily ever after” for me.