You Can Scream (Laurel Snow 5) by Rebecca Zanetti-review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date December 16, 2025

Laurel’s family was never simple—but her half-sister, Abigail, a brilliant, unpredictable psychopath, just made it lethal. Accused of murdering their father, a man she always called a monster, Abigail claims
self-defense. As the trial unfolds and long-buried family secrets explode into headlines across Washington State, Laurel’s hard-won privacy is shattered. And the nightmare is just beginning.

Even as Abigail’s trial consumes public attention, new dangers close in as the murder of a prominent scientist and the illegal poaching of a rare Pacific plant point to something insidious. Laurel turns to Washington Fish and Wildlife captain Huck Rivers, her partner in work and life, for help. But the deeper they dig, the more the case seems to echo the chaos unraveling Laurel’s world.

With danger tightening around her, Laurel faces an impossible choice: trust Abigail in one crucial, treacherous alliance, or risk losing everything. Her career, her relationships, even her life hang in the balance. The clock is ticking—and if the threat breaks loose, nothing will be fast enough to stop it.

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REVIEW:YOU CAN SCREAM is the fifth instalment in Rebecca Zanetti’s contemporary, adult LAUREL SNOW suspense thriller focusing on FBI Special Profiler Laurel Snow. YOU CAN SCREAM can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty but I recommend reading the series in order for backstory and cohesion as there is an ongoing story throughout.

NOTE: Due to the nature of the story line premise, there may be triggers for more sensitive readers.

Told from several omniscient third person perspectives including Laurel, following numerous interconnected pathways, YOU CAN SCREAM focuses on the hunt for the truth. As the bodies begin to amass, causes ranging from suicide, to accidents and falls, FBI profiler Laurel Snow begins looking for a possible connection, a connection leading back to a local biomedical research facility called Oakridge Solutions. As Laurel begins a deep dive searching for the truth, our heroine becomes a target for some very powerful people.

Meanwhile, Laurel struggles to confront her brilliant but psychotic half-sister Abigail in the wake of their father’s murder, an evil man who took something from Laurel she will never get back.

The world building is detailed and complex, as the readers journeys down several avenues of possibilities, many with connection to one another including an unlikely foe. While Laurel’s boyfriend Fish and Wildlife officer Captain Huck Rivers embarks on a search of his own, protecting the woman he loves is paramount in the face of the perceived threats against our story line heroine.

The relationship between Huck and Laurel continues towards something more. Laurel struggles with the possibility of losing her independence, but Huck’s love for Laurel grows, as does his need to protect. The $ex scenes are limited but mostly implied.

Once again, there is large ensemble cast of colorful, energetic and sometimes questionable secondary and supporting characters, many of whom we have met throughout the series including Laurel’s love Huck, her sister Abigail; Laurel’s PA Kat Vuittron, and her daughter Vivi; local self-proclaimed psychic Tim Kohnex, as well as FBI agents, law enforcement, and research specialists. The requisite evil has many faces.

YOU CAN SCREAM is a story of power and control, betrayal and vengeance, obsession and madness, family and relationships. The character driven premise is detailed, edgy and dramatic; the characters are charismatic and determined.

Reading Order and Previous Reviews

You Can Run
You Can Hide
You Can Die
You Can Kill

Copy supplied by Netgalley

Reviewed by Sandy